Every month, I will try and post an update with a summary of how the past month of training went. As a bench mark to see how the training is progressing from month to month, I’ll look at the last Long Slow Distance (LSD) run and bike for the month, as well as any LT test sessions that occurred.

The beginning of July saw me enter and complete the Peachtree Road Race. The next week or two were not dedicated fully to training, as I had a trip to NYC and some other scheduled engagements. On July 20, I started Base 1 Week 1 of my cyclocross training plan (which I might get around to posting at some point!). Sticking with this plan should see a big increase in both time and distance spent training over the next few months.

I spent 9:46:01 on the bike over 11 sessions, putting in a total of 169 miles. I ran for a total of 6:02:30 over 9 sessions, putting in approximately 32 miles. My last LSD session on the bike was for 1:30:01. I went a total of 24.16 miles, with an average pace of 16.1mph and a average HR of 128. I didn’t really have a LSD run this month, so that comparison will have to start next month.

For giggles, I wanted to see how my training compared with last year. At the time of my LSD bike ride mentioned above, cyclocross season is a full 2 months away. Last year I had a LSD ride on 9/25 – this was 1 week before the CX season. On that day, I rode for a total of 50:34. I managed to go 12.78 miles for an average pace of 15.2mph and my average HR was 149. At that time, 12+ miles was long ride for me! At this point, with 2 months of training left, I’ve doubled my distance, increased the speed and dramatically reduced the heart rate. This should be a much more fun season for me!