Battersea - Cut Back Week - T-4

First cut back week since starting back. Aim of this is to really start to take on adaptions and feel faster and (slightly) recovered going into 2 hard weeks pre-race week.

This week the plan is to just strip back any excess so quality remains but everything is about getting it done economically. Will roughly be 35-40 miles. Not had too many of these in the past without racing so interested to see how it affects mental & physical state next week.

Monday - rest. Total rest, no BJJ

Tuesday - am) mobility at gym. Real focus on stretching out hips and back.

pm) Eddington session. Warm up - Garmin brain fart as it misses first 0.12 miles of warm up. 2.56 miles @ 7.55/mm.

Main set - 6:00 tempo [90] 2:00 [90] 3:00 [90] 4:00 [90] 3:00 [90] 2:00 [90] 6 mins tempo

6:00 @ 5.32/mm @ 154 bpm

2:00 @ 4.46/mm @ 160 bpm

3:00 @ 4.51/mm @ 162 bpm

4:00 @ 5.12/mm @ 165 bpm

3:00 @ 4.55/mm @ 165 bpm

2:00 @ 4.52/mm @ 163 bpm

6:00 @ 5.36/mm @ 162 bpm

1.85 mile cool down @ 8.36/mm

10.13 miles for the session

Really pleased with that, feels like a big break through with 14 mins @ sub 5 pace and 12 mins @ 5.33 pace feeling really comfortable.

Plan from now is to keep these sessions right here. Sub 5 pace is perfect that just needs to feel more and more comfortable !!

Feels like the consistency has really toughened me up. Just need to stay healthy now and continue. Just keep following the plan. Itching to race after this but have to stay strong and turn up absolutely ready to roll. If I am going to mak a break through I can't keep defalting to type!

Wednesday - coke club with Rich. Cutback special, no extras tonight! 90 mins of driving beforehand getting through Cambridge traffic for Anges car service was a nightmare.

Hips / glutes / hip flexors all very tight today but lot of rehab work and was fine running. 7.97 miles @ 8.20/mm @ 126 bpm.

Each run getting better and better. Feel like conditioning is increasing all the time. In 6 weeks legs are absolutely monstoring the recovery!

Very much in cotton wool territory now with regards to Battersea, even plateauing form would be a good place. Feel fitter than I have done all year, not sure if the speed will translate yet but there is plenty of work to be done on that too.

In a really good spot run wise.

Thursday - Jacobs 18th ! Busy, busy morning and really struggled to get time to run. Headed to Eddington en route to collect Js cake. Short warm up and cool down and did the group session but solo. Although, missread the brief and did slightly shorter (although it probably worked out better) session. Did on roads around Eddington purely out of convenience.

10 min warm up @ 7.20/mm. Into drills. Was cold.

Main set - 0.78m tempo. 5.40/mm for 4.26 on long loop. 147 bpm. 3 min recovery then 3 sets of 90 secs [60] 51 secs [60] 35 secs [180]. To represent 500/300/200m.

Paces (4.49 / 4.33 / 4.43) - (4.50 / 4.39 / 4.42) - (4.37 / 4.29 / 4.39)

5 min cool down @ 6.48/mm

Overall just didn't feel like I was moving well today. Times were actually not far off the mark. Pretty much between 70 & 72 sec pace so correct but wasn't flowing. Happy enough to bank that. The actual session was 500/400/300 so couple of hundred meters short per set but solo I will take that as on track and in group that would have been fine.

Another 9 mins well under 5 min mile pace this week plus the 4.30 ish tempo @ 5.40s so stacking up some really good paces in the two sessions. 

5.30 - 5.40 pace is feeling mega comfortable right now and HR is super low at this. Still a ways behind where I was earlier in the year but closing in fast.

Right now I think my strength is really high. Possibly as high as it's ever been. Speed wise I know I have more to find and each session is progressively better. Until I start racing that will take time. BUT I don't want to be looking at peaking anytime soon so racing right now would be a bad idea. 

Cut back week this week. Reasons behind that is 

* Let the niggles settle down. Feel like some aches and pains above and beyond that are creeping in.

* Mental focus. Extra rest and doing too little supercharges the motivation.

* Bring on those adaptions. I've put a brilliant block of consistent training in, let the legs on board those before we push on again. 

I really feel like I can work in that sub 5 min range for volume reps which is pay dirt for a sub 16 attempt. I just need to flow with that and find that pace easier.  I know from track and from these reps that 4.40 pace starts feeling unpleasent very quickly so my range is quite narrow and bringing that 4.40 down will really reap big rewards.

Friday - REST. This is big part of cutback week. Today is a big day as it starts paying back and the legs really should see the benefit of an easy weekend starting now.

I have 2 big weeks coming up and the focus is on getting a big block of training in before Battersea. I want to see this weekend out feeling like I am really desperate to get cracking and then 2 weeks of great training getting banked before a taper into the race. I know Battersea won't be 100% BUT it's a big indicator. All going well I can have confidence to race on tired legs. All not so well then it's just asking the right questions.

Absolutely no reason from here not to be looking at going somewhere inside my years 5k range (16.00-16.22).

This week I have had just under 5 miles of sub 5 pace work and 3 miles of 5.30 - 5.40 pace work at tempo. Really good paces being hit and if I can recharge my batteries and head into this mini block feeling fresh than I am going to be confident.

Saturday - steady 5. Legs felt much better today, cut back is doing what it ought to ! 5 miles @ 6.17/mm avge at 151 bpm nice and steady zone. Felt good. Bit tired still from a busy week but plan now is to hit the next could of weeks hard and then dial right back to race Battersea. Positive place to be hitting best ever training numbers. First steady run for absolutely ages. 

Sunday - up and at em late for a long run.

Coming to the end of the cut back week. Reason behind this is to hard stop my training and give my body and mind a chance to catch up. Usually this conincides with racing but as it's been a long block without focussed racing this was needed. I like to put these in before you really need them. Mentally, I feel supercharged after this. Want to push on from here which is exactly why this was needed. Physically just droppiiug things off and 2 full rest days meant I was keen to run quicker on Saturday.

Absolutely buzzing about the shape I am in. Looking good for next race and still feel like I am only just getting in to my strides.

Met Dan, hit the 12 mile Goddy loop. Uphill, trail, roads. In Zegema so worth probs 20-30 secs mile. 11.61 miles (I know) 7.41/mm. HR 137 bpm.

Felt like I was moving well, bit bleugh at the finish but niec and easy. Finished off the cut back week with some good paces. Time to start building again for last block into Battersea.

40 miles for the week. Trimmed the fat this week with lots of quality and not a lot of easy running. Miles dropped but back to where it was 3 weeks ago!

Really pleased with where I am.

Plan now is to go again, 2 weeks up towards 60 per week with full sessions and a decent long run. 

Stretch focus is - my QL is tight. Plan to work on releasing that and hoping that it in turn backs off my hips. If I get on top of that I really think I'll have no trouble hitting paces.

Strength focus certainly this week. BJJ on Monday and 2 x stength sessions to fit in. I won't worry too much about food right now but will start to think about that,

My real concern right now is that I start to home in too much on Battersea. It's not an A race. It's a fitness test and I am coming off a long break from racing so it can't be too over focussed or I'll just get too pressurised. I know that off these sessions a sub 16 is realistic soon BUT I need races under my belt. The other concern is that I go too far the other way and try to jepordise myself by going too hard in race week. It's a target race BUT not in the same way as when I am race ready. It's a stepping stone to bigger races and it'll give me a view of where I am at. Right now sub 16.30 is the target. Anything under 16.22 is an A. I can't expect too much too soon, it's going to take a few races to get my legs used to racing again. Go, race and have fun. I'll put myself in a position top race well but I go in knowing I am not prepared to race 100% just yet.