Base Training, Training Programme

It's getting close to the new year and close to time to start structured training, later next year i will be following a specific 17 week Ironman training plan , but to get me to that I have drafted a plan that gets me to the point.

The plan is in draft at the moment and I will probably refine it a bit further but you will get an idea of what I am looking to do.  I have also categorised the training as key training and other represented by RED and BLACK.

I am the sort of person that needs a plan to help with motivation, I am more likely to do the required training if I know in advance what I need to do in advance.

This training plan only builds up to session of a maximum length of 3:30 but longer will come in the specific Ironman plan as i don't want to overtrain or burn out and it can be seen from the plan that every 4th week is a recovery week.

Some may find the program a little light on the swimming front, but in truth swim is possibly my best sport so there you have it...

For those that are interested here is my 10 week Ironman Base Training Plan

WW

Interval Brick Session

My off season is approaching the end and the New Year will see the start of structured training starting with an extensive Base period.

But at the moment it is still off season and training variety. Last night was an interval brick session that took the form of: -

SPINNING BIKE 10 mins warm up Z1/2

5 x (
- 3 min seated hill climbing (hard effort)
- 2 mins standing hill climbing (upping the effort)
- 1 min fast spin (lighter effort)
- 2 mins recovery Z1/2
)
5 mins recovery
8 x (
- 20secs vomit inducing effort
- 10secs easy spin
)

5 mins recover

TREADMILL FARTLEK SESSION

20 mins, efforts ranging from slow easy pace to my 5k pb pace with 2 x 1 min efforts at my 5k pb pace.

For the 20 sec bike efforts, these were done in similar style to Tabata style training, but at the end of my normal interval session rather than a session on its own.  The whole session left me feeling quite good as I retired to the sauna.

WW

Heat Rate Zones

For both running and cycling a train by heart rate, some people train by pace, by power, by feel but I train by Heart rate.

The thing is that I use one system for cycling and another for running, the reason for this is that I have been lab tested on the bike (see earlier post) but not for my run. So for cycling a use a range of zones based on my VO2 max and for running a set of zones base on my Max and Min Heart rates.

Cycling

VO2max  = 147bpm

Zone 1	Recovery	91 - 121
Zone 2	Extensive Endurance	122 - 130
Zone 3	Intensive Endurance	131 - 137
Zone 4	Sub Threshold	138 - 146
Zone 5a	Super Threshold	147 - 150
Zone 5b	Anerobic Endurance	151-155
Zone 5c	Power	156+

Running

Max HR = 175bpm
Min HR =47bpm

Zone 1	50% - 60%	111 - 124
Zone 2	60% - 70%	124 - 137
Zone 3	70% - 80%	137 - 149
Zone 4	80% - 90%	149 - 162
Zone 5	90% - 100%	162 - 175

WW

Motivation, Motivation where for art thou

Since my marathon a couple of weeks back (see post) I have been suffering a crises on the motivation front and have only managed to get a hand full of training sessions under my belt and none of them what I would call big session.

How can motivation levels swing from being full on to being in the trough of despair in such a short period of time? What triggers such major mood sings? … Where is my mojo? … if you have it pleas return as soon as possible.

I look back and can see some of the causes:

• Being tiered after a marathon is a normal affect
• Bad weather closing the gym can be helped
• Transport disruptions causing me to be on the road for hours
• Time digging snow
• And so on …

But these are nothing but excuses …. Where is my motivation

WW