Sunday 9th September 2012
Three weeks until the half marathon. Ran a 10k personal best on a tough course, getting outsprinted in the final 400 metres. Unsurprising given my lack of speed work. I’m sure I can get my 10k time lower with a bit more training.
Monday: 10 easy (10)
Tuesday: 8×1000 tempo intervals off 200m in ~55s. 3:13/13/10/10/09/09/08/04. 32:40 total time for 6 miles. (12)
Wednesday: 13 easy, 100 mins (13)
Thursday: 12 with 6 steady on grass ~36 mins (12)
Friday: 8 easy (8)
Saturday: 6 easy (6)
Sunday: Lichfield 10k, 2nd in 32:55 – PB. 16:25/16:30. Hot and hilly. (11)
Week total: 72 miles
2012 total: 2383 miles
Sunday 2nd September 2012
Haven’t posted one of these for a while so here’s this week’s training. The aim is to break my PB for half marathon at the end of September (70:57). I think my chances are 50/50 based on current training.
Monday: 8 x 1 mile off lap jog – 5:14/11/09/08/09/10/14/06, mile barefoot, ran home (15)
Tuesday: AM 6 easy PM climbed Snowdon (6)
Wednesday: 12 easy (12)
Thursday: 12 easy (12)
Friday: 10 steady 61:46 (32:07/29:39), 2 easy, 3 hard 16:27, 3 easy (18)
Saturday: 13 easy (13)
Sunday: 9 easy (9)
Week total: 85 miles
2012 total: 2311 miles
Take from my training log.
Tuesday 10th July 2012
Today was a Plan B day. After a week of very little running due to work commitments I was keen to get a good week of hard training in. Well, in fairness the work commitment was a school cycling trip that involved several hours of exercise per day. But still, it wasn’t running.
I went down to the track this afternoon with a plan to do a session I hadn’t done in a while, namely 10×600 with half-lap jog recoveries, and a rough idea of how fast I wanted to do them. I jogged to the 200m start line and started my watch. By 300 metres I was hideously out of breath and by 500 my legs were giving up. I crossed the line in roughly the time I had hoped for, but knew there was no way my legs were going to allow me another effort, let alone another 9. I sat on the wall and thought about what I should do. Having not considered the possibility of feeling terrible, there was no Plan B but it soon became ‘run home, get in the shower and have dinner.’ Then the athlete in me kicked in, and put forward his own suggestion of running a short effort (maybe 800 metres or a mile) flat out, thus relegating the previous plan to C. I then started to think rationally. I still wanted to run something fast but there is no point doing a massive session if your legs aren’t up to it, so I opted for 6×200 off 200 jog, a completely manageable session even on tired legs. I went easy on the first two, clocking outside 30 seconds and then pushed it on the next four. I was disappointed not to run the session I had planned but was pleased to have at least got some quality in, even though it was only about one mile’s worth in total. I dragged my weary legs back home, taking a longer route home in the vague hope that a long cool down would help my legs loosen up. It didn’t.
The idea of binning your session and doing something else is one I got from a friend and training partner. It makes perfect sense, I suppose, but you never hear about the pros doing it. Does Mo Farah ever turn up at the track for a session and say ‘8 times one mile? Sod that. I’m going home to watch the Arsenal game.’ I doubt it. Does Geoffrey Mutai ever wake up before a 40k tempo run and say ‘You know what, I don’t really fancy it today. I’m going back to bed.’ Of he doesn’t, that’s why he’s better than me.
Screw being sensible, I’m sticking to the schedule in future.
Sunday 17th June 2012
One day off. A good track session. Slightly heavy legs for the race on Thursday. I reckon I can go 15 seconds quicker on that course with better conditions and preparation.
Monday: Rest (0)
Tuesday: 1600,1200,800,400. Recovery equal to next rep distance. 4:45,3:31,2:14,62. Hard. (11)
Wednesday: Long bike ride, 6 easy (6)
Thursday: Rowheath 5k, 4th in 15:56. Rainy and cold. (12)
Friday: 12 easy (12)
Saturday: 6 mile tempo in 32:59, 3 miles of sprint straight/jog bend (14)
Sunday: 16 easy, 2 hours. Sore. (16)
Week total: 71 miles
2012 total: 1690 miles
Taken from my training log.
Sunday 3rd June 2012
Took a day off for my birthday. Happy with the Thursday and Saturday sessions.
Monday: 12 easy (12)
Tuesday: 11 easy (11)
Wednesday: Rest (0)
Thursday: 3x4x350 off 50 jog / 800 between sets plus 4×200 off 200: 60, 59, 61,58-58,59,60,60-59,60,58,60-32,29,29,29 (11)
Friday: 9 easy. Very slow and sore (9)
Saturday: AM easy jog round town, PM mile hard in 4:45, 800 jog then 5 mile tempo in 27:19 (14)
Sunday: 18 easy. Cold and wet. (18)
Week total: 75 miles
2012 total: 1544 miles