Training the week of April 22 – 28, the rock got fins….

Last week was another good week for my training. The week was a litter easier on my legs, but harder on my upper body. It was swim week.

 

I was born with skis on my legs like most Norwegian and have spent more time on frozen water than in a pool. That is easy to see if you ever see me swimming. I swim like a typical 42 years old triathlete trying to get better at swimming. But this week my swimming has been better, I guess training is actually working out. My vertical forearm is more vertical, I get less tired and I swim faster. I still swim like a rock but the rock has gotten fins.

 

My total hours for the week were 11.20. I swam three times, ran three and biked three. I am still struggling with allergy and the sound my chest made on last Wednesday during my run was rather interesting. But spring is beautiful no matter what.

 

My son Henrik has fallen in love with biking.

I have made my choice: Scott Plasma

When you are doing triathlon, nothing and I mean nothing is more important than equipment, and especially your bike and wheels. Of course someone say you have to train, put in the hours and get lean, but those people are just jealous of people with nice bikes. The truth is that speed can be bought and cover up for any flaws in swimming, biking and running. The correct wetsuite, bike and shoes will automatically turn you into a good triathlete.

 

I wish it was that simple. Equipment is important, but so is your fitness. But it is more fun to talk about equipment than to talk about all the workouts you should have done. Also, most triathletes love stuff, just take a look at transition zone, you will find more stuff and gadgets than you have ever seen on a technology conference.

 

I have not pushed any boundaries when it comes to equipment and stuff. Last season was done on my roadbike with aero bar, swimming in an entry level wetsuit from 2008 and running in non triathlon shoes, and the interesting thing – it worked. Now it is my turn to get into the cool club, I am getting a new bike. I will get a SCOTT PLASMA

 

I know the frame, now I need to match my wallet with how I want it to be build, and trust me, that is not easy. I will write more about that later.

Training week of April 15 – 21, best work out was a data night with my wife

I training for a reason, currently the main reason is Norseman August 3. But I also train because I like to be in shape, I like the pain, I am over 40 so I need to stay healthy and because training is helping me stay happy. Picture under is my brother finishing a half marathon at the peak of Gaustatoppen.

 

Last week I managed to put in 11.20 hours of training over just five days. I lost one day to work issues and the second day was not lost, it was date night with my wife, the best work out of the week. We went to Jersey Boys and had a lot of fun. Great musical, great songs and we had fabulous seats. I have had the son “My eyes adored you” stuck in my head for days.

 

I swam one, biked three times and ran twice. On Saturday I biked twice, three hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. It was good to get a long day in. On Sunday’s long run I pushed a little for half an hour, and I ran some really steep hills. The legs reacted nicely so I know I am building my endurance.

 

Overall I had a good week, few days, enough hours and a killing data night.

I am now a running turtle

One week ago I had one really good interval training, this week it was different. Yesterday I tried to make both my head and body to be faster, feel better and to get the good feeling you can have when everything is right. But no, it was just hard. I had to really work to stay focus, my legs felt heavy and I did not have any rhythm.

 

So what does one really bad day mean? Nothing in the long run, my main takeaway is that I did my workout, I feel it in my legs today and I am ready to run another day. It is actually quite interesting to have a bad training day, especially when you are preparing for triathlon. I think it is easier to push through on the bike, even on a bad day, running is a little more challenging, but nothing beat swimming. Being out of focus when swimming (as a MOP swimmer) nothing will work. The margin of error is so much smaller.

 

Today is another day and I will know later if my work out will be good, ok or just bad. I vote for good.

Training week of April 8 – 14, I am a running machine

I am a running machine, or at least I am in my head. The truth is that I had a good interval run last week. My running is getting stronger and it feels good and gets me a little boost of energy. Just like spring.

 

Last week was a good week for training. I swam two times, rand two times and biked 3 times. Overall training was 12 hours and 25 minutes. My biking is still in the garage due to family and work schedule. But before I know it I will be on the open road and eating dust.

The good thing about training is all the eating you can do, last weekend I was hungry for a Norwegian treat.

 

With Norseman closer and closer I am in a stage of my training where pushing, but not pushing too hard. I am still building endurance and just have to keep trying to be stronger. Norseman will not be about speed, but endurance strength + pain tolerance. I need to swim good, start slow enough on the bike and embrace the pain when it shows up (and it will). Also I need to make sure I get enough carbohydrates, my goal is 80 – 90 gram per hour.

Other than training I have spent a lot of time with my biggest fan.

Should I Huub or should I go......

The spring is here and it is time to think about getting a wetsuit. So what should I look for? Something to keep me warm at Norseman? Yes. Something that will make me look good? Yes. Something that will help me float better? Yes. Luckily for swimmers like me, wetsuits are not longer just made to keep you warm or for real swimmers. Anyone who has seen my swimming times know I did not grow up in a pool, but on frozen water. I have a stroke, and that is it...

 

What I am looking for is a wetsuit fitting me, my body and my stroke. A suit made for middle of the pack swimmers with sinking legs and a questionable stroke is what I am looking for.



A new company in the already crowded wetsuit space is Huub. The company is using science as the base for their wetsuits. I like science so I am interested. Almost anyone looking for swimming information on the net has watched videos or read articles from the Swimsmooth guys. Huub and Swimsmooth are interconnected. You will understand what I mean by reading this:

When you are choosing a wetsuit you'll want something at the right price that fits you well, has great flexibility and looks good on you. But should you be considering your stroke style when selecting the right suit for you? Here at Swim Smooth we certainly believe so.

The buoyancy of a wetsuit has a huge bearing on how you swim in it, particularly the distribution of that buoyancy in different parts of the suit. We call this the "buoyancy profile" and broadly it relates to the buoyancy in the upper body versus the lower body of the suit. This is effected by the choice and thickness of materials in different areas of the suit. http://www.feelforthewater.com/2013/04/how-to-choose-wetsuit-to-suit-your.html?m=1

I am not swimming like these guys so I cannot have the same suit.



 

This is more like my style



 

OK, so why am I looking at Huub? Huub has a suit for swimmers like me, a suit made to correct my style and make  me swim better and faster, also the suit is comfortable and easy to move in. I am looking at a Archimedes 3:5



 

Now I just have to make up my mind....

 

Training the week of April 1 – 7, a calmer week

Last week was supposed to be a little more relaxed and it was. Due to the family, work and traveling juggling I “only” manage to work out six days. Maybe it is good in the long run since getting rest is usually the hardest and most difficult thing to get time to.

 

My best training session was the run on Saturday. After 30 minutes warm up I ran 15 minutes at 6.45 speed, 5 minutes at 6.40 speed, 5 minutes at 6.35 speed and 5 minutes at 6.29 speed, then 30 minutes easy run. I have more endurance now and can finish stronger than just some months ago. Also the transition run on Sunday went ok, so I guess my cycling endurance is also stronger.

 

Overall I swam once, biked three times and rand three times, total training over six days, 10 hours and 20 minutes. I have a feeling my coach Tony DeBoom now wants to increase the volume, I just have to hang in there.

Only four months left

The calendar does not lie. It is only four months left to I will participate in Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. So am I ready? Well, I think it is hard to say you are ready for such a long competition when you have a family and a job, especially if you actually spend some time on both. As a typical age grouper I wish I had more hours to get all the wanted training done, but the reality is that preparing for Norseman is a balancing act.

 

For me, I have to put my ambition for the race where my fitness level is. This is not an excuse, but a reminder that such a long day is a long day. Staring out believing I have the fitness as a pro will just end in a sad story of a 40+ male age grouper with too much ego and too little self knowledge. And we have all seen those…..

 

The truth is that I have done a good job the last one and a half year. Even though 18 months are a little too short time to build the best base, I feel I am on the right track. My coach Tony DeBoom has been outstanding getting me in better shap.I just need to remember not to bike like an idiot the first 2 hours. My plan for the bike is to climb like Cavendish and attack the downhills and flats like Schleck. If I do that I will have some left for the run. On the run I will try to run to zombie hill then start walking. The goal is not to bonk, but keep going steady, eat and most of all enjoy the journey.

 

In the end I am fortunate being able to race Norseman.