The Training Goes On

It's the beginning of March and the end of my 8 week base training block which, for a variety of reasons, morphed into an 11 week training block. In addition to training for life, I started training for a sea kayak trip which added two more training days to the schedule and left me training 6 days a week. However you cut it, training 6 days a week eats up a lot of time and some weeks I felt like I did very little apart from move around a lot while shifting weight. Officially, I was supposed to peak at around 11 hours a week, but I blew well past that and topped out in week 6 at over 19 hours a week.

Bungonia Creek

The basic schedule was much like my transition phase with two endurance sessions per week (on my feet), and two strength training sessions per week. In addition, I climbed twice a week, and, from week 6 on I added two paddle days (typically 25 to 35 km each day).

My Tribe: Kayak pod

To my utmost surprise, I got faster and fitter on my endurance sessions. Not fast mind you, but faster. Somehow at week 6, I managed to run, actually run (Zone 3) for about 1.5 hours on a hilly course covering 13 kilometres! Shocker. On my longest Zone 1, I covered 20 km and 500 metres of elevation gain all before breakfast!

Forest wandering

No real injuries, but I did have one week where I had mild hip bursitis which resolved quickly with rest but I did miss almost a full week of training (hence the expansion from 8 weeks to 11 weeks). My feet and calves were getting pretty sore with all the volume on hard ground but a new pair of zero drop but padded (Altra) shoes have solved that problem.

Quality hill training terrain

I seem to be managing OK recovering from strength training sessions by spreading them as far apart in a one week period as I can although I am training essentially to failure as I'd like to put on some muscle. The gym I joined has a climbing wall as well as a great weight set up so I can now boulder twice a week if we don't manage to get away climbing.

Tianjara Falls

In the midst of all this training we got away on a couple of trips, paddling from Boydtown to Bermagui, and climbing and canyoning up on the southern tablelands. Hauling a heavy pack with a fat rope out of Bungonia Canyon, I was glad I had been training.

Roll up your sleeves and get to work

Week 8 is deload week, so we are away for three days climbing where I get to see whether all the training has made any difference at all.  Next week it all starts again as I ramp up the volume and load once again as I move into a power endurance phase.