Photo: Bob Foy
Third week of 2011, and almost three weeks here at Club La Santa in Lanzarote. I think this is the week I am starting to get in shape. Little by little I have been catching good feelings during the early stages of the season, finding myself getting a little better first on the bike, then in the water, on the run and finally in the last seven days I think it has been the first time I’ve had a good feeling at all. This hasn´t been a week of high volume or intensity (that will come later …) but of constant training days at a good pace that are making me stronger.
In the water I’m doing pretty well, making 25meter pool times in the 50 meters pool (I love the pool at Club La Santa…). Some intervals of 100 meters under 1’10», pretty good for the time of the season where I am. They have been a total of six days of water, being about 3000-4000 meters per session. I’m having good company on the bike, many of the long rides I’m doing with Victor del Corral and other athletes who are at Club La Santa at the moment, it is always easy to find somebody to go for a ride here. I’m averaging pretty high speeds, usually above 30 km/h wich in Lanzarote, with the wind and the slopes of the roads, is quite acceptable. Yesterday I went out alone at noon (everybody raced the duathlon in the morning…), I rode up to Tinajo, then to Timanfaya, El Golfo, Femés (up the hard part) and returning to La Santa by La Geria and Tinajo. With wind (about 30 km/h) and +1300 meters of climbing I arrived to Club La Santa averaging nearly 31 km/h, not bad to do it with a road bike, I went around 230W on average to give you an idea. I followed the ride with a transition run that I finished below 3’20» per kilometer quite loosely. It is on the run where I met myself again this week. After some heavy early seasson runs (a few pounds less also helps…) I am finding myself more loose and fluid. Still running short, four days without passing from 1h30′ the longest day and getting some rhythm and short series to get a little speed. The key, I think, of my good feeling is the work in the gym, which is only two days a week but with functional exercises (using TRX, fitball, bosu…) combined with some more traditional weight exercises with machines, few of us like to work in the gym but I see it fundamental.
Next week is a bit special, I return to Vitoria-Gasteiz for the Spanish Winter Triathlon Championships in Reinosa (no snow at the ski resorts at this moment though…), sign some sponsorship agreements for 2011 and I also believe that Iñigo has a surprise for me in the form of a lab test on the bike at USP Araba Sports Clinic. This week is going to be a bit different than the latter, but I will continue being constant and getting stronger little by little.
Happy training to everybody!!
