Fortnightly Review - Weeks 15 & 16

Still no swimming. The current guidance is that the pools should reopen next week, so hopefully I will have at least some numbers in the swim column for my next blog. 

My bike miles are a bit low, but my bike time was about right. When I have been sat on the turbo I have just been doing time at minimal efforts I recover from harder running sessions. That coupled with the slow speed of mountain biking and a couple of missed days inevitably turns out a low mileage number.  I managed to get out on the mountain bike 3 times over the fortnight. Twice just from home on the paths around Dyce but I did also manage a trip to Kirkhill. 

I managed a few faster runs this fortnight. I accidentally started the month with a couple of runs that qualified as 'fast' for a Smashrun badge. That basically means they averaged under 8min/mile. I decided this would be as good an opportunity as I have had to get their badge for 10 fast (<8 min/mile) and 10 slow (>10 min/mile) in a month. 

I also went through 600 miles for the year, even though my plan is still only to run 1,000 miles in the year. I am a month ahead of last year's massive run numbers and more than 2 months ahead of this year's plan. 

My basic health is doing less well. My resting heart rate is now up to 49. Normally at the start of a race season it would be 38-40, Even a month ago it was only 43. The stress and fatigue of my near 500 day run streak, my building work now being a month overdue, my relationship ending, doing a job that I hate, and the perpetual imprisonment of Covid are all continuing to build on top of my loneliness and my mental health decline is now easily measurable on that resting heart rate track as it affects my physical health. 

Actuals, (Target) - 

Swim 0 miles / 0 m. (5.7 miles).
Bike 68.6 miles. (79.2 miles). MTB 20.7 miles. (19.8 miles)
Run 59.9 miles. (29.7 miles).

4 short core, 4 short light weights and 0 stretching / rollering session. 63 mins of yoga. 

Cumulative Actual, (Cumulative Target), [Cumulative Stretch] -
S 0.0, (9.4), [9.9],
B 626.4, (546.9), [574.2],  MTB 92.9, (136.7), [143.6],

R 609.3, (454.1), [476.8].

Core         - 22, (16), [24]
Weights    - 22, (16), [24]

Stretching - 16, (16), [24]
Yoga         - 26, (16), [30]. 

Fast run sessions - 7, (>16) 

Junk swim sessions  - 0, (<1).

Fortnightly Reviews - Weeks 13 & 14

I had hoped that lockdown would be over by now and I would be back to regular swimming. So now I am falling behind on those targets. And that could go on for a while yet. Current government plan is that pools will open at the end of April and club swimming is currently booked to start on May 10th. Outdoor was warming up close to my minimum outdoor swim temperature (8 degC) so I might try and get a short outdoor swim in at some point before the pools re-open. Although it is meant to snow tonight so temperatures may start heading in the wrong direction this week.

I am still spending plenty of time on the turbo, and while the weather was nice, and I had a couple of days of 2020 holidays to use up, I also managed to get out to ride. My first two outings were on the mountain bike and both ended with mechanicals for a slow puncture (and a kit full of Schrader fittings and a bike with Presta valves) and then a snapped chain (and then broke my chain tool trying to fix it and didn't have the right size of quick link). But both times I managed to get home with a temporary bodge and rack up a few miles to get those numbers heading back in the right direction. Since I didn't have a spare chain, and the other mountain bike is packed away, I took my road bike with me to Elgin for a couple of days and went out for road rides while I was there instead. 

I am still running more than double what I should be. Even if I was to shorten my runs to the minimum to keep my streak going that would still be over my target. And with no sign of racing returning any time soon I have no incentive to let go of that streak, or to do some shorter or faster sessions. My plan was 350 miles by the end of Feb but then to back off and only do 1,000 miles in the year. I am already at 550 miles with 9 months still to go. 

I did manage to do a reps session during my holiday so at least have a second tick on the fast run box. And that session seems to have moved my feel for my base easy pace as the runs the rest of the week were measurably faster than I have been going recently. 

Somehow I have also managed to get selected for the World Cross Triathlon in Almere in September. I didn't even realise I had applied for it. That sounds like a good thing, but it actually complicates my plans for the World Aquathlon Champs the same week and means flying my bike on a trip I hadn't planned. 

My extension is still dragging along. It was originally scheduled to finish last week but I think I have another month until they are done. The amount of work I will then have to do in moving furniture and building bookshelves and tidying the garage and painting the decking and a hundred other jobs that are waiting for the builders to finish could keep me busy all summer. 

Actuals, (Target) - 

Swim 0 miles / 0 m. (3.7 miles).
Bike 86.4 miles. (72.1 miles). MTB 18.4 miles. (18.0 miles)
Run  60.9 miles. (29.7 miles).

3 short core, 3 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 98 mins of yoga. 

Cumulative Actual, (Cumulative Target), [Cumulative Stretch] -
S 0.0, (3.7), [3.9],
B 557.8, (467.7), [491.1],  MTB 72.2, (116.9), [122.8],

R 549.4, (424.3), [445.6].

Core         - 19, (14), [21]
Weights    - 19, (14), [21]

Stretching - 16, (14), [21]
Yoga         - 23, (14), [27]. 

Fast run sessions - 2, (>14) 

Junk swim sessions  - 0, (<1).