Good start to the week

After a weekend of indulgence, it was nice to get a 6 miler in, even if it did contain a pit stop (good old Waitrose). A good steady pace with Jeanette, although I had no watch and she forgot to start hers until the marshes. I think we were about an hour, maybe a bit more.

Hen weekend

Not really training, but nice to mark where we went on our walk and horse ride :)

Feeling strong

Another quick lunchtime swim, last chance before the Sportspark pool is closed for a few weeks. I tried the new goggles again and they were better, but I was still pleased to take them off at the end (40 mins). Not sure how well I would last an hour. It's the pressure on the brownbone, I can feel myself getting a headache but there's instant relief when I remove them.

The swim itself was great. A bit of a warm up (probably about 3-400m, I wasn't counting!), then the same inverted pyramid session from the other week:

3 x 100m, 40s rest
3 x 50m, 30s rest
4 x 25m, 20s rest
3 x 50m, 30s rest
3 x 100m, 40s rest
total 1000m, all at effort 8/10.

All the 100m reps were <2:00 apart from one, all the 50m ones were <2:00, and all the 25m reps were <30s. I felt good and strong in the water, everything was flowing really well... excellent session. Nice way to round off the week!

Recovery run

Around the marshes, 3.6 miles in 36 minutes, nice and easy.

Strength to strength

Wroxham again. Lovely evening, lots of people around from the club, and Lizzie too on her first race back. Made the mistake of entering on the night (an extra £2 each - ouch!), but it was worth it as we had a great run. Caught up with Kate just after 1k and we stuck together for the rest of it. Captain Rocket pulled out another sprint finish and beat me to the line again to make it about 26:30 (results pending - 26:23 by my watch, started at the line not the gun). Splits: 5:22, 5:14, 5:15, 5:31, 4:57. That's about 1:45 off last time, and at this rate a new PB for me (never mind Mark) at the August race! PB for Kate too, and Lizzie was pleased with hers at about 28 mins. Smiles all round!

Bleh swim

New goggles - not good. Leaked, gave me a headache, and my eyelashes brushed the inside. Hmph. £9 well spent then.

With all that, I just had a swim, no really structure, 30 mins, not especially fast. Didn't want to tire myself out for Wroxham - it was just a good escape from the office really!

Bike loop

Realising I'm not going to get much bike time between now and the tri (specifically I'm missing this weekend due to Sally's hen do), so tonight I went for a spin around the Ketteringham loop (looped the opposite way to this map though). Average was 17.1mph, not bad given that I treated the loop as the main effort and didn't push it so much on the rest. Was tempted to loop around again but I knew my tea was going to be ready soon :)

Still feel like I need to up the saddle, but I never seem to get the time for an adjustment session. In my head, high = unstable in traffic = scary. I'm fine on the open road, but don't want to get into trouble at junctions.

Not really a brick, but I went for an experimental run up the lane when I got back. Legs a bit crampy, but a quick stretch seemed to sort them out. Not catastrophic, anyway.

Moderate run

Another run spoiled by the need for a loo break. Over to Lizzie's, around to Waitrose, up Newmarket Road and back via the golf course, at which point it was straight home for me.
Total was 4.6 miles in 46 minutes. Enjoyable, but I really should have done more.

Miserable, wet, wet, miserable

Miserable 1: biked to the lake, via the ring road (yuck), my chain came off (think I half-shifted to upper front ring, then full-shifted down), and while putting it back on I cut my knuckle. Only noticed minutes later when blood was dripping down my fingers.

Wet 1: lake swim. Chilly to start but turned into a good session. 1500m course, 33 mins including rest halfway.

Wet & miserable 2: Olympic bike course. Got off to an interesting start when I sent my rucksack (which I had cycled to the lake wearing) off home with Marie, forgetting that the keys to my bike lock were in it. Had to call Mark to bring the spare out, getting told off (rightly, but nicely) by a ranger for driving to the outdoor centre to unlock the bike ASAP, and then pedalling like hell to catch up with the group. I managed to find them having a breathing stop at the top of Skeet's Hill, waiting for a chap with a puncture. After that, dull and grey turned into drizzle, then drizzle with a vengeance. We were soaked by the time we hit Hempnall, and the second half of the route was misery. Horrible drivers on the A146 too. At White Horse Lane on the way back I cut my losses and came straight home!

Happy midsummer's day! :)

Swim, run

Time to squeeze in a quick lunchtime swim session, copying the other week's Wednesday one. 400m warm up, then 3 x 100 (40s rest), 3 x 50 (30s), 3 x 25 (20s), 3 x 50, 3 x 100. All felt pretty good, some cracking lengths although not consistently wonderful. Still well worth it though.

Then just shy of 5k with Mark in the evening, around Sunningdale and South Park. Little break for stitch, but 4.75km in 26:32 = 9 minute miles. Looking good for Wroxham 2 (next Wednesday)...

Nine out of ten

Efforts down on the grass track - 10 x 400m with 90sec recoveries. I managed 9/10, one of those broken as I had to run for the bushes and pit stop. Times were 1:45, 1:42, 1:41, 1:45, 1:46, (broken), 1:48, 1:47, 1:51. Not bad going, but that was enough for one night.

Sprints again

A fairly normal pool session:

400m warm-up
10 x 100m comprising: 25m @ 5/10, 25 @ 6/10, 25 @ 7-8/10, 25 @ 4/10
then drills inc. single-arm, and one or two attempts at tumble turns.

Still can't get the hang of single-arm. The best thing is to go fairly slowly and not have to breathe so often. Also felt a bit lost with tumble turns, don't think they are going to make the difference at Norwich!

Another steady one

Ran with Liz again tonight, took a route similar to my run on Sunday, but going out via the lane instead of the bridleway (fewer puddles!) and back via the golf course (shorter, fewer hills). Spot on 4.5 miles, although no stopwatch tonight. We were out for ~50 mins, with one pit stop and a couple of short walk breaks, so must be close to 10 min miles. Clearly evenings suit Lizzie better than mornings! Lovely evening to be out as well.

Solid run

A Colney Lane loop with the back of the beginners' pack, 4.7 miles in 47 minutes, so spot on 10 min miling. Felt really good too.