International Distance Group
Week 5

Swim 3:00 - Bike 3:30 - Run 2:15 - Total: 8:45


 OK!  I know how excited you will all be to hear that starting this week the intensities are going UP!  We've still got two cycles worth of aerobic training to do, but you should definitely feel yourself progressing and getting stronger as each week passes.

It is still important to keep your HR under control and not deviate from the plan.  It is better to slow down if you need to in order to keep your HR under control than to allow it to rise too high.  Right now even a little anaerobic work will compromise the building of your aerobic base.

As always, have a great week!

Mon

Day off.
 

DAILY TOTAL: 0:00
Tues

SWIM 0:45
    WARM UP:

         200 Swim - 200 Kick - 200 Pull

    MAIN SET:

         5 x 300 @ 70-75% w/:30 rest; best average

    The goal is to try to hold an even pace throughout the set while going as fast as you can with your HR below 75%.  This set will serve as a baseline.  We will be repeating this set in the future and you will be able to chart your progress.   

    COOL DOWN:

        200 backstroke

RUN 0:45
     WARM UP:
 
        Jog easy for the first 25minutes, keeping your HR below 70%.

    MAIN SET:
 
        Go right into the following sprint set.  8 sets of:

            :20 Strides
            1:30 easy jog

        Strides are done at about 95% effort -- not quite all out.  It is important to keep your body relaxed, your stride and breathing flowing, and to stay light on your feet.
        This set will help you with your leg turnover speed and serve to ease the transition to anaerobic work in the future.

    COOL DOWN:

        Bring your HR back down to 65-70% during the remainder of the run.
 

DAILY TOTAL: 1:30
         WEEK-TO-DATE: 1:30
Wed

BIKE 1:15
    WARM UP:

    During the first 40 minutes, spin @ 90-95rpms and gradually build to 70%.

    MAIN SET:

        Complete 8 - 12 repeats of the following sprint set:
 
            :20 Jumps
            1:40 easy spinning

        It is important to balance your effort on these sprints with staying relaxed.  The idea is to go as hard as you can in the biggest gear you can manage while doing two things:  1) spinning at 110+rpms; and 2) staying completely relaxed.
        It's harder than it sounds, but if you can accomplish these two things during the set, you will make great strides to improving your economy of motion, which will in turn lead to less energy spent during hard sets and races.
        If you own a CompuTrainer, pay close attention to your watts.  Try to improve your performance with every sprint.  If you use a stationary bike unit, hook up a bike computer to your rear wheel so you can keep track of your MPH.  Neither of these tools is essential to benefit from this, or any set, but having an onboard "coach" helps to keep you motivated.

    COOL DOWN:

        For the remainder of the time, let you HR dip below 65%.

SWIM 0:45
    WARM UP:

        2 sets of 100 Swim - 100 Kick - 100 Pull
    Make the second set of 100s faster than the first set.

    MAIN SET:

         7 x 200 (125 @ 70% - 75 @ 75%) with :20 rest

        There should be a definite change in pace during the final 75.  Try to keep your stroke count even, despite the fact you're increasing your speed.

    COOL DOWN:

        400 Pull easy and with perfect technique.

                                                                                                            DAILY TOTAL: 2:00
         WEEK-TO-DATE: 3:30
Thurs

 RUN 0:45
     WARM UP:
 
        Jog easy for the first 10 minutes, keeping your HR below 70%.

    MAIN SET:
 
        For the middle 30minutes, allow your HR to rise above 70% and hold it between 70-75%.  Try not to get too anxious to raise your HR as you may have to slow down by the end of the run in order to keep it below 75%.

    COOL DOWN:

        Bring your HR back down below 65% during the last 5 minutes of the run.

SWIM 0:45
    WARM UP:

        400 Swim - 200 Kick - 200 Pull

    MAIN SET:

         2 x 700 @ 70-75% with 1:00 rest between

        Hold a consistent pace or make the second repeat faster than the first, it's up to you.  Concentrate on perfect technique and keeping your stroke count even.

    COOL DOWN:

        100 - 200 easy swim, your choice
 

DAILY TOTAL: 1:30
WEEK-TO-DATE: 5:00
Fri

SWIM 0:45
    WARM UP:

        600 your choice

    MAIN SET:

        5 sets of:
 
            150 @ 70% with :15 rest
            3 x 50 @ 75% with :10 rest
        No added rest between sets.
 
        With the repeats being shorter, it will require more effort to get your HR up to 75%.  No need to check it after every 50, but rather after #3 of every set.

    COOL DOWN:

        3 x 100 easy swim, your choice with :10 rest

    DAILY TOTAL: 0:45
WEEK-TO-DATE: 5:45

Sat

BIKE 1:15
    WARM UP:

    Allow your HR to gradually rise up to 70% during the first 15:00.

    MAIN SET:

        For the next 50 minutes, hold your HR @ 70-75%.  While these long, steady-state sessions (for both biking and running) may seem monotonous or boring, it is important to complete these before doing shorter, more intense repeats at the same HR intensity.
    Everything starts out very general and gets more and more specific as the season progresses.

    COOL DOWN:

        Allow your HR to come back down to 60-70% for the last 10 minutes.
 

DAILY TOTAL: 1:15
WEEK-TO-DATE: 7:00
Sun

RUN 0:45
     WARM UP:
 
        Jog easy for the first 10 minutes, keeping your HR below 70%.

    MAIN SET:
 
        Hold your HR @ 75% for the next 30 minutes.  At this speed (and faster) it is crucial to run with a stride-rate of 90-95 spm.

    COOL DOWN:

        Jog easy below 65% to the end.

BIKE 1:00
    Try to do this ride right after running if you can.  Keep your HR below 75% and spin at 95+ rpm in your small chain ring.

    During the middle 40 minutes, do two sets of:
        8:30 @ 75%
        1:30 @ 65%
        8:30 @ 75%
        1:30 @ 70%

    During the final 10 minutes, let your HR come down below 65%.
 

DAILY TOTAL: 1:45
WEEK-TO-DATE: 8:45