Going home to see my fiancee and my family was the best possible Christmas present that I could have had, but it kicked my arse in terms of doing any training. It becomes a pretty easy choice, especially when it’s stinking bloody hot, of staying in with the woman you love, or being with your family and friends, vs. training. So, I only accomplished a few swims while I was out there. No riding, no running, no erging or weights.

Coming back was a bit the same, 30 hours’ travel, then a day’s rest with a lazy 40 min run, then 18 hours on a bus to coach a rowing camp, with a week there. Managed a desultory run or so in the ice and snow, a few Wattbike sessions on one with a busted monitor, playing with a position that I think I can implement and hold when I finally get a bike, and one erg session to make sure I could still beat all the kids I coach.

Back off the bus, I needed a day of rest, so slept for two. I don’t sleep on transport, and doing a long distance flight and two long distance bus rides in ten days beat me up.

Tuesday am: erg coaching. My lads had some testing yet to be completed, so ran that for a few hours, then off for an easy 8k run. Had to consciously hold myself back as I’m desperately unfit and slow. Felt good though. Could happily have done 50% more, which is not such a bad position to be in.

Tuesday pm: rowing erg session. I’ve said I’ll race Veterans’ Boat Race (Oxford Cambridge for  graduates over 38, mainly used for bragging and drinking rights, and for the BBC to test their cameras and OB facilities), so I figured I’d better do a few erg sessions a week until April. Unlike everything else, pretty much, I’d rather do 2-3 sessions a week hard on this. 5k warmup, easy. HR was bloody high for what it was. No surprises there. Session – 1 stroke on/1 stroke off up to 20 strokes on/20 strokes off, capped at 32 SPM, with the goal of being around 1:30/500 for this. This did not go well. Sore legs from running, perhaps, or just the effects of not a huge amont of carbs. I saw sub 1:30 on about 5 strokes. Ah well, a man has to start somewhere. Then a few hours of coaching

Wed am: coaching: 15-20k easy pace, and I mean EASY on the bike. I might start doing these running, for the moment. Sat in the coffee shop admiring the bikes hanging from the ceiling, and rather enjoyed myself. Then a swim, about 1100 warmup, various drills, swim, kick, pull.  Main set of sorts, due to interruptions in the “advanced” lane, where people think it’s appropriate to push off as you’re coming in halfway through a piece and swim breastroke with their heads above the water. Wankers. It’s not like I’m that quick, but…

3*100 on 15 seconds rest, all around 1:30s. 400 pull (pull bouy, band around feet), 30 secs rest, 200 swim, 15 secs, 400 pull as 3/4/5/4/3 stroke breathing pyramid, didn’t break 6:00 for this ,but HR about 125, 30 secs rest, 200 swim, 15 secs rest, 2* 100 pull at 1:30 pace, 200 swim easy, 4*50 on 1 minute as 37.5 easy, 12.5 @ race pace, 25 easy, 25 RP, 12.5 easy, 37.5 RP, 50 RP, last one just over 40 seconds. Not hard, but 1:20s for a 3800? Not in my most fevered dreams. Yet.
No warmdown, easy ride home through the insanity of Cambridge cycling/pedestrian traffic.