Beep test

I did the dreaded beep test today, the last time I did this I was at school. (I don't remember what I got it was a long time ago) The beep test is a shuttle run between 2 points 20 metres apart it gauges your fitness on the time it takes you to run between the points. I downloaded it from an army website http://www.defence.gov.au/army/hq8bde/jobs/fitness.htm 
I got up to level 9.3 I don't know how this compares to any body else but it is a good place to start gauging my fitness. I will repeat the test on a monthly basis to see how I am getting on. Although it is a good test I am going to try and find out other methods of fitness tests because the planting of the feet at each turn can't be to good on the ankles.

Broken bike

I took my bike out of the shed only to find I have broken the front derailleur by stacking carpet tiles on top of it. (stupid stupid) I went to the gym instead. I did a small workout, bench press, olympic clean and press, bent over row and upright row. 3 set of 12 reps, no rest between sets and 2 minutes between exercises. I followed this with 15 minutes on the bike trying to keep my cadence around the 90 rpm mark at 25 kph and 5 min on the treadmill, to get the feeling of running off the bike. My legs felt a little wobbly but I was not on there that long so I think that will increase if I go harder on the bike.

Gym Today

Went training at the gym today it was hard. I have not been for ages so muscles will be sore tomorrow. did 3 sets of 12 reps in the following. Bench press, squats, bent over row, Upright row, shoulder press, lat pull down. triceps  extension, bicep curls, lateral raise, front raise, cable wood chop and hanging leg raise(failed after about 15 reps). Protein shake and mackerel on toast after. Then hot and cold alternating shower 30 seconds each, hopefully help get rid of lactic acid.

Maximum heart rate

I worked out my maximum heart rate. I ran at a steady pace for 15 min then 2 min hard pace followed by 30 seconds flat out sprint. My maximum heart rate was 195 bpm. If you are going to do this tell somebody what you are doing and aim to finish outside your house (doctors or a hospital will also do) If you are not comfortable with doing this test then dont. You can subtract your age in years from 220, this will give you a rough estimate of your maximum heart rate to work with. Next session is a beep test.

Run today

I went for a short run today, just 15min to see how rusty my legs are. It was a bit hard to get them moving but 5min in they were ok. I have been reading 220 Triathlon and Triathlon Plus since the start of the year (I discovered them while waiting around in the hospital with my girlfriend just before our son was born) and alot of the training revolves around heart rate zones so I bought a Polar RS100 heart rate monitor from Fitsense. I used it today to test it out and its good. Just make sure the chest strap is tight and wet it for good contact with your skin. I am going for a run in the morning.

First post. The road to triathlon

Hello everybody this is my first post.
This blog is the account of my triathlon training from the beginning, I am sure it will be difficult and sometimes impossible but very rewarding. I am looking forward to the challenge that awaits.
I have never written a blog before so there may be a challenge in there as well as the physical challenge of triathlon training. I hope that this blog can help others in their training as well as myself. You can subscribe to this blog and follow me on twitter.