Counting from Dec when I started training, we're now in week 13.
This will be a quick post on a good week. Got all the workouts in, got decent sleep and feeling good. Score for the week was a 3.5 out of 4. Full four points for Training, Recovery and Diet and 2 points for Sleep as I averaged 7hrs 18mins, just under the 7.5hrs needed to get the 3.
Week 14 will be more of a recovery week as I'm off to Florida for a few days to visit my family. And in case you're wondering, yes, I'll be taking my wetsuit to get some ocean swims. Can't wait!
Sunday, 28 February 2016
Sunday, 21 February 2016
Grades
Been a few good weeks of training. A bit of interruption from food poisoning last weekend, but in general, I'm getting in the sessions and feeling stronger by the week. One thing I'd throw out there though is that I'm definitely not sleeping enough.
I'm a morning person, and the day always feels more productive after starting out with exercise; however, waking up at 4-5am, Tue through Sat has really taken it's toll on me. Having recently hit 33, I'm sure this is a result of ageing as this never used to bother me, but I won't let it get me down. I refuse to bemoan old age. It's just a matter of understanding how my body is changing and adapting my workouts as needed.
As a result, I've decided to start grading my weeks based on the table below (click on the image to read it). Essentially, I'm grading each week based on four equally weighted categories (Training, Recovery, Diet and Sleep) with each category receiving a score of 1-4 (4 being best). Hopefully this will help me put equal focus on the different aspects that should help me improve performance and identify where I'm weak, which right now is sleep.
This past week (week 12 of 2016 training) scores a 2.75 out of 4.
Training, 2 - Missed a few sessions, a couple at the start as I was recovering from food poisoning and a couple at the weekend as I decided to skip Sat morning workouts to get some much needed sleep
Recovery, 3 - Have been laser focused on warm-up and cool-down/post training stretching. Took off a point as I'm feel just okay, not well-rested
Diet, 4 - Ate well all week with one unhealthy snack, ice cream today at Davey's here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Awesome, homemade ice cream, you gotta try it!
Sleep, 2 - Averaged 7hrs 7min, which isn't bad, but there were two days in-a-row in the middle of the week where I barely got 6hrs, so that's not great
Working on adjusting my training schedule to help me get more z's. More to come next week.
I'm a morning person, and the day always feels more productive after starting out with exercise; however, waking up at 4-5am, Tue through Sat has really taken it's toll on me. Having recently hit 33, I'm sure this is a result of ageing as this never used to bother me, but I won't let it get me down. I refuse to bemoan old age. It's just a matter of understanding how my body is changing and adapting my workouts as needed.
As a result, I've decided to start grading my weeks based on the table below (click on the image to read it). Essentially, I'm grading each week based on four equally weighted categories (Training, Recovery, Diet and Sleep) with each category receiving a score of 1-4 (4 being best). Hopefully this will help me put equal focus on the different aspects that should help me improve performance and identify where I'm weak, which right now is sleep.
This past week (week 12 of 2016 training) scores a 2.75 out of 4.
Training, 2 - Missed a few sessions, a couple at the start as I was recovering from food poisoning and a couple at the weekend as I decided to skip Sat morning workouts to get some much needed sleep
Recovery, 3 - Have been laser focused on warm-up and cool-down/post training stretching. Took off a point as I'm feel just okay, not well-rested
Diet, 4 - Ate well all week with one unhealthy snack, ice cream today at Davey's here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Awesome, homemade ice cream, you gotta try it!
Sleep, 2 - Averaged 7hrs 7min, which isn't bad, but there were two days in-a-row in the middle of the week where I barely got 6hrs, so that's not great
Working on adjusting my training schedule to help me get more z's. More to come next week.
Saturday, 30 January 2016
A Very (Belated) Happy New Year!
Happy 2016! I know it's late, but better late than never. I always love London's New Years fireworks, so included the video here.
Dec was great, light training month that set a good stage for the start of the new year, but didn't exactly turn out that way. I caught a cold over New Years weekend which dragged out through the first week of Jan. Once that was gone, and I was feeling good, I somehow pulled a muscle in my back. I worked out through the pain, and it eventually went away, but let's hope that doesn't come back to haunt me.
Anyway, the last two weeks have gone well, and I'm finally putting together a training plan and race calendar. Promise it won't be another two months before I share.
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