Monday: 6 miles @ 8:26 pace
Tuesday: 5 miles @ 8:46 pace
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Off
Friday: 7 miles @ 8:18 pace {general}
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
Total weeks mileage: 18 miles.
This week although the mileage is very low { even lower than the last two bad weeks}, I am happy with overall.
The reason being is more to do with what has been hopefully sorted out and less focus on the mileage as I am happy to even get that amount in with how I was feeling.
Further on from the 6 miler I completed on Monday, Tuesday was followed by a lot of soreness & Wednesday led to a trip to physio.
Although a lot of the pain was worked out of the knee Wednesday, it failed to yield long term results, as by Friday {after 2 days rest}, a completed 7 miler meant i was back to square one again. I had decided, with a struggle to keep a sensible head on my shoulders & rest up for the whole weekend {aside from working}.
I arranged an appointment for today {Monday 23rd September} with a more "sports injury related physio". In his knowledgeable opinion he states, as I thought that the change to a runner of less support, that is more designed for racing & my "adjusting of the mechanics" of this runner {that being the slight cutting of the sole for more flexibility of the runner}, had distorted what the runner was originally made for.
Also over-use of my muscles in this runner entwined with the self modifications is what caused the problem in my right knee.
My right leg being the less dominant leg, was affected first by this. This in turn has created a swelling behind the knee & has a requirement of a prescription of anti-inflammatory medication & one weeks rest.
Also a bit of strengthening exercise's for my outer quad is required. This rest does not rule out 'doing my mileage on the cross trainer' so the plan is to do the time on the cross trainer that I should be running for the week.
Hopefully this is going to be the problem solved as its getting too close now for any more silly mistakes.
Fingers Crossed.
I can almost reach out & grab Amsterdam it's that close now & one thing for sure I won't be letting go of it!!
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Keith: September 16th - September 22nd
"On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. And you go for this limit and you touch this limit, and you think, 'Okay, this is the limit.'. As soon as you touch this limit,
something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and your experience as well, you can fly very high." - Ayrton Senna.
Monday: 5m very easy, then surges of 10/1/6/2/10/3/2/1 mins off of 5min steady recoveries, 3m+ steady to finish - (20.1m @ 6:31)
Tuesday: am: 10.19m easy - (7:16)
pm: 6.12m very easy - (7:38)
Wednesday: 2m very easy, 1m steady, 4m brisk (6:33), 1.25m steady - (8.25m @ 6:54)
Thursday: am: 6.1m very easy - (7:33)
pm: 4.4m very easy, then 6 x ~420m hills, followed by 3m @ 6:19, 1.16m @ 5:34 - (11.58m @ 6:53)
Friday: am: 20min jog, 1m fast (4:55), easy to finish - (6.2m @ 7:05)
pm: 10.26m steady - a bit tired but incredibly relaxed - (6:47)
Saturday: 3.6m jog, 8 x 30s stride/30s float (5:38 per mile for the 8mins), easy to finish - (6.16m @ 7:20)
Sunday: 1.27m 'warm-up', New Forest HM - 1st in 72:10, 6m+ easy to cool-down (20.64m @ 6:06)
Total: 105.6m @ 6:48.
Monday's long run was the best long run I've done in this campaign, possibly any campaign. The surges were: time (pace): 10mins (5:23), 1 (4:58), 6 (5:18), 2 (5:05), 10 (5:23), 3 (5:18), 2 (4:54), 1 (5:04) off 5min steady recoveries (6:53 avg, all sub 7). I was very pleased with this.
Thursday's hill session was essentially a repeat of what I done the Thursday before Maidenhead.
Friday morning I had initially intended to also repeat the 3m tempo from the Friday before Maidenhead but felt that I was too tired for it to be productive, though I somehow ended up running a mile in 4:55 instead.
Saturday's 8 x 30/30 workout is one I've run before. A great way to get some anaerobic work in in a short space of time as well as good fun.
New Forest Half-Marathon
Come Sunday I managed to execute a lesson in how not to prepare pre-race as I took a wrong turn on the way, had hassle picking my number up and dropping my bag off, and eventually ended up having just enough time to do a very small warm-up, with a stop in the middle of it whilst I queued for my number.
0 - ~2.5m: I started solidly, but didn't push as I wanted to use the first few miles to warm-up properly. Another runner immediately opened a small gap but it never became any more than 5 seconds. Meanwhile the rest of the field started to drop a bit behind me, which meant that after ~1.5m I was clear in 2nd. In the meantime I noticed that the leader was ever so gradually coming back to me, so I just kept running the tangents and continued to close. As we turned into another road somewhere between 2-2.5m he ran a bit wide and I decided that that was time to go, closed the gap in a few strides and put my foot down (if you're going to pass somebody for position then don't hang around).
~2.5m - 12m: I could feel the gap start to widen and kept pushing. Soon enough I had clear air and kept my head down. The course profile map showed the biggest hill (and there were some nice! climbs) between 9-10m. When it came I used the time I had in hand to take it a little easier up it; I got to what I presumed was half-way up the hill and spent the next few minutes waiting for the rest of it. Eventually I realised that was it and pushed on. I hit 12m in 66:26, a pace that had me on for a pb of about 7s over Maidenhead 2 weeks ago.
12m - finish: I realised I still had quite a bit left in the tank and put my head down and pushed harder, covering from 12m to the finish in 5:44 (a pace of 5:09 per mile), hitting the finish line in 72:10, a pb by 31s on my 2 week old pb, but this time on a tough course that has to be worth somewhere in the region of 60-90s on a flat course.
I ended up clear of 2nd place by 3:18 (the same runner I'd passed at about 2.5m), and now have the privilege of having won both the New Forest full and half marathons (I won the full 5 years ago). A very nice double to have :-)
I was reading a biography of Ayrton Senna recently and this week's quote stood out to me as particularly relevant to my current situation. I am aware that, especially as I am starting to get a grip on my asthma and my back is greatly improved that I am on a very significant upward trend. A lot of this is down to moderation in my training. I am doing less mileage than I have tried to do previously. If I have any issues I opt for the sensible approach to deal with them and am getting closer to consistency in my training and am definitely starting to see the rewards.
With 4 weeks to go to Amsterdam it is all there for the taking if I get the next few weeks right.
something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and your experience as well, you can fly very high." - Ayrton Senna.
Monday: 5m very easy, then surges of 10/1/6/2/10/3/2/1 mins off of 5min steady recoveries, 3m+ steady to finish - (20.1m @ 6:31)
Tuesday: am: 10.19m easy - (7:16)
pm: 6.12m very easy - (7:38)
Wednesday: 2m very easy, 1m steady, 4m brisk (6:33), 1.25m steady - (8.25m @ 6:54)
Thursday: am: 6.1m very easy - (7:33)
pm: 4.4m very easy, then 6 x ~420m hills, followed by 3m @ 6:19, 1.16m @ 5:34 - (11.58m @ 6:53)
Friday: am: 20min jog, 1m fast (4:55), easy to finish - (6.2m @ 7:05)
pm: 10.26m steady - a bit tired but incredibly relaxed - (6:47)
Saturday: 3.6m jog, 8 x 30s stride/30s float (5:38 per mile for the 8mins), easy to finish - (6.16m @ 7:20)
Sunday: 1.27m 'warm-up', New Forest HM - 1st in 72:10, 6m+ easy to cool-down (20.64m @ 6:06)
Total: 105.6m @ 6:48.
Monday's long run was the best long run I've done in this campaign, possibly any campaign. The surges were: time (pace): 10mins (5:23), 1 (4:58), 6 (5:18), 2 (5:05), 10 (5:23), 3 (5:18), 2 (4:54), 1 (5:04) off 5min steady recoveries (6:53 avg, all sub 7). I was very pleased with this.
Thursday's hill session was essentially a repeat of what I done the Thursday before Maidenhead.
Friday morning I had initially intended to also repeat the 3m tempo from the Friday before Maidenhead but felt that I was too tired for it to be productive, though I somehow ended up running a mile in 4:55 instead.
Saturday's 8 x 30/30 workout is one I've run before. A great way to get some anaerobic work in in a short space of time as well as good fun.
New Forest Half-Marathon
Come Sunday I managed to execute a lesson in how not to prepare pre-race as I took a wrong turn on the way, had hassle picking my number up and dropping my bag off, and eventually ended up having just enough time to do a very small warm-up, with a stop in the middle of it whilst I queued for my number.
0 - ~2.5m: I started solidly, but didn't push as I wanted to use the first few miles to warm-up properly. Another runner immediately opened a small gap but it never became any more than 5 seconds. Meanwhile the rest of the field started to drop a bit behind me, which meant that after ~1.5m I was clear in 2nd. In the meantime I noticed that the leader was ever so gradually coming back to me, so I just kept running the tangents and continued to close. As we turned into another road somewhere between 2-2.5m he ran a bit wide and I decided that that was time to go, closed the gap in a few strides and put my foot down (if you're going to pass somebody for position then don't hang around).
~2.5m - 12m: I could feel the gap start to widen and kept pushing. Soon enough I had clear air and kept my head down. The course profile map showed the biggest hill (and there were some nice! climbs) between 9-10m. When it came I used the time I had in hand to take it a little easier up it; I got to what I presumed was half-way up the hill and spent the next few minutes waiting for the rest of it. Eventually I realised that was it and pushed on. I hit 12m in 66:26, a pace that had me on for a pb of about 7s over Maidenhead 2 weeks ago.
12m - finish: I realised I still had quite a bit left in the tank and put my head down and pushed harder, covering from 12m to the finish in 5:44 (a pace of 5:09 per mile), hitting the finish line in 72:10, a pb by 31s on my 2 week old pb, but this time on a tough course that has to be worth somewhere in the region of 60-90s on a flat course.
I ended up clear of 2nd place by 3:18 (the same runner I'd passed at about 2.5m), and now have the privilege of having won both the New Forest full and half marathons (I won the full 5 years ago). A very nice double to have :-)
I was reading a biography of Ayrton Senna recently and this week's quote stood out to me as particularly relevant to my current situation. I am aware that, especially as I am starting to get a grip on my asthma and my back is greatly improved that I am on a very significant upward trend. A lot of this is down to moderation in my training. I am doing less mileage than I have tried to do previously. If I have any issues I opt for the sensible approach to deal with them and am getting closer to consistency in my training and am definitely starting to see the rewards.
With 4 weeks to go to Amsterdam it is all there for the taking if I get the next few weeks right.
Monday, 16 September 2013
Keith: September 9th - September 15th
"I'm never satisfied!" - Haile Gebrselassie.
Never being satisfied is not the same as not enjoying things in the moment. When I finished Sunday's race I was happy, but, like most runners, thoughts immediately turned to wanting to go faster. The beauty of running is that there is always a target to beat, whether it's someone else's or your own.
I recovered quite well from Sunday's race, possibly because of the 10k efforts I've been doing in training meaning a Half Marathon pace is not as hard on my legs.
This week's training.
Monday: 12.2m very easy - (7:38)
Tuesday: am: 5m easy-steady, 5.19m brisk (6:27) - (10.19m @ 6:51)
pm: 3m steady, 2.5m 'fast' (5:49), 1.52m steady - (7.02m @ 6:34)
Wednesday: am: 6.04m jog - (8:02)
pm: Track - 13.1m total with 3m/2m/1m @ ~12km pace off of 3 lap jogs - (6:46)
Thursday: am: 7.03m jog-easy - (7:30)
pm: 4m very easy, 6.07m steady (6:56) - (10.07m @ 7:10)
Friday: off
Saturday: off
Sunday: 5.47m jog - (8:07)
Total: 71.12m @ 7:15
Wednesday's track session was always going to be quite tough coming a few days after a fast half-marathon, but the rain on the night should have made it even worse. I had worked out that my target pace for the (metric equivalents) of 3m/2m/1m @ 12k pace should be about 81s per lap, but wasn't sure if I would be comfortable hitting that without having to exceed the effort.
As it happens, I was lucky to have the company of 2 clubmates, and seemed to be flowing quite nicely.
The targets per rep were 16:12/10:48/5:24. I actually hit 16:07 / 10:42 / 5:08 (through 3 laps @ 3:57, and a wind-up last lap of 71s).
So I basically hit 81s for the first rep, 80s for the 2nd, and 79s for the 3rd (before the quicker last lap). I was quite pleased with that.
On Friday my youngest child was sick, so I was otherwise engaged and running wasn't a priority, then Saturday morning I came down with the same vomiting bug she had. By Sunday I had recovered enough to jog, but there was no way I was even going to try the long run I had scheduled. Luckily though I nailed that on Monday of this week, but more of that in next week's update.
Emmet: September 9th - September 15th
This week I will keep information to a minimum as there are a lot of similarities when compared to the previous weeks training.
I've still found the knee to be very sore even with the change of trainers. Although in my own mind and body I can feel the pair of trainers I am wearing at the moment, are slowly but surely correcting the problem I've caused on myself.
Over eagerness earlier in this week caused me to have to take it easier later in the week. I basically went for the sensible option and decided to rest up for the weekend. All running was completed at a slower pace than I had been doing in previous weeks.
Back running today {Monday 16th} with a six miler comfortably in 50:35 yet still slight twinging in the knee but the problem seems to be less problematic.
Below is the weeks training.
Monday: 5 miles @ 8:36 pace {general}
Tuesday:Off
Wednesday: {a.m.} 5.02 miles @ 8;45 pace {general} {p.m.} 3 miles @ 8:07 pace {general}
Thursday: 5 miles @ 8:23 pace {general}
Friday: 7.19 miles @ 8:35 pace {general}
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
Total weeks mileage: 25.21 miles.
I've still found the knee to be very sore even with the change of trainers. Although in my own mind and body I can feel the pair of trainers I am wearing at the moment, are slowly but surely correcting the problem I've caused on myself.
Over eagerness earlier in this week caused me to have to take it easier later in the week. I basically went for the sensible option and decided to rest up for the weekend. All running was completed at a slower pace than I had been doing in previous weeks.
Back running today {Monday 16th} with a six miler comfortably in 50:35 yet still slight twinging in the knee but the problem seems to be less problematic.
Below is the weeks training.
Monday: 5 miles @ 8:36 pace {general}
Tuesday:Off
Wednesday: {a.m.} 5.02 miles @ 8;45 pace {general} {p.m.} 3 miles @ 8:07 pace {general}
Thursday: 5 miles @ 8:23 pace {general}
Friday: 7.19 miles @ 8:35 pace {general}
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
Total weeks mileage: 25.21 miles.
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Keith: September 2nd - September 8th
"My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold. You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble." - Bill Rodgers
This week I raced for the first time since Berlin 2012. 49 weeks to be precise. More of that shortly, but let's do the training first.
I finished last week with a slight shin issue, but managed that successfully and a light day Monday saw me good to go for the rest of the week. As (per recent) always, the average pace for the run is at the end of each run.
Monday: am: 4.07m jog - (8:14m/m)
pm: 6.13m - 2m jog, 2m steady (6:55), 2m+ easy - (7:27m/m)
Tuesday: am: 10.16m - 4m easy, 6.16m brisk (6:31m/m) - (6:56m/m)
pm: 6.08m mildly progressive steady (6:58m/m)
Wednesday: 14.04m easy - (7:21m/m)
Thursday: am: 7.01m jog-easy - (7:41m/m)
pm: 5.5m very easy, 6 x ~420m hills - sprinting the last 100m of the last one flat out, then straight into almost 5m progressive averaging 6:35, but the last mile was 5:42. (Total: 13.47m @ 7:02m/m).
Friday: am: 10.63m - 4m easy, 3m tempo (5:35), 3.63m brisk (6:38) - (6:41m/m)
pm: 6.52m jog - (8:07m/m).
Saturday: 6.08m very slow jog with 6 x ~15s strides - (8:00m/m)
Sunday: 4m+ warm-up, then Maidenhead HM in 72:41 (3rd place and a 19s pb), 3m+ cool-down (Total: 20.55m @ 6:19m/m).
Total: 104.74m @ 7:07m/m.
This week was all about the race on Sunday. A decent (but lighter) hills session Thursday, and then a short tempo on Friday to try dial into the effort required.
Sunday came, and the plan was simple. Do the HM as part of a long run and run it hard. As I hadn't raced for such a long time it was hard to know exactly what shape I was in. Training can give you a good indication, but that's all it is. Throw in that my back, Achilles and asthma are not right and it really was down to how it went on the day.
Maidenhead Half Marathon - race report:
The gun went and I was straight off in a lead pack of 6, feeling surprisingly good (a new situation for me as I normally find the early miles a grind). I drifted to the front of the pack on and off, fighting the urge to push on.
3m came in 16:31. During the next 3m I couldn't fight the urge to push on and went to the front to see who was up for it and who wasn't. This, unfortunately, triggered some slight asthma issues and resulted in me watching as 3 of the group pulled away, leaving me in 4th place as 2 other runners drifted off the back.
6m came up in 33:23 (16:52 for the 2nd 3m) with the asthma having cost me a bit of time. It eased off though and I began to get back in the swing of it, covering the next 4m in 22:05, to move me through the 10m mark in 55:28 (average of just inside 5:33m/m).
At 9m I had caught up with 3rd place and tried to go past him hard with a hard surge. He initially held on, but I could feel him gradually slipping back, and soon I was on my own closing down on 2nd place.
Unfortunately it was really just a case of me roughly maintaining pace (I covered the last 5km in 17:13 - a 5:32m/m pace) as 2nd place slowed a little and the finish line came too soon.
The end result of 72:41 was a 19s pb, which though small, is significant for several reasons.
1) this is the best I have ever felt in a race shorter than a marathon (allowing for the things which are not quite right yet - i.e. the aforementioned back, Achilles and asthma).
2) mechanically this is the best I have felt at this pace.
3) I now know there is so much more to come after this race.
4) I could have used my current physical shortcomings, and the fact that I've not raced for nearly a year to play it safe, but I didn't. As per the quote, I was aggressive and gambled, and I got some reward for it.
The quote itself is particularly pertinent as Bill Rodgers was trained by Bill Squires, and it is Bill Squires' logic that I have been following over the last few weeks since I realised that I couldn't currently do the long tempos so important to the Renato Canova approach.
Having tried a variety of approaches over the years I had felt that the Squires stuff would really suit me for several reasons, but I had initially intended to stick with a Canova approach for this marathon to see how it went, before trying an alternate approach.
As they say though, everything happens for a reason, and this has shown me that my feelings on Squires' approach may well be right. 6 weeks time will tell a lot!
This week I raced for the first time since Berlin 2012. 49 weeks to be precise. More of that shortly, but let's do the training first.
I finished last week with a slight shin issue, but managed that successfully and a light day Monday saw me good to go for the rest of the week. As (per recent) always, the average pace for the run is at the end of each run.
Monday: am: 4.07m jog - (8:14m/m)
pm: 6.13m - 2m jog, 2m steady (6:55), 2m+ easy - (7:27m/m)
Tuesday: am: 10.16m - 4m easy, 6.16m brisk (6:31m/m) - (6:56m/m)
pm: 6.08m mildly progressive steady (6:58m/m)
Wednesday: 14.04m easy - (7:21m/m)
Thursday: am: 7.01m jog-easy - (7:41m/m)
pm: 5.5m very easy, 6 x ~420m hills - sprinting the last 100m of the last one flat out, then straight into almost 5m progressive averaging 6:35, but the last mile was 5:42. (Total: 13.47m @ 7:02m/m).
Friday: am: 10.63m - 4m easy, 3m tempo (5:35), 3.63m brisk (6:38) - (6:41m/m)
pm: 6.52m jog - (8:07m/m).
Saturday: 6.08m very slow jog with 6 x ~15s strides - (8:00m/m)
Sunday: 4m+ warm-up, then Maidenhead HM in 72:41 (3rd place and a 19s pb), 3m+ cool-down (Total: 20.55m @ 6:19m/m).
Total: 104.74m @ 7:07m/m.
This week was all about the race on Sunday. A decent (but lighter) hills session Thursday, and then a short tempo on Friday to try dial into the effort required.
Sunday came, and the plan was simple. Do the HM as part of a long run and run it hard. As I hadn't raced for such a long time it was hard to know exactly what shape I was in. Training can give you a good indication, but that's all it is. Throw in that my back, Achilles and asthma are not right and it really was down to how it went on the day.
Maidenhead Half Marathon - race report:
The gun went and I was straight off in a lead pack of 6, feeling surprisingly good (a new situation for me as I normally find the early miles a grind). I drifted to the front of the pack on and off, fighting the urge to push on.
3m came in 16:31. During the next 3m I couldn't fight the urge to push on and went to the front to see who was up for it and who wasn't. This, unfortunately, triggered some slight asthma issues and resulted in me watching as 3 of the group pulled away, leaving me in 4th place as 2 other runners drifted off the back.
6m came up in 33:23 (16:52 for the 2nd 3m) with the asthma having cost me a bit of time. It eased off though and I began to get back in the swing of it, covering the next 4m in 22:05, to move me through the 10m mark in 55:28 (average of just inside 5:33m/m).
At 9m I had caught up with 3rd place and tried to go past him hard with a hard surge. He initially held on, but I could feel him gradually slipping back, and soon I was on my own closing down on 2nd place.
Unfortunately it was really just a case of me roughly maintaining pace (I covered the last 5km in 17:13 - a 5:32m/m pace) as 2nd place slowed a little and the finish line came too soon.
The end result of 72:41 was a 19s pb, which though small, is significant for several reasons.
1) this is the best I have ever felt in a race shorter than a marathon (allowing for the things which are not quite right yet - i.e. the aforementioned back, Achilles and asthma).
2) mechanically this is the best I have felt at this pace.
3) I now know there is so much more to come after this race.
4) I could have used my current physical shortcomings, and the fact that I've not raced for nearly a year to play it safe, but I didn't. As per the quote, I was aggressive and gambled, and I got some reward for it.
The quote itself is particularly pertinent as Bill Rodgers was trained by Bill Squires, and it is Bill Squires' logic that I have been following over the last few weeks since I realised that I couldn't currently do the long tempos so important to the Renato Canova approach.
Having tried a variety of approaches over the years I had felt that the Squires stuff would really suit me for several reasons, but I had initially intended to stick with a Canova approach for this marathon to see how it went, before trying an alternate approach.
As they say though, everything happens for a reason, and this has shown me that my feelings on Squires' approach may well be right. 6 weeks time will tell a lot!
Emmet: September 2nd - September 8th
Not a very good week for me after what previously was a personal best week for me.
Never got out of the blocks really and I seem to have caused a bit of trouble with my knee.
6 weeks out from Amsterdam now so I am treading very carefully so as not to mess things up.
It seems to be what I researched as the symptoms of 'runners knee' which can be caused by a few fairly minor changes. One that affected me I believe is my change of runners, to which for the last while I had been using a runner with less support. Sharp shooting pain behind the knee is the after effect that I'm feeling.
A few days off were needed which still didn't correct it.
Hopefully with slower training this week, in my older runners (nike lunartrainer) I can hopefully correct the problem.
Below is my weeks training:
Monday: 5.05 miles @ 8:38 pace (recovery from previous days effort of 18 miles total)
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Off
Friday: 15 miles @ 7:51 pace (general)
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 4 miles @ 8:59 pace (recovery pace)
Total mileage: 24.05 miles.
Never got out of the blocks really and I seem to have caused a bit of trouble with my knee.
6 weeks out from Amsterdam now so I am treading very carefully so as not to mess things up.
It seems to be what I researched as the symptoms of 'runners knee' which can be caused by a few fairly minor changes. One that affected me I believe is my change of runners, to which for the last while I had been using a runner with less support. Sharp shooting pain behind the knee is the after effect that I'm feeling.
A few days off were needed which still didn't correct it.
Hopefully with slower training this week, in my older runners (nike lunartrainer) I can hopefully correct the problem.
Below is my weeks training:
Monday: 5.05 miles @ 8:38 pace (recovery from previous days effort of 18 miles total)
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Off
Friday: 15 miles @ 7:51 pace (general)
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 4 miles @ 8:59 pace (recovery pace)
Total mileage: 24.05 miles.
Monday, 2 September 2013
Emmet: August 26th - September 1st
After a previously very bad week with the effects and after effects of being run down, I prepared well for the following week.
Plenty rest was involved to get the body recovered properly so I could feel the benefits. I have decided to test my capabilities (this being week 1) to see if I can hit a constant 55-60 miles per week.
Week 1 came up trumps, with a personal best week to kickstart it all.
Below is my weeks training:
Monday: (p.m.) 10.03 miles (speedwork and recovery) 2.65 miles warm up. 1 mile @ 6:48 pace. .51 mile recovery (4' jog) 1.01 miles @ 6:49 pace. .51 miles recovery (4' jog) 1 mile @ 6:48 pace. .51 miles (recovery) 2.84 miles warm down.
Tuesday: (a.m) 5 miles @ 8:29 pace (general) (p.m.) 3.01 miles @ 9:14 pace (recovery)
Wednesday: (a.m.) 4.60 miles @ 8:13 pace ( general) (p.m.) 3.43 miles @ 9:09 pace.(recovery)
Thursday: Off
Friday: (a.m.) 5.03 miles @ 8:05 pace.(tempo) (p.m.) 4.01 miles @ 9:04 pace (recovery)
Saturday: 7.06 miles @ 8:21 pace (general)
Sunday: (a.m.) 15.02 miles @ 8:38 pace ( medium long run) (p.m.) 2.82 miles @ 9:38 pace ( slow recovery)
Total weeks mileage: 60.02 miles.
Week 1 came up trumps, with a personal best week to kickstart it all.
Below is my weeks training:
Monday: (p.m.) 10.03 miles (speedwork and recovery) 2.65 miles warm up. 1 mile @ 6:48 pace. .51 mile recovery (4' jog) 1.01 miles @ 6:49 pace. .51 miles recovery (4' jog) 1 mile @ 6:48 pace. .51 miles (recovery) 2.84 miles warm down.
Tuesday: (a.m) 5 miles @ 8:29 pace (general) (p.m.) 3.01 miles @ 9:14 pace (recovery)
Wednesday: (a.m.) 4.60 miles @ 8:13 pace ( general) (p.m.) 3.43 miles @ 9:09 pace.(recovery)
Thursday: Off
Friday: (a.m.) 5.03 miles @ 8:05 pace.(tempo) (p.m.) 4.01 miles @ 9:04 pace (recovery)
Saturday: 7.06 miles @ 8:21 pace (general)
Sunday: (a.m.) 15.02 miles @ 8:38 pace ( medium long run) (p.m.) 2.82 miles @ 9:38 pace ( slow recovery)
Total weeks mileage: 60.02 miles.
Keith: August 26th - September 1st
"It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys" - Emil Zatopek.
At the moment as I try to manage my various issues around back, achilles, asthma/asthma meds, etc, it does become quite trying at times. In some ways I am spending some time as much at the mental borders of pain and suffering as at the physical borders. However, really it simply comes down to whether you quit or whether you persevere, and nobody ever achieved anything worthwhile by quitting, so there is no option other than to continue to forge ahead in the belief that once everything settles down I will be in a good place. I view it as building some mental fortitude for when races get tough :-)
Monday: 10.02m - 5m progressive, 5.02m brisk (6:37m/m) - (7:05m/m)
Tuesday: am: 6.41m easy (7:40m/m)
pm: 11.28m - 3m wu, road reps, cool-down - (6:51m/m)
Wednesday: 21.06m - 4 jog, 7 easy, 4 steady (7:07), 2 easy, 4.06 steady (6:57) - (7:27m/m)
Thursday: am: 12.09m - 2 jog, 3 steady, 7.09 brisk (6:36m/m) - (7:01m/m)
pm: 7.02m - 3m steady, 4.02m brisk (6:29m/m) - (6:44)
Friday: am: 6.15m jog (7:58m/m)
pm: 13.04m - 3m+ warm-up with strides, track session, cool-down - (6:23m/m)
Saturday: 0.53m - (8:24m/m)
Sunday: 0.22m - (8:25m/m)
Total: 87.82m @ 7:07m/m
This week showed the yin-yang nature of my training all in one week. 5 days of good running, including a long run, 2 reps sessions totalling 10.75m at 10k pace or quicker, and some faster steady (aka brisk) running. Then, after my first track session of the year on Friday I had some pain in my shin as it turns out I strained the muscle at the front of my left shin slightly (combination of the turns on the track and that I was trying out a heel lift to ease my achilles).
Saturday and Sunday saw two abandoned runs as the shin muscle was cramping. All in all though, if a bad week consists of 87m+ with 2 sessions and a long run then it could be worse (especially as I started off the week very stiff after a lot of gardening and heavy lifting over Sunday/Monday), though obviously it's still not ideal.
Onto the sessions now.
Tuesday's session: road reps of 1.35m (5:19m/m), 1m (5:12m/m), 1.15m (5:20m/m), 1.25m (5:26m/m). The first rep was supposed to be 1.25m, but I wasn't paying attention and ran a bit longer, so balanced it out with a shorter third rep. By the 4th rep though I was tiring a bit, so left the pace ease out and called it a day there.
Friday's session: track reps of 1600m (5:16) - ~4mins rec – 2400m (8:08) - ~6mins rec – 3200m (10:49) - ~5mins rec – 2400m (8:05). I went through 100m on the first rep in 16s (always start too quickly!), and then 80s/lap metronomically after that. The wind picked up significantly during my first recovery, making the following reps a bit slower, though, again, metronomic. The overall total was equivalent to a per mile pace of 5:25m/m (or a 10k pace of 33:39), and, overall, if you assume that the wind on the latter reps balanced out the quicker first reps, then it is probably about where my 10k pace currently is.
Overall my 'speed' is not yet where I need it to be for a sub-2:30 marathon, but at the same time it is not that far away. Certainly, with 7 weeks to go, especially with 3 races due in that time which will bring me on a bit, it is well within range. I just need to catch a bit of a break, and, in fairness, I am certainly due one at the moment.
Still, if I don't get it, it is only running after all and there are much more important things in life (and I know these things all balance out in the end, so I remain positive).
At the moment as I try to manage my various issues around back, achilles, asthma/asthma meds, etc, it does become quite trying at times. In some ways I am spending some time as much at the mental borders of pain and suffering as at the physical borders. However, really it simply comes down to whether you quit or whether you persevere, and nobody ever achieved anything worthwhile by quitting, so there is no option other than to continue to forge ahead in the belief that once everything settles down I will be in a good place. I view it as building some mental fortitude for when races get tough :-)
Monday: 10.02m - 5m progressive, 5.02m brisk (6:37m/m) - (7:05m/m)
Tuesday: am: 6.41m easy (7:40m/m)
pm: 11.28m - 3m wu, road reps, cool-down - (6:51m/m)
Wednesday: 21.06m - 4 jog, 7 easy, 4 steady (7:07), 2 easy, 4.06 steady (6:57) - (7:27m/m)
Thursday: am: 12.09m - 2 jog, 3 steady, 7.09 brisk (6:36m/m) - (7:01m/m)
pm: 7.02m - 3m steady, 4.02m brisk (6:29m/m) - (6:44)
Friday: am: 6.15m jog (7:58m/m)
pm: 13.04m - 3m+ warm-up with strides, track session, cool-down - (6:23m/m)
Saturday: 0.53m - (8:24m/m)
Sunday: 0.22m - (8:25m/m)
Total: 87.82m @ 7:07m/m
This week showed the yin-yang nature of my training all in one week. 5 days of good running, including a long run, 2 reps sessions totalling 10.75m at 10k pace or quicker, and some faster steady (aka brisk) running. Then, after my first track session of the year on Friday I had some pain in my shin as it turns out I strained the muscle at the front of my left shin slightly (combination of the turns on the track and that I was trying out a heel lift to ease my achilles).
Saturday and Sunday saw two abandoned runs as the shin muscle was cramping. All in all though, if a bad week consists of 87m+ with 2 sessions and a long run then it could be worse (especially as I started off the week very stiff after a lot of gardening and heavy lifting over Sunday/Monday), though obviously it's still not ideal.
Onto the sessions now.
Tuesday's session: road reps of 1.35m (5:19m/m), 1m (5:12m/m), 1.15m (5:20m/m), 1.25m (5:26m/m). The first rep was supposed to be 1.25m, but I wasn't paying attention and ran a bit longer, so balanced it out with a shorter third rep. By the 4th rep though I was tiring a bit, so left the pace ease out and called it a day there.
Friday's session: track reps of 1600m (5:16) - ~4mins rec – 2400m (8:08) - ~6mins rec – 3200m (10:49) - ~5mins rec – 2400m (8:05). I went through 100m on the first rep in 16s (always start too quickly!), and then 80s/lap metronomically after that. The wind picked up significantly during my first recovery, making the following reps a bit slower, though, again, metronomic. The overall total was equivalent to a per mile pace of 5:25m/m (or a 10k pace of 33:39), and, overall, if you assume that the wind on the latter reps balanced out the quicker first reps, then it is probably about where my 10k pace currently is.
Overall my 'speed' is not yet where I need it to be for a sub-2:30 marathon, but at the same time it is not that far away. Certainly, with 7 weeks to go, especially with 3 races due in that time which will bring me on a bit, it is well within range. I just need to catch a bit of a break, and, in fairness, I am certainly due one at the moment.
Still, if I don't get it, it is only running after all and there are much more important things in life (and I know these things all balance out in the end, so I remain positive).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)