Off Season's Over

Well TRI season is almost upon us. Off season is over and now it's time to finally put some fun into all of the training I've been logging over the off season. I kind of went with a different approach this off season. Instead of going after that magic 18-20 hour/week threshold that I always thought was so important, I'm just let my body decide how long/how hard I go each day and each week. Let me tell you something, it is WORKING. I highly recommend this approach, even if you are coached and he/she has a set amount of time on the schedule -don't do whatever it takes to make the hours. It's the quality that counts in my opinion. Listening to your body - have conversations with it - be good to it and it will reward you for it. My training in all three sports has me wondering how far I can take it this year. Like I've said in the past, numbers don't mean a damn thing in this sport but it sure can give you confidence. Right now, after just two weeks of introducing some speed work/intervals (z4-5) stuff - here's where I stand. If you could care less about workouts and numbers, I suggest you stop reading cause that's all I got this week. Here's some workouts that stand out to me over the past few weeks:

Been logging 16-20k/week lately

Swim: Yesterday I did a workout that I like to call 45's: 500 wup, 10x50 (on the min). Main set: 3x 400,500. 30" rest after 400, 1 min rest in between sets. I hit the 400's in 5:30-35 (1:23 pace) and 500's in 6:45-50 (1:21 pace). 300 c/d = 4000 yds. My last 100 on my last 500 was a 1:15. So anyone that reads this blog knows that the swim has been my demise. Each race it's left me cramping before I even get on the bike and just dead legged/tired for the remainder of each race. I'm hoping all of the yards I've put in this off season is going to change that this year. I understand open water is a different story from what kind of times I put in the pool but regardless, I'm very pleased with my progress.

Bike: For the most part I've just been logging in some good miles, lots of climbing and a few efforts here and there. Lots of Joe Friel specific workouts mixed in with some Walsh trainer sessions I did from last year. This was a ride I did a week or two ago and was surprised to see how quickly my bike has progressed over the last year. I could never figure out why I couldn't throw down a decent bike split in races and the answer is, I just haven't given myself enough time to progress. This ride is nothing to brag about to my competitors but it's a good indicator to me what kind of shape I'm in for the effort I put in.

Run: I'm still trying to figure out why I'm running so fast right now. I just started doing some speed work/intervals on the track a few weeks ago and have been really surprised to see how fast I'm running with just base miles under me. The answer is this. I used to run really fast in college/post college. I'm finally running more then 15-20 miles a week and my running talent is actually going to show this year I think. Amongst a bunch of other little stuff I did in this workout, I had 2x2 mile repeats. It was all HR specific stuff so my first 2 mile was 10:22. I was like - WTF? Zone 3? I still felt it was a bit fast for January so I toned it down the next one but still went 10:50 hitting zone 4. The biggest thing I've noticed is my speed is coming back. All of the drills/speed specific work I did in the off season is paying off and I feel like a kid again out running.

Remember, this is in a way my training log - so the reason why I post workouts is for me to be able to look back on them in the future to see where I was, what dumb things I said and who knows, maybe it helps motivate one of you out there. If you read my blog back when I first started, I could barely make it across the pool! Good things can happen if you put A LOT of work into what you're doing. Reading blogs over the years has always opened up my eyes to how much is A LOT. I used to think swimming 2000 yards was a lot or that riding 35 miles was a lot....Running...that's a different story.

Here's my cheesy pep talk: Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Show them. That's what I plan on doing this year.

Cheers!