Well 68 days now actually.
I’ve just finished a sustained 3 week block of training culminating in my longest training session yet on the weekend.
Starting with the week in Mallorca and then 2 weeks of increased planned training I’ve done some good numbers in this period.
- 29 activities in 21 days.
- 73K run in 7 hours.
- 492K cycled in just under 20.5 hours, 125K of that on a turbo
- 11000m swum in about 5 hours
- You can add 2 vets matches to that total – also, we won the league with a 100% record. Yay.
- Weight hovering at a couple of lbs above 13 stone.
- 28 Strava PRs in the month
I was supposed to do a four hour ride last weekend but a disaster with a popped rivet less than half way in put paid to that so this weekend it was with some trepidation I looked at a 5 hour ride with a 1 hour run off. I misread my plan on Thursday and missed a second session on the turbo which irritated me a little but I must admit my body enjoyed the 2 day break from running and cycling.
Chepstow/Monmouth/Usk 80 mile route
I set off riding up through Chepstow and Tintern feeling really good on the climbs – there’s some decent elevation there but I didn’t feel stressed by them at all. Making sure to fuel regularly – combination of ISOgels, Nectar drink and some solid food (a mcvities apple bar and a flapjack) – I never felt that I was fatiguing and was back into Caerleon almost 30 minutes up on my conservative schedule. I road some windy laps of the flats at the end to make up the required time and beat my longest EVER ride by 50KM and set a new PB for climbing in a ride too. The Cap Formentor ride from a couple of weeks ago had been the previous record holder – albeit that almost as much climbing in less than half the distance. The discrepancy in ride time to actual time above was down to a mechanical adjustment 2K in but after that I rode straight through – the only short stop being due to sheep in the road. Those from Wales will sympathize.
The ride finished and I was straight onto the run (T2 time of 8 minutes including a trip to the loo) and I was surprisingly comfortable turning in sub 6 minute kilometres for 58 minutes. Tired afterwards but very pleased. Sunday morning was 1h45 run in which I covered a fairly lumpy 17KM with a few walks but nothing of more than 20 seconds and usually less. This weekend has given me a lot of confidence and I’m going to enjoy this recovery week which will come to a crashing halt when I do the “Sarn Helen Sportif” next Sunday. That’s about the same distance and Saturday but includes a couple of bigger lumps.