Weekly Update:
Overview – This past week I have felt much better than the previous two weeks, despite a new high TSS.
•Less sense of overall fatigue,
• improved strength in my weaker leg,
• improving sense of capability in my right knee, with less pain there eg walking up/down stairs, running,
• Able to make it through to Monday (today) without feeling I needed a day off
• Beginning to see results in long workouts in all three disciplines.
PMC Stats: Peak CTL 129, today 127 (before any workouts); peak ramp today 6.5; peak TSS -31 today; total TSS for the week 1,138, most since last season/year.
Daily workouts:
Monday: 27′ Zwift race on London Classique @ 1.027 IF; 25′ weights (This is my “easy day”)
Tuesday: OWS 4000 yds/1 hr 22′; Run 5 mi
Wed: Run Cruise Intervals 1 km (1′) @ 7:50, 5 mi in 45′; Weights x 25′
Thursday: Mountain Ride 4 hr 7′, 6050′, Two climbing intervals, 1st @ VAM 650 x 57′, 0.875 IF; ending climb of 1600’/6 mi in 47’@ 0.78 IF.
Friday: Zwift Recovery Ride x 60′ (Pack Slackers Group); PT x 50′
Saturday: Split Long Run – 6 AM 8 mi/77′; Evening @ 7 PM 5 mi in 45:46; OWS @ 9 AM 3300 yds/62′
Sunday: Another Mountain bike ride, non-stop from 383′ >> 5300′ in 2 hr 23′ @ 0.83 IF; Evening 2.1 mi run for frequency.
Total run miles this week 25.3 @ 30″/mi faster than previous week. Most of it was done on the track, with a big effort to take 30+ seconds each mile to drink, walk (water fountain there makes it easy). That flat running plus the morning PT I’m doing plus the more formal weekly PT sessions and the daily NormaTec I think are finally making a difference in how my knee is doing. I don;t want to give the impression that all is fine. The swelling is still there. It’s still somewhat tender when I’m done running. But it feels better, and I’m running more (NOT faster) than at any point in the last 18+ months. If I keep this up, then any failures on the run on race day will be due to execution and nutrition/hydration errors, not fitness or knee capacity.
Upcoming week is a breather while I travel to Cleveland for the USAT SC Nat’l Champs, to get on Team USA for ITU WC next year in Canada. I expect a top ten finish (7-8-9), anything better than 7th will be a raging success IMO. It will be a good test of both execution patience, and run strength, as I try to run to my limits. (I intend to really work the bike right on the RPE red line for the final 60′ after a 10′ ramp-up.)
8 more weeks of pre-taper training, with increasing emphasis on long workouts in all three sports, and holding steady on the weekly TSS.