Spring is here

The weather seems to be getting better, the clocks have changed, so I declare that Spring is here! About time too.

Tuesday - I went to the run session at Millfields, another great session. Up at 5am and cycled over for 6am. So stretching to warm-up and wake up then the main set consisted of 7x1km laps, again looking at RPE, HR and Pace, looking at how they are linked and how to judge them. A good session and very beneficial. Its not totally clear from the Garmin link what the plan was but here it is anyway ---> Run Session Garmin Link, click me.

Then, following this, I was struck down by illness.... taken over by blocked sinuses, coughing and an all round feeling of fatigue. I didn't manage another training session until yesterday. I'm in France now, here for a week and its a great opportunity to fit in those missed sessions and get some good training.

Sunday - Long run. I was prescribed 2.5hr but due to the terrain around here and the route I took I only ran for 1hr 45mins. A good run though, and faster than any other time I have done it. Garmin Link -----> Long Run Click Me

10km TT

I did a 10km TT run yesterday, just to see where I am with speed and to set a bench mark. My previous PB is 47:30, I did this at last years Bupa London 10k. I went out with the intention of pushing as hard as I can for the whole 10k, eyes bleeding or whatever, I wanted a PB. Given all the gains I have made in my endurance I was confident I could get a PB, actually hoping for sub 47. Well, this wasn't to be, I came in at 47:54. Slightly disappointed.

Here is the garmin link ---> 10km TT click me

I attribute my slow time to a few things:

1. I went out way too fast - strategy was very poorly thought out. You can see from the splits on the garmin link that my first 2km were ran at an average pace of 4:13/km, I should have been cruising more at 4:30 pace. Grave error.
2. Given the stage of my training I'm at, speed work is only just creeping in and I shouldn't expect too much (obviously I do).
3. My running shoes are worn and don't give me the comfort and support they used. After this run I promptly purchased a new pair - Adidas Adizero, the same as Haile Gebrselassie, so can't be bad!

Still, its a good bench mark and a good target on which to improve.

Today I went to the gym after work for some conditioning work, but when I go to the gym I feel guilty for not doing any cardio so I went on the rower first to do a 2000m TT. Set a PB, 7:15.5, pretty happy with that. Thats an average of 1:48.9/500m.

I then did some conditioning work working abs and core, this is something I should do more of and intend to do more of.

This week

Its been a week since my last update and even though it has I don't have much to write.

Last Sunday I did a long run. The same run as the week before, around Hampstead Heath and back, and this time I was faster - nice to see progress.

Here is the link ----> Hampstead Heath Run, Click me.

Following this run I got a massive blister on my foot, this has left me limping all week and unable to walk or run. Even though I had this blister and shouldn't have been running I still tried to. On Tuesday I did some intervals (1km intervals working on RPE and looking at pace and HR), but due to my blister and the pain I think I must have altered my running form which has led to a stiff calf all week. So, I have been limping because of the blister and now a sore calf!! I decided, given that it is a 'rest week' and my calf issues I would ease off the training until I feel back up to it. Might do something today, if I do Ill update.

Catch Up

Friday - I missed my turbo session on Thursday so decided I would do it on Friday instead of swimming. A good session, hard and making progress.

This was the session:

Warm-up: 5 mins steady

Main set: 6 intervals of 10 min each: 2x 7 min @ 60% and 3 min @ 85%, 2x 6 min @ 60% and 4 min @ 85%, 2x 5 min @ 60%, 5 min @ 85%.

Cool-down: 5 mins steady. Aim to spin 100rpm through all gears.

Average speed was up t 25.2km/h, which on my turbo, I think, is pretty good considering it is much harder than riding on the road.

Today - I planned to go to Box Hill, Surrey, with the Tri Club but due to a massive balls up by me I wasn't ready in time and missed it. Went on a ride on my own instead. I planed to ride up to Potters bar (20km) then do a loop up to Hertford and back to Potters Bar (33km) twice. Half way round the first loop I realised I had forgot my wallet and money, meaning that if I have any technical issues I wouldnt be able to get a taxi or train! Due to this I only did one loop and headed home after - 75km ish in total. Not a bad ride though, pushed a decent pace and felt strong, I could have easily done another loop at that pace and next time I will.

Here is a link to the ride ---> Today's Hertford Ride, click me.

Hopefully going to London Fields Lido tomorrow for a decent swim (as I haven't done any this week) then a long run.

Its all coming together...

On Tuesday I should have made it to the run session but due to plain laziness (and tiredness) I couldnt get out of bed. I contacted the coach though and asked him about the session so that on Tuesday night I could do the session on my own as to not fall behind in the 4-week plans the run coach sets out.

We are still working on endurance intervals, looking at pacing. Similar to last week but with longer intervals.

The run session group used a loop of 1km, I used 1.6km (1 mile) just to make it a bit more painful!

I jogged the loop first as a gentle warm up, get the blood flowing.

Main Set

1 loop at a pace which felt comfortable to me - I aimed to just run on feel and see what time I had at the end. The time was 7min 17secs, not a bad speed but a hard one to keep up for the remaining intervals.

I then went on to do 2 loops timed then rest, then 3 loops timed and rest. The idea is is that each loop with be the same speed as the first. Again, this is to teach us about pacing and not going out too hard at the start.

I managed to hold this pace for every interval and actually posted a PB for 5k.

See the garmin link --- http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26556881

A gentle jog to cool down too.

Yesterday was meant to be my rest day, I'm supposed to do a little conditioning work and thats it but conditioning work is boring, it involves weights and the gym and considering I would have to go to the gym at 5pm when its full of all the pumped up posers I didnt fancy it. I decided a nice solid row was called for. 10k again. Posted a better time than last week of 40mins 30secs. A harder effort but I still feel I had some in the tank for a better time.

The last few days

Thursday I did a great turbo session prescribed by my coach.

Warm-up: single-leg riding, 10 sets of 1 min with each leg (total of 20 min)

Main set: 6 intervals of 10 min each, starting with 7 min @ 60% and 3 min @ 85% effort, then with each interval, shorten the 60% by 30 sec and add 30 sec to the 85% effort, until the last two 5 min @ 60%, 5 min @ 85%.

Cool-down: no-hands riding in 5 different positions for 2 minute each, and think about smooth pedalling without your hands, engaging glutes and core muscles.

A session that really gets the HR up and gets the speed into the legs - about time too. The turbo is turning out to be a very valuable training aid!

Friday - I missed the normal morning swim (couldnt get out of bed) but did go to the gym after work and punished myself for missing the swim with a 10k row. As I haven't been rowing for a while I wanted to set a bench mark for future rows. 10k = 41mins. Not bad if I do say so myself. This was followed by some upper body conditioning work of 10x3 sets of chin ups, 10x3 sets of tricep dips and finally 15x3 sets of push ups.

Saturday - This, in my plan, should be my long ride day but due to other commitments it would have been impossible to fit in a long 5hr ride so I had no option to swap around my Sat and Sun. Long run it was then. Again, due to prior commitments I didnt have time to do a run until 7pm (Saturday night and Im out running - a triathletes life!) but I did a great run of 22km all the way around Hampstead Heath and along other delightful roads of London. My longest run to date and a nice steady pace too. All this slow and steady stuff is really starting to pay off now.

Sunday - Should have been long ride day but due to Saturdays efforts I had serious stiff legs and felt pretty fatigued so, lazily, bailed on any session and just laid on the sofa all day.

Tuesday - Intervals

A great run session this morning. Up at 5am, out by 540am on the bike down to Millfields Park. The weather is getting warmer (still not warm but warmer) and mornings brighter, makes training MUCH more enjoyable and easy to endure. On to interval training now, we have moved on from just easy, steady, aerobic work and we are now working on more speed directed workouts AS WELL as the slow steady stuff.

I cycled out nice and easy, knowing I have a hard INTERVAL session coming, don't want to waste any energy on the commute otherwise Ill pay for it later on.

The session consisted of a 400m loop round some cones. We had to set a pace which we thought was a comfortable pace, nothing too slow, but something we could hold for a period of time. We then do one loop, rest, two loops, rest, three loops, rest, four loops, rest and finally 5 loops. Each individual interval getting longer (more loops), aim to stay at the pace we first set on the initial loop.

Normally, with inexperienced amateur athletes you will go out too hard initially and not be able to hold the pace for the remaining intervals.... me, not being inexperienced (yeh right) managed not only to hold my pace, but get faster with each interval, not slow intervals either, averaging about 4 mins/km, a fast pace for me and not something I could keep up beyond 4km..... at the moment anyway. The others who went faded as expected.

Overall a good session. Very beneficial. Not only does it work the 'fast twitch' muscles (the muscles which are used for faster, more explosive exercises, these muscles tire much quicker than the 'slow twitch' muscles) and starts to tone them up but it also allows you to learn about yourself, learn that you need to pace yourself depending on the distance. I plan on doing a Marathon in November, these types of workouts show me that pacing is everything otherwise by the end of that marathon I will fade away to a slow pace and I want to be finishing strong, stronger and faster than my initial pace.

I should be swimming tomorrow morning but I think I will re-jiggle my TP and sleep in. Gym tomorrow after work though for sure.

Losing my edge...

Well, I seem to be losing the battle with the blog. I haven't posted again in 2 weeks.

Its been a busy two weeks, plenty of swimming, biking and running, also I have been doing more conditioning work as its something I have been neglecting but know it will benefit me if I put in the time!

Run session tomorrow.