SOCIALLY PROFILED
IRONMAN TRAINING 2021
Week beginning Sunday, November 22, 2020
44 weeks until IRONMAN Canada.
WEEKLY GOAL
I am starting this week after doing this Sunday's workout yesterday. That run has me thinking about the mental component to race efforts and what I can do to improve that as I prep for a 5K TT in 2 weeks.
SUMMARY
I feel like was A BIT BEHIND SCHEDULE
This week started with me feeling fatigued from last Saturday's track workout. It took all week to get on the right side of fatigue and to compound that, I had a ridiculously stiff neck flare up. I opted for rest instead of 45 minutes on the rollers on Thursday and that may have helped my legs but my neck issue hasn't given up yet.
At the end of the week, I swapped out my pillow and slept much better.
SUNDAY NOV 22 ☁️
Sleep 2 | Fatigue 5 | Stress 2 | Soreness 4
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Today's scheduled workout of a paced, 5000m run on a track was completed yesterday.
NOTES
I slept pretty soundly last night. Regardless, both legs are feeling smoked (left more so than the right) so instead of a recovery run (or bike), Carina and I drove out to East Sooke and did a walk/hike on the Matheson Lake Trail. Chalk it down as 2 hours of light activity though the trail was a bit hilly on the south side of the lake.
TRAIL ELEVATION CHART
MONDAY NOV 23 🌤
Sleep 2 | Fatigue 3 | Stress 2 | Soreness 3
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Mobility: 22 Minutes
NOTES
Total Time: 45 minutes
Another good sleep last night and I am feeling pretty good overall.
I had a pretty deep work over with my lacrosse ball, focusing on two tender spots, both on my left leg. My left hamstring and left adductor were angry and needed some attention.
With only light activity yesterday, I wanted to let get a little more out of today than just mobility and massage. I put the 4th quarter of Monday Night Football on the screen an peddled easy for 45 minutes; light pressure, low heart rate.
Alarm is set for tomorrow afternoon and getting back to the written schedule.
TUESDAY NOV 24 🌦
Sleep 2 | Fatigue 2 | Stress 2 | Soreness 3
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
1:30pm Swim 2000: 2x (150 easy free, 3x 50 swim w/ buoy/strong finish to stroke r :20) 12x 100 Gradual descend 1-4, 5-8 w/ #4/8 @ an effort you could hold for 5-7 minutes. R :30 after each. 100 steady kick, 100 easy swim to cool down.
Rollers 45 minutes. Keep it EASY
NOTES
Total Time: 95 minutes
Good sleep last night and I have a second eye on the clock for this afternoon's swim.
I should have asked how the "gradual descend 1-4, 5-8" was to have taken place. In lieu, I focused on hand-placement and kicking with straight legs over the course of the 12x100s. This swim was productive otherwise. Masks are now mandatory unless you are in the water; I am good with that.
The bike tonight was pretty straightforward, uneventful pedalling on the rollers. I had a bike race on the screen; the commentary was in french so I turned the volume down and put on a podcast. I don't think I paid much attention to either. I just pedalled.
I feel like tonight I could have just as easily gone for a short, easy paced run but I do feel good about squaring back up with the workout schedule.
IN OTHER NEWS
So my goal this week was to think about ways of sharpening my mental game, especially with a 5000m TT right in less than 2 weeks. The "Trainer Road Podcast" had a recent episode that took a dive into the autonomic nervous system; I took notes (of course I did) and then revisited my comments from last Saturday's track session.
What I appended to my notes from last Saturday feels like something to build on.
WEDNESDAY NOV 25 ☁️
Sleep 3 | Fatigue 4 | Stress 3 | Soreness 4
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Mobility: 15 minutes.
Ride 60 minutes: 20 minutes easy to warm up. 10x 1:00 high cadence, 1:30 easy/normal riding after each. 15 minutes easy riding to finish up.
Run 45 minutes EASY. Flat route preferred.
NOTES
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ok sleep before and after someone woke me up at 1250 last night.
Tasks at work ran long today and by the time I was able to wrap up, it was dark. To top in off, I felt physically off too. In particular, I had an incredibly stiff neck, Spenius Capitis through to the descending part of the Trapezius. Even my jaw felt out of alignment. I also felt a touch of a sore throat coming on which I hope this is from time "in the pool" and not time "at the pool".
I had time left in the evening for one of the two activities. I thought, "which one would suck more?" That would be the run so it was the run that I did.
Did it suck? Yes and no.
My soleus (both sides) were tender and I had very heavy legs. It was slow going on the bike path for the most part. I did have some fleeting moments of feeling ok at the 20, and again, 30 minute marks but in general, this was NOT a comfortable time.
What didn't suck was the night itself; the weather was cool and dry, the bike paths were empty and it was just me and the light from my headlamp. Being out exercising on a dark, silent night was very enjoyable.
Before bed, I spent time with the foam roller and a peanut working on the kinks in my neck. That helped.
THURSDAY NOV 26 ☁️
Sleep 4 | Fatigue 3 | Stress 3 | Soreness 4
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Run 75 minutes: 15 minutes easy to warm up. 8x :40 strides (Make sure they aren't too fast), 1:20 easy jog after each. Walk 2 minutes to make sure you're ready for.... 30 minutes @ a touch EASIER than 1/2 marathon effort. (5:10-5:25 pace) 12 minutes easy to cool down.
NOTES
Total Time: 71 minutes Distance: 12.25 km
I woke feeling pretty groggy this morning. My soleus were sore when my feet first hit the floor and my neck is still stiff but not like it was yesterday. No sore throat though!
Before the run, I did the Runner's Flexibility Routine as I was feeling stiff.
Today's run started without feeling tender (soleus and/or ankles) but my legs are still feeling fatigued (quads in particular).
Strides on those heavy legs were done with a typical "stride effort" but slower. I noticed 4:23/km on the watch at the end of one of those strides; I wasn't interested in pushing the issue (trying to go faster then what my legs were telling me today).
The tempo effort was right on schedule though. I found a rhythm quickly and stuck with it from the Songhees, along the Goose, over the Switch Bridge and finishing just before Tillicum Road. The effort was a touch easier than last week (including the bridge). In the moment, I felt like I could go a lot longer but when the watched beeped after 30 minutes, my tired legs said, "make a bee-line for home."
THURSDAY NIGHT PACE CHART
Tempo Pace: 5:26/km Avg Tempo HR: 141 BPM
FRIDAY NOV 27 ☁️
Sleep 2 | Fatigue 4 | Stress 2 | Soreness 5
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Mobility: 17 minutes.
Ride 45 minutes easy on trainer or rollers. Run 30 minutes. Flat route. EASY effort. These can be back to back, in either order
NOTES
Total Time: 30 minutes
Even with a pretty decent sleep last night (woke feeling rested), I am still stiff and sore.
As the day wore on, my stiff neck got worse, much worse. Stiff neck or not, I did get out for the easy jog.
Getting home, I had one last task of the week to complete for work but I think I am going to call it for the day. I feel pretty beat up, I can't turn my head left or right and I rather rest up and be ready for the MTB ride tomorrow.
SATURDAY NOV 28 ☀️
Sleep 2 | Fatigue 3 | Stress 3 | Soreness 3
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Mobility: 21 minutes.
Ride 1:45 on road or MTB. A few hills would be nice. Overall an easy to moderate effort. Main goal is to get outside and have fun. Stay warm as well.
NOTES
Total Time: 105 minutes
I slept well last night and the stiffness in my neck is 90% (maybe better) of what it was yesterday afternoon. I did take an Advil before bed and commandeered my "good" pillow from the other side of the bed.
After the Saturday chores were done, it was time to get out for my ride. I got to the garage to find that both my road and MTB had a flat tires. I repaired the road bike; the tire/rim combo is way easier to work with. With sunshine and dry roads, it was a road bike day.
I headed out to Langford on the Goose. I knew that "hills" were in the schedule so I started up the Bear Mountain Parkway. There was construction on the shoulder going up (read: zero shoulder to ride) and all it took was a Ford F-350 speeding way too close to get me out of a good head-space. I got over the first 12% kicker but instead of tempting fate with another Langford driver, I turned around at the start of the second 12% grade (a good decision).
I pedalled back to Vic, glancing back west every so often, to take in tonight's fantastic sunset.
With the sun below the horizon, it started to get cool. I got home before the allotted time so I put the road bike away, grabbed my TT bike and rode the rollers for the balance of that time. It helped me warm up and get the last of my gatorade down (53g/ 200 calories).
