A Time for Research and a Time for...

Every now and then, I become acutely aware that I am using the word 'research' as a euphemism for procrastination. So after a solid week of 'research' (although to be fair, I did consult with a host of people whose opinions I value when it comes to triathlon training - you know who you are!), I am ready to make the following changes to my training program:

1. Overall increase in bike volume: I am lengthening all my sessions somewhat and am adding a fourth session on the bike which will be a steady-state session with a transition to run.

2. Overall increase in intensity of mid-week bike sessions: I will continue with one weekly session focused on hard-gear hill training and one session focused on flat accelerations and go as hard as I can on both. While I had already started to move my training in this direction, others have now confirmed that it is absolutely the right thing to do and I just need to be patient to see the results.

3. Keep the Sunday sessions with the club to strictly endurance sessions: in other words, no racing with the boys allowed, and let myself be pushed if it means saving my legs for harder mid-week training.

4. Lean out some more: while I did a good job of leaning out in recent months by cutting back on simple carbs (most notably for me, and quite the personal sacrifice while living in the south of France, wine and bread), it can't hurt to carry less kilos in the saddle still. So I have cleared my social calender of evenings out until the end of July, and have set a goal of dropping 4kg (yes, in addition to occasionally dreaming in French, I have started to think in kilos). I'll write more about how I'm safely doing this later.

5. I will quit worrying about why I am sleeping less and in the absence of any negative effects, will use the extra time to train more.

So now that the time for research is over and the time for action is here, I headed out to a particular favourite hill-training spot yesterday and upped the anti on my hill repeats under a hot midday sun. It's a remote spot on a narrow road amongst some of the older chateaus; the domains that flank the road look like they are small-scale production from old and knotted vines and there's not a welcoming degustation sign in sight (classic old chateau behaviour). Cars rarely pass out here and the cicadas are so loud that they drown out my heavy breathing. The hill itself is really just a gentle slope, although it doesn't feel like that after eight seated reps in my highest gear, all of which made me quite suddenly miss doing the research.