And selected as the TT 2023 SmackDown Event here:
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Keep trying to remember to approach the GF about this 
Well, tell her I’ve got a race if she wants a road trip!
Edit, if I’m alive after tonight & Thursday I’ll investigate further
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And why the starting approach comes from how much time do I have to train rather than what training do I want to fit in.
Thats a difficult first Q to get though.
Whatever you think you have, you have a fair percentage less.
Then add a lot of time on for getting changed, setting up kit, extra showers and a lot of extra meal prep.
Then remember to add the extra recovery time for those sessions, extra sleep etc.
Then safety margin for all the unplanned events that crop up.
Then the fact that if you manage to have high training load and getting tired you’ll get slower at everything else.
And that’s just what time you have.
Whether you have the fitness to train that much is another Q to match them.
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That’s my starting point too. I know what time slots i have to train in. Then I have to see what time fakily.takes from that. Work rakes some time too with ‘out of hours’ work which is generally late as we’re a 24/7 business. I have recently had to work through the night on consecutive weekends. That really through me.
I need more power on the bike and be quicker through the water, so that is my main focus in training over winter. With running, I just need to get the frequency back to 3-4 runs a week.
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This is probably my biggest target.
Sub 5 at 55 is not uncommon in these speedy times but I would certainly class that as a big achievement.
Deva
Sundowner ( gone)
Or the one you all do ( cots ) are favourite for the fastest course.
Swim and bike wise I won’t be far off by the spring if I continue with the small gains, running wise, I’m miles off but I think I know why
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I think this (and the general idea about “extra recovery”) is where I think differently, obviously any individual goal depends hugely on your natural genetics and past training, but for many considering it sub 5 70.3 is well within the range of achievable. And given that it doesn’t need all this extra “recovery”, I’d say if you need recovery time, or your ability to carry on with the rest of your life, then your training in that session was too hard, your body won’t be able to build more adaptations from the excess stress, so all you’ve done is made the next workout harder to fit in.
Perhaps if you’re really chasing a very difficult goal, in which case you absolutely need to maximise adaptations, biasing towards too much might be slightly safer (as too little will guarantee you won’t make it) but that’s about setting realistic goals.
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Still need to come to a conclusion on whether my plan will get me to where I want to go.
In the absence of that, I’m going to use the 20/21 stats as my assumption of what good can look like, and try to smooth it with consistency.
That was SBR 5/2.75/1.25 hrs 291/194/90 TSS
I’m aiming for a base of SBR 4/4/2 hrs, 300/250/150 TSS.
Then I averaged 30mins lifting per week but really swung between 0 and 2hrs, I’ll want for one lift per week.
I’ve got 17hrs of available slots, so 10 is achievable. Life will make 4-5 weeks write offs.
I’ll use TrainerRoad, modifying the run and swim.
Bedtime is now 9pm. Get up time is 6:30. So sleep has a chance.
Nutrition is focussed on quality. And I’ll be fuelling my sessions with sugary water and post whey protein.
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Having a bit of a panic.
It’s mid feb.
I decided to keep training relatively low, 5.5-8h, but I’m 10W of where I want to be now FTP wise and 20W off my target for June.
Longest tempo run has been 11.5km at 5:17/km which feels good. On target for 1h50 half, setting up for 1h45.
Weight has stopped rising, but still 2kg over Jan target.
Sleep is on target.
I really want to increase training volume, but I’m afraid I’ll lose the consistency I’ve set up as my holy grail.
Usually I’m up into the 260s without much bike training at all, I’m stuck at 254 for months…shit just realised I didn’t touch 260 last year after March!
Do I give it time let it ramp up?
Or push it to 10hrs now?
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Stay as you are.
What is the A race this year?
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June’s a long way away still
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Kudos, nice sandbagging.
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whatshisface with all the KQ data reckons that the training you do now is about getting you ready for the big push in April/May (it’s a boy etc)
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Cheers guys, I’ll stop being such a pussycat.
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I’d stick with the plan or if you do increase only slightly, you’ll be upset with yourself if you do too much and get injured.
Races are in June, not February.
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Sound advice I’ve chased too many watts too early before frequently.
Result has either been injury or (more usually) hitting a plateau just below where I want to be, being unable to get any closer then running on fumes by race time after eviscerating myself trying to push through.
Just gotta keep nudging it up bit by bit….
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Also, I just switched into build phase with a lot more threshold work - looks like my keenness hit at just the right time, as it’s feeling harder than I’d expected.
Doing a little extra this week as I’m off work but it’s only easy/base I’m adding. Trying to get good sleep but the cat has other ideas. 
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Erm. 
On the plus side, I feel I know myself a bit better now for the sub 5 attempt;
1900m in 36-37min is a really easy swim for me
190-200W on the bike is a steady 135-140bpm
5:17/km is a steadies out at 162bpm, about 5-9 beats below my lactate threshold (depending on who you believe)
The last one is where I need to get significant results - I just can’t seem to get my HR that high after the bike in a 70.3, nor pace. And needs no walking breaks to get me my 1h50 run leg…
So work to do, as expected swim and bike are nearly there and run isn’t, but time to improve.
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This might sound contradictory but I think an odd big week won’t hurt, bit like a mini training camp. If you’re off work and reduce all that stress, improved sleep etc
But trying to do it regularly whilst working would probably end up in disaster.
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We’ll see how this week goes. My legs were complaining this morning but got through my threshold bike session fine.
I’ve picked up a shoulder niggle overnight that is quite annoying. Wanted to try out a swim lesson tonight. Not sure if that’s sleep position (5yo on my side of the bed) or training yet.
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1900m is a 33mins solid swim.
210W is at 137bpm so I think race watts is looking good so far. Want to stretch that over 2.5hrs and see if I’m lasting.
Running off the 210W bike at 5:27/km feels good, avg 150bpm
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So I think I’m 33+2h30+2h+transitions. 5h15 maybe.
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Training adjustments:
Swim…club swim just doesn’t do much FS and with a few weeks left nothing much is going to move the needle. Just more volume.
I need to shave that run down to 5:11/km. I want to do more race pace running, which The Science says to avoid.
More long easy bikes. A few race effort simulations.
Have to ask permission for the Cotswold race soon, family issues may blow it out of the water so a home race sim will be my back up.
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