So November was all about consistency and racing Challenge Shepparton. My calf and Achilles injuries progressed well and are not really causing me too much grief at the moment! I have finalised my Ironman program and added in Hell of the West triathlon in February . With Christmas on our doorstep, finding and maintaining balance through this period is a real juggling act. I’m hoping that with the structure around me, I can get the training done that I need to get done and still be present for the important family events that arise during this time of year.
So lets grab a coffee and stop for a quick moment to reflect and review my November training activities, it’s all about celebrating milestones, being grateful for the time and appreciating the sacrifice. In November I trained on 27 out of 30 days, training for a touch over 42 hours for the month, which is a touch under my desired 10 hours per week, but it’s very close and such is life. During November I entered (and attempted to finish) the following Strava challenges:
Running:
- November Distance Challenge – complete 88km finishing 44,850 of 115,066 participants (this will be a focus in December & January)
- November 10k Race – Complete 1 times, my best average pace was 5:04min/km, finishing 28,902 of 115,976 participants
- November Half Marathon Race – Incomplete this month (apparently Challenge Shepparton was short of the required 21.1).
- November Climbing Challenge – 530m/2,500m, finishing 35,927 of 64,626
Cycling:
- November Gran Fondo – 139km was my longest ride finishing 14,028 of 124,954 participants
- November Distance Challenge – complete 780km finishing 20,658 of 145,469 participants.
- November Climbing Challenge – 7,102m/8,000m finishing 28,509 of 112,864 participants (this is my best effort in 2016, maybe in December I’ll get the required elevation).
The following is a summary of activities for November:
The following little chart is from my excel spreadsheet I use to track volumes & hours, it helps me stay on track for my annual goals, also providing a good summary of the monthly totals:
November was another consolidation month, if you missed my race review of the Challenge Shepparton half distance race, you can find it here, this was the coldest I have ever been during a race, Shepparton was a great venue & I recommend you get along at least once and do this race!
So in November I hit all my annual goals, passing the bike target of 6,000km and swimming target of 120km. You will note above I have already revised my targets in all 3 disciplines to swim 130km (already achieved), bike 7,000km (getting very close already) and run 1200km (also very close). Apart from volume goals my other targets for December are simple, train on every day (maybe 1 or 2 rest days for Christmas), average 10 hours per week and get into the nitty gritty of my 16 week training plan through to Ironman New Zealand in March 2017.
So here is an overview of the training plan I had prepared for Ironman New Zealand. It is essentially just formalizing the habits, repeatable week & sessions I already do and capitalising on the training opportunities I have created. It defines a little more focus for me and helps keep me accountable. Stay tuned to follow my progress over the remaining 13 weeks to my next Ironman.
If you’re not active at the moment & need some inspiration, follow me on Strava, Instagram and like my facebook page and let’s get back out there swim, bike or running. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss a blog post from me! The biggest regret we can have in life is to not TRI!
Till next time build consistency, keep smiling and live to Tri!
SO, YOU WANT TO BE AN IRONMAN? 