Quest for a 4.19 - Race Week

Watford Wednesday's - the most famous open meet in the UK calendar. A series of races I had hoped to avoid. There is no doubt that you will get fast racing BUT it's a right old faff of a meet.

I had hoped that my races thus far would have given me all the right results but a season never pans out that way !!

So I go to Watford on Wednesday hoping to run the elusive sub 4.20

If it fails - well, I took a shot. I'll have a block of 5k training and they'll be more  1500m opportunities later in the season but I'm improving bit by bit.

Monday - easy 2.5 miles shakeout first thing and then Vets league at Stevenage in the evening. Race was 800m so a short warm up and cool down and plan was just to run as easy as poss and score some points. I'll rest tomorrow and hopefully get the benefit of this block of training.

The race itself - I was expecting it to be much faster at the start but I pretty much led out from the gun. Relaxed through 200m and glanced at a 34. Timekeeper called 70 at the bell (def a 69) and I tried to work hard on lap 2. Big tail wind back straight / headwind home straight this time and it was really hard going and oppressive. Tried to relax through the line and stopped my Garmin at 2.16.4 so very likely will be a 2.17 (or maybe 2.18) negative split either way and just up on 1500m pace. Legs are not 100% recovered yet so I'll take it as a good sign that I am running well. Completely solo in shitty conditions.

Now obviously I rest and recover. Shakeout Weds morning and showtime for about 8.30 pm The plan is 69s through the card and the key will be to stay relaxed through the early stages.

Tuesday - rest. Bleugh don't feel as dialled in this week but maybe that's a good sign lol. Tomorrow need a 100% prep day! Will take melatonin before bed and hopefully knock out a solid sleep sesh. Legs hopefully will be pinging in the morning.

Wednesday - up and feel good. Legs all a.o.k !! Lots going on sorting cars and a watch so unlikely to get a shakeout in today. Just turn up and execute is the plan. Thoughts now are just see what happens after 800m. The legs turn up or they don't. Either way I'll give them a chance.

So got a shakeout in - 2km very easy but probs 7/mm.

Headed to Watford. New system is entry is on your PO10 so I'm in an earlier race than planned. Wanted to be slowest in race and just get pulled around at the back but hey ho. It's racing.

Was pretty nervous but warmed up well and was ready and the new split race system worked well for timing.

Up in race 3 of the faster races. I drew lane 1 next to Andy P from C&C.

Start pretty hard and allow couple of young guns to pass. Pace feels solid. At 300m I always get my breathing up where I feel like I have to back off but it does settle down and pace stays. I think that's just lungs getting used to hard breathing in first 51 secs.

Through 400m in 68. In 3rd / 4th on the inside. Young kid in front of me. He wont stay so have to come alongside but think better and set back. Feels good, things are going smoothly but time is passing fast. Through 800m in 2.18 / 2.19. Time to pass the young un. Consider going in front but decide to let teh Shaftsbury kid take it and get behind in 2nd place.

500m to go, start to push. Space on the inside. Briefly lead and start pushing on. Hit the bell in 3.11. In the lead, get passed at 300m to go and have t respond, dig in to hold on. Feel few bodies around me. 

200 to go and I'm working hard but enjoying this. I'm on shoulder of 2nd all the way to 100 to go and he goes clear, another passes. I'm working really hard but it's giving results. 50 to go it starts to tie up. Feel like I am stopping myself from falling over. Legs have gone. Line coming, I'll stay upright. See the clock. Get passed about 5m from the line and see it drift to 4.20.

Finish up with 4.20.39. Was 99% perfect, just should have held slightly longer at 300m but really pleased with how I ran. I gave that a fucking good effort. Not an awful lot more there today.

Another improvement. It's slow but it's consistent. Time and patience is all I need. If my body holds up I'll get closer still by the end of track season.

69.44 per lap average. That's sub 4.40 mile pace so it is there on the right day.

So now I shall move to a 5k block. Back on the stronger efforts and building threshold and slightly slower than 5k pace. Time to nail that 15.45 - no point thinking about 16 any more time to really go for it !

Thursday - had a good sleep and ready to roll. Feel pretty good today, both in the head and body. So this last block I have progressed to 2.10 for 800m and 4.20 for 1500m. Reality is that 2.07 and 4.15 are really at the party and I am not that far off of either. 2.00 is way beyond me (so is 2.05 tbf) but 4.10 is world class for V45 and V50 and I would be in the hunt for medals if I could get down to there. 

Now I start to think about getting ready for a serious crack at 15.45. 

The great news is that fitness wise my speed is already where it needs to be. I've kept touch with longer sessions and runs so I am really not far off where I need to be.

Mentally, and this is the big thing, I do feel race tired. I'm doing a lot of extra racing and it's counting towards some mental fatigue.

My first real opportunity is at Ferry Meadows on 12 July. I'm not 100% as I may just go through to one of the 5000m track races I have lined up. It wouled be nice to not line up in anger for a few weeks and really build back a strong base.

Today the plan is an hour easy. I'll do something tomorrow but I really need to get back to steadier running and lots and lots of S&C.

Headed to Eddington and did Maddingley loop, 55 mins nice and relaxed. Hayfever a bit shit but felt easy. Bit tired at the finish but to be expected. See how I wake up tomorrow but either 4 x 1km relaxed or 12 x 1 on 1 off is the sesh.

Friday - decided today that I will just run an hour easy today today. Things are good, no point taking any risks. Let my legs come back to me for the next block. Plan is hour today, long run (15) tomorrow and I'll do the 12 x 1 on 1 off on Sunday. this will be a nice base and give me a solid platform to move on from.

In this 5k block I should hopefully go to strong running every day without going too deep in sessions. I did find it hard to cope mentally with the 1500m block where it was either flat out running OR very easy jogging with not much in between! It really requires a huge amount of confidence so it's easier to race all the time just to know it's still in there !!

Mentally I feel on the verge of going a bit too deep. I absolutely love racing this year but I need to get to the line really fired up and not fried out !!

Out lunchtime nice and easy and settle in. Start to roll nicely by the time I get to Cambourne. 30 mins to big RAB then back rolling nicely. 27.45 back for just under 58 mins. Def over 8 miles there. Felt really good today. Nice to be back running like these, low 7s nice and easy.

Good legs today, feels nice to ease them back. Think the Vaporfly are on their last legs, will run out in the Meta Speeds tomorrow.

Saturday - up early to drop Sawyer in St Ives for his gym sesh. Met Dan at 8am and did 13.2. What a difference a day makes, legs were horrific !! Felt flat all the way today, that was a real drag. Got it bagged though, really felt that today.

Aim today, recover well and relax for tomorrow. May (unlikely) get out for a shakeout later to get the miles up for the day but not overly fussed. Feel pretty tired right now. Rest day Monday looks likely after all.Feel really tired today, may possibly move rest day to tomorrow but I'll see. 

Sunday - really good nights sleep but feel really achy today. Will do the 12 x 1 on 1 off session just relaxed. Def going to need a rest day tomorrow. From back down everything is just a bit tired, just a hangover from so many recent races I think. Plan now is a nice block of recovery & sensible training up to the next 5k. I've got a decent amount of time I just need to recharge.

Jogged up to cricket pitch and it was busy as usual. As was MUGA so did 1st 2 reps on way to the lake and just looped the lake. Windy as hell. Felt really good up until 10 then really started struggling with hayfever. 11th was murder coughing and hacking all the way round. Canned the session and jogged home as was having a fit at the end. Bit annoyed but on the main part got it done.

52 mins, legs were much much better than I thought they would be. Need to find a hayfever cure tho. Messaged doctors to try and get a prescription for Rhinolast.

Not a bad week. Pretty easy hit out over 800 in the vets in 2.17.3 and a 4.20 at Watford. Mid way through 2023 and I'm on my targets. Now it's time to get them nailled.

In July the plan is to get all the 5s done - 5k, Parkrun & 5000m. Really need a couple of weeks to get my head back properly dialed in though so nothing focussed race wise for a bit until I am 100% ready to rhumble. Training wise I've kept 6 x km in there recently and I just need to get on top of the long run as that was a struggle this week. I'll keep the 8 - 12 x 60 on 60 off at a relaxed pace in there as I think that really helps keep me ticking over and in general I'll just up the volume slightly.