Following the Ironman race in March, April was all about maintenance and ensuring I had recovered properly to enable a short build and launch at Ironman Cairns. The focus was to re-build my consistency. I added a power meter to my race bike & am researching and learning how to use this new tool to best optimise my training! In due course I’ll give a full run down blog on the 4iiii Precision power meter I am using! I now have 6 weeks to Cairns Ironman (ironman number 2 for 2017 & number 4 total), but a full preview of that later this month!
In the meantime, lets grab a coffee and stop for a quick moment to reflect and review my April training activities, this is all about celebrating milestones, being grateful for the time and appreciating the sacrifice. In April I trained on 26 out of 30 days, training for a touch over 51 hours for the month, which is back on track for my desired 10 hours per week. We are now in the middle of Autumn and very quickly heading toward Winter, so it’s getting darker in the mornings and evening and harder to stay motivated.
During April I entered (and attempted to finish) the following Strava challenges:
Running:
- April Distance Challenge – complete 133km finishing 43,238 of 140,958 participants
- April 10k Race – Complete six times, my best average pace was 4:55min/km, finishing 31,619 of 158,537 participants
- April Half Marathon Race – Incomplete this month.
- April Climbing Challenge – 784m/2,000m, finishing 45,054 of 83,148 participants
- Runners World Boston Challenge – covering 23/26.2 miles finishing 34,219 of 58,800 participants.
Cycling:
- April Gran Fondo – 126km was my longest ride finishing 64,305 of 198,308 participants
- April Distance Challenge – complete 786km finishing 57,187 of 213,618 participants.
- April Climbing Challenge – 5,859m/7,500m finishing 85,666 of 173,073 participants
I love that these challenges give me something fun to watch and monitor during the heavy loads of training. During April they provided the perfect motivation to get out there ticking over the k’s and hours.
The following is a summary of activities for April, disciplined consistency was the goal:
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 total:
April saw a few short weeks and some long weekends, with Easter and public holidays resulting in lots of short work weeks. The weather has been absolutely mint over this period and perfect for training. I made a conscious decision that my family needed to come first and I dedicated some time to our house and yard. Getting an acre and half under control following an intense Ironman program is no mean feat, one that I am still battling into May. Grass, weeds, trees and pets all got neglected during my New Zealand preparation, which is slowly coming under control. Lucky for me most things are slowing down in their growth as we head toward winter! Balancing family time, yard work and ironman training is no mean feat, but we make it happen as best we can!
My Achilles has progressed well over April, I even managed to continue running and having regular treatment seemed to have nipped it in the bud! Fingers crossed that May is just as kind to my legs and I can arrive at the start line of Cairns injury free!
Racing is almost done and dusted for the 2016/17 triathlon season, with only a few races left. I also have an option of doing an open water swim, run or bike at the Noosa Ultimate Sports Festival on the weekend of 28th May, this is an event I have enjoyed in the past and the new look courses seems very appealing. Stay tuned to see what my final decision will be!
I am happy with my progress, only roughly following the program I put together for Cairns Ironman on the 11th June 2017. With the addition of a power meter I am making adjustment to my training session almost daily, utilising the performance management charts in Training Peaks to try to manage the fatigue, form and fitness. As can be seen below, my fatigue levels started rising toward the end of the month, coinciding with a focus on intensity in my training session.
The autumn sunrises and sunsets are a highlight and serve as beautiful motivation to continue the early morning session, despite the colder temperatures.
I have had to implement all sorts of safety devices and lights to ensure I can be seen in these early morning and late evening sessions. Lights, cameras & actions!
The club that uses the indoor pool where I train on a Wednesday have taken a small 2 week break, which means I get to use the indoor ‘FAST’ pool 😉
With Port Macquarie Ironman early in May my last ride in April was a farewell good luck ride with a whole bunch of super keen, well prepared, soon to be Ironman (& women) all from my local area, here in the Redlands!
Riding Mountains is my least favorite thing to do, but 2 weekends in a row I found myself on top of Mt Gravatt Lookout, admiring the city views.
Even got advised by Strava to buy new running shoes! Who am I to argue really!
If you ever have any questions please reach out, I’m only a message away.
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? 
get Coogan Racing with a powermeter and/or Joe Friels Power Meter handbook. I’ve done 30min FTP tests and 20min too. let me know if you have any power questions. it’s perfect for pacing the IM!