3 weeks to go FTP run focus

Week 4 PJ ‘s Summary
3 weeks of run focus to go. Up the anti in the pool too. Some hard sessions to bring the swim fitness up. A hint of season change has lifted the enthusiasm for training as well. My long run will be on Wednesday again this week with the City to Surf on Sunday. After 3 weeks back I feel my bike power is almost there, improving anyway. Some bike and run testing this week too. Coach Fluro will be unveiling some pace guide lines that he has knocked up for us to work to. Now the training hours are sneeking up I’m finding some gear is getting worn out and needs replacing. New Garmin HR strap last week, Pair of 2XU compression tights and my run shoes have almost 600k’s in them so they are up for renewal as well. Expensive sport ours !!!
Monday
Evening the plan was to run some 2k TT’s for Fluro’s new guide lines. I wanted flat terrain so I drove down to Point Walter and the plan was to run east to Point Dundas out 30 min and back. It was a beautiful still evening with a slight chill. I was happy with the paces I could hold. Hard to hold form at the end. Home by 6pm legs feeling good. I slept in compression tights as a precaution.
Tuesday
A nice morning greeted us for “World Champs” this morning. A good turn out too unlike last week. The plan was to target breakaways and “Run the Gauntlet “ at the end. This is a Fluroism where his pupils peel off the group, turn left at Christchurch before the Subway go up Barnfield Rd and Railway St and past North Cott Primary School otherwise dubbed “the Princess Highway” in lieu of the traditional Curtain Ave route. The aim is to work together to try and beat the group back to Freo. Wow the pace was on. I don’t know about target the breakaways I was just hanging on !! close to dropping a few times but hung on to “Run the Gauntlet” with 4 others, Fluro, Total Tri Dave, Rob Mac and Rosco. He rode hard at the front and we got on to Curtain Ave ahead of the group. I just hung on along Leighton and followed Fluro’s wheel for the last sprint. A perfect lead out and I just headed him at the end. 34.4 k/hr average speed for RTR ride. We managed to hold the group off. Coffee at the Vanilla Bean to celebrate.
Easy aerobic threshold run 30 mins only for the evening. Ran from home down past Kardinya Primary and around Morris Buzzacott Oval and back home. One of the flattest runs I can find from home !!
Wednesday
Long run this morning from work along the River out and back towards Point Walter. Plan was 1 ½ hour AeT run. 5:30am I left work. On my own so I put some tunes on. SW wind with a real bite to it clear and fine though . I wore my gloves again. Cold wind was cutting right through me and I had Tri suit on and running top over that. 45 minutes put me about 1k onto Attadale Reserve and about 2k east of Point Walter. Heading back it was getting light so it became easier to check my HR was staying in low zone 2. Much warmer too with a tail wind. Uneventful run back. Legs good.
A strength set in the pool tonight. It included 3x200m with paddles and I had left mine at home…. doh !! as that was the core of the session I left work earlier and shot home to pick them up first. Not very busy so good. 1.8k all up.
Thursday
Some testing for out bike intervals this morning. I was the first to rock up. Rick turns up in the car with his TT bike but the dick had left the front wheel at home !! One way of getting out of intervals !! The plan was a 5 min TT @ max then a 20 min TT @ best effort. Fluro was keen to get Rick’s power hub rear wheel on my bike. I just thought fook….pressure is on !! Rick couldn’t remember how to get my 310XT to read the power so I used his 310XT as we needed to crack on.Tom had Fluro’s wheel on. The first effort hurt like hell. We started right near Canning Highway and the 5 minutes were up halfway up the Point Walter hill. Legs and lungs were burning and back and kidney’s were killing too wtf ??? easy back for the big one which was to be out and back twice. I backed off a bit for this baby. Still a fair effort though. Alex, Tom and Rob Mac came passed me sooo strong though. I don’t know how far behind they started but they were flying. All done and wheels swapped back it was time for coffee. Rick made the comment that he didn’t think he had the power data. I hope he was taking the piss because I didn’t want to repeat that lot !! I headed down to East Freo with the boys. I don’t normally on a Thursday but figured I deserved it. Fluro not a happy chappy as one of his students managed to spill his coffee all over his laptop at school and wrecked it. He has lost all his school work, photo’s, coaching programs etc. Kids !!! should be able to recover off the hard drive though. They are a sealed unit. Legs were cooked and we have some run testing to do in the evening !!!
Point Walter was the venue for our run tests this evening. I rocked up and Fluro was explaining his new pace charts to Dave Wrighton. Fluro was inspired to write these up as there has been too much testosterone displayed at run intervals. Everyone has been doing them too fast resulting in Rob Mac doing a hammie 4 weeks out from Busso 70.3 in May. Dave headed out to do his 5k run test and Rob and I had 6-8/400m to do @ 3k pace then a 20 min tempo run @ 10k pace. Rob was nursing a slight groin strain so he ran at my pace. After 3/400’s I was feeling very tight in the left hammie so we did one more and called it quits. Fluro was happy with our decision because he was getting eaten alive by mossies whilst recording our times. This was a hard day’s training and my legs were totally toasted. Jenn was out for the evening so Sam and I settled down and watched “Apocalypse Now”. Great movie hadn’t seen it for many years. The beer fridge got a good shake as well.

Friday
I pulled up surprisingly well this morning. Bit foggy from the beer but legs not too bad. Normally rest day Friday but I opted to swim in the afternoon in order to fit 3 swims in for the week. The pool was pretty quiet and I bashed out a short sprint set 1.1k total.
I joined up at www.strava.com a great on line tracking system for Garmin users, even I Phone and Android compatible. This takes your files and compares your rides with others and rates your performance against any course in the world. You can set up groups and follow other riders as per facebook. Fluro has set up our group as 3FC and can see all the rides we do and monitor our progress. No hiding ! Come on Amigos get on it !!!

Saturday
Plan was only 2 – 2 1/2 hour ride today so I opted to drive down to the Left Bank and ride down to Troppo’s to do the Freo ride. Numbers were down a bit so Group 1 and 2 joined to do the Jandakot Loop ride. I love this ride. You are out in the country so no traffic lights and miminal traffic. The course is challenging too quite undulating in places. It was cold but fine. As expected the Group 1 guys pushed the pace at the front and riders were dropping off the back. I was OK until the Winterfold Road hill sprint in Sampson heading back to Freo where me and four others got dropped. Get’s me every time that sprint! It really takes the sting out of your legs at the end of the ride. The boys don’t ease up after the climb they just hammer it through to Carrington Street so if the hill doesn’t get you the sprint will. 72.3k all up at 33.1 k/hr average. Coffee and awesome berry muffin at Troppo’s but it wasn’t enough. I cooked up a large eggs and beans when I got home.
I got down to the pool at 2:50 pm and pushed out an endurance set. 3.4k all up.
Home for the Rugby at 5:30pm. Waaayyyy too much beer as it was an exciting and close game. Bubbles for Jenn and burgers and chips at half time as well !! text messages from Phabbie indicated he was getting more and more agitated as the game went on. In the end he opted to take the dog for a walk !! 5 points to the Wobblies but they deserved the win. Certainly a game of 2 halves. AB’s just a bit slow to get going on the day. Bring on the World Cup.

Sunday
City to Surf run this morning. The plan was to treat this as an Aet run and not to race it. Just soak up the atmosphere and have fun. I certainly did that. Conditions were perfect for running slightly overcast and warm. Hooked up with buddy Kat and her son Jack and also fellow Amigo Rat and his daughter Bridie. A quick catch up with Spider as well. We did see Monkey Marko warming up in front of the big screen. I guessed he was parading around like a peacock in case some demented girl might show an inkling of interest. The place was heaving 42,000 runners and walkers… awesome. We all started together but half way up Malcom Street said good bye to the Mannings as Jack was on a mission. He got over the top of the hill and was off !!! I looked down at the Garmin and he is on 4:40 pace down King’s Park Rd !! Kat and I were pissing ourselves laughing !! Kat tried to explain to him that he needed to pace himself, eventually he slowed up a bit as the distance got to him. He was hurting, walked a few of the hills but never complained and whenever I told him the diminishing kilometer count he kicked into action. With 500m to go he put the after burners on I was struggling to hang on !!! finished on 1hr 13 min for the 12k. Not bad for an 11 year old with no training. I got home at 12pm not bad for public transport. Had time to do some odd jobs around home and sort the pool. The reluctant dog got a bath (amazing the way she hides as soon as the water starts running in the laundry tub). Roast beef in the Weber with roast whole garlic and onions, roast potatoes and a Weber apple pie. More beer…..sweet.
I’m happy with my week’s training. It was tough but I pulled up well. I need to book some massages up soon though especially as the long stuff is starting in 2 weeks. I thought I would book one a month from now on.
11hrs 30min all up. Swim 6.3k, Bike 126.83k, Run 51.88k