Training Update: Endurance Training Came Early

Over the past few weeks I’ve truly enjoyed my offseason which consists mostly of lifting weights and taking on fitness challenges. But, afer some fortunate events my endurance season of triathlons and obstacle races came much sooner than expected. Originally my first race of the season was going to an obstacle race at the end of May followed by a triathlon at the end of June. This was until I got word that there is an obstacle race just 3 weeks away in my hometown (Salem, OR) , I had to do it. To add to the urgency, I decided to do the Wildflower triathlon in California at the beginning May with some other triathletes at my college.

Seems I’ve just finished putting on 10lbs and am half-way through a 10,000 kettlebell swing challenge, my current endurance fitness and overall bodyweight are far from where they need to be. This being said, being the master fitness planner that I am I’ve devised a plan to both finish the 10,000 kettlebell swing and quickly improve my running speed. This plan will also kickstart me into training for the Wildflower flower.

PLAN LENGTH: February 14th- March 7th (about 3 weeks)

GOALS:

(These goals remain similar to the goals of the 10,000 kettlebell swing challenge although now my focus as shifted to also getting in the best possible shape for the obstacle race)

Increase my MAF running pace to 6:30min/miles.
Finish the 10,000 kettlebell swing challenge 1 week out from the race.
Improve body composition.
Lose 3-4 more pounds of fat (as of this writing I’ve lost 4 pounds since I finished my bulking program weighing in 177lb)

OBJECTIVES:

(This is where things change from my orginal 10,000 kettlebell swing challenge plan)

Conduct 4 10k kettlebell swing challenge workouts a week. Possibly 5, if I'm feeling recovered.
Conduct 1 MAF paced run on a hilly course weekly.
Conduct 1 track workout a week. This is usually 8-12 400s at my 5k pace.
Conduct 4 10-15 aerobic runs. This will quickly improve my aerobic endurance by running almost every day, even if it's for a short time. I usually do these runs as a warm-up for a kettlebell swing workout
As always practice daily mobility work.