Nothing like watching that Stage 6 finish of the Tour de France for a little motivation and inspiration!! Wow, can you believe those climbs?! I truly don’t even understand how they do it. Thursday I have another tough grinder session on the bike trainer, so naturally I turned on the Tour so I wouldn’t miss anything. Suddenly those grinds I was doing seemed a whole lot less intense!! Only one session for the day today, and I also start work this evening which means late nights through the weekend. Because I am a freelance musician, that means I have the flexibility to decided what jobs that I want to do which comes it really handy for training and races. I also usually work nights and weekends which allows me the freedom to do a lot of my training during the morning and afternoons. It does throw my body’s sleep schedule off a little bit, but I just try to adjust and make sure I’m getting enough sleep (starting my training later in the morning when necessary), because I love what I do for work and I know that it is an essential part of keeping me balanced. I actually find that triathlon and music go together quite harmoniously in a lot of ways (even though it may not seem like it!) and I find that I’m more productive, peaceful, and SANE when I’m able to both work and train!
Bike set created by my coach, Jarrod Evans of Triathlon Gold. I love that Coach Jarrod calls this a “Percieved Effort” set; his notes say to remember that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday were tough, and will have an effect on what I have to give today in the set. Numbers aren’t the goal, effort is. It takes the pressure off trying to reach a goal power number that realistically, due to the week’s load, you probably won’t achieve!! This helps me avoid negative head-space pitfalls and I feel more encouraged to work hard because that pressure is removed.
| SWIM |
x
|
x |
| BIKE | 2 hour “Perceived Effort” on bike trainer | 2 h |
| RUN | x | x |
| STRENGTH |
Stretching only (Noted as strength and condition day) |
2 HOUR BIKE TRAINER SET
120 mins including the following:
6 x 8 mins on 53/11 or big chain ring as:
1 min easy
2 min solid
3 min hard
2 min recovery
Usually following this set I have strength and conditioning that I would do. Due to work, and having to take my instruments to get repaired, I didn’t have the time to do it. I ALWAYS stretch before and especially after a hard set, even if it’s just for a few minutes. In my Training Peaks notes following this session, I wrote that I need to remember the importance of CADENCE! It’s so much easier to keep your power up with a higher cadence, and I catch myself slipping down lower than I want to be sometimes. It was frustrating to look back at the first half of the efforts, when I was not focused on that, to see that I actually probably could’ve put out more power. BUT… that is exactly what training is for. I made the note, hopefully made the correction, and will apply it in my next effort.
NUTRITION
| MEAL | TIME | DESCRIPTION | WHY? |
| BREAKFAST 1 | 7am | 3 pieces sourdough bread
Almond butter Blueberry jam |
My go-to before long and hard sets on the bike, sits well in my stomach and keeps me going |
| BREAKFAST 2 | 11am
Post-bike |
Protein smoothie
Spinach, frozen broccoli ½ banana, frozen strawberries 2 scoops vegan pea protein Ground flax seed |
You have a 30 minute window to get protein in after a hard workout, when your body absorbs it best |
| LUNCH |
12pm |
Spianch and mixed greens salad
Quinoa and chickpeas Tomatoes, avocado Sesame ginger dressing
|
Dose of greens plus lots of protein
Avo = good fat |
| SNACK | 4pm | NUGO brand vegan protein bar
coffee |
These are my go-to bar, about 200 cal, 12g sugar, and 15g protein |
| DINNER |
7pm |
Sauteed broccoli, bells, onion in a Korean sauce
Kimchi and sesame seeds on top Over white rice |
Hearty meal but still healthy
Rice for protein Kimchi good for digestion |
| SNACK | 11pm | Kashi cereal
Almond milk |
I worked late and was hungry when I got home! Also have a hard run and swim in the AM and need extra fuel stores |
Work was great, but I got home late and didn’t get to sleep until almost midnight! Needless to say, I’ll need to adjust my day a little bit tomorrow to make sure I get enough sleep. Other than that, I’m feeling pretty good and continue to make some solid deposits in the bank!