The Final Push Indoors

Last race of the indoor season is on the horizon and right in my sights now. 3000m at Lee Valley.

Entries have closed so I get a really good look at who I am up against. I'm fastest V45 on paper but just like the 1500 I have guys who can close out faster than me. It makes things simple for me because it just means I have to go out and make it hard from the start. No worries about 'championship racing' - if I'm 100% healthy I'll be going out from the gun to run quick. If someone hangs on and out kicks again then so be it.

Big factor will be mixed racing. I am assuming looking at start lists that they'll run a V35 & V40 combined race and then a V45 & V50. This would help massively as there's 3-4 V50s capable of running sub 9.20 so I could hitch a lift there.

Just like the 1500 I will assume that an OAPB will be good enough for a medal. The key now is a solid week of hard training sessions (1 x volume, 1 x 1500m) and get to next week all set to taper down.

Training now will follow a standard format for the next 6 weeks or so - volume intervals at threshold -> 5k (an easier long session), 1500m speed specific, a long run and the rest all easy unless I hammer a Parkrun. The plan is to slowly bring those times down - a second a week over 1500m is the aim - so I should be capable of a sub 4.20. Eyes on the prize.

Knee issue feels like it'll be fine. Rolling this morning there are lots of grumbles in the legs. Resting up today should hopefully help. Glutes are tight - aren't they always - and left foot / ankle still a bit sore from going over on it. 

Need to keep on top of strength work now. Staying in the game is mission critical.

Monday - rest. Get on top of easing legs off. TLC

Tuesday - warm up at home. Lots of mobility. Calf is tight, glutes are tight and I'm still worried about knee. Head off to session. Solo this week. Plan is 4 x 2 km. Decide early to drop the 4 x 60/60 at the end so as not to risk my knee or calf. In old Alphafly to keep these consistent with previous sessions.

Warm up at 6.30 pace feeling good. First rep ease back and feel strong. Bit of a head wind. 6.40 ish for rep 1 just over 5.20/mm (3.20 per km).

Second rep, start to feel it (as it should) but can feel throat and head. Legs feel A1, zero issue on the calf and very very slight feel on knee (feels same as sitting around). 6.48 ish for rep 2 - 3.24 per km. All respectable and about right. HR avg 162 bpm and maxed out at 168 but feeling the effort into the wind and focusing on over mile rep out solo is tough.

Coughing a lot after rep 2. 3rd rep in about 6.44 so pretty consistent and 3.22 per km. HR up a bit 164 avg and 169 max. Still under control but have a coughing fit afterwards which extends rest to 3 mins as try to get heart under control after that. Throat is not 100%. Fucking cold weather is delaying return to health FFS.

Last rep just relax into it. 6.42 HR 162 avg and 168 max. Again, struggled into wind but felt better on this one overall. 

Cool down at a decent 6.40 avge for 9.07 miles @ 6.29/mm avge overall (with 7 mins of walking in that). Another solid Tuesday workout. In fairness pace was exactly right. HR was slightly too high (wind, solo and recovering from being ill) but just pissed off that it could have been much better if I had felt good today.

It's disappointing when you want to break through a session. I feel like I did doing sessions 2010 - 2012. If I can get these below 5.10 pace I think I'll really be getting where I need to be. Never really properly struggled today I guess, was just a bit flat and harder than I wanted it to be.

As soon as I finished right calf got VERY tight (zero issue at all on any part of run) so focus on that today. Knee still twinge but again no issue to worry about just yet. Easy tomorrow then hard again Thursday.

Wednesday - legs feel better today. Calf certainly settled. Good night sleep helped. Coke club plus tonight - 1.7 ish steady (6.30 ish) then easy 8 with Rich and Wayne. 9.7 miles @ 8.04 avge. Good conditioning.

Thursday - track. 1500m pace session. 6 x 600m off 200 walk. Target 1.48 (72 per 400m) off slow 200m walk recovery. First rep in 1.51 - not good. Back on schedule rep 2 with 1.47 but wind just takes too much out of me. Impossible to even pace and even though I ave wind behind for 400 of the 600 I really struggle. Finish up 1.51, 1.51, 1.52, 1.48. 4 x 60m strides and easy cool down. Disappointing but these sessions are tough solo. Today was one of those ones where what counted was turning up. 1.50 avge and never really troubled target pace. Ideally sub 1.45 but that's a target for another time. 

Form feels like it's plateauing a bit on these sessions but I do feel like I am due a break through. Frustrating but the important thing now is to continue turning up and chipping away.

These 1500 pace sessions help massively with 3k and 5k pace but I really need to get some speed work in to help the pace for these sessions. Next week I'll probably do some faster 200s and 300s. Also need to get back to strength work. Legs have been a bit sore which has affected that.

Friday - legs feeling ok ish this morning. Aches and pains are slowly subsiding. Plan today is a very very easy shakeout plus some strides. 4 - 5 miles total just very easy and let those legs come back to me.  Things are good, I just need to get on top of health and freshness here.

Time to think about lack of speed and right now as annoying as it is, it just isn't important enough at this stage. I'll most likely incorporate a hill session to add in strength at this stage and move towards 800 pace work after the block of 5k races is over in May.

Lake loop easy today, no strides easing up on my calf which is still tight.

Saturday - hungover - ouch. Run to Parkrun. Low 7s then run easy with Mark and Karl. Lift back to Cambourne and jog back. 14.5 miles @ 6.56/mm feel better by the end. Need to put some work into easing calf off.

Decent week already bagged. Focus now on doing something fairly productive tomorrow BUT need my calf to ease off if that's the case. Otherwise it's just more conditioning stuff. Ideally hills tomorrow or more likely progressive 5s. Don't think an easy hour over the trails will be much benefit at this stage but not seeing many options with calf the way it is.

Thoughts towards next Weekend now. 

Sunday - hmm, calf tight still. Much better but probably best to rest it today and give it a chance for next week. 

42 miles for the week in 5 days. Not a bad return. A good longer session on Tuesday and a bleugh session Thursday were money in the bank. Long run was OK and best pace so far (Parkrun helped). Calf niggle I am hoping to nip ion the bud. It's not going to be helpful with shorter race on Saturday and I need to get track sessions in. If It's gone tomorrow I can just run easy on Monday and crack on with my week.