I have been asked over and over recently how I fit everything in form training, coaching and working Full Time, so I thought that I would give everyone an insight into my standard week in an Ironman build. Comment where you see fit.
Overall it comes down to time management (which I have finally learnt!) and no really procrastinating ever!
Every day i am in the office until 5pm, so no shortcuts there.
Monday - My favourite day of the week. Just swim squad in the morning.
Swim squad 6am - 7.30am
work 8am - 5pm
Monday evenings off
Tuesday - The beginning of a tough week ahead.
Swim Squad 6am - 7am
Run home from swim approx 40min easy
work 8am - 5pm
Run 5.15 - 5.45 easy
Bike 6pm - 8pm ish some intensity
Wednesday - Legs usually starting to feel the pinch at end of this day
Swim Squad 6am - 7am
Run home from squad up to 1 hr easy
Work 8.30am - 5pm
Run Squad 6pm - 7pm or whatever time applicable according to program
Thursday - Sleep in day - love this day!!
Run - 6.30am - whatever program indicates....easy
Work 8am - 5pm
Bike - 6pm - 8pm ish some intensity
Run - 8pm - 8.30pm easy
Friday - Almost the weekend
Swim squad 6am - 7.30am
Work - 8am - 5pm
Swim Squad - 6pm - 7pm
Run home from swim approx 40mins easy
Saturday - Run 6am - til program says easy
Ride - 3-4hrs post run easy
PM ride - bike race up to 2.5hrs
Saturday evenings are very non eventful as the body is pretty well stuffed after this day and sleep is high on my list of priorities!
Sunday - Run as program specifies approx 2-3hrs easy
PM - run approx 1hr easy
Sometimes a sneaky Sunday afternoon nap enters the schedule here.... I usually wake up worse from these naps :(
This training comes with a carefully planned build and getting the body prepared to go through the hours upon hours week in week out. Without this planning and preparation, I wouldn't be capable of even attempting this as I would either burn out, become sick or injured.
Along with the above I am in regular contact with my athletes, both doing programs for them, training with them or just generally catching up for a coffee. By having the ability to train with the majority of my athletes gives me a great indication of where they are at and how they cope under certain circumstances
The body gets tired at times, however knowing that I can have a sleep in Thursdays and Sundays makes getting up at 5.15am most mornings possible.
For Now...
X-Man
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
A Kona preview...
Following on from my first interview with RossBurrage.com back just after the Asia Pacific Ironman Adam asked me to do another interview in my lead up to Hawaii 2012.
The first interview here, and the most recent interview here.
I would like to thank Adsy, Ross and the team at Racing Tales for there time spent on me.
For now...
X-Man
The first interview here, and the most recent interview here.
I would like to thank Adsy, Ross and the team at Racing Tales for there time spent on me.
For now...
X-Man
Monday, July 16, 2012
24hr MTB race or Ironman??
Which is tougher?
I have the pleasure of being on one side of the debate and have a great mate, Jason Quigley on the other. It is a common discussion between the both of us. It is rare to find someone who is crazy enough to have had a crack at both of them.
An athlete that I coach now, Adam Kelsall, is the man to put the discussion to rest, after reading his interview on http://rossburrage.com/2012/05/17/adam-kelsall-24solo-enduro-mtber-v-ironman-triathlete/ I clearly didn't push him hard enough through training!!
Apart from the biased view from Ross (heheheh) I think the interview gives some good insight about what it takes mentally to complete both events.
Here are some details, I have only cut and pasted some of the article. For the full interview follow the above link:
RB: How many 24 Solos have you done to date?
Adz: I have done four i think mate.
RB: OK mate….let’s get stuck into the workload because that’s what we are here to find out. Describe your 8 week training lead up to a 24solo Worlds. i.e. km’s, hours, cross training etc
Adz: Not very scientific mate. A couple of short, maybe 3 or 4 try to go fast rides up to two hours during the week before or after work with the aim of adapting the body to high heart rates….with the idea then that the low intensity heart rates of 24hr racing will be a piece of piss for the body. Lots of six hour races and maybe a 12hour race to toughen up mentally and get the nutrition/support thing right. Weekends would consist of a long road ride on Saturday to really get the fatigue in the legs then a back up long mountain bike ride on Sunday to practice technical skills with lots of fatigue already in the body.
The Triathlon Stuff…….
RB: So where has this triathlon stuff come from Adz? One minute you’re a hard core Enduro bod and now an obsessed triathlete.
Adz: After Canberra Worlds I remember we were having some stupid conversation about which would be tougher, 24hrs or Ironman. I think I said something about maybe finding out. Then Kylie shouted me a trip to watch Lyndon Virgona have a crack at Ironman in Port Macquarie. We chatted a fair bit about it. It’s important to both of us that it’s a team effort and we are both on board. It’s too hard to do an event like this if one side of the team isn’t on board.
RB: Was it an athlete that initiated the challenge or simply the challenge itself?
Adz: ........But I think mostly it is the challenge
RB: Tell us a bit about your triathlon background. I’m not aware of any but maybe I may have missed something.
Adz: Nah nothing really.
RB: I’m generalising.……but can you describe the personality differences between an Enduro Rider and an Ironman athlete?
Adz: Ha ha. I think there are perceptions about Triathletes. Especially from Mountain Bikers. However I have found nothing but friendliness and overwhelming support in the triathlon community.
RB: Tell us a bit about who prepared you for Port Mac Ironman.
Adz: Xavier Coppock is an elite age grouper who I am very fortunate to receive coaching from. I followed his blog for ages and was super impressed with his attitude and knowledge of the sport. Rod Stormonth hooked us up and it’s been fantastic. I can ring/text anytime and he always is positive and supportive.
RB: Back in the 24solo days you seemed to prep yourself, why the need for a coach to prep for Ironman?
Adz: I just felt like with three sports it’s a bit more complex. With Cycling it’s not that hard an equation once you have years of volume in your legs – just ride lots. With the three sports I thought it might be easy to over train. In reflection I think I would have actually under trained. I am amazed at the volume . Especially the run volume.
RB: How far back did you start to prep for Port Mac?
Adz: 6months. That’s a long time for me to concentrate on one thing!!
RB: So let’s get to the race itself. Time?
Adz: 10:37. I like to say about 10:30J
RB: Ever want to quit?
Adz: Nope. There was no chance.
RB: Any plans to do another one and if so what are the plans?
Adz: Probably busso at the end of 2013.
So there are the brief details, Ross then went on to ask the questions we all want the answers to:
THE COMPARISON!
BTW, I love the answer to the first question!!
RB: Let’s start with the mental questions. I know the Port Mac is fresh in your mind but can I ask you to reflect back to your 24solo Worlds and tell us which event was the biggest head f@#$?
Adz: 24hrs for sure. Ironman is tough. But you have breakfast suffer through a swim ride run then go out for some dinner with your mates. Doing the same thing for 24hours is incredibly tough.
RB: Which event do you feel would be easier to front up to and complete with zero training preparation?
Adz: Probably 24. Because you can rock up and do two laps hang out in your pit and party with your support crew then finish. With Ironman you have to get from a to b. Without the training I think it would be really hard to do this in the 17hour cut off.
RB: As you know, I’m a grungy old Enduro rider and I will defend the 24solo riders every day of the week. After all, racing for 24 hours v 10 hours is surely a no brainer. I respect that the Ironman triathletes do it over three disciplines but surely racing one discipline 24solo non-stop is much harder? YES or NO and please explain!!!!
Adz: I think racing three disciplines is harder technically, Good endurance athletes have amazing efficiency of movement.
RB: One word answer Adz, which athlete is the tuffest mentally and physically?
Adz: 24hr.
So there we go, a man that has raced the World 24hr MTB race and completed an Ironman in a pretty handy time.
Your training won't be so easy in future!!
Great Interview!
X-Man
PS, please offer your opinion below about which is tougher... For the record, trying to be good at 3 separate disciplines and finishing within the time limit is definitely harder than racing a race with no criteria to be eligible to be a finisher.
I have the pleasure of being on one side of the debate and have a great mate, Jason Quigley on the other. It is a common discussion between the both of us. It is rare to find someone who is crazy enough to have had a crack at both of them.
An athlete that I coach now, Adam Kelsall, is the man to put the discussion to rest, after reading his interview on http://rossburrage.com/2012/05/17/adam-kelsall-24solo-enduro-mtber-v-ironman-triathlete/ I clearly didn't push him hard enough through training!!
Apart from the biased view from Ross (heheheh) I think the interview gives some good insight about what it takes mentally to complete both events.
Here are some details, I have only cut and pasted some of the article. For the full interview follow the above link:
RB: How many 24 Solos have you done to date?
Adz: I have done four i think mate.
RB: OK mate….let’s get stuck into the workload because that’s what we are here to find out. Describe your 8 week training lead up to a 24solo Worlds. i.e. km’s, hours, cross training etc
Adz: Not very scientific mate. A couple of short, maybe 3 or 4 try to go fast rides up to two hours during the week before or after work with the aim of adapting the body to high heart rates….with the idea then that the low intensity heart rates of 24hr racing will be a piece of piss for the body. Lots of six hour races and maybe a 12hour race to toughen up mentally and get the nutrition/support thing right. Weekends would consist of a long road ride on Saturday to really get the fatigue in the legs then a back up long mountain bike ride on Sunday to practice technical skills with lots of fatigue already in the body.
The Triathlon Stuff…….
RB: So where has this triathlon stuff come from Adz? One minute you’re a hard core Enduro bod and now an obsessed triathlete.
Adz: After Canberra Worlds I remember we were having some stupid conversation about which would be tougher, 24hrs or Ironman. I think I said something about maybe finding out. Then Kylie shouted me a trip to watch Lyndon Virgona have a crack at Ironman in Port Macquarie. We chatted a fair bit about it. It’s important to both of us that it’s a team effort and we are both on board. It’s too hard to do an event like this if one side of the team isn’t on board.
RB: Was it an athlete that initiated the challenge or simply the challenge itself?
Adz: ........But I think mostly it is the challenge
RB: Tell us a bit about your triathlon background. I’m not aware of any but maybe I may have missed something.
Adz: Nah nothing really.
RB: I’m generalising.……but can you describe the personality differences between an Enduro Rider and an Ironman athlete?
Adz: Ha ha. I think there are perceptions about Triathletes. Especially from Mountain Bikers. However I have found nothing but friendliness and overwhelming support in the triathlon community.
RB: Tell us a bit about who prepared you for Port Mac Ironman.
Adz: Xavier Coppock is an elite age grouper who I am very fortunate to receive coaching from. I followed his blog for ages and was super impressed with his attitude and knowledge of the sport. Rod Stormonth hooked us up and it’s been fantastic. I can ring/text anytime and he always is positive and supportive.
RB: Back in the 24solo days you seemed to prep yourself, why the need for a coach to prep for Ironman?
Adz: I just felt like with three sports it’s a bit more complex. With Cycling it’s not that hard an equation once you have years of volume in your legs – just ride lots. With the three sports I thought it might be easy to over train. In reflection I think I would have actually under trained. I am amazed at the volume . Especially the run volume.
RB: How far back did you start to prep for Port Mac?
Adz: 6months. That’s a long time for me to concentrate on one thing!!
RB: So let’s get to the race itself. Time?
Adz: 10:37. I like to say about 10:30J
RB: Ever want to quit?
Adz: Nope. There was no chance.
RB: Any plans to do another one and if so what are the plans?
Adz: Probably busso at the end of 2013.
So there are the brief details, Ross then went on to ask the questions we all want the answers to:
THE COMPARISON!
BTW, I love the answer to the first question!!
RB: Let’s start with the mental questions. I know the Port Mac is fresh in your mind but can I ask you to reflect back to your 24solo Worlds and tell us which event was the biggest head f@#$?
Adz: 24hrs for sure. Ironman is tough. But you have breakfast suffer through a swim ride run then go out for some dinner with your mates. Doing the same thing for 24hours is incredibly tough.
RB: Which event do you feel would be easier to front up to and complete with zero training preparation?
Adz: Probably 24. Because you can rock up and do two laps hang out in your pit and party with your support crew then finish. With Ironman you have to get from a to b. Without the training I think it would be really hard to do this in the 17hour cut off.
RB: As you know, I’m a grungy old Enduro rider and I will defend the 24solo riders every day of the week. After all, racing for 24 hours v 10 hours is surely a no brainer. I respect that the Ironman triathletes do it over three disciplines but surely racing one discipline 24solo non-stop is much harder? YES or NO and please explain!!!!
Adz: I think racing three disciplines is harder technically, Good endurance athletes have amazing efficiency of movement.
RB: One word answer Adz, which athlete is the tuffest mentally and physically?
Adz: 24hr.
So there we go, a man that has raced the World 24hr MTB race and completed an Ironman in a pretty handy time.
Your training won't be so easy in future!!
Great Interview!
X-Man
PS, please offer your opinion below about which is tougher... For the record, trying to be good at 3 separate disciplines and finishing within the time limit is definitely harder than racing a race with no criteria to be eligible to be a finisher.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Another week down, another week closer!
Well, it has been some weeks since my last post!
Haven't things changed since. I am head down, bum up training, coaching and working, doing my best to combine all three.
And everything is going good as gold, the athletes are back into full swing, more new athletes coming on board and some still just recovering and enjoying the good life.
Unfortunately something has had to give.....For me this is the blog & Tour de France. My normal July entertainment, but not this year. The closet that I am getting is reading the write up in the mornings or watching the replay that evening. The blog will be back going on a more regular basis also, so hoping to add some more resourceful things, so if you want to know anything about my training, coaching or random things, feel free to ask.
Training has really stepped up a gear and am consistently hitting 23-25hrs per week and with the new regime, things are going well. The program once again is speaking for itself and all I have to do is just tick boxes.
The count is down under 10 weeks until I leave and I know that I will be in far better shape for this assault on the Big Island.
There is not much else to report on training, however both myself and TMC have had some big things happen.
For myself, I have teamed up with SHOTZ nutrition and also CBD Cycles for the next year and along with my current sponsors Rocket Science Sports, XOSIZE active & SCHNELL Carbon Wheels I know that I am in good hands.
For now...
X-Man
PS. To the anonymous person who left the complimentary comment on my last post. Thanks :)
There are many reasons why you would have done this without leaving your name, to me, most likely jealousy, but whilst you are busy reading and commenting on my things, you are not really worried about your own space, so keep up the great work!! Just hope someone is not paying for your services!!
Haven't things changed since. I am head down, bum up training, coaching and working, doing my best to combine all three.
And everything is going good as gold, the athletes are back into full swing, more new athletes coming on board and some still just recovering and enjoying the good life.
Unfortunately something has had to give.....For me this is the blog & Tour de France. My normal July entertainment, but not this year. The closet that I am getting is reading the write up in the mornings or watching the replay that evening. The blog will be back going on a more regular basis also, so hoping to add some more resourceful things, so if you want to know anything about my training, coaching or random things, feel free to ask.
Training has really stepped up a gear and am consistently hitting 23-25hrs per week and with the new regime, things are going well. The program once again is speaking for itself and all I have to do is just tick boxes.
The count is down under 10 weeks until I leave and I know that I will be in far better shape for this assault on the Big Island.
There is not much else to report on training, however both myself and TMC have had some big things happen.
For myself, I have teamed up with SHOTZ nutrition and also CBD Cycles for the next year and along with my current sponsors Rocket Science Sports, XOSIZE active & SCHNELL Carbon Wheels I know that I am in good hands.
For now...
X-Man
PS. To the anonymous person who left the complimentary comment on my last post. Thanks :)
There are many reasons why you would have done this without leaving your name, to me, most likely jealousy, but whilst you are busy reading and commenting on my things, you are not really worried about your own space, so keep up the great work!! Just hope someone is not paying for your services!!
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