Nine weeks have come and gone. Base training for the 2014 season started early in hopes of being primed and ready for the May 3rd St. George 70.3. On the outset of base training we decided swimming and running needed "extra" attention. A more conscious effort was needed to improve substantially before I moved into the season.
The past nine weeks have looked like this:
Cycle / Spin: 33 hours
Run: 17 hours
Swim: 9 hours (21,000 meters)
The summer of 2013 was filled with many sleepless nights spent helping with our new little baby. I was worn down and had a difficult time recovering after most difficult workouts. But as our baby gets older I am getting longer blocks of sleep and my strength is returning. I started the base training session at 166 pounds and now average 156. Ten pounds was lost through tons of salad and no candy, cakes, cookies or Christmas goodies. Although, I did feast pretty heavy the week of Christmas. Part of racing smart for the SG70.3 is being more economical. So, I will continuer to work towards 150lbs by the end of January.
Running has been a big center of my focus. I found a friend who would wake up at 5:00AM on Tuesdays and bust out 60:00 runs with me through the streets of Holladay. I learned to take care of my legs better, particularly my calves by using the Trigger Point roller and ball. Before each run and after each run I would work them over with the Trigger Point gear. Not once in the 9 weeks did I experience prolonged calf soreness.
The biggest and best signal of a successful base period was the way I felt going into todays wattage best. My body felt like it wanted do more. Early in the 9 weeks I felt like it took all my energy to get back on my bike on a Monday night after an early AM session at Vitality. But during the past 2-3 weeks I do not feel that way anymore. My body has improved its muscular endurance. I weigh less and have gained both power and speed.
I suffered hard this morning. I didn't cough up any stomach bile, but my eyes started getting tunnel vision and I couldn't stand up for about 15 minutes after I finished. I could hold 300W at the end of the season for about 25:00 minutes, but this effort felt like I was a crazy person trying to keep everything from blowing up. My heart rate went up into the 180 range during the last 10:00 minutes of the effort - at which point I started tasting blood. Once I tasted blood I knew I was on the right track for a good test.
Wattage Test January 4th
30:00 minute average 291
(average BPM 175 - attached is a picture of my heart during the last 20:00 minutes of the test)
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