Week 2 summary: 9–15 Jan

Posted in Uncategorized by oranj on Sunday, 15 January 2012

Monday
Lunchtime. Run 10km/48, steady, HR151
PM. Erg 8km, inc. C2 Challenge series 10km attempt (got as far as 6km at 1:57/r24 _ HR156(166) before putting the handle down)

Tuesday
AM. Swim 2800m
Main 2000m of the session done at 1:45 per 100m, excellent. Also managed a few lengths backstroke without my shoulder complaining too much.
PM. Cycle 115km, steady, HR136(162) ascent 1000m
Nice afternoon for a ride. I took my old club run route over the top of the Cotswolds to Great Rollright and back.

Wednesday
AM. Run 9km/45, steady, HR148
PM. Gave blood. Only just though! My blood failed the “drop test” but a subsequent re-test of a whole blood sample showed I was at 135 g/L haemoglobin, bang on the lower limit for donation! (Corresponds to a haematocrit of around 39% – I’ve always had rather low values for red blood cells and platelets and so on.) This was my 25th donation and I got my award and certificate.

Thursday
PM. Cycle 84km (32km with Jules + 52km), steady, HR128(159)
Jules wanted to test out her potential 10-mile cycle commute to the ambulance station, north of Kidlington, so I took the afternoon off to do the ride with her. It was a warmish afternoon despite the breeze, and after we’d got back home I went out for another spin around Otmoor. Great sunset.

Friday
AM. Swim 3300m, inc. 3200m/54 (1:41/100m pace). Excellent swim. Left arm strength coming on really well.
PM. Run 11km/56, steady easy, HR150. Breathless!

Saturday
AM. Erg 12km, inc. Challenge Series 10km/39:26.2 (1:58.3) r23 __ HR161(167)
Joined a 10km on RowPro. Hywel Davies was rowing five of them (!), each starting on the hour from 9am. I joined the 10am row. Struggled a bit. 1:57 seemed pretty easy for the first 2km, and then my lower back gave a massive twinge as I was passing the 3km mark – the usual place, low down on the right, just above my hip. I rowed OK though until about 6km when, breathless, I had to sit up and paddle the remaining 4km with about 2:00 pace showing on the monitor. My lower back was very stiff the rest of the day wandering around Oxford doing some shopping with J (we stopped for a Mission Burrito lunch – massive!), and my right hamstring tightened up nicely walking back from the bus stop.

Sunday
AM. Run 14km/1:13, hard, HR150(166)
Hamstring OK but my back’s very stiff. Experience tells me it’ll be this way for at least a week. It seemed too slippy and cold on our road for cycling so I went out for a run, did three laps up and down the hills of the MTB XC circuit on Shotover. Stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle at one point, which wasn’t too great. Tough work.
PM. Weights 1h00. Over to Brookes gym for plenty of abdominal work, trying to stretch my back, as well as cable flyes and shoulder exercises for my weak left arm.

Hours 15:24
A good week’s training, managed a long ride too. Annoyed about hurting my back on Saturday – that could live with me for a month or more yet. I have plenty of stretching to do, although it’s good that I have enough confidence in my left shoulder to get back to the gym – I ought to be there more often over the winter.