Well, as of late I've become pretty hooked on speed training. My weekly schedule now includes a 5k speed session, as well as a 10k one too. Having had a busy week, I found myself doing these sessions back to back ie. Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday was the 5k session ie. shorter efforts. This entailed 2 mins, 4 mins, 6 mins, 2 mins, 4 mins, 6 mins, 2 mins all of 2 minutes recovery. What a tough session this was, but I was very pleased to get the final 2 minutes on the end as that is some advance on the past few weeks where I have found myself finishing the session on that 6 minutes.
Sunday was the 10k session - 2 x 10 minutes @ 10k race pace off 3 mins recovery. At least I have a 10k race pace now - about 3:39/km. I wasn't expecting to stay with this pace as I was running on a grazing field which doesn't give anywhere near as much pace as the tarmac. I still recorded 3:42 pace for the first set of 10 mins and 3:44 for the second.
I'm now on my recovery week after a solid few weeks training. This fits in nicely as I go out to Swizterland on Thursday to run in the Sierre - Zinal Junior Race on Sunday. I couldn't have got into shape at any better time; I feel as if I'm peaking and ready to rumble!
Monday 2 August 2010
Friday 30 July 2010
Reflecting.
Well, this feels like the first opportunity I've had to sit down and blog since Harrogate 10k. I've been on work experience with Dr Martyn Speight, a cracking runner in his day, and so have struggled to even find time to train!
During this time however I've found time to reflect upon the 10k. Firstly, I am now really wanting to do another one and bring that time down to low 36. My mind is asking lots of questions; what I could have done on a flatter course, what if it wasn't windy etc. My biggest suspicion however is of the length of the course, as the map I posted last shows the course as 6.31 - 0.11 miles longer than a standard 6.2 mile 10k race. So, maybe I'm clutching at straws on that one but if it is true it could have cost me a good 30 seconds.
My preparation for the race was also very bad. Having had a variety of Mexican drinks on Friday night (!) and only birthday cake, nothing more nutritious to eat, I found myself a little low on energy on Saturday/Sunday.
These are all 'ifs and buts' but next time I may get everything right and reach the goal of 36 minutes!
During this time however I've found time to reflect upon the 10k. Firstly, I am now really wanting to do another one and bring that time down to low 36. My mind is asking lots of questions; what I could have done on a flatter course, what if it wasn't windy etc. My biggest suspicion however is of the length of the course, as the map I posted last shows the course as 6.31 - 0.11 miles longer than a standard 6.2 mile 10k race. So, maybe I'm clutching at straws on that one but if it is true it could have cost me a good 30 seconds.
My preparation for the race was also very bad. Having had a variety of Mexican drinks on Friday night (!) and only birthday cake, nothing more nutritious to eat, I found myself a little low on energy on Saturday/Sunday.
These are all 'ifs and buts' but next time I may get everything right and reach the goal of 36 minutes!
Sunday 25 July 2010
A good debut!
Well after a week or so's solid training, it was time to race.
I think it was mere curiosity rather than anything else which has driven me to enter a 10k. I’ve been on the look out for a local one which doesn’t cost a bomb to enter for while; Harrogate Town Centre was to fit the bill perfectly.
The course has been changed in the past couple of years to eliminate a sizeable hill in the route (typical road runners!). Still, I wasn’t to complain as the eradication of a hill would surely mean I could get a faster time.
As I lined up, the atmosphere was reasonably friendly but equally intimidating as people jostled to get to the front of the grid. Without any warning, the horn sounded and my first ever 10k was underway. I set off steady but soon got into the pace of the race and started pushing on, passing the early high flyers seemingly effortlessly. The organisers still seemed to have picked an ‘undulating route’ as we seemed to be forever gaining and losing height; there was certainly a lack of flat running. I hit the first mile marker in a time of 5:37 (!). I definitely felt as though this pace wasn’t sustainable for a further 5 miles.
It was as we neared the 3 mile mark that it became apparent that the race was 2 laps! I now started to feel the strain of the early miles which were all sub 5:50 and the tedious nature of 2 laps began to damage my psychologically. Still I fought on, up-down-up and round the houses of Harrogate.
I tried to hang on to the couple of runners in front and despite losing a little bit of ground, they didn’t get away too much. I was relieved to see the 6 mile marker; only 0.2 miles to go! All I focused on now was getting to the line and so all the pain could be relieved. As I lunged over the line, I looked at the big timer which showed 36:50. So, a pace of about 5:54 per mile over 6.2 miles.
I didn’t really know what this meant but as I had set out with a goal of 38 minutes, I couldn’t complain. Had I paced it better, I may have earned something more respectable. Still on a hilly and windy course I felt fairly satisfied, and even more so by the fact that I’d actually done my first 10k. Will this be my last? My last for a while I think! Don’t get me wrong, it was a very well organised event with a nice goody bag at the finish, but I don’t think I could pound the streets with minimal enjoyment week in week out. I’ll stick to the fells from now on, until I pluck up the madness/courage to try and beat the time I set today!
I think it was mere curiosity rather than anything else which has driven me to enter a 10k. I’ve been on the look out for a local one which doesn’t cost a bomb to enter for while; Harrogate Town Centre was to fit the bill perfectly.
The course has been changed in the past couple of years to eliminate a sizeable hill in the route (typical road runners!). Still, I wasn’t to complain as the eradication of a hill would surely mean I could get a faster time.
As I lined up, the atmosphere was reasonably friendly but equally intimidating as people jostled to get to the front of the grid. Without any warning, the horn sounded and my first ever 10k was underway. I set off steady but soon got into the pace of the race and started pushing on, passing the early high flyers seemingly effortlessly. The organisers still seemed to have picked an ‘undulating route’ as we seemed to be forever gaining and losing height; there was certainly a lack of flat running. I hit the first mile marker in a time of 5:37 (!). I definitely felt as though this pace wasn’t sustainable for a further 5 miles.
It was as we neared the 3 mile mark that it became apparent that the race was 2 laps! I now started to feel the strain of the early miles which were all sub 5:50 and the tedious nature of 2 laps began to damage my psychologically. Still I fought on, up-down-up and round the houses of Harrogate.
I tried to hang on to the couple of runners in front and despite losing a little bit of ground, they didn’t get away too much. I was relieved to see the 6 mile marker; only 0.2 miles to go! All I focused on now was getting to the line and so all the pain could be relieved. As I lunged over the line, I looked at the big timer which showed 36:50. So, a pace of about 5:54 per mile over 6.2 miles.
I didn’t really know what this meant but as I had set out with a goal of 38 minutes, I couldn’t complain. Had I paced it better, I may have earned something more respectable. Still on a hilly and windy course I felt fairly satisfied, and even more so by the fact that I’d actually done my first 10k. Will this be my last? My last for a while I think! Don’t get me wrong, it was a very well organised event with a nice goody bag at the finish, but I don’t think I could pound the streets with minimal enjoyment week in week out. I’ll stick to the fells from now on, until I pluck up the madness/courage to try and beat the time I set today!
Monday 12 July 2010
The good and the bad news.
Well firstly let's get the bad out of the way. The injury I sustained to my heel turned out to be worse than expected and it was a crack to the bone with lots of tissue damage. The good? I'm back fighting fit, training well after a 4 week layoff and ready to start blogging again!
Thursday 17 June 2010
Hebers in ya legs!
Yep, I can certainly tell I've had a session in Hebers Ghyll Woods right now. My legs feel a little achy and generally tired. It's hardly surprising however after 4 reps of possibly the hardest location I will ever encounter to do my hill reps. I didn't really know what to expect after a reasonably hard session yesterday and a sore heel which came about as a result of me jumping off a roof at school to retrieve a football. Foolish I know.
Still I set out today with the ambition of running every single rep. Each rep isn't particularly long, probably 3 minutes for the fastest and 5 for the slowest, but by God it gets the legs and lungs going. I did
achieve this goal as I chipped away at the reps and manage to run every single one of them without any troubles ie. I didn't venture into the territory of that familiar Fell Running race walk. Many of the group did, even on the first rep (!) as the going gets particularly steep and slippy near the end with various roots and steps to overcome.
achieve this goal as I chipped away at the reps and manage to run every single one of them without any troubles ie. I didn't venture into the territory of that familiar Fell Running race walk. Many of the group did, even on the first rep (!) as the going gets particularly steep and slippy near the end with various roots and steps to overcome.I felt to run really well. I felt to have a really flowing style and felt to have lots left in the tank ahead of Saturday's race. Normally, I wouldn't have done something as tough as this 2 days prior to a race, but the upcoming race isn't particularly important so I'll just see how it goes and always know that whatever the result, I've come off the back of a tough week's training.
The picture shows the last two bridges of one individual rep - as there are about 6 bridges in total on each one, each one having a similar distance/climb in between, the task in hand becomes apparent.
A nice rest day tomorrow as I go and look round Manchester University and then it's Buckden on Saturday. Onwards and upwards!
Wednesday 16 June 2010
2+2+2=6
Well after yesterday's steady 30 mins on the Cross Trainer (sorry not worth reporting!) which helped me recover from Monday's hard session, I thought it was time to rev the engine again in another speed session. This one, despite taking place in the same location (ie the School's grass track), took a completley different format and direction. It was much more endurance based, more of a 10k session than the 5k one encountered on Monday.
So, 2 miles 'easy' followed by 2 miles at a 'medium' pace, followed by a 'fast' last 2 miles. Yep, no rests, just continuous running which gets progressivley faster throughout the session. My next trouble would be what pace was fast, slow and medium. They are all fairly general terms; I did however have a rough idea of what these meant. 'Slow' would be 7:30 min/mile pace, 'medium' at around 7 and 'fast' hopefully in the region of 6. These predictions proved pretty accurate. I set off with these paces in mind and they felt to be pretty much perfect, although the slow may have been a little fast. Still, the session grew older and the pace got faster - a lot faster.
I ran the first mile (easy) in 8 minutes pretty much exactly and so decided to use this as a precidence for the second mile. I then had to up the pace to 'medium' which involved taking a minute and a bit off per unit as I did the first one in 7 minutes and the second in 6:50. The session, at this point, was far from over. I'd had it pretty easy up to the 4 mile point and I know had to kick on to a hard pace. This I did with a real vengeance as the legs got shifting and the heart got pumping. The first mile is a good effort, 5:58. I want better now though, I feel mentally strong and it's the last burst. I'm now going hard and really in full swing, going for it like it's the end of the race. I'm now into the last 10th of a mile and I sprint to the imaginary line for a 5:38 last mile! Boom!
What a reeeeeeally great session. I was ecstatic as I warmed down in the baking sunshine. I felt physically and mentally strong, almost revitalised and as if the form from Monday had continued. I feel so much better now than I did a couple of weeks ago. Roll on tomorrow for some Hill Reps on Ilkley Moor with the club!
So, 2 miles 'easy' followed by 2 miles at a 'medium' pace, followed by a 'fast' last 2 miles. Yep, no rests, just continuous running which gets progressivley faster throughout the session. My next trouble would be what pace was fast, slow and medium. They are all fairly general terms; I did however have a rough idea of what these meant. 'Slow' would be 7:30 min/mile pace, 'medium' at around 7 and 'fast' hopefully in the region of 6. These predictions proved pretty accurate. I set off with these paces in mind and they felt to be pretty much perfect, although the slow may have been a little fast. Still, the session grew older and the pace got faster - a lot faster.
I ran the first mile (easy) in 8 minutes pretty much exactly and so decided to use this as a precidence for the second mile. I then had to up the pace to 'medium' which involved taking a minute and a bit off per unit as I did the first one in 7 minutes and the second in 6:50. The session, at this point, was far from over. I'd had it pretty easy up to the 4 mile point and I know had to kick on to a hard pace. This I did with a real vengeance as the legs got shifting and the heart got pumping. The first mile is a good effort, 5:58. I want better now though, I feel mentally strong and it's the last burst. I'm now going hard and really in full swing, going for it like it's the end of the race. I'm now into the last 10th of a mile and I sprint to the imaginary line for a 5:38 last mile! Boom!
What a reeeeeeally great session. I was ecstatic as I warmed down in the baking sunshine. I felt physically and mentally strong, almost revitalised and as if the form from Monday had continued. I feel so much better now than I did a couple of weeks ago. Roll on tomorrow for some Hill Reps on Ilkley Moor with the club!
Monday 14 June 2010
Back on track!
Well, I've summoned up the courage to blog a post in a time where running has been pretty tough for me personally. It's a bugger of a sport - one minute you feel on top of the world, the next it beats you down.
I seem to be finding my feet once again however. I did 30 miles (up and down Yorkshire Dales terrain) last Tuesday on the bike and since then things have come on nicely. Today was the peak of things. I had 2 minutes, 4 minutes and 6 minutes all of 2 minutes recovery x 2. I wouldn't however have been surprised if I only managed the first set. I really went for it though and revved the engine, feeling really good and getting some great reps in. I got to the 4 on the second rep and after that, decided to call it a day. Still, an awesome session and the 2 sets is something to build up to next week.
Tomorrow is a nice recovery run before a hard session on Wednesday. Let's move forward together!
I seem to be finding my feet once again however. I did 30 miles (up and down Yorkshire Dales terrain) last Tuesday on the bike and since then things have come on nicely. Today was the peak of things. I had 2 minutes, 4 minutes and 6 minutes all of 2 minutes recovery x 2. I wouldn't however have been surprised if I only managed the first set. I really went for it though and revved the engine, feeling really good and getting some great reps in. I got to the 4 on the second rep and after that, decided to call it a day. Still, an awesome session and the 2 sets is something to build up to next week.
Tomorrow is a nice recovery run before a hard session on Wednesday. Let's move forward together!
Sunday 6 June 2010
Where to start?
Well, I've been busy revising for exams so I'm sorry to say that the blogging and the running have both taken a back seat for a while. Last time I blogged, I'd had that fantastic KM rep session. I went on to complete a hill session, and then a Fartlek session to hit 35 for that week. I then set about the task of resting for Blencthara Fell Race - a mid week race up in the Lakes over 8 miles with nearly 3000' ft of ascent. Sadly, my legs haven't quite made the adjustment to climbs like that yet and so I found the climbs really tough, but managed to fly on the flatter bits which was pleasing. That set me thinking though: I need to get some strength in my legs. Since then, I've thought about how I'm going to do this and I've decided to introduce road cycling into my weekly programme as well as another hill session, which will take prioirity over that '10 x 4 mins off 2 mins recovery session' which I don't feel I need when I have a hill session which is very similar, as well as a KM Rep session.
So, since Blencthra I've done a bit of cycling and some steady running. I found the ultimate hill for the shorter hill rep session (around 1 min climb, jog down efforts drop till your dead routine) which is now being incorperated into the week's training. So this week I plan to do some speed work tomorrow, a long bike ride on Tuesday and then, either some hill reps on Thursday or possibly a race for a BOFRA up at Kettlewell a week today. I'll keep you posted!
So, since Blencthra I've done a bit of cycling and some steady running. I found the ultimate hill for the shorter hill rep session (around 1 min climb, jog down efforts drop till your dead routine) which is now being incorperated into the week's training. So this week I plan to do some speed work tomorrow, a long bike ride on Tuesday and then, either some hill reps on Thursday or possibly a race for a BOFRA up at Kettlewell a week today. I'll keep you posted!
Wednesday 26 May 2010
'Baby we were born to run!'
As I type that ever so famous track by Bruce Springsteen is blasting out. As you probably have now guessed, I'm in a great mood. Today I set myself the challenge of the KM Rep session (6 x 1k @ 10k race pace ie. 3:40- 3:50/km off 1 minute recovery.). I almost needed some reassurance that I'm still in-form. It has been drizzling a bit today and there is a bit of a wind - of course it's very different to the wonderful sunshine we've had but to be honest, I'm glad it has cooled down a bit. So after a few strides and stretching I was good to go:
Rep 1: I set off steady and I hit the first hill of the run - probably the biggest and steepest too. It's a real toughie but then there's a nice downhill straight away as I instantly lose the height I'd only just gained. Then it's flat all the way - I feel really comfortable, but the pace is not blistering by any means so it's hardly surprising I don't feel pushed. 3:48.
Rep 2: Under the railway bridge and then up the second hill of the run - another steep incline but it's shortish and flattens off reasonably quickly. Over the canal I go and then it's a really steady downhill run before a flat finish on a newly surfaced road. No quicker, no slower than the last one. 3:48.
Rep 3: I am now determined to up things now I've got two of the main hills out of the way. This rep is mainly flat apart from a climb with a false summit - it's nothing on the other two but all the same it's enough to drop the pace. I'm starting to open up the legs now though and am confident I'm moving faster. How right I was - my extra effort counted as I get a pleasing 3:38.
Rep 4: This is an awkward point now. I'm over halfway and I've turned to run for home (back the same way I came.) That's all well and good, but the last time I did this very same session over the same course, my fastest rep was the same as the time as that of Rep 3. Never mind that I thought. I push on hard, I'm now flying and the leg speed feels incredible. Unbelievable 3:26.
Rep 5: I feel home getting nearer. I feel to be really shifting but I have to contend with that drag I descended in Rep 2 - It's a hell of a lot harder going up it. I'm then saved by the descent down the hill I had to climb in that rep though and I finish strongly on the flat. Things just get better 3:25.
Rep 6: This is it - the final push! I can see the hill I'm going to have to climb, but for now I'm going well on the flat. Suddenly I hit the hill and it's a killer. The pace drops by a chunk but then it's all downhill and flat to home. I open up the legs. I know it's not going to be anywhere near the last 2 but I still want a grand finale. It's not a bad effort 3:32.
So there you have it! I'm really pleased with that session and it's a good feeling comparing it with the other time I did it!
January April May
1. 3:49/km 1. 3:50/km 1. 3:48/km
2. 3:45/km 2. 3:41/km 2. 3:48/km
3. 3:48/km 3. 3:47/km 3. 3:38/km
4. 3:41/km 4. 3:38/km 4. 3:26/km
5. 3:45/km 5. 3:40/km 5. 3:25/km
6. 3:39/km 6. 3:40/km 6. 3:32/km
Today's average was 3:36 - 7 seconds better than last time. Happy days! One last thing - those shoes and the new socks are absolutely awesome!
Triple Chocolate Truffle Trifle!
Yep, what a mouthful - that's what we were serving at a function at work last night! Anyway, I thought I'd better let you know how things are progressing. The calf turned out to be alright and so I managed a session on Monday. I also spoke to my Dad's friend, who is an orthopedic surgeon, but is also trained in physiotherapy. He reckoned it was just bad circulation and recommended some compression socks. I therefore put my compression socks on for Monday's session in a hope that they would improve things, but they made it worse instead; they must be too small! Apart from my legs feeling dead, I had a good session - it was the 4 blocks of 10 minutes off 2 minutes recovery.
1. 6:36/mile.
2. 6:52/mile.
3. 6:58/mile.
4. 6:48/mile.
Overall not bad times to say it was all off road on fields in very hot conditions with lots of hills chucked in! I came back and ordered some Skins Compression Socks which have come today and feel much better, nowhere near as tight and much more comfy, so I will be trying them out today.
Yesterday was a steady 6.5 miles on the cross trainer to try and get some real climbing strength in the legs - I felt really good and felt to really go well on Level 15 (the hardest!). Today I have my KM Rep session in my new socks and new road racers. Let's see how it goes!
Sunday 23 May 2010
Yep, the weather is better than me!
First race. First test. First chance to shine. As I set off in sweltering heat and glorious sunshine this morning, I still had a good feeling. Traffic jams held us up and arrived 15 minutes before my race. Ok, not ideal preparation but still feeling confident. I'm however worried at the lack of warm up I've had.
Then we're off. Up the track and onto the fell - I take the lead after passing a few fast starters, but my calves soon stiffen up; I now wish I had warmed up properly. The calves burn and I begin to feel dehydrated, but I'm still in a strong second. Then there's a pull in my calf. I stop, I collapse and I feel fear. The race passes me by and I'm dropping down the field. As I get up, my legs feel weak, almost struggling to hold me up. I walk down the fell, now a straggler of the field. There's a knot in my calf - bad cramp due to dehydration or a pull due to a lack of warm up? The former I hope.
Now I'm home with a great bag of peas on my achy calf. What happened between the story above and now is a bit a mystery - I sat, feeling almost confused and worried. I was fearing the worst - that the whole season ahead would be destroyed. I have so many plans for the season ahead and it's been derailed at the first hurdle. I failed badly - I wanted to win the race, end of. The more worrying thing is the damage that has been done. I will access the situation tomorrow - I hope it was just bad cramp but there again perhaps I'm forever the optimist.
Then we're off. Up the track and onto the fell - I take the lead after passing a few fast starters, but my calves soon stiffen up; I now wish I had warmed up properly. The calves burn and I begin to feel dehydrated, but I'm still in a strong second. Then there's a pull in my calf. I stop, I collapse and I feel fear. The race passes me by and I'm dropping down the field. As I get up, my legs feel weak, almost struggling to hold me up. I walk down the fell, now a straggler of the field. There's a knot in my calf - bad cramp due to dehydration or a pull due to a lack of warm up? The former I hope.
Now I'm home with a great bag of peas on my achy calf. What happened between the story above and now is a bit a mystery - I sat, feeling almost confused and worried. I was fearing the worst - that the whole season ahead would be destroyed. I have so many plans for the season ahead and it's been derailed at the first hurdle. I failed badly - I wanted to win the race, end of. The more worrying thing is the damage that has been done. I will access the situation tomorrow - I hope it was just bad cramp but there again perhaps I'm forever the optimist.
Saturday 22 May 2010
I've got a good feeling about tomorrow.
Tomorrow is my second race of the fell season. Whether Mearley Clough can be classed as a race however is debatable. I'm therefore really looking forward to tomorrow. Coniston Gullies, in the Lake District is a typical BOFRA Race. Short, fast and steep. I've also got a great feeling about the race. I've come off a solid week's training and now feel ready to race. I'm going to hydrate really well today as it's going to be stupidly warm tomorrow.I've also ordered some new road shoes ahead of next week's 10k, which I have to admit I'm really looking forward to. Road racing has never appealed to me until lately, where I have become curious as to what I could do on a 10k. Check out the sleek, lighweight racers (pic) I'll be sporting next week. Good luck to everyone who's competing this weekend. I hope we all run at our best and even if you're merely having a training run, enjoy it!
Thursday 20 May 2010
Well I've found my achilles heel!
Literally, rather than in terms of that good old cliche that we all know. Of course I do have my weaknesses (my achilles heels) but today it was all about that region beneath the calf.
After a rest day yesterday to try and get over 7 days straight running (!) which saw me pick up 40 miles for the week, I felt compelled and enthusiastic. So energised in fact, that I was going to do a 10k as a sharpener with the hope of ducking under 40 minutes. Yeah, right! I hit the road and immediatley I felt a severe pain in the achilles region. I carried on but to no avail. I needed to get off the roads ASAP so I went onto the canal with the hope that less impact would ease the pain. This had no effect as I was on a very rocky part of the towpath. I eased down the pace before getting off road onto nice soft grassy terrain. The pain went and I could run at a very good speed again. I therefore limited the session to fields for the remainder and clocked up 6 miles in total.
Still, a run is a run. Thank god the race on Sunday is all off road. One final thing, has anyone else been sweating buckets? It seems really warm to me at the moment.
After a rest day yesterday to try and get over 7 days straight running (!) which saw me pick up 40 miles for the week, I felt compelled and enthusiastic. So energised in fact, that I was going to do a 10k as a sharpener with the hope of ducking under 40 minutes. Yeah, right! I hit the road and immediatley I felt a severe pain in the achilles region. I carried on but to no avail. I needed to get off the roads ASAP so I went onto the canal with the hope that less impact would ease the pain. This had no effect as I was on a very rocky part of the towpath. I eased down the pace before getting off road onto nice soft grassy terrain. The pain went and I could run at a very good speed again. I therefore limited the session to fields for the remainder and clocked up 6 miles in total.
Still, a run is a run. Thank god the race on Sunday is all off road. One final thing, has anyone else been sweating buckets? It seems really warm to me at the moment.
Tuesday 18 May 2010
The big 4-0!
Today saw me man up and run arguably the hardest session of my week; the hill session. I had a General Studies exam this morning and then went off to my Grandma and Grandad's so the session was to be done on Ilkley Moor. I know the Moor quite well, having run there plenty of times. What I couldn't think of however, was a climb which lasted 10 minutes. I therefore decided to go for a 5 minute hill session, so it was 5 minutes hard up @ threshold, descend fast and then rest 1 minute.
Rep 1: Really really steep start which my thighs don't like. I maintain a good strong run and finish strongly with a good turnover of leg speed as the climb flattens off.
Rep 2: Same position again - steep, rough and rocky terrain. My thighs die on me so I stop for 10 and stretch before carrying on. I finish strongly again, but am I going to be able to complete this session?
Rep 3: I'm half way there after this one. I take a different route to the stream where the reps finished on the first two, and get there in 4:30 on a really strong rep which was probably longer than the first two despite ending up in the same position.
Rep 4: I'm on the move again - this time on the so called ski slope. I waltz up here and can't find anymore paths which lead uphill. I'm left to fly over undulating terrain for the remainder of the rep. Feeling as though I will get all 6 down now.
Rep 5: A really steep and tough rep - possibly the steepest climb on the moor up from White Wells towards a forest on the hillside. Strong effort and I continue to maintain a good form of running.
Rep 6: Hanging on in there for the final effort - it's been a long week with lots of hard stuff and it's coming to and end. Not a bad way to finish, in fact, quite pleasing.
Overall I'm delighted with today's session. I haven't managed to get 6 reps in before now, 5 is my total. I finished off with a 2 mile warm down which will easily take the distance for the day to 8 and the week to 40! Bingo!
I'm going to do a 10k a week on Friday at Colne which will be a good test. It's very hilly so not one for a fast time but it's local and a 10k is a 10k. Just need to get some road racers sorted now!
Rep 1: Really really steep start which my thighs don't like. I maintain a good strong run and finish strongly with a good turnover of leg speed as the climb flattens off.
Rep 2: Same position again - steep, rough and rocky terrain. My thighs die on me so I stop for 10 and stretch before carrying on. I finish strongly again, but am I going to be able to complete this session?
Rep 3: I'm half way there after this one. I take a different route to the stream where the reps finished on the first two, and get there in 4:30 on a really strong rep which was probably longer than the first two despite ending up in the same position.
Rep 4: I'm on the move again - this time on the so called ski slope. I waltz up here and can't find anymore paths which lead uphill. I'm left to fly over undulating terrain for the remainder of the rep. Feeling as though I will get all 6 down now.
Rep 5: A really steep and tough rep - possibly the steepest climb on the moor up from White Wells towards a forest on the hillside. Strong effort and I continue to maintain a good form of running.
Rep 6: Hanging on in there for the final effort - it's been a long week with lots of hard stuff and it's coming to and end. Not a bad way to finish, in fact, quite pleasing.
Overall I'm delighted with today's session. I haven't managed to get 6 reps in before now, 5 is my total. I finished off with a 2 mile warm down which will easily take the distance for the day to 8 and the week to 40! Bingo!
I'm going to do a 10k a week on Friday at Colne which will be a good test. It's very hilly so not one for a fast time but it's local and a 10k is a 10k. Just need to get some road racers sorted now!
Monday 17 May 2010
A brainstorm!
After getting in from work at 2am this morning (an 11hr shift!) I haven't felt too active although I've managed plenty of revision. Still, I wanted to do my hill session today to get my 40 mile week. I felt uncomfortable doing a session as hard as this however after a late night and bad preparation (not really any proper tea last night etc).
I then had a thought - the training week started at Mearley Cloughs last Tuesday at 7.15pm. If a week lasts 168 hours, surely I have until 7.15pm tomorrow to complete the week's training? Baring this in mind, I have just done a very easy few miles with strides etc. today and will pay a visit to the Moors above Ilkley tomorrow for the hill session where I will hopefully be much better prepared!
I then had a thought - the training week started at Mearley Cloughs last Tuesday at 7.15pm. If a week lasts 168 hours, surely I have until 7.15pm tomorrow to complete the week's training? Baring this in mind, I have just done a very easy few miles with strides etc. today and will pay a visit to the Moors above Ilkley tomorrow for the hill session where I will hopefully be much better prepared!
An injection of speed!
Well, not much of an injection but to me it felt fast. To the track runners, Cheeseman et all, my times will be laughable. My excuse is the terrain I did my speedwork on: a field which was being grazed by sheep. I still have to admit they'd probably be streets ahead but there again, whatever your speed, working on the movement in those legs is vital.
The Fartlek session yesterday ended up being much more structured. I decided to get some definite distances and therefore the session was: Warm Up, 4x 600m, 4x 400m, 4x 200m all off 200m recovery. Not the standard Fartlek but all the same, similar principles in which effots are short, bursts with an injection of speed.
The times were as follows:
600s:
2:11 (a bit slow but saving some in the tank!)
2:07 (Getting there!)
2:06 (Just pipped last time's effort! I'll take that!)
2:01 (Nailed it!)
400s:
1:21 (Pedestrian! Need to step on it!)
1:16 (Much better, still not quite got the legs shifting fully.)
1:17 (Slower, and all the efforts had been getting progressivley faster.)
1:10 (Thankyou very much! Just what I was looking for.)
200s:
0:36 (Not a bad effort, still not even at the same pace as the last 400.)
0:41 (Oh dear oh dear, poor is the only way of describing this one.)
0:34 (More like it - possibly an even faster last one?)
0:34 (No faster, no slower. Rounds off a brilliant session.)
So there you have it. A really good sharpener of a session which tested my speed from start to finish. Hill session next and hopefully the one that plunges me to 40 miles!
The Fartlek session yesterday ended up being much more structured. I decided to get some definite distances and therefore the session was: Warm Up, 4x 600m, 4x 400m, 4x 200m all off 200m recovery. Not the standard Fartlek but all the same, similar principles in which effots are short, bursts with an injection of speed.
The times were as follows:
600s:
2:11 (a bit slow but saving some in the tank!)
2:07 (Getting there!)
2:06 (Just pipped last time's effort! I'll take that!)
2:01 (Nailed it!)
400s:
1:21 (Pedestrian! Need to step on it!)
1:16 (Much better, still not quite got the legs shifting fully.)
1:17 (Slower, and all the efforts had been getting progressivley faster.)
1:10 (Thankyou very much! Just what I was looking for.)
200s:
0:36 (Not a bad effort, still not even at the same pace as the last 400.)
0:41 (Oh dear oh dear, poor is the only way of describing this one.)
0:34 (More like it - possibly an even faster last one?)
0:34 (No faster, no slower. Rounds off a brilliant session.)
So there you have it. A really good sharpener of a session which tested my speed from start to finish. Hill session next and hopefully the one that plunges me to 40 miles!
Saturday 15 May 2010
Improving by the day!
Well things just seem to be getting better and better at the moment. After being on a real downer last week, I now feel to be flying and going from strength to strength, day by day. Today's long run ended up being 50 minutes timed by the stopwatch, over fields, towpaths and a bit of road. I started off on the flat feeling very flat, but soon got into the rythm with the beat of the music on my Ipod and started to cruise a little. After getting home and feeling in an excellent frame of mind, I used MemoryMap to get the distance and it came out at 6.5 miles altogether. This was very pleasing, particularly for a long and steady run. Roll on tomorrow for some Fartlek!
Friday 14 May 2010
Margin for error
Rather than the planned Fartlek, today saw me partake in a KM rep session. I decided on 5 reps beforehand, as my legs are still feeling the effects of Tuesday's steep descents at Mearley and a wise decision this proved to be.
Rather foolishly I had failed to check the battery on my Forerunner 205 and so I had a short panic attack. Fear not I thought as I rooted out my old Foreunner 301 which is a much larger unit as you can see on the picture, and also lacks the GPS quality of the 205. Still, it would measure my reps out, but how accuratley is debatable.
After my usual warm up of strides and bounds, by which time my 205 would have located its satellites, the 301 was still messing around deciding which part of the sky it was going to hook onto. I had had enough of waiting and so decided to set off with the Garmin showing a very weak connection.
I paid the price for this. As I look at my post session analysis graphs on Training Centre, the Forerunner had me down as doing over 5:30km/h for the first part of the rep. This is significant in the results:
1st KM: Feel nice and comfortable although my legs feel slightly jaded and there is a real headwind. The pace feels fast but sustainable. As the bleepers go, I am astounded to see 3:56 on the clock. With the benefit of hindsight, the weak connection at the start of the rep may have meant progress wasn't recorded properly and so the time was a lot slower than expected.
2nd KM: It's a Rep starting on a steep hill - not a nice sensation, particularly for the calves. Then down and flat, before an uphill finish which really tests my attributes, not to mention a brute of a headwind throughout. Not a bad effort though, 3:46.
3rd KM: I make a bold move to go onto the canal, and spend the first 10 seconds negotiating some steps which really slow me down. I hit the canal and really start to put the burners on, seeing a fellow runner coming the other way. PUSH PUSH PUSH! I continue to go for it and feel incredibly strong. What a Rep - 3:34 on an off road stretch, well strictly speaking anyway, although it is flat!
4th KM: Back onto the roads this time, with the cars of the A65 whistling past me. I focus on my own run and have little time to admire the River Aire. Soon I'm crossing the bridge and I'm back alongside it, running into a headwind and really starting to feel the burn now. I sprint as I hear the bleepers - 3:33!
5th KM: The final rep and it's all into a headwind. I desperatley keep checking the Garmin and before I know it I'm into the last 300. But then, what's this? A van pulls out and blocks my way through, so I have to wait for a couple of seconds for it. This spurs me on and I push for the imaginary line. There goes the watch, thank god - 3:40 including van stoppage time!
What a great session. I followed this off with a 2 miles warm down, taking the daily total to a pleasing 6 and the week to 17 so far. Tomorrow is the nice steady long run before a trip to the Galpharm for the first leg of the Playoff Semi Final. Come on Town!
Rather foolishly I had failed to check the battery on my Forerunner 205 and so I had a short panic attack. Fear not I thought as I rooted out my old Foreunner 301 which is a much larger unit as you can see on the picture, and also lacks the GPS quality of the 205. Still, it would measure my reps out, but how accuratley is debatable.
After my usual warm up of strides and bounds, by which time my 205 would have located its satellites, the 301 was still messing around deciding which part of the sky it was going to hook onto. I had had enough of waiting and so decided to set off with the Garmin showing a very weak connection.
I paid the price for this. As I look at my post session analysis graphs on Training Centre, the Forerunner had me down as doing over 5:30km/h for the first part of the rep. This is significant in the results:
1st KM: Feel nice and comfortable although my legs feel slightly jaded and there is a real headwind. The pace feels fast but sustainable. As the bleepers go, I am astounded to see 3:56 on the clock. With the benefit of hindsight, the weak connection at the start of the rep may have meant progress wasn't recorded properly and so the time was a lot slower than expected.
2nd KM: It's a Rep starting on a steep hill - not a nice sensation, particularly for the calves. Then down and flat, before an uphill finish which really tests my attributes, not to mention a brute of a headwind throughout. Not a bad effort though, 3:46.
3rd KM: I make a bold move to go onto the canal, and spend the first 10 seconds negotiating some steps which really slow me down. I hit the canal and really start to put the burners on, seeing a fellow runner coming the other way. PUSH PUSH PUSH! I continue to go for it and feel incredibly strong. What a Rep - 3:34 on an off road stretch, well strictly speaking anyway, although it is flat!
4th KM: Back onto the roads this time, with the cars of the A65 whistling past me. I focus on my own run and have little time to admire the River Aire. Soon I'm crossing the bridge and I'm back alongside it, running into a headwind and really starting to feel the burn now. I sprint as I hear the bleepers - 3:33!
5th KM: The final rep and it's all into a headwind. I desperatley keep checking the Garmin and before I know it I'm into the last 300. But then, what's this? A van pulls out and blocks my way through, so I have to wait for a couple of seconds for it. This spurs me on and I push for the imaginary line. There goes the watch, thank god - 3:40 including van stoppage time!
What a great session. I followed this off with a 2 miles warm down, taking the daily total to a pleasing 6 and the week to 17 so far. Tomorrow is the nice steady long run before a trip to the Galpharm for the first leg of the Playoff Semi Final. Come on Town!
Thursday 13 May 2010
Wrecked thighs!
My thighs felt incredibly stiff this morning and have done all day. I am even having trouble walking downhill and so I just had a nice steady 2 miles on the cross trainer to try and loosen them up a little. Fartlek tomorrow where my legs will hopefully be in better shape.
I've found my bag too. The £250 worth of kit is safe thank goodness. I think I'm having problems with my compression socks - everytime I wear them whilst I run my calves seem much stiffer and lactic acid filled than normal. Surely this shouldn't be happening - anyone got any comments?
I've found my bag too. The £250 worth of kit is safe thank goodness. I think I'm having problems with my compression socks - everytime I wear them whilst I run my calves seem much stiffer and lactic acid filled than normal. Surely this shouldn't be happening - anyone got any comments?
Wednesday 12 May 2010
New shoes!
I've got some new fell shoes for the fell season and I wore them straight out of the box for Mearley last night. They needed a bit of breaking in as they didn't feel quite right - they certainly needed to mold to the shape of my heel a little. I wore them again tonight for the session and they felt amazing - light, responsive and generally a great all round terrain shoe. What are they? The asthetically updated Inov8 Mudroc 290 - still doing the same job as the shoe released in 2003 quoted as the 'Ultimate Off Road shoe', but with a bit of a make over. I can't wait for these dogs to rip up the BOFRA racing circuit!
Garmin renound for navigation? Hope my forerunner can find its way home then!
After what can only be described as the worst race of my life last night, I had a long hard think last night and today as to what I actually want to do this Summer with regards to running. It was either not run at all, run casually and not race, or stick with initial plans and train hard/race. After much ooing and arring, I came round and stuck with what I had planned. Last night's race was still well and truly in my mind at this point - the pain in my calves and thighs I felt, and the stiffness in my knees was enough to put me off. Still, I am not going to give up that easily and there is no way of getting over a bad run than going out and belting out one that is back at your best.
That is exactly what I did today. I haven't felt good since the start of this virus which, fingers crossed, has actually gone. It certainly seemed that way today. The weather was top notch and so I decided to go with the 4 blocks of 10 minutes off 2 mins recovery @threshold - a session I couldn't complete last week whilst being under the weather. Instead of the boring old laps, which I normally complete 7 of in 10 minutes, I varied things up and devised loops as I went on. Perhaps now I should tell you the bad news. I wanted to do KM reps on the School Track today and took my sports bag with me. I've ended up losing this bag, god knows where/how. Within the bag was my f-lites, my Garmin, my Skins, a pair of Adidas running shorts, a NikePro top and my compression socks. Real disaster so I really hope these turn up. Anyway never mind, at least I could train today; it just meant I wasn't going to have the data of the Garmin, instead relying on the standard stopwatch.
1st Rep: Cautious start, but fly up the hills with a great feeling in my arms, which I use to propell me along. Legs feel awesome too - did I race last night?
2nd Rep: Even better than the first one. Really feel good now and the vitality of running has been well and truly embodied within me once again.
3rd Rep: Still going strongly, but knees a little stiff after recovery and start to tire in the last couple of minutes.
4th Rep: A great feeling as the session is nearly over. I give it my all and push to the bleep of my stopwatch. To my great relief, this comes fairly quickly - what a feeling!
A really great day training wise - so good that it hasn't been dampened by the loss of my bag. I will find this tomorrow with a bit of luck. Well, touch wood, this means I'm back and fighting fit. Coniston (a week on Sunday) now looks very probable, particularly if I can get all my sessions in, as per a normal week. If lady luck smiles, a week pushing for 40 miles may be on the cards. Excellent.
That is exactly what I did today. I haven't felt good since the start of this virus which, fingers crossed, has actually gone. It certainly seemed that way today. The weather was top notch and so I decided to go with the 4 blocks of 10 minutes off 2 mins recovery @threshold - a session I couldn't complete last week whilst being under the weather. Instead of the boring old laps, which I normally complete 7 of in 10 minutes, I varied things up and devised loops as I went on. Perhaps now I should tell you the bad news. I wanted to do KM reps on the School Track today and took my sports bag with me. I've ended up losing this bag, god knows where/how. Within the bag was my f-lites, my Garmin, my Skins, a pair of Adidas running shorts, a NikePro top and my compression socks. Real disaster so I really hope these turn up. Anyway never mind, at least I could train today; it just meant I wasn't going to have the data of the Garmin, instead relying on the standard stopwatch.
1st Rep: Cautious start, but fly up the hills with a great feeling in my arms, which I use to propell me along. Legs feel awesome too - did I race last night?
2nd Rep: Even better than the first one. Really feel good now and the vitality of running has been well and truly embodied within me once again.
3rd Rep: Still going strongly, but knees a little stiff after recovery and start to tire in the last couple of minutes.
4th Rep: A great feeling as the session is nearly over. I give it my all and push to the bleep of my stopwatch. To my great relief, this comes fairly quickly - what a feeling!
A really great day training wise - so good that it hasn't been dampened by the loss of my bag. I will find this tomorrow with a bit of luck. Well, touch wood, this means I'm back and fighting fit. Coniston (a week on Sunday) now looks very probable, particularly if I can get all my sessions in, as per a normal week. If lady luck smiles, a week pushing for 40 miles may be on the cards. Excellent.
Friday 7 May 2010
Enough is enough.
Still the same as yesterday, and the day before. All lurgied up, having the occasional coughing fit and generally not right. Today was worse though by the fact that I tried to run and my legs are absolutley dead from the word go. Time to forget about training and concentrate on getting the illness right. Sedbergh is now pretty unlikely and if I do dare go for it, I will be miles off the pace as I won't have been able to train properly for two weeks. Good luck to anyone who is racing this weekend. I only wish I could participate too.
Thursday 6 May 2010
How long will this thing linger around?
I'm getting worried now. I've had this flu for a week now and yet I don't feel ill or anything. I just have coughing fits and now have a seriously banging headache. Do I stop training or, based on the fact that I feel completley fine, carry on training? Today I did the latter and went for another 1k rep session, this time with 4 efforts and into a strong headwind.
1st effort: 3:35 - nice and strong.
2nd effort: 3:36 - another nice one; thinking of going for the full 6.
3rd effort: 3:34 - a rapid last lap gives me a nice consistent result.
4th effort: 3:40 - I begin to die, coughing as I do so. Nothing left.
Not bad results but I still don't feel completley right at all. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Feeling pretty down about things at the moment. Training was going so well and now it feels as though it's all going to pot. Sedbergh 1 week away and I'm stuck wondering if I should train or not. God help us.
1st effort: 3:35 - nice and strong.
2nd effort: 3:36 - another nice one; thinking of going for the full 6.
3rd effort: 3:34 - a rapid last lap gives me a nice consistent result.
4th effort: 3:40 - I begin to die, coughing as I do so. Nothing left.
Not bad results but I still don't feel completley right at all. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Feeling pretty down about things at the moment. Training was going so well and now it feels as though it's all going to pot. Sedbergh 1 week away and I'm stuck wondering if I should train or not. God help us.
Wednesday 5 May 2010
Maybe getting there?
Today I've decided this cold had had its fun and I was prepared to put up with its affects to get running again. I had my mind set on a km rep session, but I didn't want to put too much strain on it by doing the 6 whole efforts, which would be too much too soon. I decided therefore to do 3 reps on the track at school at a pace I could handle, without pushing things too much. The reps went as so:
1. 3:26 for the km. A good start, felt a little fast and cold feels as though it has taken a bit out of me. More in the tank but won't be as fast.
2. 3:33 for the km. Much more comfortable, restrained pace. Just wanted to finish with a reasonable effort.
3. 3:32 for the km. Not a bad finish, very comfortable once again. Without the cold I felt I could have gone faster and for longer.
So, an average of 3:30 - 35 minute 10k pace, on a grass track! Although roads aren't perfectly flat, the surface is faster so the times set bode well for that target. A good re-introduction after some tough times over the past few days. I needed a nice few miles in the tank, so 3 of the slowest I've ever done on the cross trainer helped me warm down. Please be completley gone tomorrow cold so I can do a full session?
1. 3:26 for the km. A good start, felt a little fast and cold feels as though it has taken a bit out of me. More in the tank but won't be as fast.
2. 3:33 for the km. Much more comfortable, restrained pace. Just wanted to finish with a reasonable effort.
3. 3:32 for the km. Not a bad finish, very comfortable once again. Without the cold I felt I could have gone faster and for longer.
So, an average of 3:30 - 35 minute 10k pace, on a grass track! Although roads aren't perfectly flat, the surface is faster so the times set bode well for that target. A good re-introduction after some tough times over the past few days. I needed a nice few miles in the tank, so 3 of the slowest I've ever done on the cross trainer helped me warm down. Please be completley gone tomorrow cold so I can do a full session?
Monday 3 May 2010
Fighting fit (ish)
Back from Scotland at 7pm was the story of the day, after a very long and tedious journey which included being stuck on the A1 near Newcastle for what seemed an eternity. Consequently, I haven't got the rep session done and so that rolls on to tomorrow, when I'm back at School and so will be using the newly marked School track . The length of the track is 266 and a 1/3 metres which is bizzare (It's a mystery as to why) but I've found the problem with the Garmin was the memory (thanks Terry!) so I'll be using that tomorrow rather than the strangely measured track we have at School. It's a poor track - it's grass with lots of sand, it's rutted and has had rugby/football played on it in Winter but it's flat and perfect for tomorrow's session. It's what I've needed to do this session in the past couple of weeks. Come to think about it, I can't think why I haven't bothered doing this session there yet.
I woke up this morning with a bad cough/cold but the cough has now disappeared and the blocked nose is going. I'd also lost my appetite over the last couple of days and I seem to be finding that again. I just hope I won't be lacking in energy tomorrow. My legs feel really good actually so I hope tomorrow should be a success.
I woke up this morning with a bad cough/cold but the cough has now disappeared and the blocked nose is going. I'd also lost my appetite over the last couple of days and I seem to be finding that again. I just hope I won't be lacking in energy tomorrow. My legs feel really good actually so I hope tomorrow should be a success.
Sunday 2 May 2010
Technology...what a let down!
I've become quite dependent on the Garmin nowadays. Considering I paid £120 for it, I want to get my money's worth, quite understandably. For the hard sessions I've done lately it has been imperative. On the current schedule, I could probably do all of the sessions without it and with a standard stopwatch, except the km reps. If I have it though, which I do, I use it and it is completley essential for the session I had planned today.
I woke up with a different attitude to last night towards the rep session. I wanted to hit the country roads which, despite undulating, are really good to run on. So I got warmed up and turned the Garmin on...Off it went. I click the on button again...Off it goes. I couldn't believe it - I'd made sure the Garmin was fully charged when I set off so it's either well and truly buggered or it turned itself on in my bag and the battery has run down. I would find out if I had brought the charger with me! Yep I'm without a charger, and I haven't even got the backup plan of a stopwatch so today's session has been cancelled. I'd rather do this session later in the week and get it right. So, I've got 4 hard sessions to do in 5 days now - tough times!
On a more positive note, as I was already in my running gear, I went for a steady couple of miles on part of the route I was going to take. These miles made up for the couple I lost in the long run yesterday by doing 6 as opposed to 8. I actually felt very good today - I picked up where I finished yesterday's run; strongly. So tomorrow I still think I'll go for the rep session, although it depends what time I get home from Scotland to get the Garmin charged up!
I woke up with a different attitude to last night towards the rep session. I wanted to hit the country roads which, despite undulating, are really good to run on. So I got warmed up and turned the Garmin on...Off it went. I click the on button again...Off it goes. I couldn't believe it - I'd made sure the Garmin was fully charged when I set off so it's either well and truly buggered or it turned itself on in my bag and the battery has run down. I would find out if I had brought the charger with me! Yep I'm without a charger, and I haven't even got the backup plan of a stopwatch so today's session has been cancelled. I'd rather do this session later in the week and get it right. So, I've got 4 hard sessions to do in 5 days now - tough times!
On a more positive note, as I was already in my running gear, I went for a steady couple of miles on part of the route I was going to take. These miles made up for the couple I lost in the long run yesterday by doing 6 as opposed to 8. I actually felt very good today - I picked up where I finished yesterday's run; strongly. So tomorrow I still think I'll go for the rep session, although it depends what time I get home from Scotland to get the Garmin charged up!
Saturday 1 May 2010
The reason why I love Running!
Today was the long run - the easiest session of my week at the moment. Runs like these make you realise why you love running; you can enjoy the scenery and take in the fresh air without worrying about the next repetition or circuit. Sadly I don't get enough of these at the moment for my liking but train long and slow, and guess what, you will be good at running for long distances at a slow pace. That's why I limit this session to once a week - at my age I need to be able to run fast for a shortish distance.
Today's Long Run ended up being a leisurley 6 over fields, canal, farm tracks and roads. With the cold still lingring, albeit hopefully on its way out, I decided to limit myself to 6 miles today. This would hopefully not wear me out too much for the week ahead and more importantly to not allow the virus I've picked up run riot.
The stiff calves from yesterday continued to scream at me for the longest four miles of my life, particularly on the harder canal surfaces and even on the fields to some extent. I thought I would be spared this pain by wearing my road shoes with more support but no such look. Things changed in the last 2 miles as I neared home on the pennine way as the calves loosened up and I felt to have a real bounce in my step once again, finishing strongly and forgetting any troubles I'd had in the first half of the run. So, 6 miles in around 50 minutes.
Tomorrow I will probably be wondering why I do running as I struggle round the school playing fields here in Scotland for my 1km rep session, panting hard with lactic acid infected legs. Well this sort of session is the sort that counts in a race, and I want to be a good racer!
This maybe off road as opposed to my previous km sessions done on the roads at home but it is a well trimmed, flat as a pancake field which has given me some good times for similar, but slightly shorter sessions before. The roads round here are very hilly and I want to post some good rep times on some fast stuff, so call me a wuss for avoiding the hilly roads but I've had enough of this session being affected by hills, wind and road blockages! Times should be comparable to reps I did on the roads at home if not faster. Here's to a good session.
Friday 30 April 2010
Under the weather!
In both ways! Firstly, it has rained in the past few days for the first time in weeks, which I wouldn't complain about had the ground got any softer, but it hasn't made too much of a noteable difference. The wind has also picked up lately and, when at full force, is probably the most frustrating thing to have as a runner. I'm sure cyclists find it equally annoying. I've also picked up a bit of a cold, but having given into the common cold/man flu before, I decided to train through this one and so found myself doing the 4 blocks of 10 minutes today.
A wise decision it was to run as well. Despite the legs feeling slightly dead, my breathing was top notch and I actually feel much better now as a result of the session! I used the same location as last week so off road, over fields with a steep hill, steep descent and flat running over a short loop to be done as many times as possible in 10 minutes. This time however I relied upon the Garmin for measurements, and this proved how very wrong my estimated distances using GMap Pedometer were. I also wore my Compression Socks (see pic) for the first time today and they were fantastic, felt really good and definitley something I will wear very often now. Down to the results anyway:
1st Block - Legs tired quickly, but didn't feel to be in too much trouble breathing wise. Wondered if I would get through the session at this stage. Regretting wearing the F-Lites despite the rain; needed the Grid Tangents for more cushioning on the hard ground. Still, 6:46/mile.
2nd Block - A superb 10 minutes, style felt excellent and I felt to be going fast without pushing too hard and was rewarded with 6:37/mile. Excellent.
3rd Block - Things start to get tougher and I just look to get 7 of the triangular circuits done. I succeed, but at a pace of 6:55/mile.
4th Block - It's the end of a long week and the energy has been sapped from me by this cold I've picked up. Still, I fight away and reach my 7 loops, but the downward spiral has begun as I clock 7:04/mile. Thank god the session is over!
The times I recorded were much more accurate than last week and therefore I can compare now to next week when I do the same session again. Overall, this was a great end to a week which on the whole has been a very good one. The 7 miles today takes the weekly mileage up to the 35 I dreamed of, fantastic! Tomorrow is the start of a new week where new challenges will arise. The long run tomorrow and then I'm going to Scotland, so the sessions may be mixed up. One thing is for sure though, I'm getting that km rep session in early this time!
Wednesday 28 April 2010
A series of unfortunate events = despair
Well I haven't had much luck with this session at all this week. I wanted to do it on Monday, but instead had to do the Fartlek session at School and then head straight off to a Cricket match (which we lost!). That's why I didn't to this session on Monday if you were wondering why. Anyway, no problems at all as I could do that session today. Well at least I thought I could, and I was going to use a nice loop round the houses and river which was flattish and fast. Walking back from School however, this path was blocked off and this presented a major problem as the only way I could get past was by going into the river! Major problem number one encountered but that wasn't going to stop me doing the session, and so I decided to do the same course as last week. So after a good warm up with strides etc, I was good to go.
First Rep: Very, very strong headwind which made running really tough. Not to mention the big hill which takes a hell of a lot out of both your legs and lungs. Still, a good first km by all accounts in 3:39.
Second Rep: Again into the wind and another really tough climb. My legs felt a little jaded as I tried to run hard off the top of the hill but I still felt to be on for a good time. But then I saw it ahead, blocking the road, a massive digger next to a sign saying road closed! I couldn't believe this so, after a few seconds of messing around, I turned round and decided to run where I'd came from to top the effort up to a km, which ended up being 3:43 (including few seconds messing around).
Third Rep: After the last effort, I didn't really know what to do, as heading for home would only mean I would get 4 efforts in. Alternativley I could run another one out into the headwind and then one back. No thanks I thought. I ran back towards home and then turned at a sign. Not a bad rep at all, 3:37 in fact.
Fourth Rep: The last one I decided. Seeing that digger really had knocked the stuffing out of me as it practically destroyed the session. So I went, up the hill and to the bad junction where I had to check for traffic, although I was so angry I felt like just running on for the hell of it and taking one for the team. The Garmin countdown timer eventually came, 5...4...3...2...1. I look at my watch and 3:45 is dominating the screen. I feel disappointed, but relieved to have got at least 4 efforts in, and I don't even feel tired which is the most annoying thing. Someone obviously didn't want me to do this session!
So a frustrating day all in all. Still, some good times recorded on the efforts which I actually wasn't interrupted on by hills or junctions or tossers sat in diggers doing nothing (oops!). Life goes on and to compensate for the bad luck I've had, I went for a nice 3 mile off road run meaning 6 in total for the day and 28 for the week so far. I feel as though I will definitley do this session on a Monday from now on, as my legs weren't ready to smash the reps out after a rest day yesterday. Surely tomorrow can't go wrong now after the number of misfortunes I've had today!
First Rep: Very, very strong headwind which made running really tough. Not to mention the big hill which takes a hell of a lot out of both your legs and lungs. Still, a good first km by all accounts in 3:39.
Second Rep: Again into the wind and another really tough climb. My legs felt a little jaded as I tried to run hard off the top of the hill but I still felt to be on for a good time. But then I saw it ahead, blocking the road, a massive digger next to a sign saying road closed! I couldn't believe this so, after a few seconds of messing around, I turned round and decided to run where I'd came from to top the effort up to a km, which ended up being 3:43 (including few seconds messing around).
Third Rep: After the last effort, I didn't really know what to do, as heading for home would only mean I would get 4 efforts in. Alternativley I could run another one out into the headwind and then one back. No thanks I thought. I ran back towards home and then turned at a sign. Not a bad rep at all, 3:37 in fact.
Fourth Rep: The last one I decided. Seeing that digger really had knocked the stuffing out of me as it practically destroyed the session. So I went, up the hill and to the bad junction where I had to check for traffic, although I was so angry I felt like just running on for the hell of it and taking one for the team. The Garmin countdown timer eventually came, 5...4...3...2...1. I look at my watch and 3:45 is dominating the screen. I feel disappointed, but relieved to have got at least 4 efforts in, and I don't even feel tired which is the most annoying thing. Someone obviously didn't want me to do this session!
So a frustrating day all in all. Still, some good times recorded on the efforts which I actually wasn't interrupted on by hills or junctions or tossers sat in diggers doing nothing (oops!). Life goes on and to compensate for the bad luck I've had, I went for a nice 3 mile off road run meaning 6 in total for the day and 28 for the week so far. I feel as though I will definitley do this session on a Monday from now on, as my legs weren't ready to smash the reps out after a rest day yesterday. Surely tomorrow can't go wrong now after the number of misfortunes I've had today!
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Preparing to give it everything...
In tomorrow's session! I feel really up for tomorrow, and I've devised a loop just down the road which only has the slighest bit of ascent and so should give some nice fast times. Due to the decreased amount of climbs in the route, I hope to be faster than last week. Part of me is telling me to revisit the same course as last week and compare times, but I'd rather set some good times on some nice fast, flat tarmac. I'd quite happily be as knackered as this guy in order to get some really good times for the km reps!
Monday 26 April 2010
'Speed is a wonderful thing which kills any endurance athlete who doesn't have it.'
Today was the Fartlek session on the top School field yet again. I had a mate this time though which made the session a little less boring and also made me push myself much harder. Eddy is training for triathlon and has improved rapidly over the last few years on the cross country circuit to become a good, consisent performer. Although I have the edge over longer distances, he is bigger than I am and therefore ain't a bad sprinter. Consequently, I knew he would be a tough nut to crack, but feeling in good shape, I felt as though as was capable of taking control of the efforts, even if this meant being exposed to the full force of the wind.
As planned, I dictated the pace early and kept the burners on and won every effort, particularly the longer ones in which I opened up a nice lead. I felt good, even going into the headwind, running with a good style. 6 more miles in the piggy bank for the week and 22 so far. Rest day tomorrow and things are looking good. I feel stronger this week than I did last week and I hope things will keep progressing as they are so I hit BOFRA with a bang!
As planned, I dictated the pace early and kept the burners on and won every effort, particularly the longer ones in which I opened up a nice lead. I felt good, even going into the headwind, running with a good style. 6 more miles in the piggy bank for the week and 22 so far. Rest day tomorrow and things are looking good. I feel stronger this week than I did last week and I hope things will keep progressing as they are so I hit BOFRA with a bang!
Sunday 25 April 2010
Easy like a Sunday morning...
Well afternoon, actually! Today I managed to squeeze my nice steady run in, between fixing patio awnings, cutting grass and school work. The run didn't throw up anything particularly fascinating or interesting. It was a good, solid, flat 1 hour 10 minutes with 8 miles totalled at a nice leisurely pace. Just what the doctor ordered. The only problem I am having is how hard the ground is at the moment; my thighs are a little sore as a result of the impact. Still, the weather is good and tomorrow I will be playing with speed again with some Fartlek.
Saturday 24 April 2010
Hellish Hills!
I was going to get the train up to Ribblehead this morning and have a nice steady jaunt up Whernside to watch the runners in the 3 peaks Race and also get my long run in for the week. Unfortunatley I slept in and missed the train and couldn't get up there. I therefore abandoned that plan and went for something much more challenging; the hill rep session.After having the longer reps last week, it was time for the shorter rep session as I alternate these each week. I say longer, as last week's were scheduled to be 10 minutes but actually lasted more like 7 minutes and the ones today were going to be 5 minutes long. I decided on 5 rather than 6 which I guess was taking the easy way out, but after struggling last week, I thought it would be sensible to just build things up before going for the full whack.
After a 1.5 mile cycle to Flasby and a short jog warm up to the starting point
of the reps (see right), I was off. My legs felt stiff on the first ascent, which as you can see is terribly steep and hits you straight away. As the gradient became more maneagble however, I opened up and began to feel strong, maintaining a pace which wasn't uncomfortable but had me working hard ie. Threshold. The 5 minutes passed quickly and before long I was descending back down the same way, resting for a minute and then climbing again. The legs tired as the session wore on, but this was to be expected and I still maintained a very good form on the 5th and final effort. I had a jog warm down back to my bike and then cycled home to give me a total of 8 miles for the day. I'm delighted with both the mileage and the climbing I've managed today. Each rep, according to memory map, had 350 ft of ascent in which is very pleasing and gives me over 1500 ft altogether. The profile above shows what the hill was like. Long run tomorrow - the easiest and nicest session of the week!
Thursday 22 April 2010
All's well that ends well!
The weather was too good to resist today (see picture taken from my window earlier) and as a result, you'll hardly be surprised to discover I did my last session of the week today. What a good way to finish as well; 4 blocks of 10 minutes with a mere 2 minutes recovery in between at threshold. A toughie, but a session that I'm very much at home with as it doesn't require too much breakneck speed. After much ooing and aaring as to where the session should be done, I chose the triangular loop just behind my house, which I have used on numerous occasions before, albeit for much shorter intervals, as short as 1 lap of the triangle. (x12!)Today was going to be a lot steadier than that, but still a pace which wasn't too slow. The pace had to be comfortable but out of my comfort zone to push the boundaries a little.
After a relativley restrained warm up, I was off and into my first 10 minutes which was run fairly steadily, but faster than I intended. The ground on the fields was rock hard and I wisely decided to wear the road shoes today to compensate for this. The first lap, which after measured on GMap Pedometer (Garminless today!) came out at 0.2131 miles was run in around 1.20, which I was very pleased with considering the times I was doing when doing these flat out were around 1.10 in Winter! Still, there was a long way to go and I was wary of setting off too fast and ruining the whole session, but I hung on in there well and got 7 and half way up the hill done in 10 minutes, so 1.5 miles almost exactly, and a 6:40/mile pace to boot.
The first 10 minutes set a precedence for the rest of the session really. I felt strong up the hills, good down and to be crusing on the flat. I possibly didn't get halfway up the hill on the other 3, but comfortable completed 7 laps and so the mile pace stayed well in the 6:40s. Top stuff and a brilliant day's running in the Sun! That brings the weeks training, after 7 total today, to a very pleasing 32.5 miles (my highest yet!). With the longer run being 9 miles or so, this would easily hit 35 so that's where I'm aiming for. A rest tomorrow is on the agenda which will also go down well with the old legs, although they felt a lot better after yesterday!
Wednesday 21 April 2010
The week so far!
Saturday - Real hard hill session. Felt as if I had the speed and uphill pace but lacked endurance at that threshold pace, but this could have been down to the boiling conditions. Overall, a reasonable start and something to build on. Recovered very well. Total 7.5 miles (including Bikeride).
Sunday - Nice steady run of around an hour. Nothing amazing to report other than I recovered really well from the hill session the day before. Total 7 miles.
Monday - Great speed session after a slow start, really got going and got firing on all cylinders. Times were pleasing and something to build on. Total 5 miles.
Tuesday - Rest. Nice day off.
Wednesday - Fartlek. Calves and knees stiff but eased off a little and got going. Felt good to say it was the first real bit of out and out speed work after the lay off. Total 6 miles.
25.5 miles covered so far this week. I hope to get comfortably over the 30 mark!
Sunday - Nice steady run of around an hour. Nothing amazing to report other than I recovered really well from the hill session the day before. Total 7 miles.
Monday - Great speed session after a slow start, really got going and got firing on all cylinders. Times were pleasing and something to build on. Total 5 miles.
Tuesday - Rest. Nice day off.
Wednesday - Fartlek. Calves and knees stiff but eased off a little and got going. Felt good to say it was the first real bit of out and out speed work after the lay off. Total 6 miles.
25.5 miles covered so far this week. I hope to get comfortably over the 30 mark!
Getting faster with some Fartlek!
Yep, it's that time of the week for some Fartlek! Everybody loves a bit of Fartlek as the efforts are so random and you don't feel as if you are staying to a structured session, unlike timed intervals or those over set distances. Wednesday is my day for Fartlek as we have 6th form games and I therefore have the whole of the school fields to myself.
The plan today was for a nice steady warm up of around 0.5 miles, before hitting out some fast bursts, ranging in distance from 100-400m. It was a fairly good session in beautiful weather. It was simply me and the sun, as well as the volcanic ash dust of course. My knees however felt a little stiff in the first half of efforts, as did my calfs from the efforts on the road on Monday. I may have to contemplate wearing the Grid Tangents (see Kit Cupboard) instead of the F-Lites, as they have more support and cushioning and my legs, which will have got softer over the long rest, may benefit from more support for a while. Anyway, after the slow start, the session got going. The only time I have for you is the last rep, which was between 350 and 400m, and this was completed in 56 seconds, so I'm pretty pleased with that.
Tomorrow I may slip the '4 blocks of 10 minutes session' in depending on how I feel. Doing it tomorrow would give me a nice rest day on Friday, before a big weekend's training. Either way, I feel pretty happy with the way things are going at the moment. All I need now is progress!
The plan today was for a nice steady warm up of around 0.5 miles, before hitting out some fast bursts, ranging in distance from 100-400m. It was a fairly good session in beautiful weather. It was simply me and the sun, as well as the volcanic ash dust of course. My knees however felt a little stiff in the first half of efforts, as did my calfs from the efforts on the road on Monday. I may have to contemplate wearing the Grid Tangents (see Kit Cupboard) instead of the F-Lites, as they have more support and cushioning and my legs, which will have got softer over the long rest, may benefit from more support for a while. Anyway, after the slow start, the session got going. The only time I have for you is the last rep, which was between 350 and 400m, and this was completed in 56 seconds, so I'm pretty pleased with that.
Tomorrow I may slip the '4 blocks of 10 minutes session' in depending on how I feel. Doing it tomorrow would give me a nice rest day on Friday, before a big weekend's training. Either way, I feel pretty happy with the way things are going at the moment. All I need now is progress!
Monday 19 April 2010
In a state of ecstasy!
Today was my best session for a very long time. I had 6 x 1k down on the schedule, another session recommended by good old Keith. He reckoned you should be able to 'hit your race pace 1k splits individually for a 10k easily in an interval session with 1 minute jog recovery, like bang bang. Your pace shouldn't fluctuate too much either, 2 or 3 seconds different between each rep max.' I thought a good target would be around the 3:40/km - 3:50/km was reasonable. This would give me a 10k time overall of 36:40 - 38:20. Although I've never done a 10k, I thought this was a reasonable estimate based on the race times I've seen people do of similar ability to myself. I do intend on doing a 10k sometime too despite my lack of love for road running. It's a real benchmark for the runner and if you meet a random runner, they ask you your 10k time to find out how good you are. It's a good thing to know!
Onto today's session anyway. The Garmin had sufficient battery this time thankfully, and I looked through the history to find a very similar session, over the same route I was going to do today had been done in January. The 6 reps gave paces of:
1. 3:49/km
2. 3.45/km
3. 3:47/km
4. 3:41/km
5. 3:44/km
6. 3:38/km
Today's were actually quite similar. There is a hill in every single one of the reps, which is quite rare for road running but there again there are lots of hills here in the Dales! Anyway, the hills are tough but I felt to cope pretty well and after a slow start felt to really come into my own and on the last 3 reps felt really strong! The paces were:
1. 3:50/km
2. 3:41/km
3. 3:47/km
4. 3:38/km
5. 3:40/km
6. 3:40/km
So, 4 of the 6 today were faster which is very pleasing and shows I'm in a good shape despite the lengthy lay off. The average pace today of 3:42/km would give me a 37 minute 10k which would be good if I could keep that pace up and I may even go faster in a race! Anyway, a great day and a nice rest tomorrow. Happy times!
Onto today's session anyway. The Garmin had sufficient battery this time thankfully, and I looked through the history to find a very similar session, over the same route I was going to do today had been done in January. The 6 reps gave paces of:
1. 3:49/km
2. 3.45/km
3. 3:47/km
4. 3:41/km
5. 3:44/km
6. 3:38/km
Today's were actually quite similar. There is a hill in every single one of the reps, which is quite rare for road running but there again there are lots of hills here in the Dales! Anyway, the hills are tough but I felt to cope pretty well and after a slow start felt to really come into my own and on the last 3 reps felt really strong! The paces were:
1. 3:50/km
2. 3:41/km
3. 3:47/km
4. 3:38/km
5. 3:40/km
6. 3:40/km
So, 4 of the 6 today were faster which is very pleasing and shows I'm in a good shape despite the lengthy lay off. The average pace today of 3:42/km would give me a 37 minute 10k which would be good if I could keep that pace up and I may even go faster in a race! Anyway, a great day and a nice rest tomorrow. Happy times!
Sunday 18 April 2010
Dreaming of Switzerland!
It may seem a long time away, but on 8th August there is a 19km Junior Mountain Race at the very popular Sierre Zinal race in Switzerland, which is part of the Skyrunner series, at 31km for the full distance. A few Wharfedalers will be going out again and I am contemplating saving some cash and going out for the Junior Race, which would be the greatest experience of my life. I'm waiting to find out costs etc to see whether it's feesable, so at the moment it's just a dream! I also feel as though I could do well, despite running against people a few years older, as an Englishman who, isn't our best runner by any means, finished 5th last year just 9 minutes off the win. So at 19km (12.5 miles), the course reaches an altitude of 2000m (6000'). This is a hell of a climb, considering you only set off from 555m (1700'). The equivalent of the climb at Ben Nevis in a Junior Race? That's unheard of over here, but what a great opportunity this is. I really hope I can pull it off!
As easy as pie!
Any session would seem easy after yesterday's death session! Well today I had a nice steady run which would remind me why I loved running. Overall, it was 1 hour 3 minutes and about 7 miles over grass, towpaths and roads. The weather was a lot cooler today as well so perhaps I should have done the Hill Reps today after all! I felt good today anyway, had a real spring in my step and didn't feel at all tired, although my right hamstring has tightened now. I hope that's ok for tomorrow for my 1k reps!
Saturday 17 April 2010
Extreme heat!
Today was set out to be a hard session and my big fears in the few hours before were that of the high temperatures, baking sun and lack of wind I would be running in. I tried to get well hydrated but by the time I had biked to Sharphaw I was feeling pretty dry in my mouth and thankfully had some Lucozade Sport to take on board. I was more concerned about whether I could get through a session as hard as I had planned in the conditions which were fit to laze around in, rather than run hill reps in. I jogged up to the gate where I would start the session and turned the Garmin on. This was where I met problem number one; the Garmin had very low battery and as a consequence only lasted 8 minutes into my first rep. I was really p****d off at this to be honest. I'd made the effort to get out and hadn't thought about putting the god dam thing on to charge and it was absolutley pivotal in this session. Fairly angry, I decided to call it a day at the first rep when it went off, so this was 2 minutes short off the intended 10 minutes, but the 8 minutes was at a good pace and I felt awesome. The descent down to the starting point was fast, back down the same way to try and get me used to turning at the top of races and adapt to downhill running after a lengthy ascent.
My next worry was how I was going to time the 3 minutes rest at the bottom, after descending fast back down the way I came up, over rocks, bracken, bogs and more! I just simply counted it in my head, and there was a gate a little short of where I reached on the first rep, and so decided to use this as the benchmark for the endpoint of the next 2 reps. To hazard a guess, I would say this gate is around 7 minutes running from the starting point, so short of the 10 but still a reasonable distance.
As the session went on, I felt to get a better rythm and particularly on the ascent, my legs felt to loosen up. The terrain today was steep gradients over rocky and boggy but grassy paths which were dry at times and therefore gave some fast running. The descending technique is obviously coming back to me, as part of this session was to descend fast and not use that as a rest. I felt much more confident than on the Club Run on Wednesday and wasn't worrying about going over on my ankles speaking of which has recovered very well.
Overall, this was a really solid hill session and despite not having any data (thanks Garmin!) and not reaching the full 10 mins for the 3 reps, I will have gained lots from today. I worked very hard and this was much better than the standard 'sprint up jog down' I'm accustomed to. Hopefully in the coming weeks, I won't be running in such extreme heat and I will manage to hit the reps at 10 mins each at the threshold pace I was at today!
My next worry was how I was going to time the 3 minutes rest at the bottom, after descending fast back down the way I came up, over rocks, bracken, bogs and more! I just simply counted it in my head, and there was a gate a little short of where I reached on the first rep, and so decided to use this as the benchmark for the endpoint of the next 2 reps. To hazard a guess, I would say this gate is around 7 minutes running from the starting point, so short of the 10 but still a reasonable distance.
As the session went on, I felt to get a better rythm and particularly on the ascent, my legs felt to loosen up. The terrain today was steep gradients over rocky and boggy but grassy paths which were dry at times and therefore gave some fast running. The descending technique is obviously coming back to me, as part of this session was to descend fast and not use that as a rest. I felt much more confident than on the Club Run on Wednesday and wasn't worrying about going over on my ankles speaking of which has recovered very well.
Overall, this was a really solid hill session and despite not having any data (thanks Garmin!) and not reaching the full 10 mins for the 3 reps, I will have gained lots from today. I worked very hard and this was much better than the standard 'sprint up jog down' I'm accustomed to. Hopefully in the coming weeks, I won't be running in such extreme heat and I will manage to hit the reps at 10 mins each at the threshold pace I was at today!
The beginning of a new Era!
Training for the fell season is going to start properly today and I'm looking forward to it! Instead of the steady run I was going to start off with, I've decided to go with the hill session on Sharphaw today and then the steady run tomorrow to give me a chance to recover for Monday's hard session. Today's session is going to be very tough; it's hard enough without the hot weather we have at the moment. I'll give it a bash in an hour or so!
Thursday 15 April 2010
Low impact!
Yesterday I went over on my ankle, badly. Not as badly as I did earlier in the season during a Fartlek session in Skipton Woods but there is considerable swelling. I put this down to the fact that I hadn't descended on the fells for ages now and so my ankles were a little weak. My descending was awful in fact, but I hope that is something that will come back to me soon. Today I went on the Cross Trainer at the gym for half an hour just to get a bit of aerobic stuff in whilst not putting any weight or running through the ankle. I felt very strong/fit which is a good sign for what's to come. What is to come?
You may wonder what's caused me to shy away from my original schedule. To put it simply, I contacted Keith Anderson (ex British Champion) a couple of weeks ago and he rung me yesterday morning. He gave lots of advice about particular sessions and what I should do and consequently I have changed the non racing phase completley(!). It now has much more threshold stuff involved, with an emphasis on speed endurance. I will be starting this on Saturday (day after tomorrow) and hense the schedule starts on a Saturday:
Saturday: Long Run - (8/9 miles or 1 and a half hours)
Sunday: Bike out to Sharphaw, Either 10 minute ascent and descent @ threshold, rest for 3 minutes x 3 or 6 minutes ascent and descent @ threshold, rest for 1 minute x 5, then bike back.
Monday: 5/6 x 1k @ 10k race pace (3.40-3.50/km) off one minute recovery with appropriate warm up/warm down.
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 1 mile warm up, then 4.5 miles of Fartlek (with short fast bursts) followed by 0.5 mile warm down.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 10 mins x 4/5 @ threshold off 2 mins recovery with appropriate warm up/warm down.
This will go alongside, as before, lots of core work and the racing schedule will be worked out in due course.
You may wonder what's caused me to shy away from my original schedule. To put it simply, I contacted Keith Anderson (ex British Champion) a couple of weeks ago and he rung me yesterday morning. He gave lots of advice about particular sessions and what I should do and consequently I have changed the non racing phase completley(!). It now has much more threshold stuff involved, with an emphasis on speed endurance. I will be starting this on Saturday (day after tomorrow) and hense the schedule starts on a Saturday:
Saturday: Long Run - (8/9 miles or 1 and a half hours)
Sunday: Bike out to Sharphaw, Either 10 minute ascent and descent @ threshold, rest for 3 minutes x 3 or 6 minutes ascent and descent @ threshold, rest for 1 minute x 5, then bike back.
Monday: 5/6 x 1k @ 10k race pace (3.40-3.50/km) off one minute recovery with appropriate warm up/warm down.
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 1 mile warm up, then 4.5 miles of Fartlek (with short fast bursts) followed by 0.5 mile warm down.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 10 mins x 4/5 @ threshold off 2 mins recovery with appropriate warm up/warm down.
This will go alongside, as before, lots of core work and the racing schedule will be worked out in due course.
Wednesday 14 April 2010
A change of plan
Change can be a good thing for sure. Rather than the boring road intervals, today was a fun club run on the fells local to me which laster around an hour and a quarter. It was steady away and great to catch up with some of the club members, particularly best mate Scott who I ran round with chatting about various fell running related topics. The world is my oyster now after today's variation, so who knows what tomorrow will bring. Saturday is the start of a more rigid programme which is already to publish which will take place of the original you will find below. The tension is killing!
Tuesday 13 April 2010
A tired three
Today was meant to be 4, but after a game of tennis yesterday afternoon, I felt as though I could afford to forget about the extra mile. And a good thing it was too! Today's run was fairly poor, probably as a result of yesterday's exertions. It lacked any spark and my style felt clumsy and so I reverted to a very steady pace over fields which gave me my 3 miles in 24 minutes. Tomorrow is a new day however and as you will see on the training page, I have some road intervals. Let's hope I feel better for then.
Monday 12 April 2010
220 uphill metres in 44 seconds!
That'll do for me. I've measured the distance and each rep was just over 220 metres, so I'm very pleased with the times I've recorded today, particularly the fastest 44 seconds and the last at 46. Each rep had a climb of 20 vertical metres overall too. Good stuff!
Back with a bang!
Well, I was going to do today's session in the afternoon, but got bored of waiting around and so set off at around 11am. It's a stunning day out there, but very very warm. Hydration was going to be a major problem and this became apparent from the start when my mouth became dry very quickly.
Today I had 12 x 150m hill sprints down on the schedule. There is a hill round the back of my house which is a real belter. Very runnable and great for doing hill sprints on yet steep and bracing with a flat top for the final sprint to the line. The hill is however a little longer 150m, at least 200m if not a tad more. As the hill is very close to my house, the warm up was short and the session was underway very quickly. The sweltering heat really took its toll early on, or maybe I just felt knackered because I hadn't ran for nearly 3 weeks?
My legs felt sluggish and cold on the first 5 efforts, but then began to warm up as the cogs began to tick over. I recorded the time for the first effort as 44 seconds which was surprising, in fact incredible as it's my fastest by some considerable distance ever on this session. Despite having set such a good first time, I felt as though that pace wasn't sustainable and it certainly wasn't comfortable. I was therefore delighted to record a 52 seconds on the 7th effort and 46 on the last effort. Result!
To be honest, I'm really surprised at how I ran today. I was expecting a sluggish, unpolished and slow performance. Instead I got a shiny,improving and pleasing performance which left me feeling really good about the next few weeks. The heat got to me a little psychologically but not physically. The recovery is definitley a little worse off than before I began the rest period, but this was perhaps because I was running faster. One thing that's certain is that this will get better as I regain my fitness. The only slight disappointment is the fact that the hill was so close to my house and therefore I only managed 4 miles rather than the 5 intended. No worries though, I'll run 4 miles easy tomorrow rather than 3!
Today I had 12 x 150m hill sprints down on the schedule. There is a hill round the back of my house which is a real belter. Very runnable and great for doing hill sprints on yet steep and bracing with a flat top for the final sprint to the line. The hill is however a little longer 150m, at least 200m if not a tad more. As the hill is very close to my house, the warm up was short and the session was underway very quickly. The sweltering heat really took its toll early on, or maybe I just felt knackered because I hadn't ran for nearly 3 weeks?
My legs felt sluggish and cold on the first 5 efforts, but then began to warm up as the cogs began to tick over. I recorded the time for the first effort as 44 seconds which was surprising, in fact incredible as it's my fastest by some considerable distance ever on this session. Despite having set such a good first time, I felt as though that pace wasn't sustainable and it certainly wasn't comfortable. I was therefore delighted to record a 52 seconds on the 7th effort and 46 on the last effort. Result!
To be honest, I'm really surprised at how I ran today. I was expecting a sluggish, unpolished and slow performance. Instead I got a shiny,improving and pleasing performance which left me feeling really good about the next few weeks. The heat got to me a little psychologically but not physically. The recovery is definitley a little worse off than before I began the rest period, but this was perhaps because I was running faster. One thing that's certain is that this will get better as I regain my fitness. The only slight disappointment is the fact that the hill was so close to my house and therefore I only managed 4 miles rather than the 5 intended. No worries though, I'll run 4 miles easy tomorrow rather than 3!
Sunday 11 April 2010
The boys are back in Town!
Well it's been 18 days since I last ran and I have to say, I've really enjoyed the rest. It's a good feeling to know that you don't have to worry about the next training session and what it's going to entail. It's come to the point now though where I'm really raring to go and almost bored with not being able to train. So much to the extent that I'm going to start training again tomorrow, rather than Wednesday.
I'm not expecting great things after the longish lay off I've had but a good testing first session will certainly show me where I'm at. I'm not going to bother giving myself an 'easing in' or gentle first week; I'm getting straight into the nitty gritty stuff and get into the shape I want to be in. Using the 'non racing phase schedule' as you will see below, Monday holds a 12 x 150 m on hills with a run there and back as warm up and warm down. What a good place to start eh?! It's gonna be a tough'un but I'm ready for it! I haven't decided which hill I'm going to use yet but there's enough to choose from round here.
I'll report back tomorrow with the positives and negatives of the first official session of the fell season.
I'm not expecting great things after the longish lay off I've had but a good testing first session will certainly show me where I'm at. I'm not going to bother giving myself an 'easing in' or gentle first week; I'm getting straight into the nitty gritty stuff and get into the shape I want to be in. Using the 'non racing phase schedule' as you will see below, Monday holds a 12 x 150 m on hills with a run there and back as warm up and warm down. What a good place to start eh?! It's gonna be a tough'un but I'm ready for it! I haven't decided which hill I'm going to use yet but there's enough to choose from round here.
I'll report back tomorrow with the positives and negatives of the first official session of the fell season.
Friday 2 April 2010
Summer's Schedule
Well, I''ve been making the most of the rest opportunity to plan ahead to the Summer's running. With various forms of advice from adult runners and my 'coach' (coach may be a little over the top but he sets me schedules anyway without attending my sessions) the weekly training schedule has been devised and will therefore look like this:
Non-Racing Phase
Saturday: Flat out run + warm up/warm down (8 miles)
Sunday: Long slow run (8/9 miles)
Monday: 12 x 150m hill reps + warm up/warm down (5 miles)
Tuesday: Easy 3 miles
Wednesday: 3 x 0.75 miles with 0.25 mile recovery (4 miles)
Thursday: 6 miles Fartlek (150 - 300m bursts including 1.5 miles of warming up/warming down)
Friday: Rest
This will go alongside lots of gym and core work. Core work will include: Contralateral Superman's, Cycle Curls, Backward Curls and Planks. Leg strength is also key for the fell season so one legged squats and step ups with weights will also be in order. I will of course be making the most of my gym membership to ensure overall body strength. The schedule above is based on 60% of mileage being easy, 20% just under race pace and 20% anaerobic. Obviously with the races, I won't be able to get the 35 miles of training (as above) a week. Therefore, a racing week's training will be:
Sunday: Race + long warm down
Monday: 8-9 mile recovery
Tuesday: Gym Work
Wednesday: 12 x 150 m with warm up/warm down (5 miles)
Thursday: 6 mile Fartlek (same as above)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rest
This is of course assuming races are always on Sundays. If the race in on a Saturday, I will drop the Fartlek session on the Thursday. Overall, we've got things mapped out well and I'm looking forward to the challenge. Training starts on Wednesday 13th April, so I have got few weeks of training before the first race at Sedbergh on 15th May. I will start the training programme on Saturday 16th April (non racing phase) and follow this for 3 weeks before easing off for Sedbergh and taking the slightly easier racing phase programme in the build up. Between the 13th and 16th April, I will just do a couple of long runs to get ready for the schedule I have set myself. The races I have confirmed as 'musts' are:
Saturday 15th May: Sedbergh Gala - 'Long run out followed by a short but steep lung buster of an ascent. Winning time around 12 minutes 15 seconds.'
Sunday 23rd May: Coniston Gullies - 'One of my favourite races. Short, sharp and lung busting with a brilliant ascent/descent. Typical Lakeland terrain. Winning time around 9 minutes 30 seconds.'
Sunday 13th June: Kettlewell Fell Race - ' Surprisingly tough. River crossing at the start which always sees me fall! Short and fast run out to the fell before a climb over rocks and a steep and rough (!) descent which crosses a short stretch of scree. Normally run well here. Winning time around 9 minutes 30 seconds.'
Sunday 20th June: Helm Hill Fell Race - ' Very much a hilly, undulating cross country race. Easy to get lost on but very fast terrain. Many fell runners hate it and therefore don't turn up, so it's good for championship points. Winning time around 14 minutes 15 seconds.'
Saturday 3rd July: Kirkby Gala Fell Race - ' One of my least favourite races. Many share this view. Had a shocker here last time I competed. Long run up a steep road before a gradual but long ascent up some fields with various fences to negotiate which ruin your rythm. Winning time around 18 minutes 55 seconds.'
Saturday 10th July: Alva Games - ' The annual BOFRA forray over the border into Scotland for this classic. Steep and a real thigh burner which leaves you sore in the morning. Great atmosphere, particularly on the campsite the night after the race. Winning time around 11 minutes 20 seconds. Good prize money too - £75 for the winner!
There is 6 races to count towards my 8 altogether. I will definitley get 8 in at least which will enable me to count for the overall championship. Now all I have to do is get in shape for them and hopefully perform when it matters!
Monday 29 March 2010
Resting...
Few squats, lots of strength work with the dumbells and a couple of games of ten pin bowling! That's about it training wise. No running of course in a rest period which I'm really enjoying. Two weeks on Wednesday until I will start training for the Fell season. Right now I'm thinking about how I'm going to get into my best possible shape for the Summer's racing. I'll post a schedule as soon as I have come to a decision (I'm trying to seek help as well from various sources!).
Wednesday 24 March 2010
End of season reflections.
It's been a hell of a season. Boy O Boy it has. It seems a lifetime ago since I set out in early September for the annual M.G.S Relays. It has been a very long season which has had plenty of highs and lows. The lows feel really low but it's worth putting up with them to feel on top of the world when your in good form.
My finest hours have definitley been Northern Schools (7th), North Yorkshire Schools (7th) and English Schools Fell Champs (10th). The lows certainly stand out, but English Schools itself dwarfs any other slight disappointments I have encountered along the way.
Well, what a journey. I've loved every minute of it through the good times and the bad. I'm ready for a rest though and I feel like I have earnt it. I'll have a few weeks off from running, just visiting the Gym before coming back, hopefully stronger and with a little more power, with a vengeance and some fire in my belly for the fell season.
It's also time to say goodbye to my spikes which have served me well this season but will sadly be replaced by some new shiny ones when I set out in September.
My finest hours have definitley been Northern Schools (7th), North Yorkshire Schools (7th) and English Schools Fell Champs (10th). The lows certainly stand out, but English Schools itself dwarfs any other slight disappointments I have encountered along the way.
Well, what a journey. I've loved every minute of it through the good times and the bad. I'm ready for a rest though and I feel like I have earnt it. I'll have a few weeks off from running, just visiting the Gym before coming back, hopefully stronger and with a little more power, with a vengeance and some fire in my belly for the fell season.
It's also time to say goodbye to my spikes which have served me well this season but will sadly be replaced by some new shiny ones when I set out in September.
I needed a response...
And I didn't get one. Well, not quite.
Today was School Cross Country and I felt good pre-race. It was a very short race, only 2 and a 1/4 miles which wouldn't suit me but I still gave it a hell of a shot. I was found wanting on the first short lap, but worked my way into 3rd, only for my hamstring to cramp up on the 2nd lap on the way up the woods, leaving me to finish 5th. It's been a hell of a long season and I think this is merely down to fatigue rather than anything. So, Pinder, Mr Edward, Sinclair, Cairns and then myself was the order of proceedings. I felt excellent up until the point of hamstring destruction and was knocking on the door for 2nd.
This brings an end to the season which has lasted about 7 months (!). I'm delighted it's over and I can now have a well earned break before coming back for the fells!
Today was School Cross Country and I felt good pre-race. It was a very short race, only 2 and a 1/4 miles which wouldn't suit me but I still gave it a hell of a shot. I was found wanting on the first short lap, but worked my way into 3rd, only for my hamstring to cramp up on the 2nd lap on the way up the woods, leaving me to finish 5th. It's been a hell of a long season and I think this is merely down to fatigue rather than anything. So, Pinder, Mr Edward, Sinclair, Cairns and then myself was the order of proceedings. I felt excellent up until the point of hamstring destruction and was knocking on the door for 2nd.
This brings an end to the season which has lasted about 7 months (!). I'm delighted it's over and I can now have a well earned break before coming back for the fells!
Tuesday 23 March 2010
Pumping some Iron
Despite having a race tomorrow, I decided to work on some more arm strength today with the dumbells. Besides, I will only be using my legs (well mostly anyway!) tomorrow so they shouldn't suffer as a result. I did lots, from lateral raises to hammer curls, but everything felt good and I hope this will be starting to help already. Tomorrow is my last chance of the season to run a good cross country race so I need to step up to the plate!
It's good to be back.
Yesterday's post: I manned up for a proper training session. I haven't had a good session for a week now so tonight I really went for it, even though I have School Cross Country on Wednesday. There is still a couple of days 'till then and if my body isn't strong enough to get it out of its system then there's a big problem.
So it was 6 x 3 minutes with 1 minute 30 recovery. I really wanted to hit a hard session out to really get rid of all the anger left from the weekend. This was certainly the session to release all that anger and agression. I actually got angry at the session itself and really went for it. When I started to breath more heavily, or my legs tightened I pushed harder. I pushed my body and mind beyond its limits. The results were good though!
I have done this session before and the maximum distance over the 6 efforts is 0.47 miles! Today I hit 0.51 miles over 3 minutes and got above 0.47 miles every time. This was a good return for all the effort I put in and shows improvement on the last time I did this session, which is like a triangular lap, so up a hill, down a hill and along the flat base and it's as many as possible in 3 minutes.
A good way to bounce back and I've proven to myself that I continue to improve, but the real response needs to be produced on Wednesday at School Cross Country where I can really show people what I can do.
So it was 6 x 3 minutes with 1 minute 30 recovery. I really wanted to hit a hard session out to really get rid of all the anger left from the weekend. This was certainly the session to release all that anger and agression. I actually got angry at the session itself and really went for it. When I started to breath more heavily, or my legs tightened I pushed harder. I pushed my body and mind beyond its limits. The results were good though!
I have done this session before and the maximum distance over the 6 efforts is 0.47 miles! Today I hit 0.51 miles over 3 minutes and got above 0.47 miles every time. This was a good return for all the effort I put in and shows improvement on the last time I did this session, which is like a triangular lap, so up a hill, down a hill and along the flat base and it's as many as possible in 3 minutes.
A good way to bounce back and I've proven to myself that I continue to improve, but the real response needs to be produced on Wednesday at School Cross Country where I can really show people what I can do.
Sunday 21 March 2010
You can tell how good an athlete is with how he bounces back after a bad day
If this cliche is right then we will find out how good I am on Wednesday.
Sunday Blues
I'm still reflecting on a really disappointing day yesterday. I felt like I let the team and North Yorkshire as a whole down as well as Mum and Dad who came all the way to watch. On the other hand, I was simply very unlucky and had things gone my way, in terms of not having had a cold in the build up and having not been tripped in the race twice (!), the complexion may have been completley different. I could have been feeling proud today with a really good performance behind me which saw me beat many of my fellow rivals. Instead I have a load of muddy clothes/shoes, some cuts on my knees and a big fat DNF. Still, time to put that behind me now and look towards School Cross Country on Wednesday which is the last race of the season (thank god!).
Today I did a weights session and a bike ride. Nothing too spectactular, just around 45 minutes on the weights and an hour on the road bike, but felt good in both. I will go out tomorrow for a run of some sort (maybe a hard session) as I haven't run properly now since last Sunday when I had that superb run over the 8 mile long run. Boy that seems a long time ago. This time last week I was really up for the English Schools race itself after such a good training session and thought I was in the form of my life. How quickly things change.
Today I did a weights session and a bike ride. Nothing too spectactular, just around 45 minutes on the weights and an hour on the road bike, but felt good in both. I will go out tomorrow for a run of some sort (maybe a hard session) as I haven't run properly now since last Sunday when I had that superb run over the 8 mile long run. Boy that seems a long time ago. This time last week I was really up for the English Schools race itself after such a good training session and thought I was in the form of my life. How quickly things change.
Could things have gone any worse?
It was a great weekend with the North Yorkshire team. I met some great people and there was some great banter. I had almost forgotten about the race on Friday night after a trip to the Trafford Centre. Still, the race had to be done and it wasn't good at all. I still felt a little under the weather having had the virus this week but I didn't want to miss a race as big as this. It was obviously going to be tough enough, but being involved in a 10 man pile up on the first bend made matters really bad. Still I got up, brushed myself down and ran on. I pulled a few runners back who had forged their way in front of me, but my legs did feel really dead and the going was ridiculously muddy! Being tripped again was the final straw and this time I'd had enough, and so called it a day. I couldn't believe the bad luck I'd had. Never mind. Always next year!
Today I am going for a bike ride with Dad and I am also going to do some weights in a bid to try and bulk up over the Summer for next season. All the lads at the front yesterday were massive and the strength is definitley something to work on. On Wednesday, we have School Cross Country which I don't really want to do but I hope to put the weekend behind me and finish the season in style. I may then have a nice easy few weeks where gym work is the main emphasis.
Today I am going for a bike ride with Dad and I am also going to do some weights in a bid to try and bulk up over the Summer for next season. All the lads at the front yesterday were massive and the strength is definitley something to work on. On Wednesday, we have School Cross Country which I don't really want to do but I hope to put the weekend behind me and finish the season in style. I may then have a nice easy few weeks where gym work is the main emphasis.
Thursday 18 March 2010
Lance who?
Instead of running yesterday, I went out on the road bike for the first time this year. Cycling seemed more attractive than a steady paced run and so the bike ride it was. The ride was nothing drastic, only 10 miles in fact, but I pushed up the hills very hard, out of the saddle and felt quite strong. The legs felt very good indeed.
I am definitley running on Saturday as I don't want to miss the opportunity of racing for my county in a prestigious event. I will either be very fresh/rested and have a blinder or, having not done as much as intended this week, will be found wanting for fitness and finish pretty much last! Whatever happens, there will be some great banter and it will be a great experience!
I am definitley running on Saturday as I don't want to miss the opportunity of racing for my county in a prestigious event. I will either be very fresh/rested and have a blinder or, having not done as much as intended this week, will be found wanting for fitness and finish pretty much last! Whatever happens, there will be some great banter and it will be a great experience!
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Lady luck smiles!
Well thankfully, after a good night's sleep, I am feeling much better. The cold is on its way out for sure; There are no aches in the legs anymore and the nose, which admittadly does become blocked at times, can easily be cleared. I won't try anything stupid today like an Interval session as it could allow the cold to come back. Instead, I will do a steady 6 miles or so just to get the legs moving again and get the last proper run in before English Schools.
Tuesday 16 March 2010
Absolutley gutted.
After Sunday's brilliant session, I felt really good and was in a great mood, really looking forward to resting down for English Schools. Unfortunatley, I developed a nasty sore throat which has since turned into a cold, as I first feared. My legs feel dead and I have a headache as well as the standard blocked up nose. So yeah, on the hole I feel pretty shitty, hense the lack of blog posts over the last couple of days. I have been giving my body the best possible chances to fight this bug off by resting and drinking plenty of fluids, but I most certainly won't be running at EGS Relays tomorrow. I hope I have had the worst of this god damn thing today and feel better tomorrow so I may be able to get the last session in before the weekend. I live in hope!
Sunday 14 March 2010
The sweet smell of success.
Today I planned to do a long run. By long, I mean putting some real miles in the tank and getting a solid start to the week which, after today, will be fairly easy in the build up to English Schools. With Friday's hill reps out of the legs and nothing hard planned for tomorrow, I decided to try and run this at a reasonable pace. Naturally however, the intention was to get the miles in rather than to try and break the land speed record.
I programmed the Garmin for a steady 8 miles in 1 hour giving me a pace of 7:30/mile. Theoretically I knew I should be running faster, but this would hopefully give me something to pace a nice slow start with and enable me to kick on in the later stages of the run with plenty left in the tank. I was determined to not make the same mistake as yesterday and therefore gave my Breakfast plenty of time to settle. I set off at a nice steady pace but the Garmin was telling me that I was moving away from the 7:30/mile pace quite quickly. I thought to myself, 'to hell with it!' I was feeling very comfortable at the 7:00/mile pace I was operating at and so continued. There was some tough climbs in the first 2 miles or so which were on road but I felt to sail up them. The road soon became Canal towpath and despite being much flatter, the towpath was muddy and therefore not quite as fast as the tarmac.
I felt to be flying down the canal despite the severe headwind which did its best to blow me backwards at times. I have to say, I hate whoever designed the canal! The number of twists and turns it takes, unecessarily, are unbelievable! After running about 2 miles further than needed (!) I left the canal and the terrain was a muddy farm track which took a lot out of me. East Marton, the halfway point in the run was however very close now and so I stuck it out. I turned after 4 miles of running and began my journey home. I was back onto the dreaded farm track before I knew it and then the canal, twisting its way through the countryside, before hitting the road.
As soon as I hit the road, I kicked on in the hope that I could post a very good time baring in mind how good I had felt. Even though there was 2 miles to go (a 1/4 of the total distance!) I began to wind it up for the finish. 2 miles soon became 1 and as I glanced at my watch, I knew I was on for a very good time - 7 miles done in 46 minutes. Could I find an extra gear in the final mile and finish the session in style? Indeed I could, running the last mile in 5:47, giving me an overall time of 51:47 for 8 miles and a pace of 6:29/mile overall. I was ecstatic - for a run over all sorts of terrain with difficult undulations to contend with, this was a superb result.
I felt to be back at my best after what can only be described as a lousy run yesterday. This will give me a huge boost of confidence going into next Saturday and has really set the week up well. This was a long run made hard by the effort I gave in the last mile. It feels really good after having such a good/hard session to know you have an easy week ahead.
A steady run will follow tomorrow, before the EGS Relays in Aireville Park on Wednesday which will act as a great sharpener for the English Schools. Happy days!
I programmed the Garmin for a steady 8 miles in 1 hour giving me a pace of 7:30/mile. Theoretically I knew I should be running faster, but this would hopefully give me something to pace a nice slow start with and enable me to kick on in the later stages of the run with plenty left in the tank. I was determined to not make the same mistake as yesterday and therefore gave my Breakfast plenty of time to settle. I set off at a nice steady pace but the Garmin was telling me that I was moving away from the 7:30/mile pace quite quickly. I thought to myself, 'to hell with it!' I was feeling very comfortable at the 7:00/mile pace I was operating at and so continued. There was some tough climbs in the first 2 miles or so which were on road but I felt to sail up them. The road soon became Canal towpath and despite being much flatter, the towpath was muddy and therefore not quite as fast as the tarmac.
I felt to be flying down the canal despite the severe headwind which did its best to blow me backwards at times. I have to say, I hate whoever designed the canal! The number of twists and turns it takes, unecessarily, are unbelievable! After running about 2 miles further than needed (!) I left the canal and the terrain was a muddy farm track which took a lot out of me. East Marton, the halfway point in the run was however very close now and so I stuck it out. I turned after 4 miles of running and began my journey home. I was back onto the dreaded farm track before I knew it and then the canal, twisting its way through the countryside, before hitting the road.
As soon as I hit the road, I kicked on in the hope that I could post a very good time baring in mind how good I had felt. Even though there was 2 miles to go (a 1/4 of the total distance!) I began to wind it up for the finish. 2 miles soon became 1 and as I glanced at my watch, I knew I was on for a very good time - 7 miles done in 46 minutes. Could I find an extra gear in the final mile and finish the session in style? Indeed I could, running the last mile in 5:47, giving me an overall time of 51:47 for 8 miles and a pace of 6:29/mile overall. I was ecstatic - for a run over all sorts of terrain with difficult undulations to contend with, this was a superb result.
I felt to be back at my best after what can only be described as a lousy run yesterday. This will give me a huge boost of confidence going into next Saturday and has really set the week up well. This was a long run made hard by the effort I gave in the last mile. It feels really good after having such a good/hard session to know you have an easy week ahead.
A steady run will follow tomorrow, before the EGS Relays in Aireville Park on Wednesday which will act as a great sharpener for the English Schools. Happy days!
Saturday 13 March 2010
Mission Accomplished
Having done all the hard sessions for the week, all I had to do was to complete a steady 1/2 hour run to see me hit the 30 mile mark for the week. Easy. Well, not so easy with hindsight, particularly with a killer of a session last night still well and truly embedded in the muscles. Instead, it was a rather painful 1/2 hour run this morning for more than one reason. Obviously my legs felt very tired still from last night, but I also only gave my Breakfast an hour to settle and so felt sick and later ended up with a stitch. Not good at all but I only have myself to blame and I sort of knew, as I left the house at 9.30am, that the Breakfast may come back with a vengeance. This sort of thing, I wouldn't repeat of course, in the build up to a race.
So the run wasn't much of a success and I couldn't follow up on last night's positive performance to finish the week on a high. To be honest, I felt like I have had a hard week of training; jaded, achey and generally not enjoying the run (ie looking at the watch in hope that it may be over soon!). I am not concerned at all though as this week hasn't been for the benefit of feeling great on a steady 1/2 hour run on Saturday morning, but rather for the English Schools XC Champs at Heaton Park next Saturday.
So the run wasn't much of a success and I couldn't follow up on last night's positive performance to finish the week on a high. To be honest, I felt like I have had a hard week of training; jaded, achey and generally not enjoying the run (ie looking at the watch in hope that it may be over soon!). I am not concerned at all though as this week hasn't been for the benefit of feeling great on a steady 1/2 hour run on Saturday morning, but rather for the English Schools XC Champs at Heaton Park next Saturday.
Friday 12 March 2010
Super Six
Today I intended on having another day where I completed two sessions. I had planned to do the 
steady half an hour this morning in a free period but new strict regulations by teachers means these can now only be used for work purposes. Surely 'free' suggests they are available for any activities you want to do, within reason of course. It's like being in a Prison!
steady half an hour this morning in a free period but new strict regulations by teachers means these can now only be used for work purposes. Surely 'free' suggests they are available for any activities you want to do, within reason of course. It's like being in a Prison!Anyway, after this disappointment, I set my heart on a hill rep session to be done at home after School. I felt bored of speed work which has already been done on two occasions this week. A hill rep session was therfore genuinley sensible and completley acceptable in the grand scheme of things.
The rep session took place on the hill in the photo. I set out with the intention of doing 6 miles worth to help me on the way to a 30 mile week. The planned 6 miles would see the 1/2 hour run tomorrow morning see me reach this milestone.
Of the 6 miles , at least 5 and a half miles were spent doing the reps! It was about 1/4 mile out to the hill and the same back so I was giving it 'death' for a hell of a long period. The hill is reasonably steep as you can see and flattens off at the top which makes you give that extra push in the final stages of each effort. I would say I did around 17 reps and possibly more (I lost count I was so knackered!). I timed the 10th effort at 50 seconds and the last at 50 seconds so I was very pleased with this consistency. I felt back at my best today after feeling a little jaded earlier in the week in the speed sessions. The legs were well and truly recovered and I got some arm action going which really propelled me up the hill; A great session! Tomorrow I will get the steady 1/2 hour run in which I longed for this morning, and that should complete a very good week mileage wise.
P.S. A.S. Levels came out yesterday giving me two A's (Biology/Chemistry) and a B (English Lit). I was very disappointed with the B as I felt I had done more than enough to deserve and A so I will be going down the route of a resit or possibly a remark. Town play Norwich tomorrow (currently top of the league) which could prove to be a huge turning point in our season!
Wednesday 10 March 2010
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