Catch up
Going dark.
It's been a trend for some people to go dark over the last couple of years - completely blank out their training from Strava and social media.
More attention seeking really than anything - ohh wonder what so and so's been up to etc. I've never really given a fuck about it. A lot of people like the attention but the reality is their results are just as shit so whatever they are hiding is just the same old crap training as you can see !!
So I'm having a sabbatical for September. I occasionally do it. But I'll keep loggin it here and post it at the end of the month - this blog really is just for me to review in times of need after all!
Sun 1st September - Hills -
2 x 8 x 20 sec hills today over at the back of crow hill. Idea is to a) have an easier introduction into hills than hitting the steeper stuff off the bat and b) get some speed in them.
Jogged back recovery and 5 min walk between sets.
That was fairly hard although last 3 or 4 were really tough. I reckon I can get to 9 per set easily enough at pace but I'll progress to the 2 tougher accents of crow hill over the next couple of months.
Right now I want to be carrying speed into them and getting up with decent form rather than a shitty old bag of spanners.
Finished up with a decent week. 6 days. 1 long-ish run (8 miles lol) 2 sessions and a couple of harder steady run efforts. Legs are not happy so possibly will rest tomorrow and bring in weights and s&c next week.
Would like to get a Parkrun done at Hunts before they change courses but at the minute I need my legs to start playing ball. Not sure what track sessions to do this week but possibly thinking 6 x 600m and 5 x 800m could be on the cards but we'll see. Quite busy Tues so may not be able to hit that.
Tue 3rd September - Tempo
Agh fucksake typed this all out yesterday and it's fucking gone ffs
So long story short (it was longer before the fucker dissapeared) took a rest day Monday although wasn't strictly needed as legs felt much better than expected. Tuesday at Lower Mill waiting around all day for air con to be fitted. Couldn't get head around a session. Just decided at last minute (was late and needed to drive 2 1/2 hours home still) to just run ' pretty hard'.
2 laps pf Howells Mere at 6.05/mm and then onto the nature park.
2nd mile with HR just ticking over threshold in 5.49 - really good pace off road for me. On to the main drag and split the lake loop with a tactical calf stretch (this is still a worry - both the calfs and the head) mile 3 in 5.46 and a surprise technical mile 4 in 5.45 to keep it progressive.
On to the last mile and decided to ramp it up to try and hold 5k pace. Finished up with a 5.31 although needed to talk to myself after stopping half way through for no reason. Mental deamons on the longer tempo which is a shock as HR only got to 171 bpm right at the very end which is below 5k race effort and much lower than normal hard tempos.
Really pleased with that, 5 miles in a shade under 29 mins with last 5k in 17.40 (minus the 3 unnecessary stops). Mind you, stopping does keep the HR right where it needs to be at a quick pace which long term has huge payoff.
Very pleased with that and points to much better fitness which is what the recent change of training is looking to achieve.
Wed 4th September - Double Easy
Nice relaxing 4 mile legs stretch first thing. Coughing guts up either due to pollen of dairy. Either way I need to stop this as I sound like a fucking crack head and it's not nice. Also, I'm bordering on hoying my brekko up.
Doubled up with a run with Rich later tonight. He's on the comeback so 7 miles @ 8/mm was pretty decent and good miles for the day for me. Relax tomorrow and hit the track for the 2nd session of the week. Legs not too bad but pretty whacked
Thursday 5th - Pilates & Track
Pilates day - need this to keep my back in check. Jesus it's surprisingly good and as a lazy bastard I don't do enough core so this really helps. Missed it all summer as it's not on in the holidays so back to the routine now the sprogs are back at school!
Felt tired all day but hit the track to meet DC for a session. 6 x 600m and a proper old school bread and butter session. No idea what to aim for but in my head assumed something 1.50 - 1.55 would be about right. Finished up with all of them between 1.49 and 1.51. Bang tidy, felt super strong. Took either first 200m or last 400m each which worked well as it gave you something to focus on.
Nice start to track, paces need to come down and I will loop around the sessions I have done at some stage but 200s in 34 avge where 32 would be target. 400s in 75 (72) and 600s in 1.50 (1.45). Paces are way below 5/mm which is nice and the closer to 4/mm then 5/mm the better ! It would be nice to bang out 4 x mile in sub 5 I think that would be a real big step forward.
Off tonight and Thursday I think Parkrun Saturday is almost a must to get a decent time in even if it's not a progression from last time I think it'll be more comfortable barring disaster.
The sessions are really paying dividends. Keeping miles down is keeping the freshness there and my plan to plateau fitness before picking up seems to be working as the main thing i want to avoid is feeling like a fucking zombie.
Marathon build always gets to an unsustainable cliff - edge peak and the crash is inevitable. Right now progress is happening and it's not over exerting and main thing is it's not mentally exerting.
Saturday 7th - Parkrun
Feeling good lately so decided to hit Parkrun to see if a boost in fitness is reflected by a boost in dogshit early tempo run pace !
Picked up John en route and hit Gt Denham nice and early. Warmed up OK but glutes particularly felt tight and legs didn't feel particularly responsive.
Said hello & good bye to Dave Hudson at the start and off we went (we'll he fucked off miles up the road almost comically far ahead of the rest of us).
First mile settled in, felt ok - in fact not a single twinge from glutes for the whole race). Was hoping for sub 5.20 first mile but clicked at 5.22. HR was low so knew I could push on but pace felt quicker than it should. First mile at Gt Denham seems to take forever but the payoff is that the last 2 seem to come around quick.
Into mile 2 and pace seems stuck on 5.40. Shit, I was hoping for sub 5.30 and again HR is solid - lower than it should be - but effort seems high and pace seems quicker. Up the drag past the start we're into a headwind which is tough, but at the turn it's a nice drop back down to Worlds end. Can just see DH in the distance. Mile clicks in 5.39 which is frustrating as HR is 170 avge so few beats extra available there.
Mile 3 keep up the work rate to try and stay on top but it settles in around 5.38 for the whole mile. Not amazing and doing the maths I'm on for 17.20 ish. Work hard up the hill, the finish straight is strange because it's a lot longer than you think. At 16.30 I thought I was going to go under 17 weirdly but as I get closer the seconds tick away and I finish up exactly same time as before - 17.11. 3rd mile HR was 171 avg so bullet proof last 2 miles.
Decent effort, consistent (can't get any more consistent!) Got passed for 2nd with just under a mile to go and really I should be pacing this course better as the 2nd place guy (Gary) did. I still think an evening 5k I would be a chunk quicker as I don't get going in the mornings but it's the best Parkrun sequence I've stuck together. My top 5k's this year are 16.59, 17.10, 17.11, 17.11
Looks like a plateau but they are getting easier and I'm happy to bank solid tempos at this effort and bring the pace down slowly. 17-17.30 target I am happy with. Iy'll come down to 16.30-17.00 pace in time but I don't need to rush anything as I'm happy banging out the training I am without feeling like it's overreaching.
Ideally get an easy jog in later and 10 miles total tomorrow but bust 36 hours coming up so I'll bank what I can.
I'm on 20 Parkruns total now, I want to get to 30 by the end of the year. Think there are 16 left so they won't all be at pace but always good to put a solid effort in nice and early in the morning!
Sunday 8th - Bleugh
Took J to race at BSE today in the East Anglian Finals. 2.16.6 for 800m and 43.5 for 300m which off a rest week and not much focus is pretty decent. Another week and he'll be ready to go again.
For me I got out for a late and tired long-ish run. Ended up with 7.25 miles @ 7:18/mm but felt shocking and didn't really get into it. Should have been 8 - 10 miles but with all the intensity it's hard to keep on top. Bleugh pretty much sums it up, I was TIRED but to be fair Parkrun yesterday took more out than I thought.
That's 3 weeks down on the new phase of training, and it's yielded 2 x 17.11 Parkruns. The HR for that is really good so can only assume that I am a lot fitter however I won't really know until I race properly at the end of the month. I will stick to the plan, hopefully the make or break sessions will begin to strengthen the legs and I won't be such a pussy on easy run days.
10k off road next week which I will stick to HR and hope it works out OK. I think 165 bpm is well manageable and should be sub 6 off road which is pretty much A target as I won't race 10k again - well, I have no plans to!
I'll dance around faster / slower 200m intervals once per week as speed is what is missing. My 400 - 800m pace is shocking compared to longer times so if I can buffer that pace I will be able to run much faster.
This week I will go with 3 x 6 x 200m off 60 secs and hopefully be quicker. I was 35.5 avge for the 2 x 9 x 200m set (800m pace) so need to put the work on these as ideally these would be 30 and the slower ones 32 so long long way to go but if I stick this in weekly then there is a good chance I'll start seeing real speed by the end of the year.
Next phase will be to build in longer threshold efforts and more steady runs at 8-10 miles and build an endurance layer.
BUT for now the target is simply to maximise short & hard efforts and hope that lifts my hard tempo (Parkrun) pace under 17 mins and hopefully then target a sub 16.30 track race which would be nice !!
Monday 9th - Steady Eddie
What a difference a day makes. Steady 10km starting at 7:04/mm finishing 6:21/mm HR 150 bpm bang on the easy side. Pace felt very comfortable and for the first time for a while it felt slow - 6:30 usually feels like shifting but this was comfortable.
Baby steps still and a long way to go but if all my steady runs are around this kind of pace it'll be well on the way to where it needs to be. It's certainly comfortable when it's comfortable but all that is missing is the conditioning to be able to repeat regularly. My tired runs are very tired, if I can recover quicker I think there's huge progress to be made.
Pleased with this one. Need to keep on the rehab and build in the strength work but we're on the right track. Just under 3 weeks till the main race of the year for me so hopefully it'll keep going in the right direction.
Tuesday 10th - All is not well
Rested up - felt shocking. Possibly down to needing to go into the office
Wednesday 11th - This will not be pretty
Steady run on the main parts of the BTR course for Sunday. Not great, this course seriously does not suit me. HR was high for pace (7/mm) think the 1 mile uphill start is going to put me in too much deficit and the off road parts (most of it) just don't suit me. Think 37.xx is on the cards but I can see a bad one. Thank fuck it's not on PO10.
Feeling jaded still like I'm a solid nights sleep down so def something in system keeping me low. Track tomorrow will rest up till then.
Felt shocking all day. Literally went back to sleep after the school run. new I'd make track but first session I really didn't look forward to all season.
Met DC and warmed up. Session I called was 8 x 500m off 100m walk back. As it was windy we'd start at 300m mark and finish and walk back the 100m. Aimed at 72 sec lap pace which seemed a bit of a stretch. Idea was one would lead 200 and then pull over and the other would take the last 300m or so. That worked really well because you only thought about your lead parts on the session.
First rep felt horrifically quick from the start. Split 400m bang on 72 and held on for a 1.31. Second rep felt shocking again, better for me with my lead out but not enjoying the follow. 1.31 again.
Followed up with 1.32 and 1.32 but after half way I started to feel a bit better coming home. Next couple were 1.31 & 1.32.
Recoveries were all between 1.42 and 1.50 depending on drink stops.
After 6 noticed I felt a bit stronger than DC and I did the honourable thong and pushed it harder lol 1.29 for rep #7 off a 71 first 400m then a 1.31 on the final rep feeling pretty relaxed if I am honest.
Think I had dreaded the session so much my body went into reliefe mode after 6 when I knew I would get it done.
Really starting to relax more at these paces, which in reality, are totally dog shit. But It's a start, a solid winter getting 1 of these shorter sessions in per week and I would hope that my 400m pace for these types of sessions (400-600m) drops from 72-74 to 68-70.
This is the 4th week of track style winter training and I would think it's paying off - certainly need an easy taper week for Biggleswade and also need the recovery to increase as I'm still feeling over tired. If they come together I think 16.30 ish or certainly 16.3x is do-able.
Fancy something real sharp on Tuesday like 4 x 400m off long recovery to test the flat out speed in spikes as right now off the 71 I ran Thursday I think 68.xx avg could be done. I'd like to get that down to 62-64 by next summer which I think puts me ball park for low 4.20 1500m. But, as always we will see.
Nice traditional LSR in Z1 Friday coming up which should be a treat to burn off the fry up.
Friday the 13th - eeek
Long run today, legs felt better than usual but still massively fucked up today. Decided to just get lost on a few trails and hope it came in at around 9 or 10 miles. Finished up with 8 on the nose which at 8.30/mm is worth 10 miles on a normal run.
Still pretty cattled just yesterday talking a bit out of the legs. Easy short run tomorrow then BTR 10k on Sunday which will not be much fun.
Fancy a few beers tonight, bit too often I've found myself saying that lately but fuck it. What's the point training if you can't live!
Going onwards and looking at mileage I really need to push on from 40 mpw up to around 60 once Bigglesawde is done. The only way I can see that happening is to keep 1 quality session a week in and then build up the easy/steady routine and drop the Parkrun Saturdays for a while. Fucking hell, 10 miles feels like a marathon slog at the minute. I think it's 3 months since I ran that far! 8 today was a mental trip. It has to be easier on fresh legs?!
I feel the need...
Easy day today before tomorrow's 10k. Still not thinking it'll go particularly well given the course but even worst case we should still be top 5 or so (was 6th in 2010 in about 37.15).
Thinking on to Thursday's session - that's 3.02 per km pace feeling fast, I really need to be cruising at that pace so the focus for winter is simple - focus on making those quick paces seem much easier.
I have to get down to 32 secs per 200m for those shorter intervals and 68 per 400m for all the longer sessions. The endurance stuff will take care of itself but the speed will always be limited.
As much as I want quick results this has to be looked as a longer term project to hit the properly quick times.
Focus next season is steeplechase so there is no avoiding the leg strength, I have to make time at least 5 times a week to build up the week leg muscles before I start hurdling.
Current times -
zero leg strength specific sessions
35.5 for 200m
72 for 400m
Easy 4 with drills today @ 8/mm felt pretty horrific at the start and slightly less so by the end. Hopefully ease back in to how I felt at the start of the week tomorrow. Just hoping I wake up with good legs.
Bourn to run
Bleugh, I fucking hate cross country !! I see no pojnt in racing routes that actively seek to slow you down! Bourn to Run is our local village race, currently in 11th year and this was the 2nd time I've entered!
Gun goes and were off. Young BRJ James is off up the first hill in front and I settle in 3rd place. Off the first hill then down Crow end and into 2nd place. Up to the drift and first mile in 6.07 with HR already over my target.
Towards the airfield and Cambourne, get passed by someone looking easy into 3rd and James is 20 secs or so up the road. 4th place long way back. 2nd mile 5.59.
Around the trails and down to Lower Cambourne, bit rolly underfoot and 3rd mile in 6.08.
Only 1 more hill and the better half of the course, recover a bit in 6.07 but HR is already where I would expect for 5.3x at Parkrun lol
Onto the trail back towards Bourn and tick off a 5.51 better mile - know 3rd place is safe. Leader has passed James and he's coming back. Prettyu happy to stay in 3rd here if James can just hold on and do his bit.
Shit, he comes back and I have to TT pass to make it stick. On to home straight running pretty hard for not a lot of return. Twisty bit by the bridge and pass mile 6 in 5.41. Just about under 6/mm avge lol
Easy onto the park and job done. 2nd place in 37.14 which is 1 sec faster than 2010 when in pretty good shape but equally not keen on running off road!
Not too bad. Jr won the 3k race with Sawyer around 18th place and Lola got herself around without crying #smallwins
With warm up and cool down, 41 miles for the week banked with 2 quality days but I was struggling for the most part of the week so I'll bank it and move on. HR looks good for Biggleswade on a track so fingers crossed the health holds up until then.
Bourn to die
Wow, tough recovery run today. Had great plans of a very easy 8-10 miles but finished up with a very slow 7. Jesus that was hard work. If I can eat well today and recover properly...who the fuck am I kidding I've already hit the crisps and coke !! Worry about tomorrow - tomorrow!
Planning ahead
Bit grown up! I'm still struggling between sessions and races - paces are still on the slow side for anything easy or recovery. Really struggled with 9/mm yesterday for 7 after BTR 10k. Possibly thinking to go extreems once this block is over Saturday week and bin all the quick sessions off and stick a months running in.
A block of mileage off the back of a block of speed may help things. It's early enough to not be terminal to the speed I have got (have I got any??!!) There's no way I can see me getting to 50 per week off of 2 / 3 quality sessions but if I back the quality and stick to steady I should be able to knock out 60 at a decent pace and limit the quality to threshold. I'll chuck in a couple of Parkruns to see what's happening. Or maybe just go with the current block and hope the speedwork pays off.
I'm not sure, it feels like backing off the hard stuff for October & November might pay off long term. Will see how next couple of weeks go.
Short and nasty
No, not me (well a bit) but a speed session over the track this afternoon.
Had to hit it early as out for daughters birthday late afternoon. Track was shut so bunked in. Old school Daz does an old skool sesh,
4 x 400m. Yesterday struggled with 9/mm feeling pretty fucked. Target in my head was 68.x for each rep as 72 felt manageable last Thursday in the 500s. Bit windy but warmed up OK and got ready.
First rep. Fuck, it felt hard from the off. In spikes to drag as much speed out as possible. Glanced at watch way after 200m - 36 secs so worst case on target. Wind behind down straight but Jeez that felt some effort off the blocks. 66.4. NICE
5 mins walk recovery. Shit still got 3 to go.
Second rep, feel considerably better through 200m and float a bit to 300m. Hard work down the straight but this feels a lot easier than the first one. Make a mental note to do a 200m first if I ever race a 400m again lol - un-fucking-likely!! 66.6. VERY NICE
5 mins walk recovery, feels harder breathng but the back has been broken and once I'm round this one I just need to drag myself through 400m more. DO_NOT_LET_IT_DROP
Third rep, wind hits a bit hard on back straight and it's a massive struggle. Feel the pinch at 200m and dig in, hard work all the way home and know it's slower. 67.6 HMMMM
5 mins walk recovery. On a 66.x avg but really feeling it. This session is all about this part from here to the finish - emptying the tank and holding pace with zero in the legs. Heads spinning and legs are fucked. Last rep is make or break. Hero or Zero. Obviously I can't run any quicker than I have however there is a huge chance I can explode and drop 2 secs off the average in a single rep.
Final rep. Hit the first 100m and back off very slightly, aim to split 33/34 at 200m. Wind is tough and I feel like a pussy cat. Off the final bend and dig. it's not pretty and it's not particularly fast but I just keep digging with all I have left. 67.8. PHEW
So banked the session. 67.1 avge. Second under what I had hoped (nearly 2 as I'd have been happy with 68.9 to be fair!)
Long way to go but the speed work is definitely paying off. These sessions add bags of speed and adaptions from where I am. It's the flat speed that's killing me, I reckon I could maybe run 61-62 flat out for 400m so over winter the aim is to bring that down. I think being capable of running 56/57 seconds would really mean my buffer between flat out speed and desired speed would be enough.
I would like to be running 8 x 400m in around 65 secs by start of next summer all going well. It's a big jump but I've progressed similar amount since Feb time when I was running on/off.
Recovering - or not so much
After Tuesdays session, did a solid 8 with monkey @ 6.52/mm which felt crazy easy. Legs still felt battered but pace was no issue. Thursday was starting to drag the fitness a bit and to be fair could / should have carded a zero but ran with John around Caxton. Short and easy progressive at about 7:30/mm for 4.6 miles. Rest Friday - complete zero not even a stretch.
Saturday up early but still not feeling 100% - frustratingly. Not sure why so tight but need to get the conditioning to get over this. Planning post Biggleswade I need to come up with a training plan that addresses the weaknesses.
1 - speed - this is key, I need better top end speed.
2 - strength - build up lower legs and hips still too weak and I struggle to hop on one leg.
3 - conditioning - take the 2 above and still be able to put sessions together without breaking down.
4 - economy - easy runs improving HR fitness at lower intensity
5 - confidence - I need to be confident in my own plan, stop second guessing myself.
I am pretty much caught between sticking with what I am doing and putting a few months of base in. I need a plan I'm bought into. Stop fucking about.
I'll change this as I go but right now I think the basic outline is this -
Week 1 - Base & economy. A week where I get in lots of miles (60) nice and easy. It should include active recovery, possibly a rest day, just get the miles in and limit HR to 150 bpm most days and either Parkrun or race. Possibly put a threshold effort in there if feeling good. This should build economy and conditioning. It is what's been missing from the last few months and possibly neglected.
Week 2 & 3 - Build Block. Do as I have been doing. Tuesday & Thursday hard speed sessions. Parkrun one of these weeks to monitor progress and switch with Hills to make 3 solid sessions per week. Other runs serve to rest between and something longer on Sunday. 40 mpw. Big focus on getting 4 S&C sessions in per week too.
That's it, 3 week cycle and repeat. I am debating dropping Strava completely - I really need to stop looking at everything else and just be happy with my plan.
Chariots of Fire this weekend and I'm not feeling 100% at the minute. Just been noticing the drift in fatigue recently, hopefully I'll be bang on tomorrow. Ideally get to around 5.15/mm for the run which isn't a million miles off the 5k target
So, after resting yesterday and feeling tight all morning set out for an easy - steady 10k with the emphasis on easy. 6.47 first mile which on this route is pretty speedy, kept the HR under control and worked down to 6.18/mm for mile 4 on road. Finished up with 10k @ 6:36/mm for 150 bpm which is bang on best numbers ever. Seriously happy with that! After a week thinking I was a dead man walking this is the pick me up I needed.
Chariots of Fire
Wow, we'll the skinny is - WE FUCKING WON IT !! No joke. DC with a solid 8.50 first leg, handed over to me in 4th place. I picked one off and closed the gap to baldy and we're in 3rd place with a 9.02 Garmin clocking (I started and finished early late so probs shade under 9 ;) ) Handed over to Monkey who puts is into 2nd with a solid 9.30. Now, on paper we have a strog team but we've had a lot of sandbaging recently so form on the last 3 legs was unknown!
Nic runs a blinding 9.39 split and puts us within 20 secs of the lead - cut down from 2 mins and we're a minute or so up on third.
Pressure time !
Turner gets the baton and chases another chunky monkey down. Unbelievable scenes as he takes the lead and brings us in a minute 45 up on second. Again, around 9.40 split.
And the Bear is off, being chased down by some serious looking runners. We keep an eagle eye out, he'll need to be low 10 mins to win it and win it he does. 19 seconds up on second he brings us home for the gold!
Funny day out, hard to take timings or course seriously. Garmin gave me 5:35/mm avge but reckon it's way quicker than that. Good sign on that course and most decent runners 8.50-9 mins so in the middle of some good company. Straight off to the cafe for a fry up and then the pub for a beer to wash the race down. Happy days!
Life in the old team yet??
SLEEEEEP
Is important. Something I've taken for granted since, well, forever. At my age, the problem I'm hitting is recovery from sessions & hard runs. I'm getting fatigued and also muscle & tendon soreness. NOW - I am no monkey. This isn't me going to be at 5pm every night. I am going to try and get some quality sleep every night - 8 1/2 hours is plenty. I've actually been doing it for a few nights and it's helping.
I'm also going to lighten up on myself a little. I'm in good shape, stop fucking bemoaning other people running faster - I'll get opportunities!
Rain is brutal today. Not sure how I am going to get a session done, was aiming to do 8 miles fairly hard (threshold) but that's looking unlikely. Time is limited today so may have to hit the dreadmill but we shall see!
Threshold
Aim today - 10k threshold and a steady mile (well, had planned to do 8 but starting with 6 as that's a mile up on usual) - progress !
Jogged to most of the way up Alms Hill then cracked on. Hill start gives the HR a head start otherwise it's bloody hard work getting it up (ohh err missus). 6.13 first mile, 150 bpm, feel pretty relaxed, pace feels hot.
Second mile still net uphill but much flatter than the first. 6.04 for 158 bpm (perfect) and keeping it to 161 bpm on the overpass.
Third mile keeping the HR down, bit high but pace has leveled. Big incline over A428 to the top and beeps for 6.08 @ 161 bpm.
Stop to tie shoe laces and bring HR down - key to this session is being in the right zone.
Mile 4, start downhill, pretty much net downhll mile so 5.59 for 159 bpm #happy days. In my head I'm thinking come home just under 6/mm would be nice. Feel relaxed, pace feels very comfortable, does not feel like sub 6 at all here.
Mile 5. Downhill but the turn to home is block headwind. HR shoots up now, the downhill does not really help much as it's so exposed. 6.09 for 162 bpm (max 166). Actually stopped for 5 seconds to bring HR down when it got to 165 bpm
Mile 6, big downhill but the wind has hit the HR and the mile is 6.10 for 164 bpm - dangerously close to tempo territory. Also, this is a long threshold for me so not unexpected although this is still lower than 10k effort - probably HM effort right now. Conditioning and low volume probably also add few bpm but mainly the wind. Pace feels scarily slow at 6.10/mm this could easily have been 7's for how quick I felt.
Mile easy to finish - 6.38 for 7 miles in 42.38 (6.12/mm) for 158 bpm. Threshold is 159 bpm. Lack of wind would have been good but I'll take that for now. Passed 10k in about 38 mins and not the easiest course in the world.
Happy with that, should be enough in the tank for intervals tomorrow then something semi productive Thursday and rest for Saturday's race.
It's been a trend for some people to go dark over the last couple of years - completely blank out their training from Strava and social media.
More attention seeking really than anything - ohh wonder what so and so's been up to etc. I've never really given a fuck about it. A lot of people like the attention but the reality is their results are just as shit so whatever they are hiding is just the same old crap training as you can see !!
So I'm having a sabbatical for September. I occasionally do it. But I'll keep loggin it here and post it at the end of the month - this blog really is just for me to review in times of need after all!
Sun 1st September - Hills -
2 x 8 x 20 sec hills today over at the back of crow hill. Idea is to a) have an easier introduction into hills than hitting the steeper stuff off the bat and b) get some speed in them.
Jogged back recovery and 5 min walk between sets.
That was fairly hard although last 3 or 4 were really tough. I reckon I can get to 9 per set easily enough at pace but I'll progress to the 2 tougher accents of crow hill over the next couple of months.
Right now I want to be carrying speed into them and getting up with decent form rather than a shitty old bag of spanners.
Finished up with a decent week. 6 days. 1 long-ish run (8 miles lol) 2 sessions and a couple of harder steady run efforts. Legs are not happy so possibly will rest tomorrow and bring in weights and s&c next week.
Would like to get a Parkrun done at Hunts before they change courses but at the minute I need my legs to start playing ball. Not sure what track sessions to do this week but possibly thinking 6 x 600m and 5 x 800m could be on the cards but we'll see. Quite busy Tues so may not be able to hit that.
Tue 3rd September - Tempo
Agh fucksake typed this all out yesterday and it's fucking gone ffs
So long story short (it was longer before the fucker dissapeared) took a rest day Monday although wasn't strictly needed as legs felt much better than expected. Tuesday at Lower Mill waiting around all day for air con to be fitted. Couldn't get head around a session. Just decided at last minute (was late and needed to drive 2 1/2 hours home still) to just run ' pretty hard'.
2 laps pf Howells Mere at 6.05/mm and then onto the nature park.
2nd mile with HR just ticking over threshold in 5.49 - really good pace off road for me. On to the main drag and split the lake loop with a tactical calf stretch (this is still a worry - both the calfs and the head) mile 3 in 5.46 and a surprise technical mile 4 in 5.45 to keep it progressive.
On to the last mile and decided to ramp it up to try and hold 5k pace. Finished up with a 5.31 although needed to talk to myself after stopping half way through for no reason. Mental deamons on the longer tempo which is a shock as HR only got to 171 bpm right at the very end which is below 5k race effort and much lower than normal hard tempos.
Really pleased with that, 5 miles in a shade under 29 mins with last 5k in 17.40 (minus the 3 unnecessary stops). Mind you, stopping does keep the HR right where it needs to be at a quick pace which long term has huge payoff.
Very pleased with that and points to much better fitness which is what the recent change of training is looking to achieve.
Wed 4th September - Double Easy
Nice relaxing 4 mile legs stretch first thing. Coughing guts up either due to pollen of dairy. Either way I need to stop this as I sound like a fucking crack head and it's not nice. Also, I'm bordering on hoying my brekko up.
Doubled up with a run with Rich later tonight. He's on the comeback so 7 miles @ 8/mm was pretty decent and good miles for the day for me. Relax tomorrow and hit the track for the 2nd session of the week. Legs not too bad but pretty whacked
Thursday 5th - Pilates & Track
Pilates day - need this to keep my back in check. Jesus it's surprisingly good and as a lazy bastard I don't do enough core so this really helps. Missed it all summer as it's not on in the holidays so back to the routine now the sprogs are back at school!
Felt tired all day but hit the track to meet DC for a session. 6 x 600m and a proper old school bread and butter session. No idea what to aim for but in my head assumed something 1.50 - 1.55 would be about right. Finished up with all of them between 1.49 and 1.51. Bang tidy, felt super strong. Took either first 200m or last 400m each which worked well as it gave you something to focus on.
Nice start to track, paces need to come down and I will loop around the sessions I have done at some stage but 200s in 34 avge where 32 would be target. 400s in 75 (72) and 600s in 1.50 (1.45). Paces are way below 5/mm which is nice and the closer to 4/mm then 5/mm the better ! It would be nice to bang out 4 x mile in sub 5 I think that would be a real big step forward.
Off tonight and Thursday I think Parkrun Saturday is almost a must to get a decent time in even if it's not a progression from last time I think it'll be more comfortable barring disaster.
The sessions are really paying dividends. Keeping miles down is keeping the freshness there and my plan to plateau fitness before picking up seems to be working as the main thing i want to avoid is feeling like a fucking zombie.
Marathon build always gets to an unsustainable cliff - edge peak and the crash is inevitable. Right now progress is happening and it's not over exerting and main thing is it's not mentally exerting.
Saturday 7th - Parkrun
Feeling good lately so decided to hit Parkrun to see if a boost in fitness is reflected by a boost in dogshit early tempo run pace !
Picked up John en route and hit Gt Denham nice and early. Warmed up OK but glutes particularly felt tight and legs didn't feel particularly responsive.
Said hello & good bye to Dave Hudson at the start and off we went (we'll he fucked off miles up the road almost comically far ahead of the rest of us).
First mile settled in, felt ok - in fact not a single twinge from glutes for the whole race). Was hoping for sub 5.20 first mile but clicked at 5.22. HR was low so knew I could push on but pace felt quicker than it should. First mile at Gt Denham seems to take forever but the payoff is that the last 2 seem to come around quick.
Into mile 2 and pace seems stuck on 5.40. Shit, I was hoping for sub 5.30 and again HR is solid - lower than it should be - but effort seems high and pace seems quicker. Up the drag past the start we're into a headwind which is tough, but at the turn it's a nice drop back down to Worlds end. Can just see DH in the distance. Mile clicks in 5.39 which is frustrating as HR is 170 avge so few beats extra available there.
Mile 3 keep up the work rate to try and stay on top but it settles in around 5.38 for the whole mile. Not amazing and doing the maths I'm on for 17.20 ish. Work hard up the hill, the finish straight is strange because it's a lot longer than you think. At 16.30 I thought I was going to go under 17 weirdly but as I get closer the seconds tick away and I finish up exactly same time as before - 17.11. 3rd mile HR was 171 avg so bullet proof last 2 miles.
Decent effort, consistent (can't get any more consistent!) Got passed for 2nd with just under a mile to go and really I should be pacing this course better as the 2nd place guy (Gary) did. I still think an evening 5k I would be a chunk quicker as I don't get going in the mornings but it's the best Parkrun sequence I've stuck together. My top 5k's this year are 16.59, 17.10, 17.11, 17.11
Looks like a plateau but they are getting easier and I'm happy to bank solid tempos at this effort and bring the pace down slowly. 17-17.30 target I am happy with. Iy'll come down to 16.30-17.00 pace in time but I don't need to rush anything as I'm happy banging out the training I am without feeling like it's overreaching.
Ideally get an easy jog in later and 10 miles total tomorrow but bust 36 hours coming up so I'll bank what I can.
I'm on 20 Parkruns total now, I want to get to 30 by the end of the year. Think there are 16 left so they won't all be at pace but always good to put a solid effort in nice and early in the morning!
Sunday 8th - Bleugh
Took J to race at BSE today in the East Anglian Finals. 2.16.6 for 800m and 43.5 for 300m which off a rest week and not much focus is pretty decent. Another week and he'll be ready to go again.
For me I got out for a late and tired long-ish run. Ended up with 7.25 miles @ 7:18/mm but felt shocking and didn't really get into it. Should have been 8 - 10 miles but with all the intensity it's hard to keep on top. Bleugh pretty much sums it up, I was TIRED but to be fair Parkrun yesterday took more out than I thought.
That's 3 weeks down on the new phase of training, and it's yielded 2 x 17.11 Parkruns. The HR for that is really good so can only assume that I am a lot fitter however I won't really know until I race properly at the end of the month. I will stick to the plan, hopefully the make or break sessions will begin to strengthen the legs and I won't be such a pussy on easy run days.
10k off road next week which I will stick to HR and hope it works out OK. I think 165 bpm is well manageable and should be sub 6 off road which is pretty much A target as I won't race 10k again - well, I have no plans to!
I'll dance around faster / slower 200m intervals once per week as speed is what is missing. My 400 - 800m pace is shocking compared to longer times so if I can buffer that pace I will be able to run much faster.
This week I will go with 3 x 6 x 200m off 60 secs and hopefully be quicker. I was 35.5 avge for the 2 x 9 x 200m set (800m pace) so need to put the work on these as ideally these would be 30 and the slower ones 32 so long long way to go but if I stick this in weekly then there is a good chance I'll start seeing real speed by the end of the year.
Next phase will be to build in longer threshold efforts and more steady runs at 8-10 miles and build an endurance layer.
BUT for now the target is simply to maximise short & hard efforts and hope that lifts my hard tempo (Parkrun) pace under 17 mins and hopefully then target a sub 16.30 track race which would be nice !!
Monday 9th - Steady Eddie
What a difference a day makes. Steady 10km starting at 7:04/mm finishing 6:21/mm HR 150 bpm bang on the easy side. Pace felt very comfortable and for the first time for a while it felt slow - 6:30 usually feels like shifting but this was comfortable.
Baby steps still and a long way to go but if all my steady runs are around this kind of pace it'll be well on the way to where it needs to be. It's certainly comfortable when it's comfortable but all that is missing is the conditioning to be able to repeat regularly. My tired runs are very tired, if I can recover quicker I think there's huge progress to be made.
Pleased with this one. Need to keep on the rehab and build in the strength work but we're on the right track. Just under 3 weeks till the main race of the year for me so hopefully it'll keep going in the right direction.
Tuesday 10th - All is not well
Rested up - felt shocking. Possibly down to needing to go into the office
Wednesday 11th - This will not be pretty
Steady run on the main parts of the BTR course for Sunday. Not great, this course seriously does not suit me. HR was high for pace (7/mm) think the 1 mile uphill start is going to put me in too much deficit and the off road parts (most of it) just don't suit me. Think 37.xx is on the cards but I can see a bad one. Thank fuck it's not on PO10.
Feeling jaded still like I'm a solid nights sleep down so def something in system keeping me low. Track tomorrow will rest up till then.
Thursday 12th - Traaaaak
Met DC and warmed up. Session I called was 8 x 500m off 100m walk back. As it was windy we'd start at 300m mark and finish and walk back the 100m. Aimed at 72 sec lap pace which seemed a bit of a stretch. Idea was one would lead 200 and then pull over and the other would take the last 300m or so. That worked really well because you only thought about your lead parts on the session.
First rep felt horrifically quick from the start. Split 400m bang on 72 and held on for a 1.31. Second rep felt shocking again, better for me with my lead out but not enjoying the follow. 1.31 again.
Followed up with 1.32 and 1.32 but after half way I started to feel a bit better coming home. Next couple were 1.31 & 1.32.
Recoveries were all between 1.42 and 1.50 depending on drink stops.
After 6 noticed I felt a bit stronger than DC and I did the honourable thong and pushed it harder lol 1.29 for rep #7 off a 71 first 400m then a 1.31 on the final rep feeling pretty relaxed if I am honest.
Think I had dreaded the session so much my body went into reliefe mode after 6 when I knew I would get it done.
Really starting to relax more at these paces, which in reality, are totally dog shit. But It's a start, a solid winter getting 1 of these shorter sessions in per week and I would hope that my 400m pace for these types of sessions (400-600m) drops from 72-74 to 68-70.
This is the 4th week of track style winter training and I would think it's paying off - certainly need an easy taper week for Biggleswade and also need the recovery to increase as I'm still feeling over tired. If they come together I think 16.30 ish or certainly 16.3x is do-able.
Fancy something real sharp on Tuesday like 4 x 400m off long recovery to test the flat out speed in spikes as right now off the 71 I ran Thursday I think 68.xx avg could be done. I'd like to get that down to 62-64 by next summer which I think puts me ball park for low 4.20 1500m. But, as always we will see.
Nice traditional LSR in Z1 Friday coming up which should be a treat to burn off the fry up.
Friday the 13th - eeek
Long run today, legs felt better than usual but still massively fucked up today. Decided to just get lost on a few trails and hope it came in at around 9 or 10 miles. Finished up with 8 on the nose which at 8.30/mm is worth 10 miles on a normal run.
Still pretty cattled just yesterday talking a bit out of the legs. Easy short run tomorrow then BTR 10k on Sunday which will not be much fun.
Fancy a few beers tonight, bit too often I've found myself saying that lately but fuck it. What's the point training if you can't live!
Going onwards and looking at mileage I really need to push on from 40 mpw up to around 60 once Bigglesawde is done. The only way I can see that happening is to keep 1 quality session a week in and then build up the easy/steady routine and drop the Parkrun Saturdays for a while. Fucking hell, 10 miles feels like a marathon slog at the minute. I think it's 3 months since I ran that far! 8 today was a mental trip. It has to be easier on fresh legs?!
I feel the need...
Easy day today before tomorrow's 10k. Still not thinking it'll go particularly well given the course but even worst case we should still be top 5 or so (was 6th in 2010 in about 37.15).
Thinking on to Thursday's session - that's 3.02 per km pace feeling fast, I really need to be cruising at that pace so the focus for winter is simple - focus on making those quick paces seem much easier.
I have to get down to 32 secs per 200m for those shorter intervals and 68 per 400m for all the longer sessions. The endurance stuff will take care of itself but the speed will always be limited.
As much as I want quick results this has to be looked as a longer term project to hit the properly quick times.
Focus next season is steeplechase so there is no avoiding the leg strength, I have to make time at least 5 times a week to build up the week leg muscles before I start hurdling.
Current times -
zero leg strength specific sessions
35.5 for 200m
72 for 400m
Easy 4 with drills today @ 8/mm felt pretty horrific at the start and slightly less so by the end. Hopefully ease back in to how I felt at the start of the week tomorrow. Just hoping I wake up with good legs.
Bourn to run
Bleugh, I fucking hate cross country !! I see no pojnt in racing routes that actively seek to slow you down! Bourn to Run is our local village race, currently in 11th year and this was the 2nd time I've entered!
Gun goes and were off. Young BRJ James is off up the first hill in front and I settle in 3rd place. Off the first hill then down Crow end and into 2nd place. Up to the drift and first mile in 6.07 with HR already over my target.
Towards the airfield and Cambourne, get passed by someone looking easy into 3rd and James is 20 secs or so up the road. 4th place long way back. 2nd mile 5.59.
Around the trails and down to Lower Cambourne, bit rolly underfoot and 3rd mile in 6.08.
Only 1 more hill and the better half of the course, recover a bit in 6.07 but HR is already where I would expect for 5.3x at Parkrun lol
Onto the trail back towards Bourn and tick off a 5.51 better mile - know 3rd place is safe. Leader has passed James and he's coming back. Prettyu happy to stay in 3rd here if James can just hold on and do his bit.
Shit, he comes back and I have to TT pass to make it stick. On to home straight running pretty hard for not a lot of return. Twisty bit by the bridge and pass mile 6 in 5.41. Just about under 6/mm avge lol
Easy onto the park and job done. 2nd place in 37.14 which is 1 sec faster than 2010 when in pretty good shape but equally not keen on running off road!
Not too bad. Jr won the 3k race with Sawyer around 18th place and Lola got herself around without crying #smallwins
With warm up and cool down, 41 miles for the week banked with 2 quality days but I was struggling for the most part of the week so I'll bank it and move on. HR looks good for Biggleswade on a track so fingers crossed the health holds up until then.
Bourn to die
Wow, tough recovery run today. Had great plans of a very easy 8-10 miles but finished up with a very slow 7. Jesus that was hard work. If I can eat well today and recover properly...who the fuck am I kidding I've already hit the crisps and coke !! Worry about tomorrow - tomorrow!
Planning ahead
Bit grown up! I'm still struggling between sessions and races - paces are still on the slow side for anything easy or recovery. Really struggled with 9/mm yesterday for 7 after BTR 10k. Possibly thinking to go extreems once this block is over Saturday week and bin all the quick sessions off and stick a months running in.
A block of mileage off the back of a block of speed may help things. It's early enough to not be terminal to the speed I have got (have I got any??!!) There's no way I can see me getting to 50 per week off of 2 / 3 quality sessions but if I back the quality and stick to steady I should be able to knock out 60 at a decent pace and limit the quality to threshold. I'll chuck in a couple of Parkruns to see what's happening. Or maybe just go with the current block and hope the speedwork pays off.
I'm not sure, it feels like backing off the hard stuff for October & November might pay off long term. Will see how next couple of weeks go.
Short and nasty
No, not me (well a bit) but a speed session over the track this afternoon.
Had to hit it early as out for daughters birthday late afternoon. Track was shut so bunked in. Old school Daz does an old skool sesh,
4 x 400m. Yesterday struggled with 9/mm feeling pretty fucked. Target in my head was 68.x for each rep as 72 felt manageable last Thursday in the 500s. Bit windy but warmed up OK and got ready.
First rep. Fuck, it felt hard from the off. In spikes to drag as much speed out as possible. Glanced at watch way after 200m - 36 secs so worst case on target. Wind behind down straight but Jeez that felt some effort off the blocks. 66.4. NICE
5 mins walk recovery. Shit still got 3 to go.
Second rep, feel considerably better through 200m and float a bit to 300m. Hard work down the straight but this feels a lot easier than the first one. Make a mental note to do a 200m first if I ever race a 400m again lol - un-fucking-likely!! 66.6. VERY NICE
5 mins walk recovery, feels harder breathng but the back has been broken and once I'm round this one I just need to drag myself through 400m more. DO_NOT_LET_IT_DROP
Third rep, wind hits a bit hard on back straight and it's a massive struggle. Feel the pinch at 200m and dig in, hard work all the way home and know it's slower. 67.6 HMMMM
5 mins walk recovery. On a 66.x avg but really feeling it. This session is all about this part from here to the finish - emptying the tank and holding pace with zero in the legs. Heads spinning and legs are fucked. Last rep is make or break. Hero or Zero. Obviously I can't run any quicker than I have however there is a huge chance I can explode and drop 2 secs off the average in a single rep.
Final rep. Hit the first 100m and back off very slightly, aim to split 33/34 at 200m. Wind is tough and I feel like a pussy cat. Off the final bend and dig. it's not pretty and it's not particularly fast but I just keep digging with all I have left. 67.8. PHEW
So banked the session. 67.1 avge. Second under what I had hoped (nearly 2 as I'd have been happy with 68.9 to be fair!)
Long way to go but the speed work is definitely paying off. These sessions add bags of speed and adaptions from where I am. It's the flat speed that's killing me, I reckon I could maybe run 61-62 flat out for 400m so over winter the aim is to bring that down. I think being capable of running 56/57 seconds would really mean my buffer between flat out speed and desired speed would be enough.
I would like to be running 8 x 400m in around 65 secs by start of next summer all going well. It's a big jump but I've progressed similar amount since Feb time when I was running on/off.
Recovering - or not so much
After Tuesdays session, did a solid 8 with monkey @ 6.52/mm which felt crazy easy. Legs still felt battered but pace was no issue. Thursday was starting to drag the fitness a bit and to be fair could / should have carded a zero but ran with John around Caxton. Short and easy progressive at about 7:30/mm for 4.6 miles. Rest Friday - complete zero not even a stretch.
Saturday up early but still not feeling 100% - frustratingly. Not sure why so tight but need to get the conditioning to get over this. Planning post Biggleswade I need to come up with a training plan that addresses the weaknesses.
1 - speed - this is key, I need better top end speed.
2 - strength - build up lower legs and hips still too weak and I struggle to hop on one leg.
3 - conditioning - take the 2 above and still be able to put sessions together without breaking down.
4 - economy - easy runs improving HR fitness at lower intensity
5 - confidence - I need to be confident in my own plan, stop second guessing myself.
I am pretty much caught between sticking with what I am doing and putting a few months of base in. I need a plan I'm bought into. Stop fucking about.
I'll change this as I go but right now I think the basic outline is this -
Week 1 - Base & economy. A week where I get in lots of miles (60) nice and easy. It should include active recovery, possibly a rest day, just get the miles in and limit HR to 150 bpm most days and either Parkrun or race. Possibly put a threshold effort in there if feeling good. This should build economy and conditioning. It is what's been missing from the last few months and possibly neglected.
Week 2 & 3 - Build Block. Do as I have been doing. Tuesday & Thursday hard speed sessions. Parkrun one of these weeks to monitor progress and switch with Hills to make 3 solid sessions per week. Other runs serve to rest between and something longer on Sunday. 40 mpw. Big focus on getting 4 S&C sessions in per week too.
That's it, 3 week cycle and repeat. I am debating dropping Strava completely - I really need to stop looking at everything else and just be happy with my plan.
Chariots of Fire this weekend and I'm not feeling 100% at the minute. Just been noticing the drift in fatigue recently, hopefully I'll be bang on tomorrow. Ideally get to around 5.15/mm for the run which isn't a million miles off the 5k target
So, after resting yesterday and feeling tight all morning set out for an easy - steady 10k with the emphasis on easy. 6.47 first mile which on this route is pretty speedy, kept the HR under control and worked down to 6.18/mm for mile 4 on road. Finished up with 10k @ 6:36/mm for 150 bpm which is bang on best numbers ever. Seriously happy with that! After a week thinking I was a dead man walking this is the pick me up I needed.
Chariots of Fire
Wow, we'll the skinny is - WE FUCKING WON IT !! No joke. DC with a solid 8.50 first leg, handed over to me in 4th place. I picked one off and closed the gap to baldy and we're in 3rd place with a 9.02 Garmin clocking (I started and finished early late so probs shade under 9 ;) ) Handed over to Monkey who puts is into 2nd with a solid 9.30. Now, on paper we have a strog team but we've had a lot of sandbaging recently so form on the last 3 legs was unknown!
Nic runs a blinding 9.39 split and puts us within 20 secs of the lead - cut down from 2 mins and we're a minute or so up on third.
Pressure time !
Turner gets the baton and chases another chunky monkey down. Unbelievable scenes as he takes the lead and brings us in a minute 45 up on second. Again, around 9.40 split.
And the Bear is off, being chased down by some serious looking runners. We keep an eagle eye out, he'll need to be low 10 mins to win it and win it he does. 19 seconds up on second he brings us home for the gold!
Funny day out, hard to take timings or course seriously. Garmin gave me 5:35/mm avge but reckon it's way quicker than that. Good sign on that course and most decent runners 8.50-9 mins so in the middle of some good company. Straight off to the cafe for a fry up and then the pub for a beer to wash the race down. Happy days!
Life in the old team yet??
SLEEEEEP
Is important. Something I've taken for granted since, well, forever. At my age, the problem I'm hitting is recovery from sessions & hard runs. I'm getting fatigued and also muscle & tendon soreness. NOW - I am no monkey. This isn't me going to be at 5pm every night. I am going to try and get some quality sleep every night - 8 1/2 hours is plenty. I've actually been doing it for a few nights and it's helping.
I'm also going to lighten up on myself a little. I'm in good shape, stop fucking bemoaning other people running faster - I'll get opportunities!
Rain is brutal today. Not sure how I am going to get a session done, was aiming to do 8 miles fairly hard (threshold) but that's looking unlikely. Time is limited today so may have to hit the dreadmill but we shall see!
Threshold
Aim today - 10k threshold and a steady mile (well, had planned to do 8 but starting with 6 as that's a mile up on usual) - progress !
Jogged to most of the way up Alms Hill then cracked on. Hill start gives the HR a head start otherwise it's bloody hard work getting it up (ohh err missus). 6.13 first mile, 150 bpm, feel pretty relaxed, pace feels hot.
Second mile still net uphill but much flatter than the first. 6.04 for 158 bpm (perfect) and keeping it to 161 bpm on the overpass.
Third mile keeping the HR down, bit high but pace has leveled. Big incline over A428 to the top and beeps for 6.08 @ 161 bpm.
Stop to tie shoe laces and bring HR down - key to this session is being in the right zone.
Mile 4, start downhill, pretty much net downhll mile so 5.59 for 159 bpm #happy days. In my head I'm thinking come home just under 6/mm would be nice. Feel relaxed, pace feels very comfortable, does not feel like sub 6 at all here.
Mile 5. Downhill but the turn to home is block headwind. HR shoots up now, the downhill does not really help much as it's so exposed. 6.09 for 162 bpm (max 166). Actually stopped for 5 seconds to bring HR down when it got to 165 bpm
Mile 6, big downhill but the wind has hit the HR and the mile is 6.10 for 164 bpm - dangerously close to tempo territory. Also, this is a long threshold for me so not unexpected although this is still lower than 10k effort - probably HM effort right now. Conditioning and low volume probably also add few bpm but mainly the wind. Pace feels scarily slow at 6.10/mm this could easily have been 7's for how quick I felt.
Mile easy to finish - 6.38 for 7 miles in 42.38 (6.12/mm) for 158 bpm. Threshold is 159 bpm. Lack of wind would have been good but I'll take that for now. Passed 10k in about 38 mins and not the easiest course in the world.
Happy with that, should be enough in the tank for intervals tomorrow then something semi productive Thursday and rest for Saturday's race.
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