Training

Slowly heading into the decisive phase — the last “real” training week was on the schedule, with City Triathlon Heilbronn planned as the finale. Monday: should have been 1h swimming, but it turned into more like getting used to the water … I’ve rarely swum such garbage … Tuesday: 75min cycling with 6x90sec tempo intervals Wednesday: 6h cycling and 15min brick run. After 5.5h someone completely pulled the plug on me — I saw stars; OK, maybe I should have taken in something other than water — but that was exactly the point. The run was then so slow I was almost embarrassed … Thursday: 1h in the pool with proper technique and power again Friday: last long run, 2h jogging around comfortably. Legs felt good, easy, no problems — could have kept going forever -> very good!! Saturday: 1.5h swimming, 20x200m as the main set Sunday: City Triathlon Heilbronn — 2km swimming, 70km (or actually more like 65km) cycling, and 15km running. Full race report coming separately. Teaser: I was very fast and finished 14th overall, topped off by winning my age group. (For the very first time in a triathlon, by the way) Woohoo 🙂

The last rest week was coming up — well-deserved after the previous brutal training block with the Challenge Kraichgau as the small highlight. Looking back it was probably too much rest; the legs weren’t really great for last Sunday’s test race. And too much lying around gives you unnecessary neck pain, which then radiates down to the Achilles tendon … very unpleasant. Monday: 1h swimming Tuesday: easy 45min continuous run (in Frankfurt city center — glad I don’t live there) Wednesday: 90 minutes cycling in the rain, an absolute mess Thursday: 90-minute continuous run Friday: 75-minute swimming Saturday: 45-minute easy continuous run Sunday: “private test race” — 1h swimming at race pace, 3h cycling above planned race pace, and 1.5h brick run with progressions The test race went anything but smoothly and left more marks than the Challenge Kraichgau from the weekend before. Swimming wasn’t great — no power and even less technique. The first 45 minutes on the bike were especially tough mentally; after that it got significantly better and I could hit the planned wattage. The last 15 minutes were full gas — everything left in the tank. The brick run started easy at race pace, then the first progression after 30 minutes to above-race pace, and the last 30 minutes everything left. Afterward I was completely cooked. ...

The last training week in another three-week block is behind me — a recovery week follows … and then it’s only three weeks until Frankfurt. Race numbers were distributed there this week too — unfortunately I have to give up last year’s privilege of the first start wave and go out with the masses. But back to the actual topic: the schedule of the last training week, with the Challenge Kraichgau as the highlight. I’d already hinted that I wouldn’t exactly be rested going into the race … and that’s exactly how it went, because the schedule included: ...

I’ve rarely gotten soaked so often and for so long in a single week, with today being the highlight 🙁 At least it was warm — I’d still rather have sun back. Monday: 3.5h with 3x45min aerobic interval and 1h brick run, the last 20min also aerobic. As hard as it sounds, but enormous fun. Tuesday: attempt at 1h swim training — without a wetsuit I would probably have drowned Wednesday: 75min cycling with 6x90sec tempo intervals and 1.5h running. The 90 minutes of running was split into nine 10-minute segments — 9min easy, 1min hard; 8min easy, 2min hard … down to 1min easy, 9min hard. A session you can easily destroy yourself with, which I successfully did. Oh, and both sessions in the rain. Thursday: 1h swim training or something like it — I was in the water and got wet; calling it swimming is a stretch Friday: 2.5h continuous run, also with water from above. From the start it was more cramp than fight — bad legs and above all zero running technique Saturday: 1.5h in the pool Sunday: 3.5h on the bike, completely showered multiple times and eventually gave up in frustration. Needless to say the short brick run was also in the rain Next up is one more really hard week with the Challenge Kraichgau as the finale, then it’s almost tapering time. What I’ll be capable of I can’t really gauge yet — like last year, I’m doing this race straight out of full training. “Full training” here means a 5h bike session with 0.5h brick run on Thursday, a 2.5h run on Friday, and a 1.5h swim plus 1h run on Saturday.

After 4 consecutive hard training weeks, it was finally time for a recovery week. Well-deserved, badly needed, and hopefully enough to regenerate and come back stronger. What do you do in a recovery week? Monday: 1h swimming Tuesday: 45min easy running Wednesday: 90min easy cycling Thursday: 1h easy running Friday: 30min easy swimming Saturday: 45min running and 75min swimming Sunday: 3h easy cycling

Quick summary of this week: produced a lot of broken gear, fitness is improving … I already wrote about the equipment issues, so here’s the athletic side of the last training week: Monday: 1h swimming with longer intervals at race pace Tuesday: 1h running (with 8 hill sprints, 3x30sec sprints, 3x3min threshold run and 1x8min threshold run), 75min cycling with 6x90sec at threshold Wednesday: 1h swimming with longer intervals at race pace Thursday: 3.5h cycling with 4x30min at race pace and a 1.5h brick run. OK, it turned into more like 2.5h straight above race pace on the bike — thanks to the Kraichgau hills. I was pushing hard with no sign of fatigue at all … then 1h easy brick run at 4:25 min/km, pushing the last 30 minutes to 4:00 pace. That session was absolutely awesome — things are moving forward Friday: 2.5h continuous run. A few weeks ago I never would have thought to tack on 2.5h of running after that kind of prior load. I felt pretty good and just wanted to try it. It went well up to about 2h, then it got really ugly toward the end. Somehow I fought through — still managed 4:29 min/km overall. After that I was properly wrecked though Saturday: I was planning 1.5h swimming, but it turned into just 50 minutes. Nothing clicked from the start — completely empty Sunday: somewhat recovered again, 5h on the bike through the Kraichgau to check out the bike course for the City Triathlon Heilbronn. Back home, still 30min easy running on the schedule

This week saw the first faster sessions back on the schedule. A bit later than last year, but unavoidable given the training deficit. The priority over recent weeks was laying the necessary foundation for exactly these sessions. Monday: 1h cycling with 4 short high-intensity intervals Tuesday: 1h running with hill sprints and three short threshold runs, ending the day with 1h race-pace swimming Wednesday: 3.5h cycling with 4x30min at Ironman pace, finishing with a 1.5h brick run (1h easy, 30min aerobic). The Wednesday session was really good despite the severe shoulder pain that had come on overnight. At the start of the session I could barely hold the handlebars with my right hand and could barely brake at all. Fortunately it got better over time, so I ended up pushing the 30-minute intervals at 3-4% more power than planned — and it felt almost effortless. The brick run was also good: first hour easy at 4:40 min/km, last 30 minutes at 4:10 pace (including some climbing hidden in there). Coming home brought another shock — my right shoulder was suddenly hanging 2 cm lower than the left, probably from compensating for the pain. And since I couldn’t fix that myself, Tobi had to step in again. Thanks again for the quick help!! Oh, one more thing: if an over-60 couple insists on having sex outdoors — why do it right on a busy bike path? And in front of rather than behind their car? OK, maybe they wanted to be seen … Thursday: rest day, or 14h of work, depending on your perspective Friday: rest day, or 13h of work … Saturday: a 2.5h run that had been postponed from Friday, this time with 600m of elevation (as a small act of self-punishment). In the afternoon 20x200m swimming — and I nearly drowned on number 19 … nothing left at all Sunday: 5h easy aerobic cycling and 0.5h brick run ...

23 hours of training this week, a lot of cycling and running miles stacked — that could be the short summary. Not much exciting happened. OK, on May 1st I stumbled into a neo-Nazi march and the counter-demonstration in Speyer — but that was about the most exciting thing. By now the long sessions are showing their effect — 2.5h of running and 5h on the bike without nutrition (besides water) are working well again. ...

After the last exhausting weeks, there were several rest days at the start of the new week, before a small 5-day training block kicked off from Friday: Monday: complete rest day Tuesday: 1h swimming, technique focus Wednesday: 45min run, legs still feeling pretty rough Thursday: power test on the bike — not quite the result I wanted, but honestly not much more was to be expected Friday: long run, 2:20h. The first 75 minutes were awful — technically rough and uneven. After that the legs opened up and it rolled really well until the 2h mark. Then the missing running miles started showing … Thankfully that threshold shifts back by about 10 minutes each week Saturday: 1h strength training to wake up, 1h swimming after that, and in the afternoon 2.5h easy cycling Sunday: 4h cycling with 3x aerobic intervals on Königstuhl, finishing with a 30min brick run

The title says it all — the man with the hammer showed up at just about every session … sometimes earlier, sometimes later, but always right on time. A very loyal and reliable companion… The high running mileage is still getting to me somehow — I’m nowhere near absorbing it as well as last year, or as well as before my forced one-month break. Monday: 1.5h easy spinning to roll the legs out and shake them loose — unfortunately didn’t work as hoped Tuesday: 80min continuous run with some short aerobic intervals, 1h aerobic swimming Wednesday: 3h aerobic bike session (3x Königstuhl, 1,100m of elevation total) with a 1h brick run afterward. Mentally and physically very demanding since my body was already pretty wrecked before the session. Downed a magic potion afterward and felt like new Thursday: 1.5h easy aerobic swimming Friday: 2:15h continuous run, this time without nutrition and really suffering toward the end Saturday: 1h swimming and an easy 1h run Sunday: 4h cycling, brick run was cancelled since I simply had nothing left All signs point to a rest week — or at least a few rest days — since a bigger training block is coming up from Friday through Tuesday. Until then I’m hoping for good and fast recovery.