Day #62, Week #9: Time Off for La Vuelta

The peloton heads out of Torrevieja

More photos

Day #61, Week #9: Evening Swim

Day #60, Week #9: Recovery

REST DAY

Day #59, Week #9: BRICK bike-run

Day #58, Week #9: BRICK swim-bike

Day #57, Week #9: Run + short swim

Day #56, Week #9: Recovery

REST DAY with intermittent fasting

Day #55, Week #8: BRICK workout

10 MINUTE warm-up ride into the Escape From Torrevieja route. Speed average improving at 28.1 km/hr, without the traffic stops possibly averaging 30 km/hr.

PB for BRICK 5k run @ 29:07.

... plus a little swim to cool down

Day #54, Week #8: Swim - Speed Work + Long Swim

@TORREVIEJA MARINA.. Polo Drill: 10 rounds x 4 strokes polo, 10 strokes normal swim, 300 metres.  Swim. 1500 metres. Paddles + fins. Est. time + distance.

Day #53, Week #8: Recovery

REST DAY with intermittent fasting.

Day #52, Week #8: BRICK - bike-run workout

EARLY MORNING BRICK session starting on the bike. A little slow at 27.2 km/hr pace average (aiming for 30 km/hr), probably because I didn't warm-up properly. 

However, followed the bike ride with a good steady run at 5:56 km/hr pace average (aiming for 5:30 km/hr), which is a PB for a 5k BRICK run.

Day #51, Week #8: Afternoon swim

OPTED FOR afternoon training today rather than my usual preferred morning time. I felt tired and achy from yesterdays run, so a little more recovery was needed in the pit.

Day #50, Week #8: HIIT after intermittent fasting

@TORREVIEJA GREENWAY a 5 minute warm up followed by 1 minute intervals. Then off to the beach gym at Playa Naufragos for an abs workout and cool down.

Day #49, Week #8: Recovery

REST DAY with intermittent fasting.

Day #48, Week #7: BRICK training begins

THIS MORNING the second phase of the training plan begins, the Building Phase. It's time to step up the intensity with specific training geared towards race day. I started with the first BRICK session of the training plan, bike 20k-run 5k, though I ended the run at 4k because of bad blister... should have worn my ARCh-MAX super running socks.

Day #47, Week #7: Swim

Day #47, Week #7: Strength Training

Day #46, Week #7: Swim

Day #45, Week #7: Bike

Day #44, Week #7: Run + Swim

Day #43, Week #7: Recovery

REST DAY

Day #42, Week #6: Bike Time Trial

View ride on Polar Personal Trainer >>> Canal 20k Time Trial 09/08/2015 18:33

Day #41, Week #6: Sighting in Open Water

OPEN WATER swim skills this morning, working on sighting.

Day #40, Week #6: Run Time Trial

SLOWER 5K runtime trial than expected, I need to step up the intensity.

Day #39, Week #6: Recovery

REST DAY

Day #38, Week #6: Swim Time Trial

THE SWIM time trial is between two buoys either end of the Torrevieja Marina which I estimate, using Google maps, to be 750 metres.

Swim endurance is ok, but I need to improve my sighting. I was drifting to and fro off course, so I probably swam a lot further than 750 metres. Must work on incorporating proper sighting into my stroke.

Performed a second time trial at the pool in the evening.

Day #37, Week #6: Run Time Trial

END OF the base phase and now time trials before entering into the building phase for specific intensified training.

Felt strong on the time trial run this morning and the conditioning work over the last 5 weeks appears to be paying dividends. Unfortunately, the GPS went squiffy over the first 2 km, so I'm going to have to do this run again for a time. However, it certainly felt like a PB.

Plenty of gas in the tank afterwards for a strength training workout. Yesterdays recovery was key.

Day #36, Week #6: Recovery Day

BASE PHASE of training plan completed. Rest and ready for time trials this week to gauge progress.

Day #35, Week #5: Do you know the way to San Miguel?

MID MORNING bike ride around the Pedrera Reservoir, then through Torrenendo to pick up the Rebate Climbs for hill training. It's a very popular cycle route that brings you out at San Miguel de Salinas.

Started the day with a swim in the Torrevieja Marina. It was unusually a little rough with a steady breeze which proved to be a good test for windy open water conditions.

Day #34, Week #5: Let's hear it for the old guys

 

ONE YEAR ago today I adopted the live lean life style. Back in 2014 I was 96 kg, 12 months later and I now weigh 70 kg with 11% body fat, a loss of 26 kg (57 lbs). I achieved this with healthy nutrition, weight training and cardio exercise.

For the next 12 months I plan to continue to build my fitness and strength, competing in sprint triathlons before hopefully stepping up to the Olympic distance. Next year I will be 60 years old. 

Let's hear it for the old guys.