Training Review: April 2015

Considering that today is May 19th, this is a bit of a late update. Been busy lately with work, life, and of course a nice dose of swim/bike/run. Yes, April finally gave us some good weather (and early morning light) in the Lehigh Valley, getting me back outside on an everyday basis. So, so nice. And not having time for the blog because I'm training ... I don't see that as much of a problem.

April is the month where I start to get more serious about what I am doing. The plan was to get more volume while continuing the strength and muscular endurance work, especially on the bike. Consistency would be the key in the pool. The run would continue to be about getting my old, slow legs faster.

County Road 519 near P'burg, NJ

Swim: Last month I discussed how I needed to get more consistent with the swim. I am not a swimmer, but have made myself into an OK triathlon swimmer. This means I have developed enough of a stroke to stay competitive but not enough to be competitive in a pool. For the past 6 years I actively focused on my swim with big (for a non-swimmer) volume. The lack of focus here has shown in the pool time so far in 2015. April was a bit better, but not what it probably should have been. I tried .... kinda ... to make that happen. And to an extent it did.

Bike: Consistency and interval work. Early in the month I was forced inside a few times due to weather issues. This worked fine as it gave me a controlled environment for some specific interval work. By mid-month I had rid myself of the trainer and have been out on the roads full time. Monday evenings have become group ride night for me and Cassie, joining the Lehigh Wheelmen Monday Night "A" Ride three times. What a great group to ride with!!! A few Sunday mornings I have been joining Char's Kick Ass Milford Ride for some long miles and hills. Again, a super group of people to spend a few hours with on two wheels. And the muffins at the Milford Station Bakery are second to none.

Overall I had a good month of riding. Nice long rides combined with targeted interval sessions have helped my FTP improve. I look forward to racing.

Run: Consistency and intensity have been the keys for my run so far in 2015. April continued this trend with 3-4 runs each week. Long runs have been moderate in distance, a big departure from how I trained prior to 2014. Huge volume isn't in the cards for me any more which I am completely fine with. My short race times have been coming down again and I am starting to feel fast for me. Will I ever be the fastest runner out there? Hell no. Do I care? Not as long as I feel I am doing my best.

The one setback I did have was a small issue with my left calf a week out from the St. Luke's Half Marathon. It is a problem I have had before and I followed my standard protocol. I immediately shut the run down for five days and got into Joe's office for massage therapy. By Saturday I was able to run. That Sunday I raced as planned.

Racing: After a 5k in March I had two of the older Lehigh Valley races on the schedule for April - Emmaus 4 Miler and the St. Luke's Half Marathon. Emmaus is a very hilly course and much to my delight I had a good day, running an unexpected PR time of 25:36, winning my age group and placing 16th overall on April 12th. Two weeks later I ran a 1:34:59 at the 1/2 marathon. Not my best time, but a solid effort. Definetly an effort I hope to improve on at my next standalone half later this year. You can find my race report here.


Overall: April was a good month. I was consistent with everything but the swim, including strength training twice a week, which I really haven't mentioned for whatever reason. The two running races went well, and I entered May ready to race some triathlon.

What's happening in May? Now that we are into nice weather the bike volume/intensity will continue to increase. On the run the focus will be track workouts - yes, track workouts - with a moderate long run duration. There will be no 20 mile runs for Jon!!! With no long triathlons or marathons on the schedule there is no reason to put the stress on my body of crazy long runs. In the pool I am simply looking for consistency.

I will be racing Jerseyman Triathlon mid-month along with the Tortoise & Hare 5k on Memorial Day as a run fitness test.


Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon