Planning

Just donÂ't do it.
I donÂ't mean to get superstitious about this, but planning my workouts is not going well. On the advice of Iron Fit, and some anecdotal stories from the same book, I decided to put together a two week plan with six sessions a week.

Before this attempt, I was doing what I usually do - having an idea of what I wanted to do and how many times in a week or so, then working out when I fit everything around anything social, anything busy at work, and being able to be flexible when I didnÂ't feel like something or the weather was bad.

So generally I want to do swimming twice a week - and IÂ've discovered Thursdays and Sundays are best for this, and I can throw in a Tuesday at Portishead with BADtri every so often.
I want to run two or three times, and bike twice a week - one long cycle and one shorter - obviously I cycle to work and to get around but that doesnÂ't count. The cycles are generally a 20km split with running, then a long ride is 50km, although IÂ'll break for a snack or lunch in the middle generally.

I like to do a brick session once a week - I actually quite enjoy cycle/run bricks now - much more interesting than just running. And my legs donÂ't seem to mind these days either.

The first time I sat down and planned out two weeks of training, I was one day into it when I made some Japanese noodle soup for tea. With plenty of beansprouts thrown in. They were cooked in the soup, but I didnÂ't think to wash my hands or indeed the sprouts when I handled them. I woke in the night with stomach cramps, got sent home from work because I felt awful and the next four days were a horrible write off. Ok, so I donÂ't know if it was ecoli, but it wasnÂ't nice and I didnÂ't feel clever.

Normally, once I felt well enough (read: get away with it), IÂ'd be straight back into full training but I took the advice of Iron Fit and eased myself back into it - day 1, ⅓, day 2, ⅔, day 3, ⅔ and day 4, back on it. Then pick up as usual. I feel good for having done that actually and donÂ't feel behind in my schedule.

Since then I havenÂ't done any planning. Well, no more than usual, and definitely no two week plannage. Is this a mistake? I donÂ't know. What I do know is that I am visiting friends next weekend and if anything is going to balls my training up, it is that. But we will work around it.

Last week looked like this:
Mon: Rest day (Sat was long run, Sun was long swim)
Tuesday: Brick training: 20km bike, 2.5km run
Weds: Rest day (not completely ideal, but it was necessary. I honestly just didnÂ't get round to it.)
Thursday: Swim
Friday: Gym - sprints, strength and core - or maybe not...it didn't happen
Saturday: Long run (weather looks a bit dodgy, should be ok for a run)
Sunday: Long ride (weather looks good!) and swim (Sunday evenings are the best time)
The weather was good on Sunday but it turned into a bike maintenance session, as I ballsed up my back inner tube. Hecate also had a bath and check over.

So in reality I did: 2 x runs, 2 x swims, 1 x bike. Four session, one of them a brick. I guess it could be worse?

Which probably means next week will be
Mon: Rest day
Tuesday: Run and core
Wednesday: Bricks
Thursday: Hmm, IÂ'm in Leeds.
Friday: Hmm, friends... maybe a lunchtime sprints and core session. Does going out dancing count?
Saturday: Can we call that a rest day?
Sunday: Errr...

IÂ'm going to have to think about it...

PS: Even this didn't go to plan. I went swimming on Thursday after I got back from Leeds and I'm going to the gym after work on Friday. And I'm hoping to squeeze in a run tomorrow before I go to Swansea...