Back in training mode

After a week of skiing in Morzine and then 2 days of very odd weather (more snow!) back home I finally got back into training mode today.

This morning, cold but nice and sunny, started with a 1:15 run down to Brighton Marina and back. I took it relatively steady to get down to the Marina and then decided on some hill climb repeats to up the intensity. From the back of Brighton Marina there is quite a steep hill that runs up to the top of the cliffs, which is ideal for doing such training.

I first jogged up the hill to get a base time. Thereafter it was my intention to complete 5 further hill repeats on descending times (i.e. getting faster).
My results were as follows:

Hill repeat 1 (base): 1:18.32
2. 1:01.85
3. 0:58.65
4. 0:56.77
5. 0:53.12
6. 0:49.32

My recovery between sets was approx 2-3mins as I walked or slowly jogged back down the hill.

I didn't have my heart rate belt on but knew I was easily hitting Z5 on each hill repeat. On the last one I had to stop at the top for a good few minutes so my HR came back to normal levels (Z1-2) and I could continue on for the journey back to the office.

On the return leg I was gradually catching up a runner ahead who was going at a similar pace to me, so it took me almost 3km to run alongside. He was running with a back pack and I immediately noticed an Ironman logo on the reverse, in this case probably indicating he had done the UK 70.3 event in the past - us triathletes get everywhere!

After returning to the office and hitting the shower I prepared myself a green smoothie for breakfast. This time I added a beet root in addition to spinach, banana and berries. I probably needed some honey to sweeten the smoothie a little but it still tasted pretty good. Apparently beet root and its juice is currently seen to be another one of these so-called 'super foods' that does wonders for recovery. At least it is natural and is yet another food source that can help me increase my intake of vegetables to my diet.

This evening was the long Club swim - I hadn't swum for a fortnight so was slightly concerned it was going to be a struggle. Coach MT wasn't around so a long set was posted up on the whiteboard. It included a long warm up and then 3x 800m steady sets with 8x 50m faster pace work in between. Although it was long and repetitive I was glad I kept with it for the most part. I ended up doing just shy of 3.8km of swimming (Ironman distance).

So on summary a good day of training.

I have a busy day at work tomorrow but aim to get an hour in the 'Cave of Pain' in the evening - probably a turbo/roller bike session or some strength work. I could try out my new Newton running shoes but need to repair the treadmill beforehand (hopefully just a new fuse needed).

It all goes to plan I will be cycling into work on Friday as my car needs a new windscreen and is going into the workshop. Saturday will see me back in the pool. On Sunday I really need to get up early to attempt a long run (3 hour / 20 miles) as the Brighton marathon is now only a month away.

I will report back with a progress report at the end of the week.

Happy training and 'keep the rubber side down'