I take a rest day every week and have the piss taken out of me by my training group for it on a regular basis. One of the guys I train with recently ended a 10-month streak of running on consecutive days and another recently hit 6 months. I rarely exceed 6 days.
When one of them put it to me recently that I am missing out on 52 days of training every year I retorted by telling him he was missing out on 52 days of recovery. I really do believe this. A guaranteed day off every week ensures that I stay fresh mentally as I am never far from the next break, as well as giving the obvious benefits of proper physical recovery. I’m not running tomorrow morning and am happy with that.
My Week
Monday: AM 14km easy / PM 11km easy (25)
Tuesday: AM 9km easy / PM grass session 2*10*400 off 30s (25)
Wednesday: 17km easy (17)
Thursday: AM 8km easy / PM track session – 4 sets of (600 with barriers in lane 2 / 400 flat) – 1:48, 67, 1:47, 68, 1:48, 67, 1:50, 65 (20)
Friday: 15km easy (15)
Saturday: AM parkrun in 15:55, grass session 2*2:00 off 2:00, 6*1:00 off 1:00 / PM 8km easy (24)
Last week I took my customary rest day on Sunday. To many, missing the Sunday long run is blasphemy, akin to not turning up to church (in a future post I may theorise about the similar roles that running and religion play in people’s lives but I am both typing this on a phone and desperately trying not to go off on a tangent) but I don’t care. I missed my long run this week but gained something more valuable, rest.
I’m away for a long weekend in the Lake District with my brother and dad celebrating his 60th birthday. My dad, that is, not my brother. With three heavy weeks of training banked and some races coming up I have taken the opportunity to enjoy a couple of easy days and to allow my body to absorb the training I have thrown at it in the hope that some of it sticks.
My Week
Monday: 16km easy (16)
Tuesday: AM 7km easy / PM track session 10*400 off 75 in 65-67, 4*200 off 200 jog (21)
Wednesday: AM 10km easy / PM 10km easy (20)
Thursday: AM 10km easy / PM track session 6*1000 off 200 jog in 2:57,57,56,56,58,56 (26)
I have done 51 parkruns now and yesterday was the quickest of the lot. I hadn’t planned a Saturday morning blast but felt good at the start and decided to test myself. Although 15:36 on its own is not a particularly spectacular 5k time and nowhere near my best, I was pleased to run a relatively quick time on tired legs in the middle of a 90 mile week before I had really woken up. My fitness is good at the moment and I am excited for the next couple of races.
My Week
Monday: AM 10km easy / PM 12km easy (22)
Tuesday: AM 10km easy / PM 16km tempo run 56:31 (28)
Wednesday: 17km easy, drills and hurdles (17)
Thursday: AM 9km easy / PM 17km moderate (26)
Friday: rest (0)
Saturday: AM parkrun in 15:36, strides / PM 9km easy (26)
Yesterday I was asked why I had improved so much over the summer after changing club. My response was that I am now training at a much greater intensity than before and am achieving a greater density of sessions, sometimes 3 in a week, something I would never have done before. This year I have learned that I can get more out of myself than I previously thought. This week was no exception. On Thursday evening, still tired and sore from Tuesday’s tempo run, I got dropped on the first rep and struggled to get my legs moving. I stuck it out and with each effort the session became easier once I pushed through the initial discomfort. Not too long ago I would have stopped at that point and saved myself for another day. Of course, there are times when you need to say no and listen to your body, but I am now learning when to say yes. This fine balancing act between overdoing it and underdoing it is hugely important in running.
My week:
Monday: AM 8km easy / PM 13km easy, drills and hurdles (21)
Tuesday: AM 8km easy / PM 15km progression run – 3:37 average, circuits (25)