2024 Training Log
Each Sunday I’m going to update this post weekly as a diary of my 2024 training journey. The idea took root after seeing Marco Altini’s training log last year — it inspired me.
This log is primarily for my reflection and tracking, but I’m open to any interactions or discussions you’d like to have. Exchanging thoughts and insights can improve our understanding and progression.
A bit about my journey: I ran my first marathon in 2009, clocking in at 3 hours 59 minutes. Fast forward to 2023, I achieved my first sub 3-hour marathon with a time of 2 hours 59 minutes. Alongside these milestones, I’ve completed a sub-5 hour 70.3 Ironman and three full Ironman races.
This log will be a window into how I build on these experiences in 2024.
Races and Goals
Island Race Series & Running
- January 14, Harriers Pioneer 8K, PR @ 30:33 (Race Report) ✔
- January 28, Cobble Hill 10K, PR @ 38:47 (Race Report) ✔
- February 11, Cedar 12K, 45:51 (Race Report) ✔
- February 25, Hatley Castle 8K, (Race Report) ✔
- ̶M̶a̶r̶c̶h̶ ̶1̶0̶,̶ ̶W̶e̶s̶t̶c̶o̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶S̶o̶o̶k̶e̶ ̶1̶0̶K̶. (Sick) ✘
- March 24, Comox Valley RV Half Marathon, 1:24:50 (Race Report) ✔
- ̶A̶p̶r̶i̶l̶ ̶7̶,̶ ̶M̶c̶L̶e̶a̶n̶ ̶M̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶1̶0̶K̶. (Skipped) ✘
- April 14, Synergy Health Centre Bazan Bay 5K, 18:16 (Race Report) ✔
- April 28, TC10K, PR @ 37:31 ✔
Triathlon
- May 26, Ironman 70.3 Victoria — (Goal: Sub 5), 5:12:50 (Race Report) ✔
- July 14, Victoria Half — 2024 BC Long Course Championships, World Championship Qualifier for Pontevedra, Spain 2025. (Race Report Soon) ✔
- August 4, Standard Elk Lake Triathlon, PB @ 2:24:04 (Race Report) ✔
- August 25, Ironman 70.3 Canada Penticton — 70.3 World Championship Qualification Slots for Marbella, Spain 2025.
Chicago Marathon
- October 13, The Chicago Marathon has been held in the city of Chicago, Illinois since 1977. This will be my first of the potential six World Marathon Majors.
Note: To improve accessibility and reduce the need for excessive scrolling, entries are now organized with the most recent entry at the top. If you prefer to read the entries in chronological order, please scroll to the bottom and work your way up. I made this change to streamline the process, which I found to be cumbersome with the previous method.
Week Thirty-Two
- Training Block: Peak Week 1
- Workouts: Endurance
This was my final build week before the Penticton 70.3 in a couple weeks, and also my last triathlon scheduled for the season. I also finally hit my goal of crossing the 100 fitness mark on Strava, which was satisfying but somewhat arbitrary.
The week started off easy with a recovery swim on Monday. On Tuesday, I joined the Tripleshot ride and followed it up with an FTP test later that day for a new startup I’m testing out.
Midweek, I had to travel, so Wednesday was a rest day as I flew to Bermuda for a personal trip. Thursday morning, I tackled my jet lag by joining an early morning ride group on the island.
Saturday was my last long ride, covering 113km around the island. It was a warm, four-hour ride. I felt strong for the first three hours, but the heat began to take its toll in the last hour.
The heat and humidity here are intense right now, it’s making running almost unbearable, so I’ve been getting up super early each day to beat the worst of it. Despite going to bed early, the early mornings are starting to wear on me, but I’m also making sure to stay hydrated.
I’ve been doing my swims at the national stadium, which has a beautiful 50-meter saltwater outdoor pool. Although it’s split into 25-meter sections for August, it’s still a great spot to get some swimming in.
Sunday’s two-hour long run was something I was not looking forward to because of the heat. While it wasn’t my fastest run, I got through it and checked it off the list. At around the 1:30 mark, I had to stop and wring out my shirt — it was soaked to the point that it felt like wringing out a towel.
Overall, the week was a mix of challenges and successes as I start my taper for Penticton 70.3.
Week Thirty-One
- Training Block: Build 2 Week 4
- Workouts: Standard Triathlon
Started off the week with a bit of a spin out on the bike and a swim to flush the legs from the Big Loop ride on Sunday. This led into an interval run on Tuesday, followed by a good build for the rest of the week and the Elk Lake Standard Distance Triathlon.
Thursday, I joined the Tripleshot crew for some TT efforts around Beacon Hill. This was the hardest set of efforts I’ve done there, and riders started dropping off. By the end, it was just me and another rider, but I was barely holding on. I jokingly asked him where he got the e-bike afterward — he’s just a very strong cyclist.
Friday was a strong long run with a 30-minute build set, which was tough and left my legs sore on Saturday. Stress was a bit less this week as the kids are away for a few days, and I’ve been trying to work on getting better sleep and recovery.
Saturday was a 3-hour ride out to Metchosin, where I did some intervals followed by a 30-minute brick run with some higher efforts. After these two longer days, I was pretty spent, and the last thing I wanted to do was get up early for a race.
This all culminated in the Elk Lake Triathlon on Sunday, which I completed on tired legs. This week also got me very close to achieving my goal of hitting over 100 fitness score on Strava — the closest I got last year was 99, and I’ve never crossed 100. You can read my race report for more details on this.
Week Thirty
- Training Block: Build 2 Week 3
- Workouts: Big Loop
Week Twenty-Nine
- Training Block: Recovery
- Workouts: Penticton Recon
Week Twenty-Eight
- Training Block: Race Week
- Workouts: Victoria Half Triathlon
Week Twenty-Seven
- Training Block: Taper Time
- Workouts: Long Swim
This week started off strong with a long Canada Day swim at Thetis Lake, covering about 4700 meters. In retrospect, I probably should have thrown down the extra 300 meters to cap off 5k, but it was still my longest swim ever. I got a few solid swim sets in this week, totalling about 11.25 km, which is a nice strong swim week for me and a good way to start my taper in preparation for the Victoria Half on July 14th.
I’ve previously started my taper about two weeks out, but I always end up feeling sluggish and as if I’ve lost fitness tapering for that long for a half. So, my coach and I decided to push it until about halfway through the week before starting to dial it down. So far, that feels like the right decision. I feel ready to go into a lower volume week, but I also feel well-tuned.
The exception is my right leg, which is giving me a few niggles right now. I’m hoping this resolves itself quickly over the next day or so. There’s an annoying pinch and tightness on the inside of my adductor muscle, likely caused by several hours of unplanned gardening on Saturday.
On Tuesday what was supposed to be a steady B-1 Tripleshot ride ended up closer to an A-2 ride. We had a coffee meetup at the Beacon Hill flagpole with Sarah Van Dam and Erin Attwell for a send-off as they head to Paris for the Olympic Games! 🇫🇷
This week, I really need to dial in my sleep and rest. I want to feel ready to go next Sunday, and I know that work is going to be full-on this week, so I need to balance that out with good rest and nutrition.
Week Twenty-Six
- Training Block: Build Week 4/4
- Workouts: Long Run
After the long loop ride on Sunday, I got in a small recovery ride on Monday at lunch and did some swimming to flush out the legs. Overall, I felt pretty good and recovered quickly.
The Splash and Dash at Elk Lake was a bit uneventful this week. It was cold and windy, and turnout was low. While it was still good practice, I prefer having more people in attendance to make it a bit more competitive.
For my long run, I broke out of my regular routine and did a couple of loops (and a bit) around Elk Lake. It was a nice change of scenery and a great way to practice some on-course running for the upcoming Victoria Half.
Scheduling was a bit tricky on the weekend, so I opted to join the Tripleshot Sunday Social ride. It was probably a bit shorter than what I had in my training program, but I still got a good push on some of the sprint sections with the crew, even on the Sunday Social rides.
This variation in training added a refreshing change to my routine and kept things interesting. The combination of recovery rides, focused runs, and social rides helped maintain my enthusiasm and fitness level. Sometimes I need to switch it up a bit to stay engaged.
Week Twenty-Five
- Training Block: Build Week 3/4
- Workouts: Strong Run, Long Ride
This week felt like a significant improvement. I felt stronger and less stressed than I have over the past few while. It was a good week for rebuilding fitness and confidence after feeling run down in previous weeks. My data across all the platforms supports this too.
Coincidentally, many training sessions took place around Beacon Hill Park this week. Completing the Tripleshot Silly Summer Solstice ride was the highlight, with my long run coming in a close second. More on these below.
Monday focused on strong 1-mile effort runs around Beacon Hill. Thursday’s ride involved the Tripleshot TT loops, adding some intensity to my week. Friday was dedicated to hill runs, going up and over Beacon Hill. As you can see, I might take a break from Beacon Hill this week!
On Saturday, I pulled off a strong long run, completing 26 km with 12 over-unders. I aimed to keep my “unders” under a 4:00/km pace and managed to gap my “overs” by 30 seconds, staying just under 4:30/km. I was really happy with this effort, ending the run with an average pace of 4:21/km.
Sunday was the Silly Summer Solstice ride, covering 100 loops around Beacon Hill Park. This ride totalled 175 km at an average speed of 30 km/h, marking my longest ride in a while. We started with a small group that gradually grew until about the midway point, where people started to drop off. At the peak, we had about 25 people. The conditions were quite gusty along Dallas Road, adding some extra effort there.
All in all, this felt like the strongest week I’ve had in a while, and it helped me rebuild some of the fitness I’d lost over the past few weeks. My Strava shows my fitness increasing to 85, and this week was my biggest in terms of time spent training, largely due to the weekend workouts.
Mentally, it’s been a bit tricky not comparing myself to last year, which is one of the downsides of having so much data available. While I am in a completely different circumstance this year and training for different races, I still find myself wanting to compete against last year’s version of myself. After this weekend last year, my fitness peaked at 99, an all-time high for me, and I felt like I was the fittest I’d ever been. This year, although I feel fit, it doesn’t compare to last year. This year brings more commitments and a need to reprioritize responsibilities, which has been a learning experience in itself.
Managing these changes is a significant part of the journey. Balancing training with other aspects of life is an ongoing process, and this week reminded me of the importance of adjusting expectations and celebrating progress, no matter how incremental it might seem.
Week Twenty-Four
- Training Block: Build 1 Week 2/4
- Workouts: Run Technique Clinic
Build week 2 was equally challenging with professional commitments as last, since we had a company-wide summit in town, with events scheduled every day at all hours. This included an afternoon e-bike tour, which has snuck its way into my workout list, but can hardly be considered a workout.
Overall, I’m really happy with the quality of workouts I was able to get in this week despite the busy schedule. Sometimes, it’s quality over quantity.
I also completed a Run Technique Clinic on Saturday to help with my running form and received some valuable tips that I hope to incorporate into my upcoming season. I followed this clinic with my long run and felt quite strong, though a bit tired from putting in a few kilometres beforehand.
Week Twenty-Three
- Training Block: Build 1 Week 1/4
- Workouts: Splash n Dash started!
I didn’t waste any time getting back into training after last week’s recovery. As soon as the new week hit, I was ready to hit the ground running. I missed my Monday morning swim due to an orientation at my new company, but I managed to get most of my workouts in either very early in the morning or in the evening.
I’m really happy I was able to fit all my training in this week, though it left little time for much else. In addition to my workouts, I had to pick up the kids after school and keep up with all their year-end activities starting to ramp up. It was a busy week, but balancing training with family and work commitments felt rewarding and kept me on my toes.
Week Twenty-Two
- Training Block: Recovery
- Workouts: Easy
This week, I took it easy to recover from the Victoria 70.3. With the added task of wrapping up a major contract and transitioning into a new role at a new company, I kept things light. As a result, my total training time was only about 3.5 hours. It was a necessary and welcome break, allowing my body to recover and my mind to focus on the upcoming changes in my life.
Week Twenty-One
- Training Block: Base 1 Week 4/4
- Workouts: Taper, 70.3 race
This week, I was on a full taper for the Victoria 70.3. The volume was low, with workouts including just a few intervals as I focused on resting, recovering, and storing energy for Sunday. I made it out for a few open water swims to get some practice in the chilly water. On Monday, I swam at Elk Lake (where the race takes place) and found it a bit cooler than Thetis, where I swam last week.
On Friday, I participated in the Elk Lake 1000m swim, an event organized by Ironman to give participants a taste of the race swim. I also did a short pre-comp workout on Saturday morning but opted out of the swim due to windy conditions and having done the swim on Friday. Instead, I did a short bike and run, both of which felt strong. The bike ride helped confirm that I’ll wear gloves and a jacket the following morning for the race.
Overall, I was happy with the preparation and you can read more about that along with the 70.3 in my race report.
Week Twenty
- Training Block: Base 1 Week 3/4
- Workouts: Taper
I always feel like tapering starts too soon, and I never quite know what to do with the extra time and space it creates. As a bigger race approaches, I find myself constantly questioning if I’m getting sick or being overly critical of every niggle and fluctuation in body temperature. It’s really quite surprising how quickly this race season has come.
This week, I managed two more open water swims at Thetis, totalling about 11 km of swimming. I also logged 36 km of running and 118 km on the bike as my total distances started to decrease due to the taper. Despite the lower volume, I still had some solid efforts, though they were shorter and less intense than during my build weeks.
I do feel like participating in the Island Race Series events has mentally prepared me for a good race season. There’s a significant mental component to all those races, regardless of the distance, and I believe that experience has helped me refine my race mindset — an important aspect that’s hard to get much practice in for.
Week Nineteen
- Training Block: Base 1 Week 2/4
- Workouts: Base
This week included both a short and a long triple workout day (swim, bike, run) on Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday’s effort was lighter, while Friday featured a solid 3-hour ride followed by a 30-minute brick. I also logged 61.59 km of running, my biggest running week so far this year.
This marked the final week of intense training before tapering for the Victoria 70.3 in a couple of weeks.
On Saturday, I ventured out for my first open-water swim of the season at Thetis. The warm day made the water less shocking than expected, providing a pleasant reintroduction to the lake swimming season.
Sunday’s long run felt exceptionally strong, and I had the energy to keep going but adhered to the plan. Overall, I’m ending the week feeling strong and confident that my fitness is at a good level heading into the first race of the season.
Week Eighteen
- Training Block: Base 1 Week 1/4
- Workouts: Base
This was a shorter week due to a family camping trip from Friday through Sunday. While I had planned to do some runs, I decided to take a couple of rest days instead. In fact, it felt more like a rest week than the previous one, which I’m okay with, and I’ll focus on building back up next week.
Despite the reduced volume, the workouts I did do early in the week felt like high-quality, high-intensity sessions. I was still sore at the start of the week after Sunday’s 10K, and I certainly felt that on my Tuesday run. By my hill set on Thursday, I felt back in the groove.
Week Seventeen
- Training Block: Recovery/Taper Week
- Workouts: Base, Road Race
This was a fairly intense recovery week that included the ZRL Finals, essentially a back-to-back FTP test. Unfortunately, I experienced a connection drop during the race, which was frustrating.
The week also ended with the TC 10K on Sunday. I tapered between these two events and managed to secure a personal best at the 10K with a time of 37:31, shaving over a minute off my previous PB of 38:47 set at Cobble Hill in January.
I also had a strong swimming week, logging just over 12k, surpassing my previous weekly record earlier this year. I recently read that focusing on swim frequency is crucial, and this approach seems to be paying off — I can feel the difference in the water with these more frequent sessions.
Week Sixteen
- Training Block: Base 2 Week 5/4
- Workouts: ZRL Semi-Finals
It feels like I’ve settled back into my regular training routine. I managed a strong 10.15 km in swimming, a bit higher than my average, and hit all my main workouts, though I had to skip two strength sessions as my kids were sick. Balancing work, family, and training often means making compromises, and this week it was the strength training that had to give.
I ended the week with a Strava fitness score of 76, an improvement from 71 at the end of last week, and this increase feels appropriate. Additionally, I achieved some 8-week personal records during an intervals bike workout this week, supporting my sense that things are moving back on track in the right direction.
🏆 8-week PR in 1 min power to 345W +6%
🏆 8-week PR in 2 min power to 314W +4%
🏆 8-week PR in 3 min power to 297W +4%
🏆 8-week PR in 15 min power to 257W +1%
🏆 8-week PR in 20 min power to 256W +1%
🏆 8-week PR in 30 min power to 254W +2%
Feeling stronger in my running now that I’m maintaining a more regular schedule. The ZRL Semi-Finals was a Team Time Trial (TTT) race saw us qualifying for the finals next week, so looking forward to that along with the TC10K next Sunday.
Week Fifteen
- Training Block: Base 2 Week 4/4
- Workouts: ZRL Semi-Finals, 5k Road Race
Came into this week feeling strong, back in a routine with kids back in school and no one sick (knock on wood) and overcoming a challenging March and some early April travel, all while adjusting to increasing volume.
As demonstrated in my Fitness & Freshness chart below, my relative fitness experienced a noticeable dip during that period. However, I’m currently on the rebound, getting back to the level I was around February 2nd, where my score was at 74. Checking in with myself, this feels accurate, though it’s still surprising how long recovery can take.
The week started full-on, despite some soreness from last week’s gym session, with the semi-finals of the ZRL race series. Our team performed well, securing third place in our division.
Readjusting to a structured training routine has been quite a shock to the system. Both the run and bike workouts have been incredibly challenging. Saturday’s long ride nearly brought me to tears! This was followed by the Bazan Bay 5K on Sunday, where I aimed to break 18 minutes but finished at 18:16, slightly slower than last year by about 5 seconds.
A highlight of the week was hitting 10K in swimming, which is a strong performance for me and a good indicator that my overall fitness and endurance continue to improve.
Week Fourteen
- Training Block: Base 2 Week 3/4
- Workouts: Base
This week I returned to a structured coaching program with Kylie, though the timing wasn’t exactly perfect. With the kids still on Spring Break for Monday and Tuesday, and work travel from Wednesday to Friday, my usual routine was full of disruptions.
Despite this, I managed to fit in a couple of rides, each followed by a brick run, prioritizing this combination for now. While on the road, I was invited to Altea Active in Vancouver — a gym that felt more like a luxury experience spread across three floors. It felt more akin to a five-star hotel than any gym I’ve visited before. Perhaps I got a little too carried away, as I’m still feeling the effects of that intensity on Sunday evening.
I had 11:30 hours of programmed training this week but only managed to complete just shy of 9:00 hours. It’s a bit more shortfall than I’d hoped for in my first week back, but gotta start somewhere!
Week Thirteen
- Training Block: Base 2 Week 2/4
- Workouts: Base
I started the week feeling the aftereffects of last Sunday’s half marathon, carrying some soreness into the new week. The scheduling was thrown off a bit by Spring Break and the Good Friday long weekend, especially with the pool closing on Friday, which didn’t help my motivation levels.
The sunny weather was a pleasant change, tempting me to spend more time gardening than training, leading to a bit of internal conflict. Additionally, I’m experiencing some mental resistance with the knowledge that I’ll be returning to a structured coaching program at the start of April.
Week Twelve
- Training Block: Base 2 Week 1/4
- Workouts: 1/2 Marathon Race
Last week felt like a bit of a turning point where I started to ramp up my training volume. This week, I felt ready to add a bit more intensity to the mix after a couple of weeks focused on recovery.
That said, I might have gotten a little too enthusiastic early in the week. By Wednesday, my legs were already telling me they weren’t happy, but I went ahead and put in a big day anyway. To top it off, I thought a Blend yoga session might help, but it ended up making my legs even sorer. With the Comox race looming on Sunday, I realized I needed to ease up a bit, though I still tried to shake off the stiffness and soreness.
As the sickness dragged on over the past few weeks, my motivation took a hit watching the fitness I’d built start to fade away. It’s always a tricky balance, figuring out when to push through and when it’s smarter to pull back and focus on recovery. Admittedly, I’ve never been great at the latter; recognizing when to ease up and give my body the rest it needs is a challenge I’m still working on. However, the Comox half got me trending back in the right direction.
This was also a good time to recalibrate my Annual Training Plan (ATP) in Training Peaks. Upon review, I noticed I had initially set up a three-week recovery cycle, implying a recovery week every third week. However, my intention was to establish a pattern where I’d have a recovery week every fourth week, following a three-week build phase. This adjustment aligns more closely with my training goals and physical needs, ensuring a more sustainable and effective build and recovery cycle.
Week Eleven
- Training Block: Recovery/Sick
- Workouts: N/A
The week started on a bit of a low note as I still wasn’t feeling my best, but as the days went by, I started to find my stride. Despite this, I ended up clocking a surprising number of hours by the end of the week. To adjust for how I was feeling, it helped to incorporate some lower-intensity activities like Yoga and an afternoon hike, which helped keep the momentum going without overdoing it.
Week Ten
- Training Block: Recovery/Sick
- Workouts: N/A
Overall feeling pretty rough, trying to get a few workouts in but nothing feels right. Extremely congested, low energy.
Week Nine
- Training Block: Base 3/3 turned into Recovery/Sick
- Workouts: ̶Z̶R̶L̶ ̶R̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶
After Sunday’s race, I felt great, but by Monday afternoon, a nagging tickle indicated trouble brewing. It felt like a cold was on its way, and sure enough, the next few days had me feeling pretty rough.
I had to skip the final ZRL TTT race, a real letdown, but it seemed like the smartest decision in the moment. By Friday, I tried to get back into the swing of things, but it was clear I wasn’t quite back to my usual self yet.
Week Eight
- Training Block: Base 2/3
- Workouts: Road Race, ZRL Race
This week proved to be quite chaotic, starting with Family Day and continuing with some chaos of life’s obligations as my kids fell ill, my involvement at their school and their birthday party. I was also not feeling 100%, probably fighting something off. As such, training took a backseat, maintaining balance and prioritizing family is important. Consequently, my training volume felt lower and more random this week.
Running covered a total of 48.01 km. The week kicked off with a long run of 1 hour and 55 minutes on the holiday, aiming to reintegrate longer base runs into my routine. This effort, combined with a few mid-week runs, concluded with the Hatley Castle 8K race with challenging wet and windy conditions, I secured 5th place in my division (+:38 on my time from 2023).
Swimming distance decreased to 7.35 km, impacted by holiday pool closures. I resumed routine on Wednesday, but couldn’t match last week’s 12 km accomplishment.
Cycling also saw a decrease in volume, totalling 128.39 km. The week’s highlight was race 5 of the ZRL Race Series — Chasing the Sun in Makuri Islands for Points, details of which can be found here.
Next week is the last race of Round 3. Aside from the race and a couple of recovery rides, my time on the bike was limited. I’m hoping to fit in a longer ride next week.
This week, I spent some time playing around in Training Peaks and experimented with creating an Annual Training Plan (ATP), taking into account my (ambitious) potential race schedule for the year.
Until now, I hadn’t explored this feature, mainly because I’ve always relied on a coach to structure my weekly training. However, I see value in utilizing this tool to sketch out an overarching plan and then discussing periodization strategies with my coach.
The feature is interesting and simple; once you’ve entered your races into Training Peaks, you designate your A, B, and C target races for the year. Based on the average hours you’re available to train, it then generates a high-level plan for you.
While it doesn’t specify individual workouts, it serves as a useful guide and provides a broad overview of the training phases for the period you select (in my case I selected the year).
As shown by my ATP below, the program starts with a Preparation phase, progresses through a Base phase and then moves into a Build phase. I opted for a 3-week recovery cycle, aligning with what I’m used to.
This approach not only aids in visualizing my training journey but also helps facilitate more informed discussions with my coach about adjusting and optimizing my training plan.
Week Seven
- Training Block: Base 1/3
- Workouts: ZRL Race, Zwift Tour
This week, swimming took the primary focus. I managed to fit in three morning and three evening sessions, for a total of 12k in the pool — a notable achievement, given that a look back at my training logs showed I’d never previously exceeded 10k in a single week. Despite some of the sessions being relatively brief, the overall distance quickly adds up.
Running, in contrast, was less of a focus this week. I only completed a recovery run and my first brick run (a run immediately following a bike session) of the year. Knowing the importance of these, I plan to incorporate them into my schedule more moving forward from now.
This week’s ZRL race took us to Innsbruck for a three-lap scratch race on the Innsbruckring circuit, featuring the challenging Leg Snapper KOM three times. During the first ascent of the Leg Snapper, I found myself dropped by the lead group, and the pack I was with couldn’t bridge the gap afterward. I did achieve a second-best all-time personal record in 1-minute power, hitting 378W with a +3% improvement.
After Innsbruck, my energy levels were somewhat depleted, which led me to postpone my catch-up ride for Stage 1 (A) of the Tour de Zwift. Instead, I choose a few other bike workouts, pushing the catch-up ride off until Sunday. Finally, selecting one of the last available opportunities, I committed to and completed the ride. This was to finish all A Category rides in the Tour de Zwift 2024, concluding the week on a high and productive note.
As the week comes to an end, I find myself more fatigued than usual, compounded by life’s stressors and the fact that both my kids are under the weather. Although I haven’t felt sick (knocking on wood), my data suggest a significant downturn.
Despite training fewer hours this week compared to the last four weeks’ average, the downward trend in my physiological data hints that I might be fighting something. To me, this suggests it’s more about my body’s response to getting sick, rather than an issue with an increased training load (Maladaptation to training).
Week Six
- Training Block: Recovery Week
- Workouts: Road Race, ZRL Race, Zwift Tour
This week, I aimed to ease up on my training intensity due to some family commitments that necessitated flexibility and the possibility of rescheduling. In the end, the week seemed to come together quite smoothly.
On the cycling front this week, there was both the ZRL Race Series and the final stage, Stage 8, of the Tour de Zwift. I got in a good warm-up for the ZRL race, which was a Team Time Trial (TTT), resulting in our team placing fourth in the EMEA region. More details on that can be found here.
Stage 8 of the Tour presented a bit more of a challenge than anticipated, though nothing in comparison to last week’s climb of the Alpe. Next week, I plan to tackle a catch-up leg for Stage 1 (A), which will mark the completion of all A category races in the Tour.
My swimming kicked off strong with 100m threshold efforts. Despite the high intensity, I felt quite good and strong, consistently clocking in at around 1:50/100m. Surprisingly, I managed to complete my four planned sessions, totalling 8500m for the week. The increased time in the water and consistent practice seem to be paying off, as I feel stronger, more confident and smoother in the water lately.
This week included two running sessions; one was dedicated to intervals and speed work, the other focused on hills. The week ended with the third event of the Island Race Series, the Cedar 12K. I secured the 28th position overall out of 421 participants and placed 6th in the M40–44 division, clocking in at 45:51. An average pace of 3:49/km. Considering this was my first 12K distance, it’s set a challenging benchmark. More info can be found in my log on the Island Race Series.
All around improvements in this week’s physiological data compared to the previous month’s average. Better HRV (+3), Sleep(+28), and less muscle soreness (-33%). Will be interested to see if my cool-down run after the race helped flush some of the lactic acid from this time.
Week Five
- Training Block: Build 3
- Workouts: Unstructured — ZRL Race, Zwift Tour
Sunday’s race left me feeling surprisingly okay, not nearly as sore as after that 8k two weeks prior. Then came the ZRL Race on Tuesday (IKYMI), followed by my first Pickleball experience, and a yoga session on Wednesday evening which was more of a leg workout than a series of stretches.
By Thursday, my legs were spent, which was, of course, when I faced Stage 6 of the Tour de Zwift and the epic climb of Alpe du Zwift — 12.24km and a 1000-meter ascent — placed 10th overall and pulled off a 56:06 on the climb for a PB (Zwift Power). Sunday’s Stage 7 was a welcome relief after that, now only one stage left in the series.
Almost matched my 9k of swimming from last week clocking 8700m. Saturday I got two long muddy loops around Elk Lake for my first longer run (20k) of the year. (Strava)
Comparing my week’s physiological data to the previous month’s average I’m was not surprised to see that my muscle soreness came in higher. I was surprised, however, that my HRV has increased while my resting heart rate decreased along with my sleep quality. This is in contrast to the second week of January when I was trending positively on all these metrics.
Week Four
- Training Block: Build 2
- Workouts: Road Race, ZRL Race, Zwift Tour
Strong swimming week — managed to get in 9000m over four sessions. It’s unusual for me to be able to get in all the swim workouts I have planned, something usually comes up. The Endurance set on Wednesday and Fast Friday were both quite challenging.
Tuesday kicked off Round 3 of the ZRL Race Series on Zwift. This year, I’m thrilled to have discovered and be a part of SISU Racing. For this round, I am on ZRL Team Sinisorsa.
The first race of the series was a real leg burner that had a long hill I didn’t fully anticipate being as challenging as it was, I came in 29th, and our team overall came in 3rd. I hit some personal records for my power on my 3/5/10 minute efforts. Ouch.
On Thursday I completed Stage 5 of Tour de Zwift. To continue the trend of hills I didn’t fully anticipate this stage included two long climbs, the Reverse KOM and the KOM. The ride totalled over 1004 Meters of climbing over 46K of riding.
Managed to get some consistency back on the running. Ended the week on a high note running the misty Cobble Hill 10K and getting a PR at 38:47 for an average pace of 3:51/km. (Race Report)
Week Three
- Training Block: Build 1
- Workouts: Unstructured — ZRL Race, Zwift Tour
Started off the week with sore legs from the race on Sunday.
Early in the week decided to jump on the Zwift Race Fast is Flat Stage 3 and accidently missed the start because I was messing around with my music. Stuck with a strong pack of 4–10 the entire race, got a 5-minute Power Record at 290W (over my previous 283W) as a good workout.
On Wednesday we got a dump of snow which interrupted the routine, especially running and missed swim. So focused on what I could and got some solid indoor rides done.
Friday’s swim included a timed 100M sprint, I managed to pull off a 1:36 which I’m pretty happy with.
Saturday completed Stage 4 of the Tour de Zwift in France, which was a solid workout over 61km, found a pack and stuck with them was challenging to hang out and then got dropped at the top of the last hill and crossed the finish line solo, came in 35. Not that its a race.
Sunday completed a long, 3 hour (115km), indoor Zwift ride to finish off the week with 332kms. Started this off with the 90-minute Melange Workout and then jumped on group rides with Coco & Yumi. This ride bumped me into Zwift level 50.
I listened to Rich Roll Episode #806 with Chip Conley. I found it a fascinating listen which made the time fly by. The conversation revolved around how we define life stages and the clarification of the difference between change and transition and the concept of TQ (Transition Intelligence).
Week Two
- Training Block: Just training
- Workouts: Unstructured — Road Race
Early in the week I was feeling well-rested so decided to complete an early season FTP Test on Zwift to get a base for the year. Results came in about where I expected at 257W or 4.1 w/kg. In reflection, I feel like I still had some effort in the tank I might have been able to push a little harder earlier on but that is easy to say in hindsight. Strava Link.
Later on Tuesday, I started to feel a sore throat, and by Wednesday, I was pretty under the weather, which lasted until Saturday afternoon. I wasn’t too bad but decided to take Friday off as a rest day. On Wednesday night, I kept my plans to begin adding some mobility with a yoga class, which ended up being more like Pilates.
Even with feeling under the weather, I managed to complete Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the Tour de Zwift and added some extra time for a long ride on Saturday. Upgraded to Level 49 on Zwift.
On Sunday I had the first running race of 2024 with the Harriers Pioneer 8KM. Pulled off a PB at 30:33 (Strava) and came 9th in my Division and got a fancy ribbon. (Race Report)
Week One
- Training Block: Just training
- Workouts: Focus on cycling
Starting the year without a coach, firm program or goals in place.
Maintained some good consistency starting off the new year strong. Pool opened back up after a closure for the past couple of months while they repaired the Boiler.
About Dan: I’m an entrepreneur with experience in various industries, including fintech, real estate, and performance marketing. Most recently, Co-Founder and COO at Billi Labs (exit), and VP Operations at Pretio Interactive (exit).
I am passionate about endurance sport and exploring the intersection between technology, health, and performance.
