The 2013 Try Charleston 70.3 triathlon is only days away. That means it's time to review my training. I created a 20-week plan with 3 recovery periods and a 2-week taper before the race. Each discipline stair stepped up in volume/time through the weeks as the race neared. It was a good plan, start with 7 hours of training in a week and work up to 16 hours. Since the plan started in the dead of winter some of my cycling was done on the trainer. The rest was done outside on the road and well bundled up. My running was all local. I didn't compete in any foot races. My swim training was virtually non-existent. I swam once for 11 minutes during week 18. It was an open water swim and the water temperature was 62.5-degrees. I did no pool swimming, in fact, the last time I was in the water was during the 2012 Ironman Miami 70.3 in October.
I've included my training plan in pdf format should anyone be interested in checking it out. Here's a
link. If you're not interested in the full plan then here are some charts. The first chart shows what my plan called for. You'll notice the elevated steps in training. As the plotted lines move from left to right and from the bottom of the chart toward the top, the time required for each discipline is increased.
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| 20-Week Plan Overview Chart |
The second chart shows results that are not flattering. Each plotted line shows that I had no control over the plan or my training. I reviewed the plan often but there was always something, including my own lack of motivation, keeping me from sticking to the plan. The weather didn't help much either. Frankly, the Charleston race is a little too early in the season for my liking. I'd much prefer training in 90-degree weather than when temperatures are in the 30's. The second chart should somewhat match the first chart of planned training.
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| 20-Week Plan Completed Chart |
The third chart shows the percentage of what I actually did compared to what I was supposed to do. My 230 hours of training was reduced to 108 hours. That's not to say that much of the 108 hours wasn't good training because, most of it was good training but, I'll see if it was enough.
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| 20-Week Plan Percentage Chart |
Ideally, all the plotted lines in the third chart should go horizontally straight across the chart, left to right along the 1.00 (100%) line indicating that 100% of the planned training was completed.
So, there it is. My mental state is good and I'm looking forward to the Try Charleston 70.3 on Saturday. My training for Ironman Florida starts on June 13th. I will be ready!
Thanks for reading.
