International
Distance Group
Week 19
This is the beginning of the longest cycle to date, and will require some dedication to complete successfully. "Dedication" will mean more than having a "whatever it takes" attitude toward getting the work done; you’ll likely have to make adjustments to your general lifestyle, including getting more sleep, focusing on your nutritional needs, and in general being proactive about taking care of yourself. You’re asking a lot of your body -- just make sure you’re taking care of it in the process!
Balance Week:
Swim 2:30 - Bike 5:30 - Run 3:30 - Total:
11:30
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thr | Fri | Sat | Sun
SWIM 0:45
WARM UP
200 easy swim
8 x (25 Kick w/o board - 25 Drill - 25 Swim) w/10 sec rest
after each
When kicking
without a kick board you should keep your arms extended in front of you,
hands
together, and elbows locked. To breathe, rotate your chin forward and
breathe to the front
MAIN SET
This is a "descending
set", which means that your effort & speed should increase
as the intervals get
shorter.
The 400 should be performed
at an effort similar to a long open water swim, and
the subsequent sets should
get faster from there:
400 Swim @80% intensity, followed by 30 sec rest - straight into
2 x 200 Swim @85% w/20 sec rest after each (#2 faster than #1) - straight into
4 x 100 FAST & even paced w/10 sec rest after each - straight into cool down
COOL DOWN
8 x 50 easy swim w/10 sec
rest after each
BIKE 0:45
15:00 warm up spin,
beginning at a very easy pace and slowly increasing
your
intensity to 65%
2 x 3:00 Isolated Leg Training w/30 sec rest after each set:
20
sec right leg only, 10 sec transition
2 x 4:30 VG Set w/30 sec recovery after each - do this twice
through for each set:
45
sec in medium gear @105 rpm,
45
sec in easy gear @115 rpm,
45
sec in harder gear @95 rpm
Cool down completely, gradually brining your HR down to 50%
DAILY TOTAL: 1:30
BIKE 1:15
20:00 warm up spin
- start in an easy gear
& follow a "gearing pyramid" by
increasing by one gear
after
2:00, 5:00, 9:00, & 14:00
Intermediate Set
2 sets of:
3 x (20 sec fast spinning /
20 sec recovery), continuous (2:00 total per set)
1:00 recovery between the
sets
The intensity of the main
set will bump up against your anaerobic limit.
These efforts should feel
challenging and invigorating, but you still need
to avoid total exhaustion!
3 x 10:00 @85-88% intensity w/5:00 recovery @60% after each effort
Cool down completely,
allowing your HR to return under 60% gradually
-- don’t stop pedaling
(@ ~95-100 rpm) until your HR returns to near 50%
RUN 0:45
This is a moderate tempo effort which will include some "in and out" bursts
to increase your leg speed.
15:00 warm up jog
4 x "in & out" 45 sec bursts w/ 45 sec recovery jogging @60% after each
10:00 continued tempo run, holding 90-95 strides per min.
Repeat 4 x "in & out" 45 sec bursts w/ 45 sec recovery jogging @60% after each
Gradually reduce your
intensity toward the end of the run, cooling down completely
DAILY TOTAL: 2:00
WEEK-TO-DATE: 3:30
SWIM 0:45
WARM UP:
200 Swim - 200 Kick - 200 Pull -- build into each one gradually
MAIN SET:
2 x 800 Swim w/1:00 rest in between
- #2 should be considerably
faster than #1
- try to keep your stroke count the same for both repeats
COOL DOWN:
6 x (25 Kick w/o board, 25
Choice) w/5 sec rest after each
BIKE 1:00
15:00 warm up spin
- start in a very easy gear,
spinning @95-100 rpm;
increase your gearing by one after 3:00, 6:00, 9:00, & 12:00
3 x 6:00 @70-75% intensity w/2:00 recovery @60% after each
3:00 easy spinning, getting ready for some "jumps":
6 x 20 sec "jumps" w/1:40 recovery spinning after each
Cool down completely
until your HR returns to near 50%
DAILY TOTAL: 1:45
WEEK-TO-DATE: 5:15
SWIM 1:00
WARM UP
300 Swim - 200 Choice
6 x 50 w/10 sec rest, build up each one gradually to a sprint during
the last ½ lap
MAIN SET
8 x 300 w/30 sec
recovery
- odds: 75% - aerobic pace
- evens: 85-90% - race pace
COOL DOWN
200 continuous swimming,
allowing your HR to return to 60% by the end
RUN 1:00
20:00 warm up jog,
controlling your HR & letting it get to 70% by the end
This set is like a broken tempo run, done at closer to race pace:
3 x 8:00 @80-85% w/2:00
@60% after each
Alternative set at the
track:
3 x 2000 (5 laps) w/400 (1
lap) after each
Gradually cool down,
allowing your HR to get back near 50% before stopping
DAILY TOTAL: 2:00
WEEK-TO-DATE: 7:15
Complete recovery day
BIKE 1:45
Whenever possible you should be doing your long Saturday rides outdoors from now on. The additional time in the saddle will help you feel more comfortable on your bike, and you will develop strong bike-handling sense in the process. This, of course, is not to say that the merits of indoor riding (more efficient work, higher quality use of time, higher intensity efforts) should be overlooked. We’ll keep printing an "indoor alternative" to the outdoor rides, but these should only be done when weather or time constraints dictate.
Indoor alternative:
20:00 warm up spin,
gradually bringing your HR up to 70% by the end
DRILLS
Alternate an ILT set with a VG set,
performing 2 of each (30 sec between sets):
3:00 Isolated Leg Training:
20
sec right leg only, 10 sec transition
4:30 Variable Gearing Set -
do this twice through for each set:
45
sec in medium gear @105 rpm,
45
sec in easy gear @115 rpm,
45
sec in harder gear @95 rpm
MAIN SET (1:00):
Progressively harder, shorter intervals
20:00 @75%, holding 75%
intensity throughout - 4:00 recovery spinning
15:00 @75%, holding a
slightly faster pace @75-80% - 3:00 recovery
10:00 @80%, allowing your HR
and speed to increase, @85%- 2:00 recovery
5:00 @85% - let
your HR rise to this higher level, @85-88% - straight into cool down
RUN 0:30
Steady aerobic effort, as soon after the bike
ride as you can. These "brick" efforts should be kept under
control, holding the intensity under 75% at all times.
DAILY TOTAL: 2:15
WEEK-TO-DATE: 9:30
Sun
Today we’ll introduce the
"run-bike-run", or "bike sandwich" extended efforts into
the schedule. These are designed to extend the total duration of the
aerobic efforts & allow you to learn how to run for a longer period of time
without banging up your legs endlessly. The object is to tie the three
segments together as one long aerobic effort, with the primarily endurance
benefit coming during the second run -- when your body is tired, but your legs
are feeling relatively fresh after cycling. Concentrate on keeping your
intensity very low throughout to enable you to extend this workout properly.
RUN 0:45
First run should be done at
a very low intensity -- remember, anything above
60% is generating aerobic benefit,
and the "more is better" approach to hard
work does not apply here!
BIKE 0:45
This recovery/endurance spin
should be done immediately after the first run
(set up your gear
before-hand), and can be done on the trainer or out on the
road. Keep your HR
above 60% and below 75%.
RUN 0:30
The hardest thing about this
second run is putting your shoes back on and
shutting the door behind you
on the way out! Once you get out and back into
it, however, you will begin
to develop a stronger sense of running rhythm that
will carry you through the
end of your races.
DAILY TOTAL: 2:00
WEEK-TO-DATE: 11:30