Base Week #8 – In Review

My last week of the Base Phase of my training program was good.  A little compressed and “light” in the training department, but to be expected as a combination of a “rest week” in the program design, as well as because I had the boys all weekend. As for knowing what else happened last week?  Well, I’m sitting here with a blank mind.  I don;t think I could have done a better job emptying it, if I were meditating!

So…. let’s see… First thing to report on is the state of my body – more specifically my back.  As I exited the shower this morning I actually remarked to myself how 100% healthy I felt – so I guess you could say that little scare has passed… but not without leaving me some residual paranoia. Just enough to ensure I stay vigilant on a core program and maintain my stretching, etc.  Ensure that I’ve got enough strength and flexibility through my lower back and pelvis to maintain proper alignment and form.

Second, my sleep… well, I can always use more, but so far I’m doing OK.  For all those folks out there who are going to monitor my sleep patterns after my posts last week, the weekend was a bit of catchup for me, 7 and 8 hours  night.  And even last night I ended up with about 6.  That’s not too bad (for me)!

My overall training program felt light last week… maybe it was my focus on it being the end of Base… and the fact that volumes are inevitably going to crank through the Build Phase… But I only put in about 9 hours of training… Split almost evenly between swimming , biking and running.  On all counts, I feel strong.  I still feel the need to work on pure “power” in my legs.  But otherwise I’m 100% confident with where I am at as of now in my training program. In fact, I was able to hold a sub-2:00m/100m pace through the full 2500m long aerobic swim on Saturday.  That’s a super pat on my back and boost to the confidence.

From a nutrition perspective, I continued with the healthier food choices last week – after the couple weeks of junk I was pouring into myself after Leadville.  So, while I am treading water from a weight perspective, it’s not bothering me at all.  I’m likely still shifting a wee bit from a body composition standpoint – building muscle mass in an “even trade” with fat… and even if that’s not the case, I’m at a weight that I feel strong at… and don;t feel any necessity to drop further.

So, all in all, week 8 was a good one.  A good way to end the Base Phase.  And a nice jumping off point for the Build Phase of my program.

I will continue the tradition of reporting on key stats for the week.

Base Phase Week 8 -Training (week ending 22/04/2012) –

• Hours training:   9 Hrs
• Swim distance: 7,350m
• Bike Distance:  117.5 kms
• Run Distance:  30.5 kms
• Weight (Sunday AM):  164 lbs

AgeGroupDiaries Site Statistic (totals to 22/04/2012) –

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