Sunset Over Palestine
I did manage to get in some decent training this month despite taking most of the first week off while on vacation in Israel. Here are my January training totals:
Swimming – 19.6 km
Biking – 340 km
Running – 83 km
Racing – 42.2 km
This week started off with a day of rest. Well not entirely. I did not train on Monday because I was heading over to Coach Calvin’s to do some lactate testing that evening. I have never had lactate testing done before so I was very interested in the whole process. I just hopped on the bike and maintained a decent cadence while Calvin monitored my heart-rate. Then at various intervals Calvin would take a blood sample, measure it and then slightly increase the resistance on the Computrainer. The end result was that I now have a very clear understanding of where my lactate threshold is and therefore can adjust my training effort to work just below that. It was very cool and not at all as uncomfortable as some of the other medical tests that I had done where they attempt to run you to the max until you “break”. However I was a bit lightheaded when we finished up around 9 pm but that feeling left as soon as I stopped at a nearby A&W where I inhaled a Teen Burger. I guess I was suffering from a case of Dinner Interruptus.
UBC Outdoor Pool
I also started swimming with Pacific Spirit Triathlon Club this week. I was a bit surprised that the workouts were being held at an outdoor pool, especially this early in the season. Surprisingly I have found that I really enjoy swimming in the outdoor pool. Sure it’s a bit brisk getting in and out but the water is comfortably warm. The workouts have been great too. The Thursday night coach picked up on my lazy left arm right away and provided me with some good tips to help me improve my stroke efficiency and form. The swim coach on Saturday is former Olympian Mark Johnston who put us through a great set of skills and drills which really brought out the competitive spirit in everyone. It’s great to be doing swim workouts that have more of a triathlon focus and/or benefit. In contrast, my last swim at my Master Swim club on Tuesday was particularly unpleasant for me as one of the other swimmers told me (and everyone on the pool deck) that I was F*@%ing insane for doing Ironman triathlons. So I am done with that club for awhile and am much happier swimming and biking with people that are supportive of my triathlon aspirations.
February is going to be a big month for me. I am racing in California this coming weekend and then next weekend I am beginning my 2 1/2 week stint volunteering at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. And yes, I will be fitting in a solid month of triathlon training, somehow that is….
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Village
