Training Plan - Week 53? - Dec 28 to 31

Last 4 days of the year but no time to switch off. Dexter is still on holiday so it is out to run with him every day  for starters.

I also want to try and find a swim somewhere. And if I can fit in a couple of hours on the bike that would round off the year nicely.

  
Monday - Easy run with Dexter.

Tuesday - Easy run with Dexter.
Yoga session

Wednesday - Short swim.
Fartlek run. 

Weights and stretching sessions.

Thursday - Easy run with Dexter.
Easy ride.
Core session

Target totals - Swim 1 miles. Bike 40.0 miles. Run 10.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Training Review - Week 52 - Dec 21 to 27

Monday I did an easy jog round Dyce before the last club swimming session of the year. Swimming was the last club session of the year. This normally means it is just a play session but instead we were given a xmas treat of a solid session to finish the year on. 

Tuesday Dexter came to visit and we went out for the first training run of his Xmas training camp. It was a fairly steady run round Dyce for me but in my current form that meant it was pretty quick for Dex. He coped really well at the time but then once we were home he crashed out on the sofa and fell asleep for the rest of the night. 

Wednesday the Club run was on so I decided to give Dexter an easy day while I went to that. We just did a steady run instead of the usual fartlek session. 

Thursday I went for an early swim at Bucksburn. I planned a long steady swim but was really tired and just did an easy 25 minutes instead. Then in the afternoon I took Dexter for a run at Kirkhill. 

Friday being Xmas Day I went through to Elgin as always and went for the tour of Elgin with the Xmas Sprint along the High Street and the Hill race up Lady Hill. With Dexter dragging behind me and not committing to the sprint I was only able to get second place, but the tactical nature of the sprint and the reduced pace meant I still had enough in my legs to win the race to the top of the hill. Although Dexter almost stole that from me himself. 

Saturday I just took Dexter to Kirkhill for an easy loop. We did a reverse version of Thursday's run. 

Sunday was my usual ride with the Kintore Sunday group. Still keeping it sensibly short I did 35 miles at a steady pace. That probably rounds out my bike miles for the year unless I get a stunning day in the next four, and Dexter has a serious grump about going running.

The running and swimming miles just keep ticking on as the record year continues. I end the year with my longest running week of the entire year and my first week over 25 miles. That was mostly due to Dexter visiting and being on holiday though. At first glance this is a terrible statistic, but with a bit of consideration it is actually further confirmation of how good a year I have had. I managed to run more this year but by doing it in lots of smaller (and often faster) pieces.



Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 55.0 miles. Run 15.0 miles. 2 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Monday - Dyce easy loop 3.0 miles in 30 mins. 
TPT Swim 2,200m in 54 mins.

Tuesday - Dyce loop with Dexter 3.6 miles in 34 mins.

Wednesday - TPT Steady run 5.7 miles in 52 mins.

Thursday - Swim at Bucksburn 1,200m in 25 mins. 
Run at Kirkhill with Dexter 4.5 miles in 50 mins.

Friday - Xmas Sprint Elgin with Dexter 4.4 miles in 1hr 7 mins.

Saturday - Easy run with Dexter 4.6 miles in 50 mins.

Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride 34.9 miles in 2 hrs 21 mins.


Actuals - Swim 2.2 miles (3,400 m). Bike 34.9 miles. Run 21.2 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 101.7  (91.6)  [97.3], 
B 2194.2  (2237.9)  [2430.0],
R 827.8  (680.1)  [768.2].

Training Plan - Week 52 - Dec 21 to 27

Last full week of the year and as always it is slightly strange. 

As usual Dexter is coming for his Xmas holiday and I get time off work, both of which give me extra training time but mess up my usual planning process. Having already gone through 800 miles this year, against an original target of only 688, I am now going to pile on top of that with runs almost every day from now to the end of the year. 

  
Monday - Core session.
Easy run.

Swim with TPT.

Tuesday - Easy run.

Wednesday - Fartlek run. 

Weights and stretching sessions.

Thursday - Easy run with Dexter.
Core session

Friday - Xmas day run (inc Xmas Sprint and Lady Hill) with Dexter.
Santa.
Dinner at parents.

Saturday - Easy run with Dexter.
Yoga session. Lunch at In-laws.

Sunday - Kintore Sunday ride.

Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 55.0 miles. Run 15.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Training Review - Week 51 - Dec 14 to 20

Monday I considered skipping swimming. After bailing out on so many swim sessions lately I want to get out of that habit. I either have to finish this session or skip it completely and just go to Bucksburn for an easy swim myself. I decided to go with the club session and take it carefully and aim to finish. About half way through I was feeling really good and managed to push on and clock some decent times on the faster reps. Only one club swim session left this year, and only half a mile to go to break through the 100 miles in a year. 

Tuesday I went for an easy run round Dyce in the rain. I accidentally turned this into a progression run by chopping 20 seconds off the pace each mile. 

Wednesday the club training session was cancelled so I went out for a run on my own. Having had my flu jab during the day and with a bit of a toothache I decided to just cruise round a steady run to bring my miles up to a point where a weekend run can finish out my 15 for the week. 

Thursday was meant to be spin class, but the gym I have been going to has revamped their programme so that is now spin and tone class. This meant half a spin session and half a circuit session. Which actually suits me fine since I have let go of the bike numbers. I am going to claim 5 miles against the 20 minutes on the spin bike. Mainly because that leaves me still a couple of miles short of my longest bike year ever so I still have to go out again on the bike before the end of the year. I am going to claim the circuit session against weights and core.

Friday was a rest day and a trip to the new Star Wars movie.

Saturday I went out for a long easy run, purely with the intention of getting past this weeks 15 miles and my annual 800 miles. I went out the old railway line, past another set of the AWPR roadworks and a new detour from the original path. It was a slog to even trudge along on tired legs but I managed to survive it. I did a very short yoga session in the evening. 

Sunday I went out for  the Kintore Sunday ride. I was really empty and struggling in parts but managed to get round 31 miles in 2 hours. 

Sunday's ride takes me past last year's 2230 miles and while I am behind my cycling targets I have passed my longest cycling year ever. Running ticked through 800 miles for the first time ever. I didn't get to 100 swimming miles yet as I couldn't fit in a second swim this week. Monday night will clear that one up, if the dentist doesn't do anything that prevents me from swimming. 

Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 55.0 miles. Run 15.0 miles. 2 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Monday - TPT Swim 2,150m in 57 mins.

Tuesday - Easy run 4.0 miles in 30 mins. 

Wednesday - Dyce park loops plus 4.6 miles in 37 mins.

Thursday - Spin and tone class. 5 miles in 20 mins, plus core and weights. 

Friday - Rest day

Saturday - Long run 6.6 miles in 61 mins.
Yoga session 10 mins. 

Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride 31.1 miles in 2 hrs 01 mins.


Actuals - Swim 1.3 miles (2,150 m). Bike 36.1 miles. Run 15.2 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 10 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Original cumulative target) [New cumulative target]
S 99.5  (90.2)  [95.9], 
B 2154.3  (2182.9)  [2375.0],
R 802.0  (665.1)  [753.2].

Training Plan - Week 51 - Dec 14 to 20

Two weeks to go and most of the numbers are now meaningless. It would be nice to get over 100 swimming and 800 running but neither of those really matter. It would be good to get the 7 more bike miles to take me to my longest bike year ever but that is another one that doesn't really matter. 

I lose Friday to the new Star Wars movie. 

I need to start putting some effort into writing next year's plan. 

  
Monday - Core session.

Swim with TPT.

Tuesday - Easy run.

Wednesday - Fartlek run. 

Weights and stretching sessions.

Thursday - Easy run.
Core session

Friday - Rest day.
Star Wars. 
Yoga session.

Saturday - Ride or swim if possible. 

Sunday - Kintore Sunday ride.

Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 55.0 miles. Run 15.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Training Review - Week 50 - Dec 7 to 13

Monday I didn't have time for a run before swimming as I had to go to the hospital for an ultrasound on my kidney. She gave me the all clear. No obvious problems so whatever keeps causing me pain in that area is probably just muscular. And whatever had me peeing blood has probably passed. Anyway I went to swimming, and didn't even make it half way through the warm-up. After a trip to throw-up and a quick rinse I felt a bit better so went back to start the main set but was having problems with my back and shoulder tensing up. I didn't even manage to make it to the half-hour mark before I had to quit. 

Tuesday I just dragged myself out for an easy jog around the block to get some miles in. 

Wednesday was a terrible day for wind and a bit of rain and I half expected running to be cancelled. I turned up anyway, and was not on my own. Always good to have someone else to run with, but especially so on nights when the conditions are so harsh. Despite the weather, and both of us complaining about niggling problems, we were pretty quick round the 2 laps of the fartlek course. 

Thursday I had to fit in a run between work and wedding planning. That meant going straight from the office on a tour of Westhill, looking for 6.3 miles or about an hour to try and finish off my running week. It actually worked out surprisingly well and I came back in 59 minutes having clocked 6.8 miles. That takes me beyond my extended target for the year and also to my longest running year ever. With 21 days left to clock another 17 miles my first ever 800 mile year is looking to be a cinch.

Friday was a rest day and dinner for the fiancées birthday. 

Saturday I went for a quick jog round Dyce in the morning as I couldn't fit anything else in. Then went on a DIY binge before an afternoon of wedding planning and another night out for the company Xmas party. 

Sunday's ride was cancelled for the ice. I initially planned to use that opportunity to go for a swim or catch up on some of the other sessions from the week. Instead I got hijacked by DIY again. 

Another poor week on the numbers, as I drift under my original bike target for the first time since mid March. So less than a fortnight after deciding I am going to let go of my extended bike target a 0/55 mile week means I am now also going to have to admit defeat on my original bike target as well. 7 miles worth of riding before the end of the year will still make it my longest year ever on the bike, and I can get that from a spin session if the weather is going to prevent getting out on the road bike. 

More worrying is another bad swimming session and the realisation that I have only completed one session of the last 6. 

Running continues to tick along nicely though. 


Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 55.0 miles. Run 15.0 miles. 2 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Monday - Swim with TPT 700m in 35 mins.

Tuesday - Easy jog 3.6 miles in 31 mins. 

Wednesday - TPT Fartlek 5.1 miles in 43 mins.

Thursday -  Westhill run 6.8 miles in 59 mins. 

Friday - Rest day.

Saturday - Dyce jog 3.5 miles in 33 mins. 

Sunday - Rest day.


Actuals - Swim 0.4 miles (700 m). Bike 0 miles. Run 19.0 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 98.2  (88.7)  [94.4], 
B 2123.2  (2127.9)  [2320.0], 
R 786.8  (650.1)  [738.2].

Training Plan - Week 50 - Dec 7 to 13

Just 3 weeks left this year. I should really be making more headway into planning for 2016. I have at least been through the list of Championship events and potential qualifying events for next year and added them to my calendar. 

In the meantime I still have a few more numbers to tick off for this year if I can get to them. I am well on target for my first 800 mile year*. Some time this week I will pass each of my extended targets for swimming and running for the year. It is already my longest swimming year by a long way, and some time this week will become my longest running year ever. Accepting that I am not going to get close to my extended biking target, I am still within range of my original biking target and some time this week 2015 should become my longest biking year ever.

*I might actually have done an 800 mile year when I was a junior and no-one counted miles, but I might not have. And I certainly wasn't biking or swimming on top of it. 

 
Monday - Core session.

Swim with TPT.

Tuesday - Easy run.

Wednesday - Fartlek run. 

Weights and stretching sessions.

Thursday - Easy run.
Core session

Friday - Rest day.
Yoga session.

Saturday - Ride or swim if possible. 

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.