February
• Month Training: 61:15 hours - plus 9 hrs commute (40 hours on a bike)
• Monthly Road Miles : 318 miles
• Hours to date : 270 hours
• Mileage to date : 1786 miles (London to Ankara, Turkey)
Meteorologists have just declared January the warmest January since earth began. I suspect they will declare February a drought and issue hosepipe warnings. My forecast for Feb was that the weather would “probably” remain miserable. There was snow on the first of Feb and floods on the 28th. In between, plagues of locusts, and frogs. I am sure I saw Noah this morning.
Where did February go? A week in Spain with work and the training camp in Malaga (see separate blog) broke up the month but even so it felt like a short month. Significantly more training hours than January. Riding intensity is higher (this means it hurts more) especially on the static bikes. Surprisingly, apart from riding in Malaga, I only rode one training ride outdoors in Feb. The turbo sets are getting easier to complete and doing a couple of big back 5/6 hours days to back days seems OK but this isn’t even the first 2 days of the RAAM. Swimming and running have almost entirely dropped off the training plan.
It was great to be with the Rapha Condor Team in Malaga. Supportive as they were, it would have been nice if they had lied and told us the RAAM looked easy, they didn’t.
Planning for the RAAM is ramping up. The riders have it easy. We pitch up, ride when we are told to, eat when we are told to and sleep when we are told to. Somewhat mysteriously in the background a whole lot of stuff seems to be going on. Cars are being hired, menus worked out, kit getting assembled for shipping, flights and hotels booked and I can only assume all manner of minutiae being sorted. All we have to do is peddle. How hard can that be?
On top of this, the team are organising the 2nd Hoedown for the 10th July see www.hoedownatsundown.com. This is one of our major fundraising events (book now for friends and family!!). We are hoping for over 300 people. For the RAAM team it’s our end of event celebration / party but more importantly it is hopefully a big fund raiser for the Prostate Charity so, if you are around on July 10th come along with friends and family.
I have also just read the RAAM rules, 55 pages of them. Guns are actively discouraged but alcohol results in instant disqualification. I have a nagging suspicion the rules would be the other way round in a European race! As the rules include rules on cheating, spying and sportsmanship I can’t help imagining the trip will be like something from Wacky Races. Our support team even look like the Ant Hill Mob
Just over 100 days to go till the start line on June 12. Sir Steve Redgrave is doing the RAAM this summer too. Fortunately in an 8 man team so not directly in competition. Still, this will be my first experience racing against a five time Olympic champion however indirectly!
Set up my Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/adamndenton so will hopefully manage to get some cash for Prostate Cancer.
Crocus and snowdrops just out so spring must be on the way. The weather really can’t be as bad in March can it?
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Monday, 22 February 2010
Malaga Training Camp
Team Sharp4Prostate decamp to Malaga for a weeks warm weather training at ‘with’ the Rapha Condor Sharp team. My stats:
- Training hours: 16 hours on a bike plus 5hr stretching and core
- Road Miles : 249 miles / 401km
- Climb : 6499m / 21332ft
Arrived late into the camp from Barcelona, the rest of the guys having already been at the camp for 4 days. There seemed to be some pretty tired bodies waiting for me!
New bike – love at first sight. A few final tweaks to get the bike fit right and then off for my first ride in Spain.
Start, a pootle north of Malaga. Nice and gentle but we still averaged 29kmh (must be the bike). Then a controlled time trial. All’s well to the first town when the route sends us up a vertical hill made out of concrete and into a dead end. Bumped into Karl, also lost, and then Paul, equally clueless. Directions from the locals helped send us all off on the wrong road –our lack of Spanish to blame. After an hour lost, regroup, coffee, sandwiches. We split – Karl and Paul heading home with Richey. Dan and I riding together with Marco in support.
Uphill, then further uphill before getting to a big hill, in all about 50km of constant climbing. Scenery spectacular. Limestone gorge, orange and lemon trees in fruit and the cherry trees in flower. All very pretty. Dan and I both discover why the pros eat nutella sandwiches and not goats cheese sandwiches – they repeat on us all afternoon.
Felt strong but may have been deceiving myself we are ‘followed’ by a flock of vultures circling overhead obviously waiting for the weak one at the back to finally expire. (not sure vultures flock or you can follow by circling but hopefully you get the gist).
The back to camp. Stretch. Eat. Sleep
My day 2
Day dawned grey - quietly confident the light cloud would blow over. At breakfast it is reported Dan has been sick in the night. Dan blames food. John Herety (Director Sportive for the RCS team) blames 4 beers and a protein recovery drink. Net result is the same, off for a big ride into the mountains on my own.
After about 1km the rain started, then the wind picked up and it started getting cold. An hour and a half later and I am beginning to wonder what the symptoms are for early hyperthermia, my guess is that praying for climbs is probably not a bad sign, singing Pet Shop Boys songs to yourself another. Fortunately the route went up, for the next 41km, less fortunately I saw a goat herd and sang Sound of Music songs for the rest of the ride. Two and a half hours in and support, in the form of Marco and Richey, arrived. Dry kit, cheese sandwiches and coke. Three and a half hours later they pull me off the road and drive me home. Happy.
Stretch, food, insightful (if slightly worrying) conversation with the pro team who seem to think the RAAM is a bit of a tough challenge. Bed.
My day 3
Off with the pro team for a 35km ‘warm up’ and some photos.
Next, onto the Ronda valley (which I thought was in South Wales but apparently not). This climbs out of Marbella and goes up, for over 1000m. Weather cleared to a beautiful spring day.
I would like to wax lyrical about the view – it was ‘nice’ - but following Dan up the climb was distracting. The lycra in his shorts had worn and the back of his shorts had become transparent. My view was similar to watch builders bum for an hour and a half from about 2 meters back. Dan blamed Paul – apparently he has a bigger arse – but I am not sure what this had to do with the demise of Dan’s shorts. Still give the choice between leading the climb or following and putting up with the view, I chose the latter. Discretion (or lack of it) being the better part of valour.
Then down. Very fast and very smooth. Wind was gusty which was a bit disconcerting but the road was dry. Fun. Top speed 68kmh.
Coffee, smug grins, back to base for stretching , food and then bed.
My Day 4
Sun. Short ride with some of the pro team and then peeling off back to base. Dan filming.
Hard to describe the way home. It was not very grown up. Fast, average for 90 mins of 32kmh. 200m to go and Paul won the sprint. I since discovered he has ridden the same finish every day of the week so was well rehearsed – I thought we had 2km to go. To be fair– I wouldn’t have caught him even if I had known.
Back at base – packed bikes, stretch, sauna, pizza and chips and off to the airport.
About 3 years later EZ jet get us home. -4 degrees with rain and snow forecast.
Miscellaneous comments
Marco and Richey – I can’t begin to explain how fantastic it was to have these two colossus providing support before, during and after the rides. All I can say is they made me feel like a pro. I know I’m not, but it was really nice to pretend.
The Bike – The new Rapha Condor Sharp team bike is awesome. Comfortable, fast and very pretty.
The pro team – I am sure they had much better things to do than put up with me asking banal questions. A big thanks for putting up with me and good luck for the season.
The European Union. Many thanks for the roads. It is great to see where my tax contribution goes. Rome left a legacy of roads for Europe and it looks like the EU may just do the same. If they could sort out the roads in Surrey too it would be appreciated.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
January
• Month Training (3 weeks) : 39:15 hours - 28hours on a bike (+ 4hrs commute)
• Monthly Road Miles : 281 miles
• Hours to date : 209 hours
• Mileage to date : 1468 miles
Arrived back from NZ at the end of the first week to snow, ice, no central heating, a defrosted deep freeze and ice inside the house. Training plans for my first weekend back in tatters. Defrosted the house and walked to the supermarket and back. Not sure this counts as training. Given up alcohol too (for the RAAM) so couldn’t even drown my sorrows.
Then there was more snow, couldn’t get the car out the drive to go and pick up my bike so couldn’t even turbo-train – frustrated. Tried getting out on the mountain bike, unsurprisingly lethal but good enough to get to the station and into London. Finally managed to do some exercise on the Thursday. It hurt, my quiet optimism that the rest would do me good has immediately evaporated.....
Second week back, back into a routine - felt like training not ‘just’ exercising. Still painful.
Experimented with the team at trying to replicate RAAM ride patterns using turbo trainers (30 minutes on - 30 minutes off for five sets). Much harder than I had expected both physically and mentally. Mentally the temptation to clock watch is overpowering – watched kettles don’t boil and watched clocks on turbo trainers stop!
Managed the first ‘long ride’ of the year with the team, 180k. Took just over 6hrs including stops so nearly 30kmh - too fast. Felt in trouble at 3 hours so impressed at myself hanging in there for another 3 hours home! Roads terrible and muddy, new mud guards at least kept my bum dry and stopped the nappy rash – happy days! Less happy, for the RAAM I am going to need to ride this distance, at this speed, on my own, for 7 consecutive days – quite scary.
Rode the Hell of Ashdown sportive....... avoided the bonk wagon (I could explain but, if you don’t know it is more fun to speculate!). Didn’t enjoy it (never settled into the ride), didn’t ride well, didn’t pace it well and the car broke down on the way home... bad end to the month.
Mike advised on new weights / core programme (good news) but still only doing one session a week... can’t quite work out how to do more
Flexibility has taken an absolute hammering with the increased mileage and the increased weights – I haven’t quite got my stretching routine right and ‘must do better’.... (Milene - my Pilates instructor was unimpressed)
Baseline fitness test completed. Mark and Michelle at Trust4you seem too nice to 1st starve you, 2nd dress you up as Darth Vader and then 3rd make you exercise until you drop whilst 4th taking blood samples. All in the name of science. Results informative (not dying seems to be a pass!) and these will help tailor my individual training programme to address the areas I am weak (of which there are many!)
Hopeful for a solid months training in Feb (including a training camp ‘with’ the Rapha Condor Sharp team down in Majorca). Big question....Can the weather really remain this miserable? I suspect is the answer is: probably.
• Monthly Road Miles : 281 miles
• Hours to date : 209 hours
• Mileage to date : 1468 miles
Arrived back from NZ at the end of the first week to snow, ice, no central heating, a defrosted deep freeze and ice inside the house. Training plans for my first weekend back in tatters. Defrosted the house and walked to the supermarket and back. Not sure this counts as training. Given up alcohol too (for the RAAM) so couldn’t even drown my sorrows.
Then there was more snow, couldn’t get the car out the drive to go and pick up my bike so couldn’t even turbo-train – frustrated. Tried getting out on the mountain bike, unsurprisingly lethal but good enough to get to the station and into London. Finally managed to do some exercise on the Thursday. It hurt, my quiet optimism that the rest would do me good has immediately evaporated.....
Second week back, back into a routine - felt like training not ‘just’ exercising. Still painful.
Experimented with the team at trying to replicate RAAM ride patterns using turbo trainers (30 minutes on - 30 minutes off for five sets). Much harder than I had expected both physically and mentally. Mentally the temptation to clock watch is overpowering – watched kettles don’t boil and watched clocks on turbo trainers stop!
Managed the first ‘long ride’ of the year with the team, 180k. Took just over 6hrs including stops so nearly 30kmh - too fast. Felt in trouble at 3 hours so impressed at myself hanging in there for another 3 hours home! Roads terrible and muddy, new mud guards at least kept my bum dry and stopped the nappy rash – happy days! Less happy, for the RAAM I am going to need to ride this distance, at this speed, on my own, for 7 consecutive days – quite scary.
Rode the Hell of Ashdown sportive....... avoided the bonk wagon (I could explain but, if you don’t know it is more fun to speculate!). Didn’t enjoy it (never settled into the ride), didn’t ride well, didn’t pace it well and the car broke down on the way home... bad end to the month.
Mike advised on new weights / core programme (good news) but still only doing one session a week... can’t quite work out how to do more
Flexibility has taken an absolute hammering with the increased mileage and the increased weights – I haven’t quite got my stretching routine right and ‘must do better’.... (Milene - my Pilates instructor was unimpressed)
Baseline fitness test completed. Mark and Michelle at Trust4you seem too nice to 1st starve you, 2nd dress you up as Darth Vader and then 3rd make you exercise until you drop whilst 4th taking blood samples. All in the name of science. Results informative (not dying seems to be a pass!) and these will help tailor my individual training programme to address the areas I am weak (of which there are many!)
Hopeful for a solid months training in Feb (including a training camp ‘with’ the Rapha Condor Sharp team down in Majorca). Big question....Can the weather really remain this miserable? I suspect is the answer is: probably.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
First 4 months training....
September:
• Month Training : 47.5 hours
• Monthly Road Miles : 367 miles
• Hours to date : 47.5 hours
• Mileage to date : 367 miles
Did the Prostate Cancer Tour of Britain ride in Stoke – 145k which took 5hr 40mins including stops. Rode with the Sharp4Protate team and a couple of Rapha Condor team riders (Kristian House and Ben Greenwood). This was my longest ride I had done (ever).
By the end of the month had done my first ‘200’k ride with Dan – it was hot – with punctures, drink stops, pee stops and generally dawdling took 9hrs – at this pace riding across America would take 9 and a half days so… work to do.
October
• Month Training : 79 hours (5 week month)
• Monthly Road Miles : 760km +8.5hrs on the mountain bike
• Hours to date : 126.5 hours
• Mileage to date : 1350 km
Did a couple of ‘200s’ one with Paul and one solo and a 150 – Karl joining the 150 as his first training ride (the first ride with all 4 ‘team’ rides out together). Solo ride was a highlight – 8hours 20 mins including stops out through the Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex countryside on a beautiful day. Group rides are getting faster (still ‘only’ 27-28kmh) feeling strong. Weather changed – now wet…
November
• Month Training : 34 hours (trips to Hong Kong, China, Beirut, Barcelona)
• Monthly Road Miles : 380km
• Hours to date : 160.5 hours
• Mileage to date : 1750 km
Always going to be a poor training month with two work long trips out the country and a planned weekend break running a half marathon in Spain. Didn’t really settle into the month once the clocks changed – weather wet and fairly miserable and not quite set up for riding in the dark – mileages shorter and no real plus points. Had my worst ride in months (a 70k ride in gale force winds and rain) it hurt and I struggled. To make matters worse rode in an old pair of shorts that when wet chaffed badly – didn’t expect to list nappy rash as one of my injuries!
Bounced back with a great solo ride through the Surrey hills after getting off the plane from China. Ended the month with a 1:29 _ marathon off the back of limited training – the end of my legacy training plan for the middle distance triathlon in May….. It doesn’t feel like I made the most of the training ‘opportunities’ through the month – a little frustrated at my lack of discipline and focus.
December
• Month Training : 13.5 hours (Holiday to New Zealand)
• Monthly Road Miles : 180km
• Hours to date : 170 hours
• Mileage to date : 1930 km
Off to NZ for a 4 week holiday and tapered a little early! Also quite busy at work. Managed to get four runs in whilst in NZ before the new year as well as doing 3 long day walks. Rode a bike once in NZ but I am not sure cycling round the Marlborough vineyards counts as training ride –nice wine though!
30/12 ripped a calf muscle in left leg running 45 minutes into the run out of Wanaka and a long way from the motel at about 7:30pm – amazingly a mountain biker riding the track I was on leant me his bike so I could ride back into town (easier than hopping), he ran back and we met in the town. Even noting this down it doesn’t seem real hard to believe he just gave a complete stranger his bike (and helmet)
Checkpoint: 4 months in and I have managed to cover about 1/3 of the RAAM distance on a bike. I am feeling a little out of my depth and I am beginning to get a grasp of just how big a challenge this is going to be. Not quite reaching the point of blind panic but it is beginning to look a little scary and quite daunting. Guess the only option is to get my head down, put the mileage in and see what happens…….
• Month Training : 47.5 hours
• Monthly Road Miles : 367 miles
• Hours to date : 47.5 hours
• Mileage to date : 367 miles
Did the Prostate Cancer Tour of Britain ride in Stoke – 145k which took 5hr 40mins including stops. Rode with the Sharp4Protate team and a couple of Rapha Condor team riders (Kristian House and Ben Greenwood). This was my longest ride I had done (ever).
By the end of the month had done my first ‘200’k ride with Dan – it was hot – with punctures, drink stops, pee stops and generally dawdling took 9hrs – at this pace riding across America would take 9 and a half days so… work to do.
October
• Month Training : 79 hours (5 week month)
• Monthly Road Miles : 760km +8.5hrs on the mountain bike
• Hours to date : 126.5 hours
• Mileage to date : 1350 km
Did a couple of ‘200s’ one with Paul and one solo and a 150 – Karl joining the 150 as his first training ride (the first ride with all 4 ‘team’ rides out together). Solo ride was a highlight – 8hours 20 mins including stops out through the Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex countryside on a beautiful day. Group rides are getting faster (still ‘only’ 27-28kmh) feeling strong. Weather changed – now wet…
November
• Month Training : 34 hours (trips to Hong Kong, China, Beirut, Barcelona)
• Monthly Road Miles : 380km
• Hours to date : 160.5 hours
• Mileage to date : 1750 km
Always going to be a poor training month with two work long trips out the country and a planned weekend break running a half marathon in Spain. Didn’t really settle into the month once the clocks changed – weather wet and fairly miserable and not quite set up for riding in the dark – mileages shorter and no real plus points. Had my worst ride in months (a 70k ride in gale force winds and rain) it hurt and I struggled. To make matters worse rode in an old pair of shorts that when wet chaffed badly – didn’t expect to list nappy rash as one of my injuries!
Bounced back with a great solo ride through the Surrey hills after getting off the plane from China. Ended the month with a 1:29 _ marathon off the back of limited training – the end of my legacy training plan for the middle distance triathlon in May….. It doesn’t feel like I made the most of the training ‘opportunities’ through the month – a little frustrated at my lack of discipline and focus.
December
• Month Training : 13.5 hours (Holiday to New Zealand)
• Monthly Road Miles : 180km
• Hours to date : 170 hours
• Mileage to date : 1930 km
Off to NZ for a 4 week holiday and tapered a little early! Also quite busy at work. Managed to get four runs in whilst in NZ before the new year as well as doing 3 long day walks. Rode a bike once in NZ but I am not sure cycling round the Marlborough vineyards counts as training ride –nice wine though!
30/12 ripped a calf muscle in left leg running 45 minutes into the run out of Wanaka and a long way from the motel at about 7:30pm – amazingly a mountain biker riding the track I was on leant me his bike so I could ride back into town (easier than hopping), he ran back and we met in the town. Even noting this down it doesn’t seem real hard to believe he just gave a complete stranger his bike (and helmet)
Checkpoint: 4 months in and I have managed to cover about 1/3 of the RAAM distance on a bike. I am feeling a little out of my depth and I am beginning to get a grasp of just how big a challenge this is going to be. Not quite reaching the point of blind panic but it is beginning to look a little scary and quite daunting. Guess the only option is to get my head down, put the mileage in and see what happens…….
The RAAM challenge
I am still not quite sure why Marco thought I might be a suitable team rider for the RAAM – I only bought my first road bike at the beginning of 2008, wouldn’t ride it on a wet road until the start of 2009 and don’t think I showed ambition or inclination to ride a bike further than a lunch stop in Brighton (100k return on the flat!). Still, ask he did, and I said no.
Clearly, as I am writing a blog on my training for the RAAM, I changed my mind but I am not sure when. I suspect it was sometime round about the Prostate Cancer Tour of Britain ride in Stoke. My longest ride (150km) which I completed and didn’t feel too bad during, or after. On the basis of this one ride – I decided the RAAM was doable – this was clearly more than a little naive and overconfident, but once committed and all that….
So what is the RAAM challenge?
• 3014 miles (about!) – 30% longer than the Tour de France
• 100,000ft of ascent (4 x Everest)
• Single stage race (24hr riding)
• Lowest point – 190ft,
• Highest point 10,857ft,
• Start : San Diego (Oceanside) California
• End: Annapolis Maryland
• Team of 4 – so ride _ distance or about 110 miles per day each
• Ride for 6 hours a day
• Target of 7 days (not sure where this came from!)
• Average speed 18.6 mph (30kph)
What is involved in training for the RAAM?
There are a number of different elements to the training – my mix of training is a bit weird because (1) I have a slightly dodgy back and (2) I after the RAAM I will go back to doing triathlon so I need to include a bit of swimming and running. The elements are:
Cycling: It probably isn’t a surprise that riding a bike is a big bit of training for the RAAM. To date this has been achieved by:
1) The Commute: As I commute into I get some mileage by riding to and from the station (30 minutes) and to the gym / office / station in London (another 30 minutes). I suspect this does me little good but, like many cyclists in London, I race buses through town so if I need to race a bus – do a track stand at a traffic light or dodge taxis on the RAAM I should be OK!
2) The weekend: The opportunity to spend lots of long hours riding round the countryside
3) The turbo trainer: a nasty invention that allows you to ride your bike inside your house. It redefines boredom – reduces you to a sweaty heap and makes you realise that riding outside in any weather is a preferable option
4) Spinning: a bit like turbo training but with someone shouting at you and better music
Weights: Allegedly good for me but I have always hated doing weights (and gyms). I do a few weights occasionally when I can’t find an excuse to do something (anything) else to do
Core strength / flexibility: Having not been able to touch my toes in living memory, I am reliably informed this is essential to avoid injury. I do Pilates once a week and stretch when I remember
Swimming: I am not sure it helps to ride your bike but for ‘active’ recovery it is great exercise and good for my back so is a small part of my overall training mix
Running: Apparently has absolutely no benefit to cyclists and massively increases the risk of injury, that said –it’s a far more intense way to pack in some aerobic exercise and I am a better runner than cyclist so it makes me feel good.
Organising a week
Almost as hard as actually training (well not really!) is working out how to organise a week so you can train enough – my ideal training week looks something like:
Monday – Swim in the morning for an hour before work. Stretch and Core work in the evening for an hour (this is really a ‘recovery’ day so all no hard sessions)
Tuesday – Weights session in the morning. Turbo train in the evening for an hour
Wednesday – Swim in the morning . Run at lunchtime for an hour.
Thursday – Pilates at lunchtime, Spinning in the evening (an hour)
Friday – Swim in the morning – eat in the evening and watch (crap) TV!
Saturday – ride a bike all day
Sunday – ride a bike for lots of the day. Stretch in the evening
This adds up to about 20 hours
In reality the best I end up managing is about 15 hours. It means getting out of bed at 05:30 and eating dinner at about 21:00 squeezing my working week and training in between.
Clearly, as I am writing a blog on my training for the RAAM, I changed my mind but I am not sure when. I suspect it was sometime round about the Prostate Cancer Tour of Britain ride in Stoke. My longest ride (150km) which I completed and didn’t feel too bad during, or after. On the basis of this one ride – I decided the RAAM was doable – this was clearly more than a little naive and overconfident, but once committed and all that….
So what is the RAAM challenge?
• 3014 miles (about!) – 30% longer than the Tour de France
• 100,000ft of ascent (4 x Everest)
• Single stage race (24hr riding)
• Lowest point – 190ft,
• Highest point 10,857ft,
• Start : San Diego (Oceanside) California
• End: Annapolis Maryland
• Team of 4 – so ride _ distance or about 110 miles per day each
• Ride for 6 hours a day
• Target of 7 days (not sure where this came from!)
• Average speed 18.6 mph (30kph)
What is involved in training for the RAAM?
There are a number of different elements to the training – my mix of training is a bit weird because (1) I have a slightly dodgy back and (2) I after the RAAM I will go back to doing triathlon so I need to include a bit of swimming and running. The elements are:
Cycling: It probably isn’t a surprise that riding a bike is a big bit of training for the RAAM. To date this has been achieved by:
1) The Commute: As I commute into I get some mileage by riding to and from the station (30 minutes) and to the gym / office / station in London (another 30 minutes). I suspect this does me little good but, like many cyclists in London, I race buses through town so if I need to race a bus – do a track stand at a traffic light or dodge taxis on the RAAM I should be OK!
2) The weekend: The opportunity to spend lots of long hours riding round the countryside
3) The turbo trainer: a nasty invention that allows you to ride your bike inside your house. It redefines boredom – reduces you to a sweaty heap and makes you realise that riding outside in any weather is a preferable option
4) Spinning: a bit like turbo training but with someone shouting at you and better music
Weights: Allegedly good for me but I have always hated doing weights (and gyms). I do a few weights occasionally when I can’t find an excuse to do something (anything) else to do
Core strength / flexibility: Having not been able to touch my toes in living memory, I am reliably informed this is essential to avoid injury. I do Pilates once a week and stretch when I remember
Swimming: I am not sure it helps to ride your bike but for ‘active’ recovery it is great exercise and good for my back so is a small part of my overall training mix
Running: Apparently has absolutely no benefit to cyclists and massively increases the risk of injury, that said –it’s a far more intense way to pack in some aerobic exercise and I am a better runner than cyclist so it makes me feel good.
Organising a week
Almost as hard as actually training (well not really!) is working out how to organise a week so you can train enough – my ideal training week looks something like:
Monday – Swim in the morning for an hour before work. Stretch and Core work in the evening for an hour (this is really a ‘recovery’ day so all no hard sessions)
Tuesday – Weights session in the morning. Turbo train in the evening for an hour
Wednesday – Swim in the morning . Run at lunchtime for an hour.
Thursday – Pilates at lunchtime, Spinning in the evening (an hour)
Friday – Swim in the morning – eat in the evening and watch (crap) TV!
Saturday – ride a bike all day
Sunday – ride a bike for lots of the day. Stretch in the evening
This adds up to about 20 hours
In reality the best I end up managing is about 15 hours. It means getting out of bed at 05:30 and eating dinner at about 21:00 squeezing my working week and training in between.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
