Reflections on winter training.

Today, in her annual Christmas message, the Queen talked about using this time of year as an opportunity for reflection: "We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock."

So I thought I’d follow her example and take stock of my winter training; pause, reflect and think about how best to proceed into 2014.

My plans for next season are Wilmslow half marathon (March 23rd), Outlaw Half triathlon (1st June) and IronmanUK in Bolton (20th July 2014). 

As last year, I put together a 12 week “Winter Training Block” to get me through October, November and December before getting "serious" in January.

So how did it go? The graphs show the comparable 12 week periods, 2012 on the left, 2013 on the right. The bar graphs below show hours per week, with planned hours in grey, completed hours in colour. (Done with the help of Training Peaks, beta version)

% time dedicated to each activity

Last year I mapped out a very precise swim plan and stuck to it like glue. The reward? A 400m PB in early January.

This year I re-visited my stroke with a Swimsmooth video analysis. This was really helpful, pointing out a slight cross over and sub-optimal catch on the right side.

However, while reconstructing my stroke, it looks like I lost a bit of focus and my swim training has clearly been a bit less consistent. I’m currently 15secs off last year’s PB.

I feel that my stroke has improved so now it’s time to regain some focus, put in the hard graft and hopefully gains will come.

It’s on the bike where I need to improve if I want to get more competitive in my age group. So I was happy to see that my aim to ride on Saturdays and Sundays panned out to some extent, resulting in more winter mileage.

VO2max intervals and Sufferfests kept me going on the turbo. Re-testing will determine whether it’s had any impact on my 5 min and 20 min power.

Last winter was all about running rehab, hence all the walking and slow build up: maximum 5km runs at 6 min per k pace. This resulted in a great base and an injury-free 2013.

This winter I continued the slow running but superimposed XC races and a few track sessions. So far so good, and I’m looking forward to a good training block before the Wilmslow half where I hope to attack 1:20.

Trips to the gym have been rather sporadic this year.  Not sure why. Interestingly, if you ignore the walking last year, my total training hours are similar, so maybe I’m at my natural limit.

So with the extra hours on the bike, something had to give: if ever I felt tired I’d sack off the gym, reasoning that they are the least important sessions.

I’m still a bit tubby, ~2 kgs heavier than this time last year. But that was part of the plan – honest guv. Last year I did quite a bit of trimming down over winter. This winter my diet has been healthy but I’ve not restricted myself.

The plan now is to lose those 2kgs before Wilmslow; the first week or so will be tough as I cut down on “white” carbs.

Anyway, overall I’m pretty happy with how this year’s winter training went. A few work-related trips disrupted my rhythm but overall I’ve been pretty consistent, averaging 13hrs per week.

This process of reflection has helped me re-focus and I have a pretty good idea what I need to do as I move into the “Base Phase” of my Annual Training Plan. 2014 is just around the corner and I’m looking forward to it. 

For more regular updates, I plan to post more regularly on Stava.

Anyway, that's enough, time for Doctor Who. Good luck to everyone for 2014.