This weeks Stats:
- Swim: 3,800m
- Bike: 141km
- Run: 37
- Training Time: 11.5 hours
The week after racing is always interesting. You never know what to expect from your body. Whether or not you blow up during a race goes a long way to determining your recovery time. Fortunately for me I managed to execute my race plan successfully, avoiding blowing up, and came through the race uninjured and in pretty good condition. There was a fair fatigue hangover however, after going into the race a little overcooked, meaning; I wasn’t expecting much from the recovery week.
I kicked off the week in the pool back at BondiFit swim squad headquarters. I had no real intention of making the solid set that was served up, but managed to get through 2,000m before calling it a night. Then I decided sleep was of more importance than riding on Tuesday and opted for a sleep in. With a late night due to a prior work commitment Tuesday, Wednesday morning followed the same pattern.
Thanks again to work, I found myself in Adelaide on Thursday and after a solid day of back to back meetings I got in a nice hot 12km run around the Torren’s, starting slow and building speed. If you are ever over that way I highly recommend it. The legs were feeling fresh to begin with but by the end of the 12km I was ready to call it a day. An unexpected late night meant Friday morning was also a write-off.
Back in Sydney for the weekend and it was time to get back to business with Saturday serving up a long run. One hour out starting at Watson’s Bay, hugging the coast line all the way to Tamarama Surf club and faster back. It was my first time doing this particular section of the coastal track and it sure was hilly! After getting back in 54 minutes we joined the 8am run squad and kept going. A quick loop of South Head and it was back up Watson’s bay hills for some short hill loops at the top. By the time I got back down to
the Watson’s Bay hotel I’d chalked up 25km. Being able to run 37km in a recovery week really surprised me. It goes to show how much running with a higher cadence makes a difference on the body. Usually, I’d still be struggling to walk properly days after the race. The long run was followed-up by the usual Saturday morning surf swim at Bondi, which was just what I needed to cool off.
Sunday was a north side long ride which is always fun. After not riding at all since Geelong I ambitiously aimed for the full 140km. I left from home so I had no option but to go the distance. After heading over the Harbour Bridge in the dark, a couple of us joined the rest of the squad at Collaroy. We then proceeded out to West Head, swinging down through Akuna Bay and up to Duffys Forrest before regrouping. The legs felt alright over the first 30km, then not so good for the next 30km. Luckily things started to improve following the long descent into Akuna Bay and I was back to usual after opening up the throttle on the climb back out. Following the regroup it was a nice easy downhill cruise back to Collaroy before the sun really started heat things up. The final 30km was hot and steamy but made getting home all the more rewarding.
I’m really happy with where I am come the end of the week. I ideally would have liked to get back into consistent training much quicker but my body clearly needed some R&R. I sat down with the Mad Scientist, Coach Spot, this week to map out the upcoming block of training. The focus with be more toward speed, with a plan to race at Wollongong and Nowra Olympic Distance events over the next 10 weeks. I’m really looking forward to mixing it up! Stay tuned
davidjflanagan 