I have seen definite improvements in my racing this year, setting PRs in both the Olympic-distance and Half Ironman-distance triathlons, but I haven’t been as aware of how my training has progressed until today.
Yesterday I completed a 3×60/20 Brick for the second time this year. This brick is a one hour ride, followed by a 20 minute run repeated 3 times. The first brick should be solidly in Z2, the second brick should be in Z2/Z3 and the third brick should be solidly in Z3.
On May 19, 2013 I completed this same workout with the following results:
Bike #1 = 15.6 mph
Run #1 = 8:58/mile
Bike #2 = 15.8 mph
Run #2 = 8:39/mile
Bike #3 = 16.3 mph
Run #3 = 8:33/mile
Total = 55.04 miles in 4:01:29
After completing this workout I was SUPER excited about my performance!! I had nailed every part of this workout and showed improvements in my speed, both on the bike and the run, for each “leg” of this workout.
I spent most of my summer training and racing, making improvements here and there, but I wasn’t sure about the gains in my training until I completed this same 3×60/20 Brick yesterday. Here are the results from yesterday (August 4, 2013):
Bike #1 = 17.3 mph
Run #1 = 8:38/mile
Bike #2 = 17.8 mph
Run #2 = 8:36/mile
Bike #3 = 17.5 mph
Run #3 = 7:59/mile
Total = 59.15 miles in 3:59:03
After completing this workout yesterday, I was beat!! I was slightly disappointed with my decrease in speed from Bike #2 to Bike #3, but I knew I had pushed to my limits…at least for the day.
When I looked at my growth from the middle of May to the beginning of August, I was AMAZED!! I have gotten stronger and faster throughout the season 🙂 I am very excited to see how this momentum and these improvements will translate into Ironman Wisconsin 2014!!
PushMyLimits 
Such a rockstar! I can’t wait to see what your training has in store for you over the next year 🙂
Thanks!! You have been and will continue to be an instrumental part in pushing me to my limits and watching those limits shift. Thanks for your support 🙂
That’s so much improvement! Sometimes I get frustrated about not being where I want to be but if I look at how far I come I get pretty excited about where I’m heading. Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks Shannon!! I was a little frustrated with my results on Sunday, but when I compared them to the results from May’s workout, I was SUPER excited!! It is fun to look back and see the growth that has actually taken place over time.
That’s awesome! What are you doing to increase your bike speed? Just riding more or doing sprints on the bike?
Thanks!! I have been riding more, but my coach has also had me incorporating some Z4/Z5 efforts in some of my bike workouts as well. It has helped me to ride with people who are faster than me so I have to push a little harder to keep up with them 🙂
Those are HUGE gains! Nice job! Can’t wait to see it continue to improve for IMWI 2014!
Thanks Erin!! I’ll be cheering from afar and watching you for your race this coming weekend!! The day goes by SO fast, so remember to take it all in and enjoy every minute of it!!
Thank you! I’m SO excited!