Testing... testing

A quick update on training.

Prep phase of six weeks is complete - a really light prep phase seeing as it's been so long since I've done anything meaningful.

Finished with an FTP power test indoors on the bike with PoweTap, result 212W. Ugh.

Swimming test in a 50m pool 3x300m on 30s rest yielded a T Pace of 1:58 / 100m. Also Ugh. I could hardly move my arms in the third 300m rep.

Luckily there's a loooong way to go before IMDE next year.

Running still at zero - my ankle is almost 100% there, very rarely any pain, but I'm not in a rush, and don't want to risk starting back to early.

This week was the first Base, or proper, training week. After the test last Monday in the pool, I followed with two swim sessions of 3.3km and 2.9km respectively. I follow the workouts in the book "Workouts in a Binder: Swim Workouts for Triathletes". The book is a Godsend. Without it, swimming would be very, very dull.

Cycling saw one classic 2x20min FTP session, one VO2max intervals session, one 80min endurance (30min 70% 30min 80% 20min 90% FTP), One steady hour @ 75% FTP.

Next week is much the same at the start, but I fly back to the UK on Wednesday, so I'll be on the MBike until the 2nd Jan.

Spinervals Review - Dropping the Hammer

Dropping the hammer is category "Choose your cadence going at a hard to very hard effort". The workout lasts just over 60mins, including the warm up.

The workout is as follows:

a. 2.5min easy warm up

b. 3 x 30s on / 30s off, which is done as a further warm up, a sub TH effort.

c. 1 min easy pedalling

d. 3min of 10s on / 10s off. This is further warm up for the hard sets to follow. Normally the Spinervals DVD's get straight into the main sets after part 'b.' These are sub TH accelerations.

e. 3.5min easy spin.

f. The hardest set of the DVD - 3 x 6min @ 2min rest. These are meant to be over TH level - I did them at VO2Max 110%-120% Power. The choice of cadence is up to you, though. These were very hard - especially the third one.

g. 5min rest, during which you get off the bike and do 2 x 1min @ 30s rest of isometric squats. I stayed on the bike, pushing a hard gear and staying in Zone 2 @ 65 cadence.

h. 6 x 1min @ 1min rest - Going harder than the last set of 6min reps. I didn't find this so bad, as the rest period is long, althugh I was at 120% of FTP, should maybe have been a little higher.

i. 2.5min easy spin

j. 4 x 30s @ 1min rest where each 30s is 20s hard as you can seated / 10s standing sprint. This was a killer.

k. Cool down.

First thing to note is you do over 30min of VO2 max work in the hour - very hard workout.

From the production side, it's one of the better ones - the athletes look generally fit (some of the groups on the more recent DVD's are a disaster), the sound level is good, and doesn't vary, you can have with / without the cheesy music, and the workout is split into chapters, so you can start wherever you want from the menu (seems like a standard feature, but it's disappeared recently).

The sets are varied enough so that the time passes, and the coaching job is done pretty well. He keeps reminding about gearing, concentration, HR and power, to keep you distracted from looking at the clock.

All in all, a really good Workout, one of the better ones in my collection.

At the top of this post is the power file from the workout (My last FTP test was a lowly 212W)

Spinervals DVD's

Seeing as there aren't many reviews available on the web of Spinervals DVD's, I thought over the next few weeks, I'd add my thoughts, seeing as I have 16 of the competition series.

They are all interval workouts, that basically fall into three sub-categories

1. Choose your cadence going at a hard at very hard effort

2. Choose your effort at a specified cadence

3. Ride at specified candence and effort

Number 3 get's a bit crazy on some of them!!

The list that I intend to review is as follows (in no particular order):

Dropping the hammer

Hardcore 100

Have Mercy

Have Mercy 2

Tough Love

Extreme Threshold Training

Threshold Test & Suffer Fest

Totsally Time Trial

Time Saver 1

Endurance Booster

Muscular Endurance Plus

Aero Base Builder 1

Aero Base Builder 2

Aero Base Builder 3

Aero Base Builder 4

Aero Base Builder 6

If any anyone wants a particular review, let me know.

Prep weeks 1 - 3 Down...

... finally an update after a few weeks of preparation phase training.

Firstly the heel. Good news is that it has shown no reaction to the cycling or swimming. Walking is absolutely pain free - thanks to the Nike Free's + traumeel Gel (either genuine or placebo effect, I don't really care).

The only downside is that there is still a small sore spot when performing the "point toes and press" test.

But all in all, good improvement, an looking well when I start running the week before Christmas.

Regarding training, the first three of six preparation weeks are done, no running, just swim and bike.

The last two weeks were four bike sessions and two swim sessions (one swim session was missed though in week 2). The bike is ok - fitness and power are a disasterous as one would expect after so much time off. The positive is the improvement. The 30min sessions in Prep phase involve 5-6 x 3min @ 1min rest descending gears, holding a certain wattage. The very first session, I struggled to hold 180Watts for all intervals, with over 170bpm after the second interval. Yesterday, held ca. 200W for all intervals an hit the 170bpm's only in the last interval, which is good progress in just three weeks. Last week also had a 45min session.

Pathetic time when you think that in April a "60 min / 240min / 60min" "Swim / Bike / Run" session will be the norm.... but building slowly is key to prevent injury, no matter how impatient one gets to smash out 3hr+ interval sessions on the bike.

Swimming is also a disaster from the fitness point of view. Sessions are intervals totalling just 1000m of crawl in 25mins or so.... virtually nothing :).

The next three weeks of prep build up the volume a little (10 - 15% each week), with the last two weeks being on our holiday in Egypt, where the advantage of sleep, rest and food mean the training can be upped a bit - 5 sessions of swim and bike each week.

Then, all being well, the ankle will be 100% better, and I can start running, and enter the first Base training period!

Ciao

Richard

Still Looking Ok..

Well, two days away from the start of training (swim and bike only, no running), and six weeks of Prep phase.

A combination of Kinesio Tape, Traumeel Cream (Gel now ordered as it is supposed to be better) , Ibuprofen and simple time has allowed my heel to be painless in all activity apart from big jumps one one foot.

There is still a sore spot on the heel when pressed with toes pointed down, but otherwise all is ok. The first big test comes in the next six weeks, where I will build up slowly from 30min sessions on the bike, Aerobic power only. No FTP test, no intervals.

At the rate of improvement the last three weeks have shown, I expect to be able to run the week after Christmas.

Talking of running... I bought a pair of Nike Free's - the 7.0 model. Ok, I don't run at the moment, but even for general wear they are very comfortable - there is almost nothing to them, no real uppers, no heel upper, and no real support. The result is a light slipper with a very flexible sole. I will start my running in these. No more heavy support shoes with rigid ankle areas for me!

Next post will hopefully be a description of Prep Phase week 1 on the journey to IronMan Frankfurt, 24.07.2011.

Richard

Optimism ...

Well, a week after my hopes rested in the magic formula of insoles and ibuprofen gel, things are still looking good.

I still have slight pain with the odd step now and again, but only slight. No pain standing up in the morning, and no pain walking. The ankle still isn't repaired, but I think the chances are higher now than they have ever been.

Problem is that the better it becomes, the more temped I am to do little jumping tests, which end in "ouch" :)

I'll start with swimming this week again, tomorrow morning. I've also built up my IM plan for next year (wild optimism), starting with 6 weeks Prep from the first week of November. No running in the first 5 weeks of the Prep - it starts with just 3x30min sessions on the bike and two short swims and builds slowly from there. That gives me seven weeks from now for full ankle recovery.... hopefully that's enough.

Ugh... Ankle

Well, a while since the last post, because my ankle started hurting again.

This is exasperating - it's been a year now since the fateful football match that caused the Bursitis. The problem is that it recovers 90% - just slight pain when pressing on the back of the ankle and toes pointing down, and now and then slight pain when walking up steep hills. Most of this pain is caused by shoes pressing on the sensitive area, and this is very difficult to avoid!!! I keep starting again with the bike, all is ok, and then all of a sudden after a few weeks, regular pain starts.

But! There is light at the end of the tunnel. Last weekend, I got hold of some expensive inlays for my shoes - inlays that claim to deal with this problem. And I must say, two days later, I have had no pain on the back of the ankle. For the first time. Nada. Under the arch of both feet, yes, but the inlays are designed to do this - keep the foot flat with no pronation at all costs, to minimise pressure on the achilles tendon.

This inlay, plus the discovery of Ibuprofen gel, has made me more optimistic about recovering than I have been since I found out from the physio that this would be a long haul.

So, all being well, Gentle cyvling resumes mid Novemeber. Running will wait until the end of December.

We'll see.