Hodge Podge!

Bit of a hodge podge this week on the training front, domestics meant I was limited on time and too be honest that was ok, looking back on last week I think I over cooked it…by Tuesday of this week I was toast! I might be stupid but I am no fool so I deliberately scaled it back and focused a bit more on form in the pool, admin on the bike and fun on the running. I still managed 10 hours so it’s solid enough.

Swim-wise; 4 trips to the pool for 7585, longest was 2500, I am upping the ante on the “unassisted” part of the set, that is without a Pull Buoy etc. I am now at 1250 yards, I need to get to 2500 yards by the end of May to give me a 50% buffer on race distance of 1500meters (1640yrds), the plan is to add 250 yards every 10 days or so. I had planned for an open water swim clinic today but that got cancelled as SoCal got beaten up by a late storm!

On the bike…well I should say off the bike this week with only 50 miles to my name. Some admin things completed, new pedals, cleats and shoes fitted and almost working properly, it’s going to take a little time working into the new shoes I think! I also ordered some upgrade components, the Slice has a nice frame but in my opinion the components, especially the brakes are junk. There’s no rush so I just going to upgrade a bit at a time. This time it’s a new drivetrain which means removing the FSA cranks and converting the BB30 bottom bracket to fit a Shimano BB and cranks, it’s all doable…at least by the LBS and then I will have a nice (lighter) and IMHO better looking Ultegra crankset and front and rear derailleurs. If this all sounds like double Dutch go and read this and then come back! I also ordered some new shifters but then can wait till I figure out the bars etc. The overall goal is for lightness tempered with quality. Wheels will be the big thing in the future to save weight but they will also be, most likely, the most expensive thing too!

Run, well today was a blast, 10 miles on the trails, it was at an easy pace but not an easy run with 2100’ of gain. I managed to fall a couple of times too, something that’s rarely happened in the past and a good indication that my trails legs are nowhere to be found around here, no harm done although luckily a bush caught me on the second one otherwise I would have rolled down the hillside as I landed totally off trail! Here are the best bits!

This week, more focus on the run; 1700 miles in 3 months on the bike and swim has left my run a little neglected. Also some attention on getting some flexibility and a little preventative care; roller etc, I am insanely stiff and so I will be doing a little something something to work on that through the end of the month!