Garmin Coach

So my initial plan (last post) is not exactly working out - but, the new plan is looking OK. Since my last post I have been trying out one of Garmin's coaching programs (half marathon - intermediate level). The Coach (an experienced, albeit well-seasoned coach/athlete) recommends integrating walking in between some of the run sets. He is also an advocate of high cadence drills, gliding (transitioning from walk-jog-run) and hill repeats, which I did today. 

This Sunday is going to be a heavier set with a long run (1.5 hours plus), which I haven't done for a while. I am going to keep it easy but it will be nice to get some increased mileage in the legs. 

My weekly swim will be rescheduled for Monday evening (club swim) but I will need to make every effort to build the weekly swim up to 2 sessions over the coming weeks. This week has also seen greater strength work although my legs were tired after some weighted squats and lunges.

Right, going to plan my route for Sunday's run. Over and out.

Plan for the week

Still aiming for 6+ hours of base training (swim, run, bike, weights/strength) this week - doesn't have to be too race specific simply decent quality sessions, moving me in the right direction:

Bank holiday Monday: recovery day (post some heavy sessions on the Sunday)
Tue: 30min recovery run [DONE] - legs still heavy after recent weighted squats/lunges
Wed: 1 hour tempo or threshold run
Thu: 1 hour swim (local pool)
Fri: 2 hour cycle; 30 mins weights/strength
Sat: 1 hour Peloton bike
Sun: 30 min run; 30 mins weights/strength

If I can successfuly complete majority of above sets then I am well across the line. Meanwhile, need to re-focus on weight management and make further progress.

See you on the other side

Good and bad for Coronation weekend

On the whole a relatively decent week - volume was bang on 6 hours after including some weights and strength sets. I also got in a Club swim, 2 cycles and 2 runs. Would have liked another run - 3+ is my weekly goal, however I enjoyed the swim and managed a decent enough pace/effort over the hour albeit some of that was with paddles and pull-buoy (good practice for SwimRun 'A' race).

The disappointment came in the weight management - I was doing really well and was down another 1kg earlier in the week, however with a Friday dinner party and the Coronation celebrations over the weekend my food/drink choices were not most ideal - nothing terrible but the scales didn't like it! It could be that my weight loss was too aggressive and as soon as I added back more normal levels of carbs/sugar (nothing crazy) my body was going to store every bit of it.

Anyway, it is not going to stop me moving forward. Next 1-2 weeks back on it plus lots more fitness planned. More on that in my next post.

How the week is shaping

I got out the old Cannondale Road bike for my commute in/out of Brighton yesterday and managed to log a Local Legend Strava section for most number of rides over 90 days.

This morning I followed Garmin's recommendation for a Threshold run set that included 18mins at sub 5:05 per km, although I aimed for under 5mins (looked better). My VO2 max for running according to Garmin remains pretty stuck at 49 - still in top 5% of men of my age group, although lower than my previous 50+ Over the coming months and as my training volume/intensity increases I would like to see that number back above 50.

Meanwhile, the weight goal target remains someway off, however I have made steady and hopefully sustainable headway in the right direction. The first 2 kg were relatively easy to lose but since then progress has slowed and it will definitely be harder to shift the next 2kg - need to be consistent and keep going.

The weather tomorrow looks nice so would be great to get another run in the bank. I have cleared my garage and dusted off the weights, TRX and pull-up bar - next stage - use them!!

I need to bring the total training volume to around 6 hours this week so that does mean logging some additional miles - a long run or potential swim on Sat/Sun.

Watching Alex at Hyrox Worlds in Olympia

Sunday morning - train journey home after an early start and a trip up to London Olympia to see my Son (Alex) compete in his first Hyrox event.

All very exciting - amazingly fit athletes tackle 8 different exercises together with 8x 1km run loops. Alex and his training partner entered as a pair to share the exercises and motivate each other, although the pressure is on as you don't want to let your partner down.

They did really well and looked strong throughout finishing in a great time of circa. 1:13:00.

So would I have a crack.... I would never say no, however there are other events higher on my priority list. At the moment I would struggle with the individual exercises - simply not strong enough. Most of the Hyrox athletes were ripped and looked to have excellent upper body strength.

Alex has suggested doing a Tough Mudder event together, now I like the sound of that.

More about the training plan - working around the detail

So far this week I have managed a run/strength set, a relatively easy commute (spin) on e-Brompton and an easy 30 minute trail run with a few push-ups added to the mix. Probably need to get in an interval set, more strength+weights and then a longer (10km+) run in over the weekend.

Thinking ahead to my 'A' race - SwimRun (Sept) and 'B' race - Bath half-marathon (Oct) I have just over 20 weeks to consider my training plan.

Big picture and core blocks:

- 6 weeks foundation
- 6 weeks build
- 6 weeks specific
- 2 weeks taper

So in my initial 6 weeks foundation I am simply interested in buiding up the volume from circa 3-4 hours to a minimum of 6 hours, getting 3x runs in during the week (sprint/hill work + tempo + long), mixing up the terrain from off-road and road and occasionally throwing in an easy recovery run. During the foundation phase over May-Jun I hope to get at least 1-2 swims a week (pool or sea). Plus increasing amount of strength/resistance work. I expect there will also be some cross-training, primarily cycling, as I cannot forget my triathlon background. In summary, the focus is getting in some quality workouts but I am not necessarily too worried during the early months about how it all fits together to move me towards my specific goals. Let's say I am pointing in the right direction.

During the summer months Jun-Jul I need to increase the volume of my swimming and also start to include more Swim/Run transitions. There will be a greater emphasis on higher interval sets and improving both speed and endurance. I hope my weekly volume with also improve to circa 8 hours+

For the final block from Jul-Aug I aim to get much more specific in my training. I will expect to have at least a couple of weekly sessions where it is full SwimRun kit practising transitions, use of all the gear and very targeted workouts to ensure I am best prepared for September.

Finally I will reduce the training volume at the end of Aug, early September as I taper down for the main event. Focus on keeping injury free, good balanced diet (hopefully the right weight by then), well hydrated, clear visualisation of the event, and setting some goals for the big day. 

After the 'A' race my focus will shift to the Bath half-marathon, albeit my 'B' race and assisting Amalie complete her first proper running event - more on that later.

Lots more detail and weekly breakdown to come plus all the 'ups and downs' but that is the high-level roadmap.

Wish me luck

Trying out a Huel protein shake

I haven't much worried about my protein intake over recent years, however after recent calorie tracking via MyFitnessPal I realised my consumption of protein was pretty much always under the daily recommended levels. As you may have read from recent blogs I am attempting to reduce carbs and increase protein whilst also targeting some body fat/weight loss.

The weekday fast seems to be achievable - this morning I kept to a morning black coffee/green tea. At midday I went for an easy zone 1 recovery run but added in 6x sets of 10x push-ups, lunges, squats and bench-dips. On my return to the office I made myself a Huel 'Vanilla Fudge'  complete protein shake - 105 calories per serving, 20g plant-based protein, 9g of Amino Acids and 26 essential vitamins and minerals. You make it with cold water - tastes kind of OK, albeit a bit sweet. I also bought the 'Banana' flavour to try.

Huel sent me a complimentary pack of their 'Salted Caramel' Black Edition formula - 17:40:40: 3 macro split - carbs, fat, protein and fibre respetively. It is a larger 400 calorie serving but includes 40g of protein.

I think the 105 complete protein is a good option initially to keep my calories low so I can enjoy a balanced evening meal (circa 700 calories) and try to keep to around 800 calories for the day in order to lose weight (at least to my target of 79.5kg). Thereafter I will switch to higher calories and ideally a Mediterranen diet with continued higher protein intake.

This regime plus regular exercise and more strength/resistance work should help me to get down to my target race weight and be the long-term foundation to build muscle, speed and stamina.

All sounds good!!

N.B. Last time I was actually below 80kg was 2019