April gone, here comes May...

The month that was April...

• Bit of a hiccup getting sick, but not really a major. Unfortunately looking at the training diary it did stuff up my run training completely. It was not a good run month, especially as running was a priority! I did procrastinate a couple of times on doing a long run - should have done it Thursday, and did not do it on the other day I could have - Saturday. I have to sort that out for this next month! I only got one long run in, and last week, a 1 hour run felt like a marathon - very sore legs after!
• Swimming was good - I made the goal of 50km for the month, in fact would have comfortably made 60km if I was not sick. I made 56500m for the month, which was a good result! A couple of longer swims (4.5km), and in general I felt far more comfortable doing the training sessions. Rather than a good first 2km, and then struggle through the rest of a session, I am now managing to maintain some form and pace past 3km and toward the 4km mark of training sessions. I still need to take a few of the sessions very easy to recover. But overall fitness is improving, although absolute speed is not much faster.
• Weights were good, missed a couple of weeks, but did not lose anything really, bit sore after the first session back but strength gains are still there. I have had around 30-40% increase in strength - by that I mean I am lifting 30-40% heavier weights for the same number of reps from when I started. I do feel that gain in real world terms as well, such as running hills, although not all the time yet.
• Cycling is still quite pitiful - averaging a couple of spin classes per week and a 3rd ride every second week. No doubt a little further de-training has occurred this month. That will need to turn around next month.
• I was contemplating the last Triathlon of the summer, but dropped that idea, as it was not going to achieve anything that I was hoping it would. The weather was not looking good, so that helped make the decision a lot easier. It may have gone OK, but I don't think it would have been representative of where I was at, and also risked getting sick again. No benefit with plenty of risk...

Plans and goals for May:

• School cycling starts up this month, so I will lose a squad swim in the morning, and sort of gain a bike ride. The ride is probably not going to fit into any good "box" for my training, but will be a bike ride! I am going to have to add in another non-squad swim at least every second week for this coming month - that will be a little bit of a challenge. But I need to do at least two this month.
• Test sets need to be done this month also - a bike TT (25km) and a run TT (6km). These are to see where I am at, and to help track progress through the year. Would also like to get some skin folds taken, as a baseline, but no-one is at the desk when I am at the gym!
• Running goals are going to be similar to the last lot, as I just need to get the running back on track. Last month I did not progress as I wanted to, so I need to get the step that should have been last month done this month. So the goals for May are two runs of at least 1hr50min, and one week to have at least 5hr 30min of running in it.
• Cycling is going to be the upped a little more this month, that is the main "increase" for the training load this month. The aim for this month is 4 rides per week for 3 of the weeks. The school training will help with one ride, and then just need to do one other - probably a Sunday ride! Hopefully that will stabilize the decline in cycle fitness, although the bike TT will be a good indication of how bad that actually is. I am sure my endurance has progressed from fair to poor...
• Swimming is a slightly lower priority, but I do want to keep it consistent and not let it slip. I am pleased with where I have got to over the last two months. The pool is going to be closed late June for 3 weeks, so that will be the quiet month for swimming. The target is 45km for the month, hopefully scrap in 50km. If I get the chance I would like to try a main set of 30x100, ideally on the 1:30, but may need to do the first 10 on 1:35, middle 10 pull, and try to "gut-out" the last 10 on 1:30. But I will need a lane pretty much to myself (no breaststrokers anyway) to achieve that...
• Weights will remain the same, need to be done no matter what, emphasis on legs, and upper body a bonus. Will try to add a little more core strength and stretching in. Have done a little, but the back is getting a bit sore, so need to progress that a little more.