Quarantine Training Report, August 2020
Following my epic week in Lanzarote, I had to return to the UK and self-isolate for 14 days. No walking, running or cycling outside the boundaries of my house! With access to a turbo trainer and a selection of weights, Tim created an awesome quarantine plan for me.
After a rest day on the Friday to consolidate my training from Lanzarote, I had a Saturday morning VO2 max pyramid session to wake the legs and lungs up again! Having not done any intervals for a little while, it was a shock to the system but went generally well!
Sunday’s 2hr long ride was an exploration of one of the new France maps on Zwift. I gave it some beans on the three 6min hill climbs and a few sprint segments. Some 10min sweet spot efforts were also included. I really enjoyed the ride and it was almost like being out on the roads (maybe).
Monday was my 25th birthday! My new Wahoo Kickr (which I got delivered to our quarantine house on day 1) was my birthday present and so obviously I had to ride on it on my actual birthday! Prior to the ride I did some birthday yoga with my sister in the garden. Unfortunately, it began to rain just as we reached our Savasna at the end of the session! This meant my ride was sadly going to have to be inside. I had a leg speed skills session planned. I was really pleased to see that I was beginning to find it much more comfortable and controlled at higher cadences. Prior to working with Tim, I was very much a low cadence rider, this is something I have been really working on! The remainder of my birthday involved a lot of cake, a takeaway curry and several bottles of prosecco- perfect day!
A slightly hungover me had the pleasure of a power ramps session on Tuesday, gosh it hurt! 2 x 20min ramps were attempted. Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite hit the top powers but that wasn’t too surprising considering 1) the food and drink from the night previous and 2) I had not attempted this session since my power zones had gone up!
Wednesday featured another leg speed skills session. Again, my control at higher cadences was good and I enjoyed the slightly lower intensity but more mentally challenging work!
Thursday was my sister’s GCSE results day and a day off the bike for me. I had a core strength session planned which took the form of a circuits session in the garden to begin an afternoon of celebrations! Our circuit consisted of a variety of upper body, lower body and core exercises plus the use of a rowing machine! I really enjoyed switching my training up, however I knew I would definitely ache the next day!
Friday featured a VO2 max interval session on DOMS filled legs! Unfortunately, my power dropped off a little bit throughout the 5min reps. However, I dug deep for the last one and couldn’t have tried much harder!
Saturday was “Bonus ride” day and how did I choose to spend it? A ride up Alpe de Zwift of course! Having attempted the climb once before, I had a goal time and knew what to expect. I paced myself well and came away with a big PB (52:47). It was tough, but enjoyable in a type 2 fun kind of way!
Sunday consisted of a 3hour long zone 2 ride- not the most enjoyable on a turbo unless you have good entertainment. I chose a lengthy route around Zwift France and had different entertainment sources throughout. I started off by watching the Superleague indoor triathlon elite men’s race. Super exciting! I then moved onto the Hamilton soundtrack before hitting the “party tunes”. I had a selection of snacks and water bottles around me which kept me very well fuelled throughout. I started to mentally struggle in the last 20mins, however I soon realised that Flora Duffy (amazing elite female triathlete who is renowned for her cycling) was right behind me and my day was made! My enthusiasm shot up as we rode together for a whole 10 mins! In a Zone 2 ride, it is important not to let the effort drop off to Zone 1, I kept my eye on my HR and watts throughout to ensure I stayed at the correct intensity.
Monday was a much needed rest day! I did some yoga to stretch out my weary muscles and my bum really enjoyed a day off the bike!
Tuesday was a little bit of a disaster. I left my session to the evening as I was busy with uni work. Typically, it stayed dry all day until about 30mins into my under/overs session. This left me in a huff and with limited time to set up again inside before dinner. I decided to abandon the session and approach it again tomorrow with a clear mind.
Wednesday was my final day in quarantine. I travelled back to my London house so that I could prepare for my first day out of isolation and into the real world again! I was feeling good and created a hybrid session consisting of my 3 remaining under/over sets + my planned leg strength work. It was a really good session and I felt very powerful!
With 14 days of quarantine complete, I could re-enter society! I stayed healthy throughout, spent some quality time with my dad and sister, discovered all sorts of same delivery grocery deliveries, found a new found love for turbo sessions and didn’t have as sore a bum as I anticipated!
Megan Powell