Monday 9th April 2018
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)
Friday: AM 16km easy / PM 9km easy (25)
Saturday: parkrun in 15:30 (15)
Sunday: rest (0)
Sunday 5th November 2017
This week was the first proper week of training after tearing my calf at the National 6 Stage four weeks ago. Since starting with some light jogging last week I have gradually built up the volume, whilst adding slightly more intensity towards the end of the week.
My calf is fine. I know this, not just because I managed to run 127km this week, something I am told is not possible with a calf tear, but because the scan last week showed that what once resembled a large hole was now a smooth meaty chunk of well formed muscle tissue. However, this doesn’t stop me worrying that it is suddenly going to go again. I find this amusing. As runners we train ourselves to be able to ignore pain; it is an incovenience that needs to be overcome at all costs, a sign of weakness and I’m not weak, thank you very much. But when you return from injury the opposite happens. You become aware of every little tightness or sensation of discomfort, convinced that it is a sign that the injury is returning. The kind of small niggle that would barely raise an eyebrow under normal circumstances now becomes a clear indication that the injury is back again, and probably worse than it was before.
This may well be down to the fact that in order to succeed in this sport you need to be all-or-nothing with it. You will not manage to put in all the hard, difficult training if you aren’t convinced that what you are doing is the most important thing in the world. Sadly the flipside of this belief in the importance of what you are doing is the sense of loss when you cannot do it. The fear of this triggers irrational reactions to pain and a heightened feeling of worry.
I hope it passes soon.
My Week:
Monday: AM 8km easy / PM 12km easy, hurdle drills (20)
Tuesday: AM 8km easy / PM 12km progression at 4:03 average, 2km easy (22)
Wednesday: 13km easy (13)
Thursday: AM 9km easy / PM 16km progression run at 3:45 average (26)
Friday: rest (0)
Saturday: AM fartlek + parkrun in 16:26 / PM 8km easy (24)
Sunday: AM 16km easy / PM 6km easy, drills and hurdles (22)
Sunday 28th August 2016
A week of easy, low intensity running after 10 days off.
​Monday: AM 10km easy / PM 10km easy (20)
Tuesday: 12km easy (12)
Wednesday: AM 10km easy / PM 12km moderate (22)
Thursday: rest (0)
Friday: AM 14km moderate / PM 9km easy (23)
Saturday: AM 15km easy / PM 10km easy (25)
Sunday: 16km easy (16)
Sunday 24th May 2015
An easy week after a hard race last weekend. Took two days off because I wasn’t feeling well. Next week I plan to do a couple of track races and a session.
Monday: AM 12km easy / PM 13km moderate (25)
Tuesday: AM 11km easy / PM 17km easy (28)
Wednesday: rest, unwell (0)
Thursday: rest (0)
Friday: 12km moderate (12)
Saturday: 12km easy (12)
Sunday: AM 15 min warm up, 10x60s/60s on the canal towpath, 15 min cool down / PM 13km easy (25)
Week total: 102km
Taken from my training log.
Sunday 29th March 2015
Five days off for some much needed recovery at the end of a few hard weeks of racing. I did turn up for the club at the 12 stage though. A couple of easy weeks now before I start proper training again.
Monday-Friday: rest
Saturday: AM 8km easy / PM Midlands 12 Stage, 16th on leg 1 (27)
Sunday: 21km moderate (21)
Taken from my training log.