Training for triathlon & Tough Mudder 04/27/12
Since my last blog post about my training preparations for the triathlon, my schedule has been pretty crazy! However, that is great since that means I’ve been working hard and I’ve had the opportunity to train martial arts or do personal training with many people.
Overall, I have still managed to make progress in my training. I have gone swimming, which actually went much better than expected. I do need to swim more frequently but the initial feeling was good. I swam 1.75km (little more than a mile) with little breaks here and there. I will never be a fast swimmer and it is the weakest part of my triathlon but if I can get through it the same way or a little better than my first (and only so far) triathlon back in 2009, I’ll be happy.
I finished that tri in 2 hours and 34 minutes so you can imagine those 4 minutes have been bugging me. Therefore, one of my goals this year is to do an olympic tri under 2 and a half hours.
My plan is to run the Bolder Boulder on May 28th, do the tri on June 2nd and Tough Mudder on June 10th. The main goal is Tough Mudder so the other races are goals as well but will act more like good training sessions. Between this and the fact that my first tri was at sea level, I have no idea what to expect doing one here. I also gained much more mass since then which means more weight and more water & wind resistance. Nonetheless, I have no doubt I can break 2 and a half hours but it will probably be my next triathlon, which is in September. The Sunrise tri on June 2nd will be more of a practice round to see what my level is at the moment and what needs to be adjusted.
During the last few weeks, these training sessions are the ones that stuck out to me:
- 2 rides back to back: I rode with friends first and afterwards, I rode with my wife. The goal was simply to do more miles and get my body adjusted to the feel of the bike.
- A tempo run at the Boulder Creek Path which hurt but I wanted to see how my legs would feel as I normally run much slower. I do need to do more of these but my schedule has been limiting.
- A 3 hour ride to Lyons and Hygiene with a good amount of climbing for me (try to ride up 205lbs + bike and you’ll understand). We still managed to get an average speed of 17.1miles/hour which was satisfactory at this early point of my training.
- On April 16th, I went running (slow) for about 45 minutes and did a bike ride by myself. Both felt great and the feeling is coming back (thank you muscle memory). Especially the ride was fantastic as it was windy and I had an average of 18.1miles/hour.
- The biggest cardio workout so far: a bike ride to Carter Lake for a total of 3.5 hours at an average speed of 18.5miles/hour. This was a great ride and a very important workout since it will boost my endurance and I didn’t encounter any major problems.
In between these sessions, I did martial arts, cross training, hiking, tennis and some shorter rides/runs. This week has been a bigger challenge as I have not had as much time to do long cardio workouts so I am hoping for this weekend.
My goal for next week will be (in addition to my regular activities):
- A long run
- A shorter fast run
- 2 swimming sessions of 2km each
- A 3 hour bike ride
- A 2 hour faster bike ride
Even though training may not always be easy, find that motivation and satisfaction. That’s what will keep you going!
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Training for summer & Tough Mudder: April 6, 2012
It is April 6th and I have less than 2 months before I do the Sunrise Boulder triathlon and about 2 months before doing Tough Mudder. My training at Define Defense has paid off well and my overall cardio, strength and muscle endurance are satisfactory.
It is time however, to start doing more miles to improve my cardiovascular endurance. I would advise to start of with training many miles and then work up the intensity once the races approach. However, with my work this was hard to accomplish so I trained hard during Cross Training / TRX classes, martial arts and weight lifting until now, which I will keep doing (it is so hard to sit out during classes, I always end up participating in most of them).
On Monday, I decided to wear my heart rate monitor during our Modern Martial Arts class to analyze the intensity of the class. During these classes, everyone works at their own level and will not be compared to one another. I tend to push myself pretty hard and wearing the heart rate monitor was also an extra motivation.
As you can see, my average heart rate was 149bpm and max was 175bpm. That is a pretty high average for me, meaning I pushed myself hard. Please note that everyone’s data would be different and you cannot compare your data to anyone else’s. My absolute maximum heart rate would probably be around 195bpm. This would be accomplished by going all out for a short period of time. During martial arts class, you want to sustain efforts for a longer period of time.
During the warmup, my heart rate elevated pretty quickly. About halfway through, we did some drills and when I was holding the bag for my partner(s), my heart rate dropped. The last part of the class had a higher intensity again and my heart rate stayed pretty much around 170bpm the whole time.
We did push ourselves pretty hard. Some classes will be cardio based and others will be technique based. They are not always this physically challenging and everyone works at their level, working on their strengths and also weaknesses. It does show you, that this class was a great workout and doing this will absolutely improve your cardio, muscular strength, endurance etc.
On Wednesday, I made my first real bike ride of the season. Because I raced back in Belgium, bike riding is a lot of fun for me and has a lot of memories. Therefore, I enjoy doing it and I want to continue to test myself, for example with triathlons.
I did not have an abundance of time so I only rode the bike for a little more than an hour to test my legs. I was pretty happy with the results. My average speed was 18.7mph with an elevation gain of 651 feet and an average heart rate of 145bpm. I held a pace I knew I could keep up but it was still challenging for my legs. I realized my cardio is great but the specific movements to cycling was hard for my leg muscles. This means I simply have to do more miles and train more specific to my goal (triathlon). Specific training to your goal is very important, for any sport. If you do a swimming race, you have to swim and if you do a running race, you need to run. However, cross training does have a very important role in all training.
This weekend, my goal is to ride 2-2.5 hours and in a few weeks, do bike rides of about 4 hours, once or twice a week. I am fortunate to have the experience with the bike and having a good overall foundation to work from. For beginners, I would not recommend increasing the work load like this.
Finally, on Thursday my wife, dog and I went to hike up Mount Sanitas and Dakota Ridge. Hiking is a great workout to work on your training base or foundation. As you can see, the average heart rate was only 122bpm but it is still challenging for the leg muscles when you have elevation differences. It is enjoyable and a good variation in my training. If I was competing with the bike, I would not be hiking too much or consider it a workout in season. But since I am only doing these races recreationally, I do consider this a workout and an aid to my training, especially for the Tough Mudder race on June 10th.
In between these workouts, I of course worked out more. I did some running and cross training, weight lifting and walking. These were simply some interesting notes on my training progress and heart rate data.
Heart rate data is very individual and do not base your performance and especially training program on someone else’s information. If you are interested in building a better training program for yourself, contact us and we can assist you in doing so.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Goal Setting: The Next Phase in my Training
The first few years after cycling and doing weight training off and on, I gained a great amount of muscle mass. At this point in time, I weigh about 215lbs with a fat percentage of approx. 14% (up from 8% when cycling). The reason behind the higher fat percentage is less cardio (I was on the bike 18 hours/week) and a less strict diet since I was no longer competing until now.
It was very important for me to retain my full range of motion, flexibility and speed. Mass means nothing if you can't put it to good use after all, especially as a martial artist. This is why I always focussed on explosiveness, speed drills, stretching and giving martial arts training 100%. The right attitude means everything. You can train 6 hours/day but if you only give 50%, results will stay behind. I was also very fortunate to study in a great college (while cycling) and since one of my majors was Physical Education, we had about 12 hours of different sports every week. This absolutely made me a more complete and diverse athlete, challenging me in every way. I feel stronger than ever and haven’t compromised my speed, flexibility etc.
Next week, we are doing a workshop about the Paleo diet. I will do a 30 day Paleo diet challenge throughout March and expect this to be a great help in my training. It will also be a great experience as I really like the idea behind the Paleo diet. I will be posting blog articles, updates and videos about my upcoming training, progress and Paleo diet experience. Every week, I will show you what I am doing and what differences I notice by changing my routines.
Until then, my training will be stepped up a notch and the focus will be on 5-6 meals a day with unsaturated fats, complex carbs and protein in every meal. Drinking lots of water is vital and fruits, vegetables and lean meats will be my refuge. Stay tuned for more updates!
By Sander Vanacker, owner and head instructor of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302