The last two weeks have been pretty giant ones for my training, with long hours, hard sessions and lots of time on the bike. That doesn't always guarantee gains, of course, but in my case I feel like it has led to some big improvements. The bike legs are finally getting there or thereabouts, while I feel like the swim is definitely clicking - even if the click is at around 90% rather than the desired 100%, it's definitely a big improvement on the 50-60% that I've been experiencing until recently.
Lots of updates this week, dear readers, so, like a creepy doctor of questionable integrity, let's start with the personal stuff before branching out into more general interest.
The last two weeks have been pretty giant ones for my training, with long hours, hard sessions and lots of time on the bike. That doesn't always guarantee gains, of course, but in my case I feel like it has led to some big improvements. The bike legs are finally getting there or thereabouts, while I feel like the swim is definitely clicking - even if the click is at around 90% rather than the desired 100%, it's definitely a big improvement on the 50-60% that I've been experiencing until recently. It’s been a little while since my last update which usually means a lack of activity on my behalf; in fact, this time around, it (finally!) means a sustained block of hard training. And with Roth now less that 12 weeks away, it’s, well, frankly, about bloody time!
As I said in my last post, although I wasn’t in the shape I’d hoped to be in coming into this time of year, experience told me that I was fit enough so that if I could put in a consistent few weeks, that situation could be turned around pretty quickly. It’s great to have that experience on my side now. Again, I’m not where I’d have liked to be, but I’m certainly on my way there. The swim doesn’t hurt quite so much - and a lot of the elusive ‘feel’ and tempo is coming back. The run lacks some of the top end speed I’ve had before, so I don’t expect run PBs at the upcoming Olympic and sprint distance races I’ll be lining up for, but I do feel stronger and faster through the longer stuff. I may have a whole load of triathlons, Ironmans, marathons, adventure races and even a double marathon to my name but, I'm not ashamed to admit, until recently I was a cycle sportive virgin; so it was with excitement that I made the drive down to Valkenburg last Saturday morning to tackle the 150km course at the Amstel Gold Race. In spite of there apparently being a lottery to get in - such is the demand for places for the Netherlands' biggest mass ride - I'd managed to get my spot relatively easily by registering early, as I think had all the other members of ATAC who'd wanted to take part. And so the crazy days are, hopefully, over. Since I last posted at the end of March, there have been two more trips to the UK (one professional, one personal) and a long weekend in Berlin for a wedding - and, somehow, I’ve just about managed to keep my training on the tracks… just about. It’s maybe not been the highest quality training but the legs and arms are turning over. The paces aren’t particularly quick, but I feel like there’s the potential to at least finish a triathlon some time soon… OK, so maybe there’s a little sandbagging ('to sandbag': not a weird sexual practice but the art of playing down one's ability or form in order to surprise and over-perform at a later date) there, but not all that much. Time for an honest appraisal. |
AuthorMatt. Brit in Amsterdam. Triathlete. Ultrarunner. AG30-35. Slightly in front of the middle of the pack. Slightly behind the front of the pack. Categories
All
Archives
June 2015
|