Week of June 19th - last key sessions

MONDAY

Session Details: RUN incl 5km mod hard (sub 4min/km) – 4x1km very hard (~3:20-25/km) / CORE 30mins

Comments:   Some fast running today to not only search for some speed but also to keep beating my legs up to gain deep strength. This was going to be my last interval run before the race.

A good strong run tonight getting one of my 1km’s down to a 3:19

 File: http://tpks.ws/RoXTl

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TUESDAY

Session Details: SWIM

• 300 warm up
• 2x100 IM
• 4x100 (50 mod hard / 25 easy / 25 drill)
• 1km mod hard
• 200 easy mixed strokes
• 5 x 100 (25 Hard / 25 easy)
• 100 Easy
• 1.5km mod hard aiming for ~1:25’s
• 100 loosen

Comments:  Not a great swim today. I was a few seconds off per 100 as well as having effort higher than I would like.

Session Details: BIKE Steady 70mins on the trainer with cadence variations

Comments:   More of a recovery session than anything today

 File: http://tpks.ws/oS9PD

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WEDNESDAY

Session Details: RUN 2hrs with 2 sets of 5xstrides

Comments:   Today was a real grovel more or less the whole way. It really was a case of getting the time done today.

 File: http://tpks.ws/Jgxik

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THURSDAY

Session Details: BIKE – indoor trainer incl 8x5min FTP

Comments: A good strong workout today. The first 1-2mins of each rep was a bit of struggle but I then got into it and rode strongly.   

 File: http://tpks.ws/0o2UG

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FRIDAY

Session Details: SWIM 1hr

• 400 warm up
• 2x100 IM
• 4x50 (25 hard / 25 easy)
• 4 x (300 easy to steady - 3x100 fast on 1:45)
• 200 warm down

Comments:   Finally the swim I’ve been looking for. This morning I hit the 100;s week sitting around 1:15/100

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SATURDAY

KEY SESSION: RUN 3km building pace / BIKE ~90kms best case @ IM effort / RUN 21.1km off the bike @ IM pace (aiming for <4:17/km)

Comments:  Thanks to our considerate wife’s Phil & I were given afternoon passes.

Run #1 was uneventful then onto the bike. The first 10-15km is relatively slow going with sitting up, shitty roads and some traffic. Once out of town we were running at good power & pace with rpe being reasonably low. I’d tried to come up with a route that had a good number of hills to try and simulate Roth.  

My aim today was to be shooting for best case IM power aiming for ~240w NP. The good news was my RPE indicated the effort today was just sustainable but HR, at times, was saying it is a touch too hard. I suspect 230w will be what I go for on the day.

I finished with NP of 241w. If I hit that in Roth I think I will be ~4hr50mins which would be a great result.

After the first 1km of the run I felt as fresh as a daisy and had to hold back. All the way through to about 15km I did not require much concentration at all. The last 5km got a little tougher and HR went up but was still very manageable.

Overall a very strong performance today. No significant issues aside from a tightening glute in the last 5km. I tested my new lightweight shoes today and feel they will be the best choice race day. The trade off of lightness and good drainage over less cushioning is worth it based on todays results.

 File: Warm up run: http://tpks.ws/HRv1v Bike: http://tpks.ws/KxqF6 Run #2: http://tpks.ws/hVkfC

SWIM- I also did an easy 1km swim in the morning when at the pool with the kids.

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SUNDAY

Session Details: Bike – steady ride on TrainerRoad - Baxter

Comments: An early morning start with tired legs. I battled through and felt better in the 2^nd half than the first.

 File: http://tpks.ws/8Uaau

CORE; 30mins / YOGA 30kms

Week of 12th June - Key ride this week

MONDAY

Session Details: CORE 25-30mins BIKE – 1hr recovery ride with single leg work, cadence variation and a few 1min reps @ FTP to finish.

Comments: My legs are pretty smoked from yesterdays 3hr run. I certainly felt better after doing this recovery session than before which was of course the intention of doing it .

 File: http://tpks.ws/DGzUv

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TUESDAY

Session Details: SWIM – longish 4.5km – general endurance work

Comments:   Forgot to write down workout again sorry. Low in the water and not feeling great today

Session Details: RUN with 10x1km @ ~3:45-50/km (~Olympic tri pace)

Comments: Very windy tonight but average pace was probably about right. It felt good to be somewhat up on the toes sub 4min/km pace. Each time I’m doing more challenging runs I keep playing around with technique when tired but more often than not pace seems to come easier when I relax a little more and just flow.

The last rep tonight my garmin turned off for some reason then turned back on so a 3:45rep turned into 5:33 which was a bit of a painful way to close out the session. HRM still not working.     

 File: http://tpks.ws/fgR8e

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WEDNESDAY

Session Details: BIKE 95mins incl 4x(10min Mod hard / 4mins FTP) - TrainerRoad

Comments:  A really good solid workout today. The FTP came relatively easy which in turn made the lower power output at mod hard efforts feel easier. Done on the wahoo in erg mode so. Good cadence throughout but on the FTP work I was simulating hills on some reps doing 1min normal cadence / 1min low cadence.

 File: http://tpks.ws/OH6gw

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THURSDAY

Session Details: SWIM – short 2km on the way back from a meeting

• 400 warm up
• 2x100 IM
• 300 (25 fast / 25 easy / 25 drill / 25 easy)
• 1km mod hard holding 1:25/100

Comments:  It was good to get a 3^rd swim this week all be it rather short. The 1:25/100 came pretty easy today which is nice for a change.

Session Details: RUN 2hr building run starting ~4:45/km then building each 5km block to finish at 4:05/km

Comments: This was very easy to start today. Todays run was all on the flat with it all feeling pretty easy except the last 5km where I did have to concentrate reasonably hard (unfortunately had to have a toilet stop mid way through which made it a bit easier to get through). HR back online today and shows I was up around Half IM HR towards the end  

 File: http://tpks.ws/bNLtZ

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FRIDAY

Session Details: SWIM 3.2km

• 400 warm up
• 2x100 IM
• 200 (25 mod hard / 25 easy)
• 400 steady
• 4x100 Fast (30RI)
• 400 easy to steady
• 2x200 Fast (1min RI)
• 400 easy to steady
• 400 Fast
• 200 warm down with some backstroke

Comments: Today was intended to be a hard swim with good rest. I hit the 200’s nicely at around 2:34 feeling like there was more in the tank. So I had hopes of being under 5:10 for the 400. I felt like I was nailing the 400 but probably didn’t push as hard as I could in the 2^nd half so was very disappointed to see only 5:15. I need to be quicker than that but I suppose it was at the end of a session and I didn’t push as hard as I should have.   

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SATURDAY

Session Details: KEY BIKE RIDE – 165km with the majority @ IM effort. Done in the afternoon starting at 12noon

Comments: I was on the road bike with clip on aero bars today which I knew would be a bit of a challenge as sitting in aero position is nowhere near as comfortable as the TT bike.

After a 10km warm up we were into it. I was riding with Murray today and given I was on the roadie I suggested he lead out with myself sitting ~ IM draft distance behind. This was a great exercise for me as I’m normally on the front and I got reminded how massive the draft zone is with my power being quite erratic even at 12-15m so I dropped back further.

My plan for the IM effort was to build into it a little then hold closer to 240w and see how I handle it in the last hour. I’m hoping I can average 235w in Roth (230w would still be good and 225w acceptable).

Early on HR was about right – I’m aiming to keep it closer to 130 than 135 especially early on.   At about the 1hr30 mark I drifted off the back of Murray by a good 100m or so but needed to get back up to him as the afternoon light and shade was making it a bit dangerous without lights. I needed to tell him to turn on his rear light. That meant a fairly long effort closer to 250w than 240w but I felt pretty strong.

Through the middle stages I felt quite strong with power coming reasonably easy. It’s lumpy terrain with lots of gentle grinding uphill where I typically struggle to hold good cadence.

The final stretch of this ride is mentally challenging with ~40km on a very straight road although it is slightly downhill. I certainly started to feel the pinch during this period with power and cadence deteriorating. By this stage I was sitting up on the hoods a lot and also was suffering with the cold. I held it together as best I could but the final section home was pretty miserable, dark and cold.

All being said I still managed to have NP of 234w with HR132 for the main chunk of the ride so given I was on the roadie I’m OK with that.

A very solid workout today. Not the big confidence booster I was hoping for but a great fitness booster

 File: http://tpks.ws/9JjfH

RUN OFF THE BIKE – 3km @ IM pace. It was a good mental test to go for a short run. I really didn’t feel like doing it. Tonight I was testing some new shoes as in Kona my shoes did not drain well. The new shoes I have are only 200g so I am worried they will be too light so I will test further over the next few weeks. I’m glad I did run because the pace came easily and the shoes felt fast.

File: http://tpks.ws/3NXhQ

Week of 5th June - Kona then home

MONDAY

BIKE – recovery ride up through Waikola Village – Waimea – Mauna Lani ~70km

I was keen to get in a little more riding before leaving tomorrow. This ride has a long climb ~1hr up to the middle road. It’s not steep but it is long. I was surprised power was coming easy and I felt pretty good. It’s a lot cooler up high then a great high speed descent back to the Queen K where I got a bit cooked by the rising temperature.

File: http://tpks.ws/Fx8NJ

SWIM – Fairmont Orchard to Mauna Lani Hotel and back

Another great out and back swim. Very rough conditions but good to get one final swim done

File: http://tpks.ws/gQ9sN

TUESDAY – Travel

WEDNESDAY – lost with time change

THURSDAY

RUN – just and easy recovery run to get back in the swing of things. I felt pretty good early on but could tell I had post race fatigue by the end of the run

File: http://tpks.ws/raXc4

FRIDAY

SWIM 3.2km

I’m late doing this update and forgot to record the workout.

SATURDAY

BIKE 1hr40 on the trainer – 3 x (20mins building through steady zone – 3x1min FTP)

This is probably my favourite TrainerRoad session at the moment. A nice mix of steady riding and the small amount of FTP makes the steady riding feel easier. With todays session I feel like I’m almost over the race.

File: http://tpks.ws/sa7Lj

SUNDAY

RUN – key session – 3hr run with hills +  3x5km @ 4:10/km (just quicker than IM pace).

A classic winters morning. We started in the dark for the first hour or so then witnessed a magnificent sunrise which was followed by a heavy frost. The 2^nd 5km effort was brutally cold with my sweat freezing my legs, especially glutes making that rep very challenging. Thankfully during the final 5km effort I had a bit more sun which made a huge change.

I was definitely smoked after this run but pleased to have a challenging 3hrs in the bank. The deep fatigue this run causes will make all the difference late in the run in Roth. Just running 3hrs is OK but 3hrs with some pace is so much better.

File: http://tpks.ws/PfH8q (seems my altimeter is not working as there was a lot of hill work in this run)

Kona 70.3 Race Report

I'd trained pretty hard for this race and was hoping, expecting and in due course got a strong performance. 

This year is the first time a rolling start has happened which I was sceptical about. How it works is 4 athletes start every 5 seconds grouped by age and predicted swim times within those groups. The result is a much less congested swim, transition and bike. Overall the feedback is very positive but the downside is you don’t know your placing as everyone does not start together. You also loose the mayhem of the mass start which I like - I’d rather see wave starts by age group myself.

PRE RACE

Breakfast of two em’s power cookie bars, X endurance  and an  English muffin with peanut butter was at 4:30am to allow time to digest for the 6:30am start.

My warm up was very limited as I wanted to ensure I was on the front row in the far right position. The reason for that was I breath to my left so I can then keep an eye on those I start with and there was a slight right to left current. My plan was to aim to the right of the first buoy on the clockwise course if I was leading so by starting on the right I would not need to swim over others.

Our 40-44 age group was the first to start of the ~1200 athletes and I was in the front row of our age group. When the gun went off I suspected I would be leading and I was but another guy was going toe to toe with me so rather than waste energy I went straight onto his feet to get a good draft. Around 200m in another guy came storming through so I switched feet until the first turn buoy at which time I made a bit of a rookie error. As we turned the buoy I left the guy who I was originally following onto the feet of my new lead out swimmer trusting that he would stay there as I slotted into position three. Much to my displeasure after a while we drifted off the new leader and by the time I realised it would have taken a big effort to bridge the gap. So instead I conserved my energy and stayed on the draft I had knowing while he might loose 30-60sec I would save energy for later on. So I exited the swim in 3^rd place.

Onto the bike there is a nice climb to T1 then climbing more once on the bike up to the famous Queen K highway. Thankfully my legs felt OK (they were feeling very dead yesterday) and I settled into my work hitting the power I wanted. Patience was the name of the game as I was only very very slowly gaining on the two ahead of me. It probably took me close on 40km to hit the front which is close to the turn point in Hawi at which time I was really starting to hit my straps. Power was coming relatively easy but frustratingly my HR monitor was not working, I suspect I was going a little easy. 

The forecast was for strong winds but disappointingly that was not eventuating, it’s been light winds all week compared to what it can blow. So what that meant was coming down from Hawi, which is a gentle staircase down, required a lot more pedalling than usual. I was a little lazy in this period of the race but part of that was tactical as my stomach was just ever so slightly on edge and I really wanted to get my HR down to help clear that up.

The rest of the ride my just me and my machine with nobody else in sight. I had a moto lead rider and the good guy who was running tech support nicely picked up my spare tubular I dropped and put it on my bike at the end of the ride.

Nutrition was: 2 bottle infinit, 2 serves UCAN, 1 gel and 1 no dose tablet.

Off the bike and I was feeling pretty good about the position I was in. Nutrition status was OK, legs felt good and I was not yet overheating. After racking my bike and grabbing my transition bag I set off to put on my shoes thinking the area would be obvious or someone who yell at me where to go. I managed to run straight past the designated area and was on the run course before I knew it. So I just changed on the spot and someone took my gear back for me.

The course at this race is really challenging and even more so since they changed it to 2 laps of 10.5km. There is only about 3km of road running per lap with the rest being on spongy grass up and down golf fairways, on golf cart paths, through tunnels and generally just twisting and turning, going up and down all day long. I felt comfortable for most of the first lap and pace was about where I wanted it (aiming for average pace ~4:10/km). Towards the end of the lap you get an opportunity to check out who is behind. I had such a big lead I started to switch off, ease off and start thinking about Roth. To completely empty the tank and dig really deep here would take some edge off for Roth even though it is 5 weeks away. I was also getting bloody hot on the 2^nd lap as well. Into the final km’s and I could hear the commentators calling me in. It’s been a long time since I won a sizeable race so I was thinking what to do down the finish chute to not look like a tool. I ended up with a single fist pump before hitting the tape and doing the obligatory interview.

I was certainly in much better shape at the end of today’s race compared to past years. Winning was a nice buzz but more importantly I put in a strong and steady performance which is perfect springboard into Roth.

Some solid performances by all the camp athletes which again highlights that acclimation from heavy training out trumps a heavy taper when dealing with hot Kona conditions.

Kona slots are back next year for the 15^th anniversary so the competition will be a lot hotter.

Swim -  http://tpks.ws/9Zfag
Bike -  http://tpks.ws/LvqUt 
Run - http://tpks.ws/e8Ubb

A short 10km loosen ride to pick up the car and the day was done.

Right now I’m feeling pretty good about Roth.

We’ll be back to Kona next May – will we see you there?

Epic Camp Lite Kona 2017 - day 7 - easy day

Run ~3km /Swim 1km /Run 3km – all easy going other than a few surges in the swim.

A short spin at bike check in.

I hope my legs feel better tomorrow. Heavy and dead legs today.