Training Plan - Week 49 - Nov 30 to Dec 6 - Amended

Probably my last race of the year this week as I go up to Elgin for the Cross Country on Saturday. I am running really well at the minute so it will be good to get a race in and see how all my good training form converts to actual racing. I am also planning to get back to spinning this week after missing last week with the cold. 

I have decided to let my increased bike target go for the year and just try to get something in every week. Rather than fight for long miles in the cold I am going to try and stick to sessions of 2 hours or less through the winter. This has the added bonus that I know I can afford to work a bit harder. The consequence being that I really have to be doing at least 2 bike sessions a week. Either both days every weekend or a midweek evening spin or gym session has to become the norm. 

The target numbers take a little bump this week as well as December starts and my S-curve moves again.

Ok, so that was lazy. Didn't even look at my calendar for this week before I wrote all that and so it needed a revamp before I even got to the first session. Tuesday night is out as I have an Energy Institute presentation to go to. So Monday I had to put in a run in order to get my run miles for the week. The other two runs both have to be 6 miles each to get the rest though. 


Monday - Core session.
Easy run.

Swim with TPT.

Tuesday - Easy run.
Energy Institute presentation

Wednesday - Fartlek run. 

Weights and stretching sessions.

Thursday - Spinning session.
Core session

Friday - Rest day.
Yoga session.

Saturday - North XC Champs - Elgin.

Sunday - Kintore Sunday ride.

Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 53.6 miles. Run 14.9 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Training Review - Week 48 - Nov 23 to 29

Monday started well. I got home from work and planned to go for an easy run with a friend. She bailed at the last minute but I was already changed so I went out on my own. I planned to still take it easy and not tire myself out before swimming but somewhere that plan feel apart and I ended up cruising round 4 miles at a decent pace. After shovelling down a monster helping of goulash I then went to the club swimming session expecting to struggle. This week was another good swimming session. Lots of straight swimming at high pace and no problems from running first. 

Tuesday I expected again to be suffering after the tough double session. So I went out for another easy run around the park just to get my 30 minute pact in. I looped around the park to get all 6 of the Strava segments and accidentally clocked a CR and a couple of top-3's. 

Wednesday was the club fartlek session. I parked a half mile away to get an additional warm-up / down to get a full 10k run in. Through the session I felt like I was taking it fairly easy on the first lap and managed to set 2 more PBs on Strava segments. About half way through the second lap I started to struggle on the reps, pace drifted but I was still going quicker than I had any right to expect for a fourth fast running day in a row. 

Thursday I felt that I had the start of a cold that is going around. I decided to be cautious and skip spinning in the hopes of being healthy for a longer ride at the weekend. And Friday I was still not quite right so I stuck with the safe option of resting again. The cold never really turned into anything serious so on Saturday I decided to test out a short run.  It was terribly slow, but I didn't feel ill so I clocked an easy 30 minutes and packed for biking on Sunday. 

Sunday I got up with a plan to do a shorter ride. I had to get back home for 11 as Dexter was coming to visit so I aimed to put in about 45 minutes with the group and then turn back. As that mark approached there was an obvious turn a couple of miles ahead so I carried on to 50 minutes and then looped back. I felt quite good at that point, especially compared to my last few rides which have been a real struggle. I managed to push on to keep the group's pace going as I solo-ed my way back.

When I arrived home it was instantly obvious that an afternoon of watching the F1 with a cuddly Dexter was not going to happen unless I took him out to tire him out first. So I took him for a couple of miles run first. The result of that was that while I managed to tire him out enough not to be a pain, I also did enough to put myself to sleep for pretty much the entire grand prix anyway. In the evening I did manage a short stretching session during the latest bit of televisual gold from Sir David Attenborough.

The couple of missed days have hurt the numbers again this week. In particular losing the spin session meant that the bike was going to be under target whatever I did on Sunday so I could simply cut that further without thinking twice about it. The swimming was close enough to ignore the extra 200m or so that were missing, and running I once again went way over. 

Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 45.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 2 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Monday - Dyce easy loop 4.0 miles in 31 mins. 
Swim with TPT 1.4 miles in 56 mins.

Tuesday - Dyce park loops 4.2 miles in 32 mins. 

Wednesday - TPT Fartlek 6.2 miles in 61 mins.

Thursday - Cold?

Friday - Cold?

Saturday - Slow jog 3.3 miles in 31 mins. 

Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite 26.7 miles in 1 hour 47 mins.
Jog with Dexter 2.7 miles in 24 mins. 


Actuals - Swim 1.4 miles (2,250 m). Bike 26.7 miles. Run 20.4 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 0 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Original cumulative target) [New cumulative target]
S 96.7  (85.7)  [91.4], 
B 2086.0  (2019.3)  [2211.4], 
R 752.6  (620.3)  [708.4].

Training Plan - Week 48 - Nov 23 to 29

Another quiet week. As winter starts to bite everything now comes with a tag of 'subject to weather', especially bike miles. This time last year I managed to steam-roll over the weather by going into the gym at work whenever the weather was a problem. In previous years I would resort to the mountain bike if road biking wasn't an option.  Neither of those is available to me now and I don't have the willpower to just replace them with the turbo-trainer and treadmill. 

Spinning class should help to limit bike losses a little. And I just need to wrap up and live with the cold and wet on runs and allow for the effect of surfaces on speed. 

Monday - Core session.

Swim with TPT.

Tuesday - Easy run.

Wednesday - Fartlek run. 

Weights and stretching sessions.

Thursday - Easy run or spinning session.
Core session

Friday - Rest day.
Yoga session.

Saturday - Bike if weather suits. Swim if it doesn't.

Yoga and stretching.

Sunday - Kintore Sunday ride.

Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 45.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Training Review - Week 47 - Nov 16 to 22

Monday was a tough swim session. Longer reps and shorter rests, suited me much better than the last few weeks. Also I was in a much better mood 

Tuesday I just went for an easy jog around Dyce. Accidentally went a bit too fast but kidney didn't bother me the entire way round and knee was barely annoying. 

Wednesday I decided to enter Inverurie Duathlon. I looked at the weather forecast and it says snow. If that actually happens the race will get cancelled anyway, if not then hopefully it will be dry and windless enough to take the TT bike. If not I will probably just write off the £17 entry fee and go out for a steady ride instead. In the evening I went to the TPT fartlek session most of which follows the duathlon course. I also took the opportunity to go to the new gym in Inverurie and check out their spin class arrangement and sign-up for the Thursday night spin class. 

Thursday I went to the spinning class. I am going to randomly assign that as 10 miles worth of cycling. The class wasn't really what I was looking for but the instructor seemed interested in setting up a more specific session to suit a group of us. The class also included a chunk of core work at the end so I am going to claim that session as well. 

Friday was a trip to the last of the Hunger Games movies. 

Saturday I got up early to go for an early swim only to find the pool was closed due to 'unforeseen circumstances'. The overnight snowfall meant that Inverurie Duathlon is likely to be cancelled. Unfortunately that is just my guess so I couldn't just take the opportunity to put an alternate session in to Saturday afternoon.  

Sunday the snow was worse and as predicted the Duathlon was cancelled. As was the Kintore cycling group. I decided to go out for a jog round Dyce in the snow. When I got back I took the opportunity to do a yoga session. The kidney problems really don't like yoga, on top of DOMS from thursday's spinning and core session it was really uncomfortable to get through the session. 
So another almost all red week on the numbers. I scraped over the run target with Sunday's slog in the snow but everything else misses again. Another week where plans were changed outwith my control. I am now going to accept that the increased cycling target is going to evade me. There is still scope to make this my longest cycling year ever and I should still manage to pass my original cycling target. 


Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 45.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 2 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Monday - Swim with TPT 2,250m in 54 mins.

Tuesday - Dyce easy loop 3.8 miles in 31 mins. 

Wednesday - Easy warm up 1.0 miles in 10 mins.
Fartlek with TPT 5.1 miles in 47 mins.

Thursday - Spin class ~10 miles in 45 mins.

Friday - Rest day.

Saturday - Nothing.

Sunday - Easy run 4.1 miles in 38 mins.
Yoga 26 mins. 


Actuals - Swim 1.4 miles (2,250 m). Bike 10 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 1 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 26 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Original cumulative target) [New cumulative target]
S 95.3  (84.2)  [89.9], 
B 2059.3  (1974.3)  [2166.4], 
R 732.2  (606.3)  [694.4].

Training Plan - Week 47 - Nov 16 to 22

By Wednesday I need to make a decision on whether I want to race on Sunday or just train through instead. Since it has to be pretty close to perfect weather for me to even consider racing I am going to plan the week around just going for the Kintore Sunday ride. 

I am also looking at possibly adding a spinning session during the week to try and claw back some of the bike miles. 

Monday - Core session.

Swim with TPT.

Tuesday - Easy run.

Wednesday - Fartlek run. 

Weights and core sessions.

Thursday - Easy run or spinning session.

Friday - Easy run.

Saturday - Bike if weather suits. Swim if it doesn't.

Yoga and stretching.

Sunday - Kintore Sunday (or Inverurie Duathlon).

Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 45.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Training Review - Week 46 - Nov 9 to 15

Monday I had a shit day. By the time I got to swimming I was already depressed and that was leading to huge amounts of tension in my back that was giving me problems. I forced myself through the warm-up but when it came to the main set I couldn't cope any more and had to get out. My knees is also hurting from a couple of jerks it got biking on Sunday. Low gear seemed to be missing and slipping. 

Tuesday I still felt bad when I got home late from work. I managed to go out for a jog round the block but it was slow and terrible. The tension in my back was messing up my stride so it was half a hobble. I had hoped last week's depression was only going to last a day or two but apparently it is going to stay for a while. 

Wednesday the club fartlek run was replaced with a long steady run to suit people who were racing at the weekend. Suited me as it allowed me to take it easy on my knee and it didn't bother my back.

Thursday I went to the hospital for some further investigations on my kidney problems. A somewhat uncomfortable inspection of the inside of my bladder revealed I have a lovely collection of 5 or 6 small calcite kidney stones. They don't quite explain all the health problems I have had so they are still sending me for further investigations to ensure there is nothing more serious happening inside the kidneys themselves. The continuing discomfort meant no training.

Friday I felt a bit better but just wasn't in the mood. I did a short walk to get my 30 minute pact in but nothing serious. Then went to see the Steve Jobs movie in the evening.

Saturday was a swim at ASV, which was a bit terrible. Kidney problems were affecting my back and I kept steaming up my tinted goggles. Stopped early. One week swimming coming up 500m short doesn't really matter at this point. I put the bike up on the stand to fit the mudguards for winter. Took the opportunity to tweak the gears to try and get rid of the skip on the low gear and winterise all the moving parts with winter lube etc.

Sunday I went out for the Kintore ride with the intention of cutting back a bit early and getting about 43 miles. By mile 10 I was cold and wet and had more than enough, my knees were cold and wet and the niggling pain was coming and going. The low gear was still skipping any time I needed it and jarring the knee again when it did catch. Can't really understand why it is perfectly smooth on the stand and then won't sit when I take it out. At mile 15 I pulled off from the group to head back on my own. It took me almost another hour to cover the freezing and wet 11-mile route back to the car. I then had to sit in the car and thaw out for about 10 minutes before I could get changed and pack the bike.

A whole week of red numbers. That is the first time this year that absolutely everything has been below target. It has been down to a combination of health issues. Kidney, knee and depression all cost me miles. At some point soon I am going to have to accept that the increased bike total is not achievable, or do something very different to make up the shortfall.
Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 45.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 2 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Monday - Swim with TPT 500m in 24 mins.

Tuesday - Easy Dyce loop 3.4 miles in 30 mins.

Wednesday - Steady run 9.0 miles in 91 mins. 

Thursday - Nothing.

Friday - Nothing.

Saturday - Swim at ASV 1400m in 32 mins.

Sunday - Kintore Sunday 26.2 miles in 1 hour 48 mins.


Actuals - Swim 1.2 miles (1900 m). Bike 26.2 miles. Run 12.4 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 0 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Original cumulative target) [New cumulative target]
S 93.9  (82.7)  [88.4], 
B 2049.3  (1929.3)  [2121.4], 
R 718.2  (592.3)  [680.4].

Training Plan - Week 46 - Nov 9 to 15

Another interrupted week as I have a meeting with a pension broker on Tuesday and we have more wedding planning on Thursday night. The rest of the week I am just going to stick with the same plan as last week and hope that Saturday's weather gives me a chance to get some bike miles from my backlog. 

Monday - Core session.

Swim with TPT.

Tuesday - Pension meeting. 

Wednesday - Fartlek run. 

Weights and core sessions.

Thursday - Wedding planning.

Friday - Easy run.

Saturday - Anything that fits with the weather.

Yoga and stretching.

Sunday - Kintore Sunday

Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 45.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.