Holy Cow - almost 1/3 done!!!

Admission time....the fact that this is week 12 - 1/3 the way through this program - makes me initially a little excited...but then mostly scared. Am I ready? Am I on track? Is there enough time left to really be fully trained?

EEEKKKKK!!!!

We're headed to Orlando next weekend, so I will be slightly altering the schedule in order to accomodate and not miss. I am also going to throw in a little yoga since I have the opportunity at work to do it for free once a week for the next 6 weeks. Looking forward to the stretching!!!

Week 12
Ultra Distance GroupWEEK #12 Swim 2:30 - Bike 5:15 - Run 3:30 -- Total: 11:15

Monday
SWIM 0:45 WARM UP 2 x (100 Swim - 100 Kick - 100 Pull) - continuous (600 total) 8 x 75 (50 Swim - 25 Choice) w/10 sec rest (ALTERNATE SET: 4 x 75 Swim) MAIN SET 1000 continuous swim, hold steady pace throughout (roughly 75%) (ALTERNATE SET: 800 Swim) COOL DOWN 4 x 50 w/10, keeping your HR @60% throughout DAILY TOTAL: 0:45

Tuesday
BIKE 1:20 WARM UP 12:00 easy spinning, gradually working up to 65-70% MAIN SET 3 x (5mi / 8km / 14:00) @75% -- begin one aerobic interval every 15:00 (roughly 1:00 recovery, @60-70%) -- Remember: if you reach the recommended 14:00 before you reach the suggested distance, then stop at the 14:00 mark. COOL DOWN continue spinning @90-95rpm, bringing your HR under 60% by the end.

RUN 0:40 15:00 warm up jog, gradually bringing the intensity up to 65-70% Stride Drills: 4 x "250 Strides" on 5:00 interval (This means to begin each one, every five minutes.) Focus on increasing the speed of your leg turnover while forcing your HR to stay under 75% the entire time. Cool down completely, bringing your HR back down to 60% by the end.

DAILY TOTAL: 2:00 WEEK-TO-DATE: 2:45

Wednesday

SWIM 1:00 WARM UP 400 Swim - 200 Kick - 300 Pull (ALTERNATE SET: 300 Swim - 100 Kick - 200 Pull) Intermediate Set: 8 x 50 (25 easy / 25 fast) w/10 sec rest MAIN SET -- BIG TARGET! This set is the same distance as previous target sets, but it is broken up into slightly larger "pieces". You should be able to maintain the same (or faster!) pace for this set than you did previously. Remember your times, take notes, and look for measured improvement. 10 x 150 @race pace (85+%) w/15 sec rest between each -- keep track of your total time (add up the time for each of the 150's) and record the average pace per 100 in your log book for future reference. You should begin to see improvement over previous target sets (1, 2, or several seconds per 100). (ALTERNATE SET: 8 x 150) COOL DOWN 100 Swim - 75 Kick - 50 Swim - 25 Kick -- all @60%

BIKE 1:05 WARM UP 18:00 Gearing Pyramid: 3:00 in easiest gear, 4:00 in next gear, then 5:00, finishing with 6:00. -- your HR should be @70% during the final 6:00 DRILLS 3 x 3:00 ILT w/30 sec recovery after each -- each repeat should be 3 x (20 sec one leg / 10 sec transition / 20 sec other leg / 10 sec transition) 3 x 4:30 Variable Gearing set w/30 sec recovery -- every repeat should be as follows: 3 x thru the following: 40 sec in "medium" gear; 20 sec in "easy" gear; 30 sec in "hard" gear 15:00 aerobic spin @75% -- this will provide a little aerobic activity to finish off this session COOL DOWN Continue spinning @90rpm for the final 7-8:00, bringing your HR back under 60% by the end. DAILY TOTAL: 2:05 WEEK-TO-DATE: 4:50

Thursday
SWIM 0:45 WARM UP 600 easy swim -- gradually build to 75% by the end MAIN SET 2 x 800 w/30 sec rest in between #1 @75% #2 @80-84% -- you can Pull this one if you want to COOL DOWN 4 x 50 w/10, bringing the intensity back down to 60%

RUN 0:50 This is intended to be done at your local track -- durations have been included in case you have to run out on the road instead. 10:00 warm up jog 3 x 2400 (12:00) @75% w/800 (3:00) @60-70% in between Continue jogging, cooling down to 60% before stopping. DAILY TOTAL: 1:35 WEEK-TO-DATE: 6:25

Friday Big rest day, as usual.

Saturday BIKE 2:05 WARM UP 18:00 Gearing Pyramid: 3:00 in easiest gear, 4:00 in next gear, then 5:00, finishing with 6:00. -- your HR should be @70% during the final 6:00 DRILLS 2 x 4:30 Variable Gearing set w/30 sec recovery -- every repeat should be as follows: 3 x thru the following: 40 sec in "medium" gear; 20 sec in "easy" gear; 30 sec in "hard" gear MAIN SET -- BIG TARGET! 2 x (11.2 miles / 18km / 33:00) @75% w/2:00 recovery @60-70% intensity -- straight into 1 x (5.6 miles / 9km / 17:00) @75% -- make sure that you keep your HR under control for both repeats, and record both times (and average HR, if possible) for future reference. Note: This is 25% of a complete Ironman bike ride, held at 75% intensity. Not too bad, right? COOL DOWN Continue spinning, bringing your HR back under 60% before finishing. Hold your cadence at 90+ rpm throughout.

RUN 0:35 This is a steady aerobic effort to finish off your day -- do a quick transition after your ride and get on the run right away. Keep your HR under 75% throughout, and finish with 2-3:00 of walking to bring the intensity under 50% before stopping.

DAILY TOTAL: 2:40 WEEK-TO-DATE: 9:05

Sunday RUN 1:25 Steady aerobic effort, making sure to hold proper running form. Keep your HR under 75% the entire time.

BIKE 0:45 Easy spin, just a rejuvenating continuation of your run. Don't let your HR get above 70%, and bring it down gradually to 60% with 5:00 remaining. Finish with 2-3 min @50% or slightly below. Here's some structure that can help pass the time: Begin with 25:00 @75%, in a fairly challenging gear -- you should start out with a cadence of 80-84, and as your legs adjust to the transition from the run this will naturally increase to the mid-90's (if it doesn't, switch to an easier gear). Reduce the gearing for the next 12:30, holding 60-70%, and finish up with 7:30 of easy spinning @50-60%.
DAILY TOTAL: 2:10 WEEK-TO-DATE: 11:15