Just two weeks to go now until my 70.3 triathlon and I’m into my taper. The past five months have gone past in a blur of swimming, cycling and running- it’s almost time to put everything into practice at the Cotswolds 113. I’m excited for race day especially since attending the familiarisation day last weekend. Knowing what to expect from the course has put my mind at ease. Many of my club mates raced the Outlaw triathlon this weekend- seeing their achievements has really spurred me on for my own race.
My training volume has increased in the past month. My coach texted me “I’ve added a big training weekend to your schedule, have a look and have a heart attack!” I did indeed have a look and have a heart attack! The big weekend involved eight training sessions over three days, with the distances adding up to the total half-iron distance (except for the swim which would be longer). The idea was that it would be great practice for race day in terms of transition, nutrition and hydration, plus a confidence boost to get a big weekend of training under my belt. The training weekend went well- it was fairly challenging but completely achievable.
I’ve also had a few shorter sessions on the schedule including easy 1km swims. Despite swimming at an easy pace, I managed to smash a PB of 19:46 which I was very pleased with.
One thing I’ve always struggled with is drinking on the bike- I find it difficult to manoeuvre my bottles in/out of their cages whilst I’m moving. I always worry about dropping the bottle. I switched my bottle holders to side-loading cages and practiced sliding my bottles in and out. I’m now confidently sipping fluid every 5 miles as I’m riding which is great news- being dehydrated on race day would make the run twice as tough.
Another area which I’ve been practicing is changing an inner tube. I’ve always relied on others to help me with this, but obviously if I puncture on race day, it will be down to me to fix it! I spent an hour practicing on an old wheel and actually found it quite straightforward once I understood what to do. One less thing to worry about!
Since I know that the run at the Cotswolds will be trail-based, I’m trying to run off-road a bit more leading up to race day. I ventured into Epping Forest one evening after work and in typical Lucy style, I ended up lost and running in circles! Still I really enjoyed the run- the miles went past quickly as I focused on the scenery in front of me rather than on my watch.
I’m still a bit anxious about my running- I feel this is what will let me down on race day. My injury seems to come and go… on some runs I’ll feel great but other times my shins will be in agony. My longest run has been 10km, so it’s going to be a challenge to run 13.1 miles at the end of a triathlon!
Here is how my last four weeks have looked, you can catch up on weeks 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 and 13-17.
Week 18
Monday: 46 minute swim (2km) then 30 minute run (3 miles)
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 30 minute run (3 miles)
Thursday: 20 minute swim (1km)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 30 minute core session
Sunday: Grafham Water Standard Distance Triathlon
Week 19
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 60 minute swim (2.5km)
Wednesday: 22 minute run (2.4 miles)
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 53 minute swim (2.4km) then 30 minute bike (9.3 miles) then 23 minute run (2.4 miles)
Saturday: 40 minute open-water swim (1.6km) then 68 minute bike (15 miles) then 63 minute run (6.2 miles)
Sunday: 2 hour bike (31 miles) then 46 minute run/walk (4.3 miles)
Week 20
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 32 minute swim (1.5km)
Wednesday: 45 minute spin class
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Glute strength, run drills then 30 minute run (3 miles)
Saturday: 60 minute tri club swim
Sunday: Cotswold Familiarisation Day
Week 21- Easy Week
Monday: 20 minute swim (1km)
Tuesday: Glute strength, run drills then 40 minute run (4 miles)
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 2 hour Tri club ride (29 miles)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 2 hour cycle (30 miles) then 30 minute run (3 miles)
How is your training going? Have you ever got lost on a run? Can you change an inner tube?
Wow you look awesome in your wet suit!
Best of luck for the event! Do you find that writing your daily exercise down on your blog helps you to stick to you training plan?
Could you try one of those packpack waterbottles on your bike or would that get in the way?
Jenni
The Thrifty Magpies Nest
Thank you, I feel awesome in it! I’m pretty motivated to stick to my training plan, but I like to record it on my blog so I can look back and see what I’ve achieved over the month. What’s a packpack bottle?