Training week of May 6 – 12, big week for me

Last week was a big week for me. When I am talking about a big week, the hours will be smaller than for most long distance triathletes. But since I am racing in the naïve class when it comes to my abilities, it was big for me. Total hours: 17.5.

 

My son enjoyed time with his grandparents in Southern California so while they went to Disneyland, I went swimming, biking and running. I swam two times, biked 4 and ran three. 17 of the hours were on just six days. I could feel all the training in my legs, but it was really good to get some quality training and some hours in the training log.

 

I am at a point of no return when it comes to training and Norseman. With only three months left I can only build on what I have done the last year. I know I have done an ok job, hopefully with some smart pacing and eating it has been ok enough. Now I need to sign up for some spring racing.

My shoes have been really good :-)

Born to run.....in real shoes

I am a triathlete and I am coming out of the closet. Yes it is true, I am a heel striker. Not all   the time, but most of the time. I did not chose to be a heel striker, I am sure I was born this way. But I have moments when I am not a heel striker, it is when I run faster.

Yes, the speed I run decides how I run. When I jog slowly I am landing on my heel, when I run fast I land on my mid-foot, and when I try to be a sprinter I land on my fore-foot. So when I was in the market for some new shoes I went with what is working for me (and most other runners), shoes with good cushioning. I bought a pair of Brooks Glycerin 10.





Every time I get new shoes I have to make them mine. The truth is that I can easily start to hurt in my Achilles if they  get any pressure. But luckily I have a solution, a kitchen knife.



I bought the shoes and went on a two hours easy run with no problems. Good shoes, now the runner has to be better.

Training the week of April 29 – May 5, another brick in the wall

Another ok week with training and now I have only three months left to Norseman. Three months is not a lot of time, but I should be able to get in 10 good weeks before I start tapering. For me Norseman will not be a race of speed, but a race of holding back, eating and accepting the pain and suffering. It will be a race of pacing and endurance, so your head has to work and your body needs to be fit for the distance.

 

Last week I swam once (not good), ran twice and biked four times. Overall I had 12.5 hours of training. It is not bad, but I constantly feel I should do more. But I also constantly feel I should be at work, be a husband and be a dad. So I really should be quite happy.

 

Going forward I have to start practicing my eating. The goal is to be around 70 – 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour. It sounds a lot easier than it is, and I know I have to be vigilant when it comes to fueling.

The wheels of fire….(or on my bike)

I have decided on my bike frame, Scott Plasma 3. Now I have to find out what kind of wheels I want. Picking wheels is like picking my first suit for confirmation at age 15 back in Norway. I really hope my wheel choice will be better than the suit I was wearing in 1986. Luckily I do not have any picture to share but here you have Knut Knudsen looking good.



If you ever read the forum at Slowtwitch you will find an endless discussion about wheels, often a heated one. Sometimes it looks like picking wheels is like picking a sports team. But I think it is great. Equipment is fun, stuff is fun and different views are ok (as long as they agree with me ;-)



So what do I want to get out of my wheels? Well, first of all they have to work with my choice of frame, second they have to work on my main race this year Norseman, third they have to work on other races after Norseman and last they have to not be too expensive.



Even though I will have support at Norseman, I want to go with clincher wheels. If I get a flat at Norseman or any other races it will be easy to just change the tube. I have done that before and can be quite fast.



When you climb you usually also have to go downhill also. At Norseman I will have some long and at time challenging hills. The wheels have to be stiff enough to survive a big guy standing, but also be able to take the heat of all the breaking. If a wheel has been used in some of the mountain stages in cycling I am sure they can take the beating from me.



My friend Jack has made me believe that aero always trumps weight. A light wheel set maybe feels faster, especially on the climb, but if you look at the numbers a aero set will be faster even at Norseman.



So what will I chose? Where I stand today I will go with something well proven and safe, something that can give what I want from a wheel set for Norseman, but also be useful over several seasons. Currently my choice is Zipp 808.

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.