Winter 2024 - Week 9

Finished last week and feel like I have had a nice, consistent block of training. Just about getting on top of everything I need to in terms of sessions, strength & steadies. Now it's time to up the ante a little over the next couple of weeks and push onwards. Well, that's the plan anyways !!

Coming off a block where I have been feeling rough, have a tight calf and incorrect footwear I am hoping that this week I start to gain a lot more confidence in where I am at.

Lots of positive signs but I really need to start turning up on race day feeling pinging even if the race is very much a C/D event!

Plan for this week is to feel healthy, hit paces on Tuesday and then relax into a good weekend of hard / steady running. If Tiesday goes well I'll most likely back off more on Thursday but the plan is to make sure Tuesday's push session is on point and Saturday I feel strong.

Monday

Feel OK this morning. Not quite 100% and have DOMS still but better than it has been. Just hoping more relaxing and eating well and I am back to myself tomorrow.

Need to think about adding a heel lift to my Alphafly for tomorrow's session as the shoes make a big difference on staying with or getting dropped.

Tuesday

Feel better waking up. Little tight but usual after rest and bigger week with weights.

Shakeout first thing, 2 ish miles to Cambourne and back just chilled. Aware calf / achillies little tight but settles in through day. Focus on mobility before I head out for tonight's session.

Hit Eddington with J and jog up. up and into the session. 12 x 60 on / 60 float. Mile thresh to finish.

The constant session starts really well. 7 reps in with Matt & Andy before I slow a little on the float and after 9 reps (17 mins) I have to walk for 30 secs to bring the HR down. Finish strong but tough session.

Avg around 4.55/mm for the 12 minutes on and around 6.03/mm for the first 7 and around 6.45 for the last 5. Frustrating to have to walk one but needs must. Felt pretty ropey for the session in all honesty but still dug out a result.

Mile threshold at 5.38/mm (came up 5.30 on the Garmin) feeling OK and HR was under control (157 with 165 max)

Cool down and 10.7 for the session (13 for the day).

Wednesday

Go to bed feeling a little like I have something but fully expecting to wake up completely fine. About 2am wake up with terrible sore throat. End up getting up and feel totally wiped and ill. Fucks sake I cannot shift this shit from my body, it's been weeks now of dealing with this.

Lemsip & gargling peroxyl all day today to get myself over it. Hopefully breaking out like this clears it up because it's so bloody annoying living like this since before Town and Gown 10k now. If I can get clear and move on then maybe just maybe I'll pick up a level. 

Actually thinking how well I ran yesterday with this in my system is crazy.

Most likely I'll swerve the XC on Saturday now. If I feel good tomorrow I'll debate it but might just tempo Parkrun again and see how I respond to that.

Thursday

Really big nights sleep. Feel better this morning but still a long way from 100%.

OK, today the plan is positive thought. I need to do mobility and just relax and eat well all day and hopefully another good night sleep and I'll be clear to jog tomorrow.

Saturday I will 100% scratch and attempt a Parkrun hard tempo to blow away the cobwebs. Good run on Sunday and I am back in the game.

Being ill is 1000x better than being imjured. I'm less likely to eat any shit (actually much at all) so I won't put on a few lbs and also it gives my achy right achillies a chance to recover. 

Reality is, if I am able to run OK tomorrow and feel good by Saturday then I've only lost an easy run as tonight would have been a taper session of strides.

Been gargling the Peroxyl, staying on a lemsip / ibro cycle and whacking plenty of warm green tea and cough sweets. I feel much better today plus the throat is just congested and very very slightly sore as a pose to yesterday when it was bad.

I'll attempt a few chores today and just stay relaxed. Plan is tomorrow to wake up even better (although I know it won't be 100%), and test the body out with a jog and strides. Another good day and then Saturday just hope it's improved again to like 95% which I would take right now!

Friday

Again, wake up much better. Check resting heart rate - rhr - resting hr - and it's 42/43 depending on how you view it. Still not quite 100% but feels like nurofen will get me there.

Lots of coffee, plan today is good mobility then an easy run. I'll start aiming with a lake loop - get to 2 miles and do some drills as I would with a warm up. Depending on how I feel I'll either head straight back home or so a loop of Cambourne aiming to run a little steady.

If I am back on it today then there is nothing lost.

Planning for a backup - there's a 5k on Wednesday 11th at Olympic Park that may work really well if Battersea is behind schedule. I will book that one in just in case things don't work out as expected.

Headed out to run. Felt jaded - that's pretty usual coming off illness but not so bad tbh. Decided to head upto the lake and do the 5 and strides loop. 3 miles easy down to 7.30/mm then 4 x 30 sec strides with walk backs.

Felt OK, nothing amazing but very slight issue with achillies. I'll wear heal stacks for next few days and get my calf rises in.

Jog back all fine. 5.7 miles. Everything checks out. Still getting shit off my cheast but that'll be a couple more days. At least I feel capable of getting out tomorrow. Does not feel long term.

Saturday

Up and feel throat full of shit. Don't feel ill but equally don't feel healthy.

Hit Buggy Parkrun with Dan. Warm up OK but don't feel 100% still. Into the run and settle down in 3rd place early. Rolling well, feels like tempo effort. Hope to see 5.3x pace. See 5.55 pace. Roll along, HR settles to effort. Feels like I am working much harder but HR is low and pace settle to 5.56 - 5.57 mile. Roll through the route and pace doesn't really change. Not a huge effort - HR only gets to threshold (163 bpm max) and 155 bpm avge. 

Feels way harder though. Doubt I had a race in me today. Throat just feels gash. 

Cool down with Dan and coffee / cake. Stick to 10k on it today, body just needs more recovery.

Cannot believe this body is the same one from Tuesday night. 

Basically I just need more recovery to get this shit out of my system. Frustrating beyond belief.  Looking at alternative A race now as I don;t see me back on top form in the next few days. 

Missed a bit. 1 session. Missed some volume, maybe 15 miles. But the worst part is I just can't see an end, it's going to be one of those drag out things which is why I need an alternative.

My body in 2024 has really let me down. It just won't get over the line. Either falling in Torun, being ill, problems with achillies. There has been something constantly this year just hitting me at the wrong time when I look like making a jump. Really fucking annoying.

Rest of today just relax. I'll do the half tomorrow and prey I can feel better.

Positivity time - I paced it through today. HR was really good for pace. I remembered my barcode. I did not have breakfast. I did not have ibro beforehand. 

Sunday

Up early - bleugh ! Feel better but again, 1% on yesterday. I'll take that as a win. Pick up Nic and head to St Neots. 2 miles easy shakeout at 7.30s. Achillies slightly niggly. 

Into the race and what a beaut of a day. Roll along behind the 1.30 pacers for the first 2 miles at 6.31 & 6.32 - oops! 6.23 mile 3 and then into the hills at 6.52, 6.45 then back down at 6.36, 6.36 and a tough headwind in 6.34. Back up in 6.54 (but a 20 sec piss stop for Nic) then back on it with a 6.28. Nic got awful quite last 5k downhill in 6.42 and 6.48 with 6.36 pace for the 1.1 last mile.

Short cool down and 16 for the day.

Felt good. Can't complain. Hilly half marathon at 6.38/mm for 152 bpm.  HR peaked at 161 bpm (below thresh) on the big hill before halfway. Still not 100% but running OK with that.

Managed 40+ for the week off 4 days of running. Tuesday was great, Sunday was great. Everything between was crap with this bug. If I can shake it I will be golden.

Disappointing as I'm still not quite healthy but at least I am in the battle.

Not moved on, I'm just hoping I have not moved backwards. Hopefully back to business next week.