More focus - preparation for Vachery

Last week was generally a better one for overall focus and training volumes. I managed a relatively decent 10 hours with a good mix of cycling, running and swimming. Still a little light on swimming, over the last month I have been averaging only a single swim session per week rather than my normal two or preferred three.

The training included some decent interval sets and a Vachery cycle loop, trying to getting more race specific prior to the 70.3 event in a fortnight's time.

I performed the bike interval sets on my morning commute (Tue / Wed) - following a 10 min warm up, 8x (0:30 all-out + 4:30 easy) with a 10 min cool down to finish. Still on the singlespeed bike but managed speeds of 40km per hour on the 0:30 sets. This week I plan on completing some longer interval sets of 4x  (8 mins hard + 2 mins recovery).

One of my runs included some hill reps, which should help to improve my strength further.

The Vachery loop was a sensible idea, which Chris, my old training partner, and myself rode on our TT / Tri bikes to get a good feel for the route and effort required on the hill climbs. It has plenty of variety with fast descents, sharp turns, long roads ideal for the aero position and hill climbs (Leith Hill being the big one). It is route that you could equally cycle on a road or a TT / Tri bike. I do not think it is a course for PBs but the variety should make for an enjoyable, albeit tough, event.

My plan is to get another 10-12 hours in this week with a similar range of activities, including 2 swims (minimum) and a brick session on Sunday morning (2 hour TT + 1 hour run).

I will let you know how I get on.