I've already been doing my own version of bricks leading up to this week. One example: on Tuesdays I attend a Groove dance class (think Zumba with a greater variety of music and more free-form dance moves). For the past two months I've been walking the four-mile round trip. A couple of weeks ago I upped the effort and did a run/walk combo to and fro. It's a hilly trek, both ways (!) so I definitely got a good cardio workout that day!
Now I really need to focus on triathlon-specific trainings - it's only 7 weeks away!
I'm following the training plan I got from Iron Girl much more closely. Before I was doing endurance training - just making sure that I could do each sport for the triathlon distance within the triathlon time. I can. Now it's time to team up the sports with transition workouts (bricks). Eventually (3 weeks before the triathlon) I will do a mock-triathlon or practice race. All of my trainings now are leading up to the practice race. Then it's maintenance mode - keeping that level of fitness so that I can perform safely and thoroughly at the Real Race. Big reminder: I'm in it to complete, not compete. I want to enjoy this challenge and the journey leading up to it.
One of the cool things about this training plan, which was created by Coach Troy Jacobson, is that the workout intensity changes day to day. Sometimes I am training in the Blue Zone (60-70% of my max heart rate) for recovery workouts, fat burning, and endurance building; sometimes the Gray Zone (70-80%) for improving my cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and endurance; and sometimes the Red Zone (>80%) for interval training and maximum speed development.
Changing it up - via the sport or the intensity - keeps me focused and engaged the entire time I'm training. There is no drifting off into auto-pilot. I'm paying attention to my surroundings, my body, and my needs, which keeps my safe and healthy.
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| Training bricks are the pathway to better fitness! |
OH, I hope I don't miss any of these blog posts! Way to go Christine! How exciting! I am just 3 weeks post ACL reconstruction surgery right now, but I hope to be able to complete a triathlon, perhaps next year. I still have 6 weeks to build stability and some basic strength before I can begin light jogging on flat, safe surfaces. P a t i e n c e ! ! ! What tri/distances are you going to be doing?
ReplyDeleteSwim 1/3 mile, bike 19 miles, and then run 3 miles. It's a nice sprint for a first-timer, I think!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement - remember when you told me I would be running with you in WA come May, back when I was prepping for the 10K this winter? I didn't think that would be anything I could do. Now here I am training for a triathlon! I hope your recovery goes smoothly. It must be so frustrating having to, as you said, practice patience when you want to get out there and run.