Weekly Consolidation: 11/13 weeks

Monday:
AM: Run - 12km trail

PM: Swim - 45min

Tuesday: Run - 10x400m
Wednesday: Cycle - 55km easy

Thursday: Run - 17km long run

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Brick (Cycle - 58k TT, Run - 9.6km)
Sunday:

AM: Cycle - 76km solo

PM: Swim - 1 hour

Even with a rest day, I managed 11 hrs this week. Legs were starting to feel tired and could not hit paces as easily, so decided to take a day off before any injury came about.

The track workout on Tuesday was pretty tough, and I was struggling quite a bit to complete the sets. Still managed to hit the timings though, but no improvements from the last time. Long run on Thursday went pretty well after last week's failed long run, and the 6km of tempo with all out effort at the end really helps.

Also took a break from intervals for cycling this week because it was just too boring and I decided to cut myself some slack. But the ride this morning was tough because I was trying to chase down the Joyriders 640 train but could not do so. In the process I set my fastest ever average speed for a ride at 34.8kmh. Along the way I was going at >38kmh without much effort, so I guess I must be doing something right in my cycling training!

The brick on Saturday felt awesome. The weather was superb and I cruised through the run, completing 6km in the middle in 4:29 pace. If the weather is like this on race day, I may just be able to run a sub 45 10k.

My speed for swimming is pretty much about the same since the start of the year, but I'm quite worried about my endurance. Have not really been doing any long sets, so I'm not sure if I will be able to maintain the same pace for the whole 1.5km. Another thing I worry about is my sighting, which usually isn't very good and I end up swimming more than I have to.

With 2 weeks to go, there's not much I can do that will help with my performance, but a lot that I can do to screw it up. The next 2 weeks will be slightly easier, and volume will also cut back. I will probably do more race/distance specific workout, and practice transitions. I still haven't really gotten used to running fast right off the bike, so a few more brick sessions are needed where the rest time is minimal.

Weekly Consolidation: 10/13 weeks

Monday:

AM: Brick (Cycle - 5x5min interval, Run - 2.3km)

PM: Swim - 1 hr

Tuesday: Run - 5x800m
Wednesday:

AM: Run - 4km easy

PM: Cycle - 2x20min
Thursday: Run - 14km run
Friday: Swim - 1hr

Saturday:

AM: Brick (Cycle - 40k TT, Run - 5.3km)

PM: Run - 8km easy

Sunday: Cycle - 77km group ride

Biggest training week this year! Total of 12h, although the workouts weren't exactly the best. The Mercury also got a nice service, and hopefully will remain clean and quiet until after the race.

The main highlight was the 40k Time Trial on Saturday, which I completed in 1:05, which meant an average of 36.8kmh. I did not have any expectations at all, and just went into it hoping to hold 36kmh and above. I think I gave it almost everything I had. Considering the fact that this was done on a loop without stops, and OSIM bike course is really technical, I'll be really surprised if I can beat this timing. I would be happy with anything <1:10 come race day.

The track workout on Tuesday felt harder than it should be. I came within the same timings as the previous time I did 800m intervals, but felt much more laboured and had to push much harder than before. This didn't really help my confidence much, but it was probably because of the fatigue from the hard efforts.

The long run also did not go as well as I had hoped. Without a running partner this week, trying to hold the same pace became impossible. Halfway through the run it also poured, which was probably the first time I got totally drenched (from rain, not sweat) during a run.

The 2 brick runs went pretty decently. Pace was quick (4:37 for the 5k run) although I find that off the bike even though my cadence is high, my stride length is pretty short. Hopefully a few more brick sessions will help with that, and I can get into 4:30 pace quickly enough.

Swimming has been, surprisingly, going well! Somehow I feel that I have better hip rotation now, and comparing the times I'm doing in my pool with those in April, there certainly is improvement! This is a real shocker because the number of hours I spend in the pool every month can be counted with my hands.

With 3 weeks to go to race day, and 1 week of taper, that leaves me with 2 weeks of workouts left. I need to plan my quality workouts properly and space them out evenly. These will probably include one brick session of ~50km ride and 10km run, a 1.5km swim time trial, and a couple of longer track sessions.

Can't wait for race day to come!

Weekly Consolidation: 9/13

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Run - 17km long run
Friday:
AM: Cycle - 2x20min intervals followed by a short swim
PM: Run - 3x2k intervals
Saturday: Cycle - 92km long ride
Sunday: Run - 10k time trial

First few days of the week was off because of school exams. Not ideal considering the race is in 4 weeks, but studies come first.

Running wise I am still improving. The long run on Thursday was much better than last week's, as my left calf stopped hurting while running now. I attribute it to lots of rolling with the tennis ball which really helps a lot. My pace for the long run was 4:43, which meant that I unofficially had a new 10k pb.
Friday I decided to do some longer intervals at goal 10k pace, which was 4:30 and a 45min 10k. The sets went well considering the ride earlier that day and the long run the day before, and I went comfortably under 4:30 pace.
Sunday was the 10k TT and went perfectly. If you haven't done so you can read about it here.

The past couple of weeks I haven't been cycling much because of holiday and exams, so this week I didn't want to waste any sessions. Jumped right into a 2x20min set which, according to the folks at Slowtwitch, is one of the better workouts. Saturday was a long ride to get some saddle time, but it didn't go that well and I almost bonked around the 60km mark. It was probably because of the hard workouts the past few days that was taking its toll on my legs. But no worries because I managed to refuel in time and completed the ride, averaging 32.6kmh which still isn't too shabby. But compared to the long ride I did in May averaging 34.9...

Swimming has once again been neglected. I know I should spend more time in the pool with the race coming up real soon, but I keep prioritising cycling and running over swimming. Just hope I don't pay too badly for this during the race.

The next weekend I may do a 40k TT with aero helmet just to get used to the feeling and set a benchmark for myself to beat. Not really looking forward to doing 13 loops or so, but once its done and out of the way I will feel much better. Just like the 10k time trial.

There will also be more bricks to get my legs used to the jelly feeling. Hopefully with so many training sessions packed so closely together my legs are already used to feeling tired and running off the bike won't seem that tough.

Weekly Consolidation: 8/13

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Run - 8km easy
Thursday:

AM: Swim - 40 min

PM: Run - 17km
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Cycle - 57km easy
Sunday: Run - 8km

An easy week last week. First few days were off because I was somewhere over at Kota Kinabalu.

Main workout was the long run on Thursday. It was both long and fast, with an average pace of 5:06 for the whole 17km. However, my left calf finally gave in after the run and I couldn't walk properly after the run. With a bit of rolling using the tennis ball, it became much better but still hurt slightly. Hence the rest of the week I took it a bit easy, plus with exams coming up I couldn't devote that much time to training.

This was posted about 5 days late because of exams as well. As of now, the race is in 30 days! That's just slightly more than 4 weeks. Things have been going well training wise, despite 2 very short weeks. Still keeping my hopes of a podium spot in the age group!

Weekly Consolidation: 7/13 weeks

Monday:
AM: Cycle - 20km TT
PM: Run - 10k trail
Tuesday:
AM: Swim - 1 hr
PM: Run - 3x 1.6km
Wednesday:
AM: Cycle - 77km solo
PM: Run - 8km easy
Thursday:
AM: Swim - 40min easy
PM: Run - 14km long run
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest

I'll post early because I doubt there would be any training done over Friday and the weekends. Even with only 4 days, this week was pretty huge. 2 sessions every day with plenty of studying in between for exams in 2 weeks time. My main concern was getting an injury, but somehow it worked out. Maybe the higher mileage over the past few weeks, along with all the trail, have made my legs slightly stronger.

The week started off with the monthly 20k time trial. Last month I did it in 32:16, which was a 37.1kmh average. This week I slashed off 30s to come in at 31:46, which was 37.7kmh. I managed to negative split it too (16:00, 15:46), which is always a good thing. Pretty happy with an improvement, even if it isn't by a huge amount.

Got in quite a bit of swimming the past few days. Right now its still easy swimming to get used to the water and for the swimming muscle to warm up again. I'm not sure how much I have deproved but it doesn't seem to be that bad.

This week I decided to do a different speed workout from the 400m and 800m mostly because I was bored of those distances. Opted for 3 x mile instead. It went pretty well and I hit my goal times and wasn't super spent after that either.

The past few weeks my running has been going superbly well. My guess is that it has to do with a combination of factors namely the weekly track session, higher mileage overall, as well as the trail runs. Now I'm also finding running much more enjoyable, mostly because I see the gains I am making and also because I am (mostly) injury free. I may consider signing up for an open 10k race after the triathlon just to see how fast I can go, and in future when I'm old and slow I can say at least I've ran XX:XX before.

Weekly Consolidation: 6/13 weeks

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run - 9.5km
Wednesday:
AM: Cycle - 56km
PM: Run - 5x800m interval
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rest
Sunday:
AM: Swim - 1 hr
PM: Run - 8km easy

A really short week with only 5 hours of training due to other commitments.

Only managed to get in 1 quality workout which was the 800m intervals on Wednesday. It was a fantastic run with great timings and I felt great throughout the sets. Running has been steadily improving and I really hope I won't get injured from now until the race. If all goes well, I will be gunning for a sub 45 10k.

The plan was to do a 20k TT on Sunday but was too tired from Saturday and decided to do the TT tomorrow. Not too sure how I will fare but hoping for an improvement at least.

And I finally got a swim in! Just wanted to get back my feel for the water and warm up those shoulders/triceps again after about 5 weeks off. Swimming fitness has definitely deproved but I'm certain it will come back quickly. I should be swimming more in the coming weeks.

Next week will be a little short too because I'll be going on a holiday. But I'll try to squeeze in my workouts before I fly off on Friday.

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Weekly Consolidation: 5/13 weeks

8 weeks to race day!

Monday: Run - 11km trail
Tuesday:
AM: Cycle - 78km group ride
PM: Run - 7km easy
Wednesday: Run - 10x400m intervals
Thursday: Cycle - 5x5min intervals
Friday: Run - 16.5km long run
Saturday: Cycle - 72km solo
Sunday: Run - 5km race

A solid 10hr week! By far the best training week I've had in a while. Got in most of my key workouts, highest weekly mileage of 54km for running, and PRed in a race.

Did not feel very strong this week cycling wise, but I'll only know where I am compared to last month next week when I do a 20km solo TT. Didn't feel very nice to get dropped on the 5am Tuesday ride, but at least I know I can ride strong and far alone.

This was a huge week for running. The intervals went great, long run didn't even feel that long, and the MR25 5k TT was a great confidence booster. Currently I am probably around a 43-44min 10k, hopefully I will be able to run that during the race if the training in the next 8 weeks go well. I'm feeling really pumped for running right now!

I'm also looking to get a new pair of shoes. My Zoot has around 1000km now, and Asics around 500km. Although I don't really need another pair because both are still in good condition, I want one :) I've been looking around, but can't find the right shoes for me yet. I also want to get some sort of fuel belt for my longer runs, as I MAY sign up for a full marathon at the end of the year :)

Weekly Consolidation: 4/13 weeks

Monday: Cycle - 5x5min intervals
Tuesday: Run - 5.3km
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday:
AM: Run - 8km easy
PM: Run - 800m intervals avg 3:07
Friday: Cycle - 2x20min intervals
Saturday: Run - long 13km
Sunday:
AM: Cycle - 78km 35.2kmh
PM: Run - 8km with 3km tempo

Once again another week with no swimming. I'm starting to get a little worried now. Wanted to squeeze in a swim somewhere but just couldn't find a nice time where the pool is empty.

Running mileage is increasing a bit, from 29.3km last week to 41.4 this week. The shin pain seems to be going away so that's a good thing, but not the big toe pain which has been with me since almost a year ago. The pain there is bearable, just irritating.
The 800m intervals almost killed me. I didn't have any goals for it, and wanted to see what I could do. Around last November I was running 3:11, and now I was running 3:01 - 3:05. I pushed too much on the first 4 sets and almost fainted/puked after the 4th one. So for the last interval I ran really easy, too easy probably, and ended with a less than optimal 3:15.

For cycling I managed to do a VO2max workout, LT workout as well as a longish ride. However the first 2 rides my timings/speed weren't great, not too sure what's happening there because the past few weeks I've been doing quite a bit of quality cycling and was hoping for some improvements.
However the 640 ride on Sunday was a confidence booster, with a new highest average of 35.2kmh. The pace was fast and furious almost the whole ride, and at Kranji I *almost* got dropped. We also got a free massage from the rain along Keppel Flyover which made everyone slightly nervous because a fall there wouldn't be nice.

The school holidays have started, so that means more time for training and studying (ironically). Hopefully I can do 4 10hr weeks and by the end come out much stronger. And next Sunday there's the 5km MR25 TT which I'll be going for. I previously ran it in December in 21:38, so we shall see where I stand compared to last December before my injury and hiatus.

This week my Zoot will pass the 1000km mark! It still looks pretty good though, and can probably last me another...300-400k?

Weekly Consolidation: 3/13 weeks

Monday: Run - 9km trail
Tuesday: Cycle - long ride 108km, 34kmh average
Wednesday: Run - 10x400m intervals on 1 min rest (avg 1:28)
Thursday: Run - 10km slow run
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Cycle - solo long ride 92km,
34.9kmh average
Sunday: Rest

This week's training went fairly well, except for the two unplanned rest days due to unforeseen circumstances.

Went for the Joyriders ride on Vesak Day. After last Saturday's failed round island ride, I wanted to go for a slightly longer ride to clock some saddle time. The ride took us from Longhouse, past Mandai, Kranji, LCK, Tuas, Keppel and ended at Amoy street. The pace was very fast for most of the ride, going >38 on the flats all the time. Reaching Longhouse, my average hit an all time high of 35kmh. This ride was a good confidence booster after getting dropped on Saturday.

Solo 90k ride on Saturday also went very well. The pace was fast enough for me to feel pretty beaten by the end, yet slow enough that I could finish the ride strong.

Wednesday brought another good training day, although I was struggling to get out of the house at first. The 10x400 intervals in 1:30 with only 1 min rest seemed impossible at first, but somehow I got through all the sets under goal time. According to Macmillan, this is a pace a 20:00 5k person should be doing, so maybe I'm pretty close to that now.

Even though the week brought a few quality workouts, it also brought along a few nagging pains to my leg. Maybe I'll cut back running a little next week to prevent any injury which I seem prone to getting.

As for swimming, still haven't gone for one since around 2 weeks ago. Hopefully I am making the right decision.

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Weekly Consolidation: 2/13 weeks

Monday: Cycle - 20k TT plus some VO2 max intervals
Tuesday:
AM: Run - 6.2km
PM: Run - 8km hills
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday:
AM: Run - 8km
PM: Cycle - 2x20min intervals
Friday: Run - 9km at MacRitchie
Saturday: Cycle - 75km constant fast ride, 33.4kmh average
Sunday:
AM: Cycle - 60km with hills and some VO2 max intervals
PM: Run - 7km with 4km tempo (4:30/km pace)

Quite a huge training week, over 10 hours with 4 bike rides (228km) and 5 runs (38.2km). Weather wasn't very kind at the start of the week, but eased up when the rain came.

Time trial on Monday went well, managed 37.1kmh for 20km. I am planning to do this time trial once every month to monitor my progress. Eventually the goal would be 40kmh for 20km, and then for 40km :)
All the rides were pretty good, with some hard honest effort in there.
Got dropped on the group ride on Saturday. The original plan was to go for the 6am round island ride with Joyriders, but the group was just too fast for me. Looks like I still have some ways to go.

Running wise I'm still building up mileage. Few fast workouts for fear of injury, and can already feel my left shin feeling weird. Still managed to do a 4km tempo just now in 18 flat.

As for swimming, maybe I'll do 1 swim every 2 weeks ;)

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Weekly Consolidation: 1/13 weeks

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run - 6.3km in the morning
Wednesday: Run - 8km
Thursday: Swim – 30min easy
Friday: Run – 10km total with 5km tempo in 22:02
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Cycle - 81km with Joyriders 6.20 group

Quite a scaled back week, eased back into training after the race. Run mileage was lower than I liked, but it may be a good thing not to jump right back into it, least I get some running related injury again.

The 5k run on Friday went amazingly well. It was a much needed confidence booster after the dismal run during the race.

The Mercury was given some TLC at Bikelabz for a full service, and only came back to me on Saturday. I had wanted to go for the 6am ride which was longer, but too few people turned up. 620 ride was at quite a slow pace, but added in some training value by surging along Mandai, LCK and Keppel Viaduct.

Polling Day was pretty exciting, and I appeared on TV :) Hopefully my family won't have to repent for 5 years

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Weekly Consolidation: 0/13 Weeks to OSIM Triathlon

Monday: Run – easy 5.3km in 27:16 before school
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Cycle – 40min with 3x5min intervals, stopped early due to rain
Thursday: Swim – 50min, practiced sighting and drilled high elbow catch
Friday: Run – 7.2km in 33:58 (4:43/km) Charity run (Operation Smile Run) organised by school. 1 round - $1 for cleft lip patient. Max rounds in 36 minutes.
Saturday: Rest (practiced transition)
Sunday: Singapore Sprint Series Race

This week was much lower in volume and intensity to taper for the race. Original plan was to run around 6.4km in 36 minutes for the charity run, but I really wanted to raise money for the patients…actually it was more like my ego couldn’t take it going so slowly and getting passed by so many people, so I ran slightly harder. I doubt it actually affected my race on Sunday, so that was a good thing.

The race went well in the sense that I got 2nd in my Age Group, but bad in the sense that my run totally fell apart. Based on this race, my focus in the coming weeks would be on my run. Higher mileage, slightly higher intensity. I will probably go for the MR25 5k TT in June to see where my run fitness is then. I will try to remain my cycling intensity and probably put more structure in my rides rather than just to clock the mileage. Thinking of adding a 20k TT at the Fernvale loop every 2nd Sat/Sun of the month.

As for swimming…I haven’t seen much improvement in my times despite the trainings. It may be a chicken and egg thing: I swim less because I don’t see the improvements, but I don’t see the improvements because I swim too little. But even if I up my swim and my timings drop, I’m quite certain if I spend that time on running I will see more gains. Hopefully I am right about that!