Kevin's Training (And Adventures) Diary of 2023

Green - Did make it.  Red - Didn't make it. Orange - Needs explaining. Targets by numbers Represent GBR age-group at multiple international events.  Qualify for the GBR Age-group team for a 2024 European and a 2024 World Championships.  - Qualified for Worlds, but as it is in Townsville, Australia I won't be going. Finish top-20 at European Aquathlon Champs. Finish top-15 at World Aquathlon Champs. Medal at Scottish Aquathlon Champs. Swim 156.9 miles.  Swim under 6:15 minutes for 400m. - No races Swim under 11:45 minutes for 750m. Swim under 25:30 minutes for 1,500m. - No races. Ride 2,133.8 miles. MTB 711.3 miles Run 1,128.9 miles. Run a 5k in under 19 mins or 10k in under 40 mins. - 18:47 and 39:30. >52 Yoga sessions >40 Stretching and rollering sessions. >40 Core sessions. >40 Weights sessions. >50 Run reps or ‘fast’ sessions.  Stretch Targets Qualify for the GBR Age-group team for a second 2024 European Championships.  - Aquathlon, Cross Triathlon and Cross

Merry Xmas. Since getting the flu I have done nothing on the bike.  I have finished my swimming for the year, and I have done a lot of running to try and catch up. I still need to do over 5 miles a day for this last week to hit my target, but I am comfortable that it is within range. Actuals, (T arget) -  Swim 10.4  miles / 16,750 m. (7.0 miles). Bike 23.0 miles. (84.0 miles).   MTB 0.0 miles. (28.0 miles). Run 43.2  miles. (46.2  miles). 0 short core,   0   short light weights   and  0  stretching / rollering session.  0  mins of yoga.   Cumulative Actual, (Cumulative Target), [Cumulative Stretch] - S 156.4, (153.4),   [161.0] , B 1,978.8, (2,091.8) ,   [2,196.4] ,     MTB 472.4, (697.2),   [732.1], R 1,091.4, (1,105.8),   [1,161.1 ]. Core         - 12, (40),   [52 ]   Weights    - 15 , (40),   [52] Stretching - 11, (40),   [52] Yoga          - 45, (52),   [69].   Fast run sessions - 46, (>51).

OK, new plan.  I got a cold or flu and from Wednesday lunchtime until Sunday lunchtime I did nothing. Wednesday morning I did a very slow swim, that was already clearly suffering from being ill. The sniffled my way through the day thinking it was just a sniffle and decided that I should skip my evening run and turbo to just spend the time trying to recuperate. And Thursday I slept almost 18 hours. While it has just been a minor sniffle since then, I wasn't able to get out and do any actual training until Sunday afternoon, when Slioch and I managed a very short, and very slow jog. So that leaves me on December 18th. Two weeks until year end, still looking for: 7 miles of swimming, from 5 possible swim sessions before the pools close for Xmas. 154 miles of biking, with limits on what I can get after the 23rd unless I start hauling a bike and/or turbo-trainer around the country with me. 71.6 miles of running. Which works out at just over 5 miles a day now.  If I was to apply some comm

I have had a couple of decent weeks of swimming and running miles, but at the expense of the bike. I am going to have to be better organised over the next three weeks to fit everything in. Most critically I need to work around pool opening hours, so basically I am taking every opportunity this week to swim in the hope that I can get far enough ahead of my numbers that I can lose any of Xmas week that the pools are closed.  EDIT: Closed from 23rd so I really do have to cry in early. Also, I am going away for Xmas and New Years and neither are good for taking the bike, so I need to fit the bike in before those. The flip side of that is that I can run all of those, so I can backload my run miles in to those holidays. I still have a couple of Parkruns to do, one I will get on Xmas day, so any one of the other 3 opportunities will do.  Actuals, (T arget) -  Swim 8.3  miles / 13,350 m. (7.0 miles). Bike 66.2 miles. (84.0 miles).   MTB 0.0 miles. (28.0 miles). Run 52.3  miles. (46.2  miles).

A quick addition to review where I am and what is left for me to do before the end of the year. I have a holiday the first week, and a holiday the last week, so I have time. But I have other things on so depends how many other adventures we get up to in that time.  Running.  I have 119 miles to go. That is 3.8 miles a day. Definitely do-able, but I need to either do every day in a Marcothon style, or put in a bunch of decent distance runs.  Biking. I have 200 miles to go. That is 6.5 miles a day. Again, do-able, but a marcothon approach isn't going to work for that. I don't have the commitment to get on the turbo every day. I also still need to ride 12 new routes or trails so I need to toughen up and go outside in the cold and get some longer rides in. Mountain biking I am not going to make, but have known that for months and basically haven't ridden that bike since I snapped the frame in Italy.  Swimming. I have 15.9 miles still to swim. This one looks ambitious at first g

Last proper race of the year done.  I had a decent day out at Dundee Aquathlon. Swam 12:20 for 750m in a lane where there was a lot changing going on between the other athletes. Then ran a 19:30 for 5k on a lumpy course in the cold and rain. Neither are my best, but for this point in the season I am happy with both.  I also went out with Slioch and did a 23:17 Parkrun. We could probably have gone faster, but I arrived late and had to skip my warm up, and by the point in the race that I felt I could go, he had decided to settle at the slower pace.  A bit short on the bike as I missed a spin session and the weekend was so grey and cold that I decided not to bother going out as much as I had planned.  I also ran just about enough to keep my backlog shrinking (by half a mile over the two weeks).  My big win was in the pool though. I did two near-hour-long swims at the weekend to clear more than half of my swim backlog, and at the same time took me to my second longest swim year ever.  Actu