… is the motto for the next 3 months. That means building volume in all three disciplines — up to 5h on the bike and 2.5h running. It’s going to be tough at the start again, but it absolutely has to happen to build the necessary endurance. Over the last few weeks I’ve already pushed my long run up to nearly 2h, which resulted in 4 days of muscle soreness. I’m hoping that was more due to the terrible weather conditions — wind, heavy rain, and cold.
… and a new 10km PR — that’s how the new year started. Why it went so well, I honestly can’t explain. I did everything in my power in the days before to make sure that wouldn’t happen. Didn’t work out 😉 My current training focus is on the bike, where I’m working hard on my IANS (anaerobic threshold). These sessions are relatively short but very intense and genuinely exhausting — so draining that I’m still completely wiped out the day after. ...
A few days ago I went to Cyclefit in Bensheim to get a saddle position analysis done and to sort out my discomfort on the bike. Let me say upfront: it was worth it in almost every respect. There were two main issues to fix: the saddle discomfort that had been getting more and more frequent (including numbness in my legs), and a compensatory movement in my left leg during the final phase of the pedal stroke. ...
Planning for the new season is mostly done — here are the races I’ll be entering: Jan 6, 2012 – Three Kings Run Dielheim (10km) May 20, 2012 – Heidesee Triathlon Forst (1km – 32km – 7.5km) Jun 10, 2012 – Challenge Kraichgau (1.9km – 90km – 21.1km) Jun 24, 2012 – City Triathlon Heilbronn (2km – 70km – 15km) Jul 8, 2012 – Ironman Germany (3.8km – 180km – 42.2km) A half marathon or a 10K might get added here and there, but the race dates haven’t been confirmed yet. ...
For the stats fans among us, here are the raw numbers from the 2010/2011 season: Bike: 360h / 10,262km Run: 233h / 2,856km Swimming: 112h / 340km Total: 705h / 13,458km For comparison — my car mileage in the same period: 9,009km
Last Wednesday was the day — the 10,000 season-kilometer mark on the bike fell. Somewhere on the Rhine levee, doing 45 km/h — fitting, I think …
Well, that didn’t go as planned… Short version: The swim went pretty well despite some heavy wave action. Admittedly, most people cut the first section quite significantly. Then the real suffering began. The bike course had a casual 600 extra meters of climbing not listed — over 2,500m total. Terrible roads and fierce gusting wind added to the misery. It was completely unpredictable out there and genuinely dangerous at times. At least it didn’t rain. I probably drained half my electronic shifter battery — there was never 30 seconds without a gear change. Toward the end I had serious back pain and hand cramps from gripping the handlebar To top it all off, I had to stop three times for three (!!!) flats. All my spare equipment was gone by km 95 After the second stop I knew the qualification goal was gone; after the third, motivation was gone completely. Lost roughly 15 minutes from the stops alone I rode out the rest of the bike leg pretty listlessly, with noticeably less power on the pedals I ran the first lap of the run at full effort. Midway through the second I found out my current placing and wanted to quit after a 4-minute chat with my support crew Jan and Frank. Eventually I did keep going — but with the handbrake firmly on, nowhere near first-lap pace. The run course is simply brutal — it’s all uphill or downhill. There’s barely a flat stretch anywhere. Some sections are too steep to run. And all of that after that bike leg… Summary: Even with the reduced run effort, it was the hardest race I’ve ever started. Frankfurt this year was a walk in the park by comparison. Unfortunately the bad luck on the bike left me no chance of reaching my goal. Shame… ...
Or: life almost came to an end… I was incredibly lucky on Wednesday — by just a few very, very tight centimeters I managed to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming car. I was on my way home from a bike session, riding at around 40km/h in aero position between Horrenberg and Dielheim, when a silver Opel Zafira appeared just meters ahead of me on my side of the road — overtaking two (!) cars at clearly excessive speed despite no-passing signs. Why I happened to look up at exactly that moment I’ll never know, but thank god I did — I could just barely grab the handlebar properly and swerve those crucial centimeters onto the grass verge. A head-on crash at that point would not have been survivable — we’re talking a combined impact speed of at least 120km/h. ...
… or life and training in Germany on Indian Standard Time … 3.5 hours offset to IST (Indian Standard Time) — that was my world last week. Meaning: very early mornings, early work done, off just after lunch, and in bed by 7pm. Once you get used to it, it works — but getting there is pretty draining and anything but fun. What was on the training plan? * Monday: 1h swim * Tuesday: 1.5h easy GA1 bike ride with a few short intervals * Wednesday: 3.5h bike with lots of race pace effort, followed by a 1.5h brick run — all in insanely hot temperatures * Thursday: easy swim session * Friday: 2h run * Saturday: 1.5h swim with 20×200m as the main set — phew * Sunday: 5.5h bike with a 15-minute brick run ...
Monday: early morning shake-out swim to recover from the previous day’s effort Tuesday: 1h run with short pick-ups, plus an easy 1.5h bike ride Wednesday: climbing at the Königstuhl — threshold intervals of 15, 17, and 25 minutes, followed by a little fartlek through the Kraichgau; topped off with a 1.5h brick run, including the obligatory final kick. The session was absolutely epic, but also brutally hard. So hard that by Wednesday I already knew I had no business going to the pool on Thursday. ...