Training Review: May 2015

Finally some descent training weather. After months of horrible to unsuitable/not-so-fun training weather it was nice to finally get a full month with uninterrupted outdoor bike/run training. In fact, the weather has been so attractive it became hard to get in the pool.

OK, that's a bit of a stretch. If you have been round these parts before you know I've been struggling to get in the pool since the start of the year. Still, the combination of warm weather and sunny skies sure didn't help.

This season is about focusing on shorter events than I have in the past. This comes with a big challenge for me, mainly finding the proper balance between volume and intensity. Getting older makes this more of a challenge as I just don't recover like I did 10 or 15 years ago. Forty-five isn't necessarily old - not even half way to the end - but it is in athletic terms.

It is different now. I struggle to find that proper balance. I can drill myself into the ground, just like I could years ago. The difference is, today I would need three days to recover from a workout that would take 24 hours in the past. Guess the experiment of N=1 will just have to continue.

The game plan for May was to up the bike intensity while maintaining a relatively high volume, hit the track on the run, while getting consistent in the pool with two races to test fitness. Nothing fancy, just some good 'ole training.

Swim: Consistency prevailed in May. I got in the pool 3x each week with the exception of the last week of the month, which had more to do with a scheduling conflict than lack of desire. Once at the pool my workouts general were solid, staying around 2500-3000 yards per session. With no Ironman or even a 70.3 on the agenda in 2015 I find no reason to push through long main sets or worry about hitting a large total volume. I get to the pool, get in, put my head under water and go. Forty-five to 50 minutes later I'm out of there.

My favorite go to set has become 18-20 x 100 on a 1:40 sendoff time. I find that I can work hard yet concentrate on holding my form.

Bike: I have fallen into a nice rhythm on the bike where I get some solid interval work in during the week that is complimented by a long ride on Sunday that always includes plenty of vertical. Throw in a Monday night group ride and an easy, recovery ride or two and that's my week. My interval work over the month moved from shorter to longer intervals. With my "A" race getting closer I have been more race specific with the work sets. I feel strong, but wish I had more time to do some hill repeats.

My favorite set during this cycle is 3 x (10 min @ OLY power + 2-5 min recovery)

Taking a break at Mueller's General Store on rt. 611

Run: Things have progressed here but I have not put in as many track sessions as I had hoped for. Earlier in the month I was dealing with a slight abductor strain that limited my running. This is a thing I have dealt with enough over the years to understand what I can and cannot do. I can run but cannot over do the speed work. Oh well, stuff happens.

I am happy to say the issue has resolved itself and I feel I am back on track (and back on the track as well).

Racing: May was a good month for racing. On the 16th I worked out the triathlon kinks at the Jerseyman Triathlon in Clinton, NJ, placing 18th overall and 3rd in AG45-49 with an overall time of 1:49:05. More important to me than my overall time is that coming off a lousy winter for training, I rode faster than I did in 2014 (where I did the AquaVelo) followed by a very solid run of 27:14. The other race I did was the Tortoise & Hare 5k in Wind Gap, PA on Memorial Day. Running a 19:39 placed me 13th overall and second in AG45-49.

Jerseyman Finish

Overall: Things are starting to fall into place. My swim appears to be adequate - I'll never be a front pack swimmer - and the bike is feeling strong. Surely disappointed with the minor running setback, but what are you going to do? Still, my speed, which was so lacking in 2014, is starting to come back around.

What's happening in June? This month is 100% about getting ready for the Philadelphia Triathlon on June 28. The first part of the month will be dedicated to race prep with the back half all about getting ready to race.

Thanks for reading.

Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon