2025 - Phase 2 - Race Block - Battered Legs
Now that base work is done, I've achieved 2 objectives. Get up to 60 miles per week and do all the sessions. All I need to do in this phase is put them together and taper for races. The 2 races are Seville and Podium.
The structure looks like this -
Full week - race week - 2 full weeks - race week.
It's pretty simple. First race is to set a marker, bank a time and get comfortable that the training is paying off. The second race is to try to push that on banking not only race fitness but all of the base and hard work.
It's getting to the point that I want to run faster which is a good sign and I need patience and confidence. If I can get quick without 1500m work then it's going to really start to pay off.
Week 1 - February 10 - 16th
Tuesday
Chilled all day, planning on hitting a big volume session tonight so no need to do anything in the morning.
Eddington.
Jogged and warm up - 2.74 miles. Session is an absolute beast. 2 x 5 mins, 5 x 3 mins, 5 x 60. 30 mins of hard running.
Unsure of pacing so had a rough idea that 5.40 pace / 5.30 pace / 5.20 pace would be the target but still very, very tough.
Did this session in Lanazrote and got nowhere near those paces. With Andy, Matt & Jake racing in Armagh it was myself, Gabi & Ian hitting this.
Session went (5.24/5.35/mm) - (5.23,5.19,5.22,5.19,5.22) - (5.14,5.06,5.00,4.59,4.53) to average out at 5.29/mm for the 5 mins, 5.21/mm for the 3 mins and 5.03/mm for the 60s.
I took the 60 secs pretty cautiously as ankle was aching in the Vapes.
Quick cool down to dash back for haircut.
Last 3 of the 3 min efforts were 164 bpm maxing at 171 bpm so a good indicator of 5k fitness.
Absolutely over the moon wit this session. It actually felt like I was moving well but also under control. I didn't push too hard for those efforts and although it was really tough last 2 of the 3 mins I still nailled paces and rolled well without exploding. Real progress.
Legs pretty beat up afterwards and early night to get J and the guys to airport for tomorrow morning.
Also, I think wearing Vapes is worth a few secs against Alphafly so nice to know that there is more in the tank. Plan now is recover and get some easy miles in before Thursday session.
[9.8]
Wednesday
Early start (4.15) to take J, Andy, Gabe, Matt & Danni to the airport. After monging out when I got back I headed out for an easy 10k over the trails. Felt OK after easing legs off but not doing full routine after Eddington was more painful than it needed to be!
Headed into town for Sawyers apprentice fair then decided to drive down to Lee Valley top watch the BMC and mile races for Pete. Back at half 9 absolutely cattled.
[16]
Thursday
Up and atom. King size sleep last night. Legs pretty battered but the good news is all I have to do today is get ready to do a session and then head to track so no stress.
Pretty motivated after watching the action last night and seeing the guys head to Armagh. I actually feel closer to when I need to be than I fear I am. I just need to get some more work in and back off. Sub 17 is the target next weekend, it's within spitting distance and from there I can start to work in the paces to get where I need to go.
Head to track in the arvo. 2 miles warm up and not very warm at all, bloody freezing!
Bump into Steph and chat for a bit, putting it off as long as possible!
Session is 12 x 400 @ 5k pace off 45 secs but with a lap jog after 5 and 9 (3 sets of 5/4/3 x 400m basically).
Set off and don't know what to expect. Legs are crazy heavy and feel flat as a pancake. First one up in 79. Breathing heavy and HR rising so know it's uncomfortable. Wished I'd done some hard strides or a tempo warm up first lol.
Next one up in 76. Knew I was moving well but that was a suprise. Try to ease back as that's too quick but go 76,76,77 for the rest of the set. Lap jog and then back to it. 78,76,75,75 - decide that it's 3k and just stay there.
Not too unconfortable and to be fair exactly what 3k pace should feel like.
Last set and it's only 3 reps. Settle in on the first one trying to relax more and go 76,76,74.
Last one a little bit pushed but that's only fair.
All in all a decent session. Avge 76.2 per 400m - bang on 9.33 for 3k which I would be ecstatic with right now and real progress again. Considering it was solo, cold and fair wind that's bang on for right now on tired legs. Good news was that was pretty close to being relaxed again, my right achillies and calf had zero issue in the Tak Sens, I moved well and as I mentioned my legs were crazy heavy. I think my lack of race conditioning will hold me back but on tapered legs I will be close to where I need to be. Just looking forward to better weather !
2 mile cool down (missed a bit stopping watch).
Decided against running again tonight. Legs feel OK but want to bring them back to life some ready for the weekend where the plan is to go after a threshold PR again and a solid 10 on Sunday off better rest and nutrition this week. Tonight I'll recover well and watch Armagh 5k & 3k and cheer on the boys.
[23.7]
Friday
Fuck knows what has happened but went to bed with legs absolutely pinging and woken up like they've been gone at with baseball bats.
Easy jog to meet John in Cambourne, quick coffee and cake then jog home.
8.11 pace on way out, 8.06 on way home for 10.1 miles.
Spend a lot of time stretching, rolling, icing, normateccing and gunning my legs. Right calf is sore and left foot across tendons on top also a bit of a flare up. My feet and lower legs just feel like they are not getting the love.
Lots of quality already this week so will review tomorrow and not take any chances. Plan is Parkrun threshold tomorrow and steady 10 on Sunday but will run easy tomorrow if needs must as starting to get into shape.
Feel very bleugh today if I am honest. Miles banked and just chill now.
J killed it at Armagh - 15.22 for 5k. Andy, Gabe & Matt all ran well in the 3k too. 9.36, 9.16 & 9.00 - I need to start rolling with those boys.
[33.8]
Saturday
Up for Parkrun with lola but she's not well. My left foot doesn't ache this morning but right does and calf slightly achy. As she's not out decide to start the taper early. I'll not run today, do some stretching and rehab this morning and then lift this afternoon.
It's frustrating but necessary. I'm close to the edge of my limit so an additional rest is going to help. I'll do some good stretching, rolling and just get ready for tomorrow's run. I need to focus on getting the work done but also listening to my body. Right now those creaks are under control.
The main thing I need to focus on is eating well on rest or zero days and not going on tilt. Just eat some good food and get lots of protein in.
Race is 7 days away so my road map looks like this -
Weights - 10 steady - rest - 8 x 400 at pace - 5 easy with strides - rest - shakeout - race.
I am feeling tired from the load, it's been a tough build up over the past 3 weeks so I really want to start to feel the legs coming good from Tuesday and roll into race day feeling primed.
Race day is 8am UK time (9am local) so I need to start settling the alarm an hour early to get myself ready. That's going to be the tough part lol.
Not sure why I have ached since Friday morning as Thursday felt golden. Also not sure if the Vaporfly are making my feet sore so the plan is to lay off them from now. I'll wear the Peggy Plus tomorrow and Tuesday is a great time to test the Pro 4's I'll race in.
Gym - went with Ange and met Andy, Dani & Gabe. Felt strong today.
Kettlebell swings, deadlifts (70kg), squat push (30kg), squat jumps (50kg), row (30kg), back squats (80kg - new pb), split squats (60kg), calf raises (60kg)
Felt good today, hopefully no DOMS tomorrow and keep this session going every week and get those numbers up. Be interesting to see how it translates to speed work.
Calf and feet feeling better, not running is a wise choice. Plan is tomorrow to roll out a good session then it's all systems go with the taper. I need to feel way under prepared going in to this race.
Sunday
Up early - time to start getting prepped for Saturday. Out to meet Dan at Northstowe. Plan is 10 steady and a couple easy cool down.
10 goes pretty well, hard work going out as it's windy (and cold as usual) but keep it about right. 6.28 avge pace at the turn. Stop to re-tie shoes and back out again to come home. Much easier on way back, HR stays pretty low until last couple of miles. Avge 6.27/mm for the 10 with a max HR of 159.
Cool down with Dan then Herbies for a cheeseburger and fries.
Legs pretty heavy today after weights. Not DOMS but definately feel them. Considering that I was moving OK. Also, wore thge Adidas Evo SL as didn't want to risk Vapes which have angered my achillies. Shoes are nice but def don't get the pop that carbon gets. Well worth 5-10 secs / mile against Vapes.
Legs pretty beat up once I'm done. Tough week with the quality. More than last week but less than peak. Def feel like I need adaptions to the sessions which I'm just struggling to recover from.
[46]
46 for the week off 5 days. Took an additional rest day on Saturday to be safe as had some aches and pains which was probably wise.
8.58 miles of 3k/5k work, 10 miles of steady, 1 solid gym session.
Decent week, still building back from where I am and there's more work to be done. That's 8 weeks of training bagged and the plan now is very much taper into next Saturday's race. Everything from here is about getting fresh so it will be all stripped back.
Happy with where I am at. Fatigue is really high from cumulative load. I feel like once I have recovered from this I will start to really fly but I'm in that unknown state where maybe those tired legs are all I have ??!!
Confident that starting at 5.20 / 3.20 pace on Saturday is the right call and from there I should be able to work all the way. Obviously you never know when you haven't raced but I have to start somewhere!
My thoughts are towards thinking about maximising where I am at. Basically, chasing miles will only get me so far. I need to do them - obviously - but I also need to focus on recovery.
I think between sessions is my critical time. I've been guilty of doing too much just to get the miles in. I really think that chilling on Wednesday and Friday will allow me to absorb more quality. My weekends are pretty good but maybe an opportunity to get more in by backing off Saturday. If I switch the week to Tuesday & Thursday as pure focus then it would look something like - Mon - double shakeout / Tue - session / Wed - shakeout / Thu - session - Fri - Rest - this would mean that I'm getting more recovery in between and after sessions. Heading in to the weekend and then on the weekend Sat - easy & gym / Sun - steady. This is around 50 miles but does manage to get me recovered enough to hit sessions. What I am really focussed on is moving towards 1500 pace and getting that faster which is critical for me to progress. I'm not sure that I'll change to this in this block BUT I think once 1500 pace comes in to play I really need to absorb that work and improve because 70s aint gonna cut it.
I actually think that once I start hitting some 1500 work I need to swap out steady with long hilly runs and find a god awful route that just batters my legs. I am happy to add in hill sprints too so some bastardised Wimpole miles may be on the cards. I'll play around with that one. The aim of this block is to get into good shape by Podium (sub 16.30).
Week 2 - February 17 - 23rd - Race Week
Monday
It's finally here, race week. Have to say, legs are really feeling it - I think I've done a pretty good job of progressive overload and stimulus. Now it's the time to let them recover and come good.
Firstly the ankle / achillies / calf - it feel better today. Ached yesterday and I think it was at the limit of how much I could push it.
Secondly I feel tired BUT it's a good fatigue. I am going to taper pretty hard on this and give my body every chance to come back stronger.
Thirdly I'm confident in my training. It's getting better every week and the load is increasing. I am no doubt getting fitter every session. I am pretty impatient as I have said. Sticking to 3k/5k I am really keen to start pushing but I know that now is not the right time. My strength work consistency has to pay off once I start doing fast work and all I can hope now is that off the back of a taper week everything heals and I'm ready to bounce back.
My plan this week is out of the Jake playbook.
Rest and recover today. Tomorrow standard eddy session (8 x 400m). Wednesday an easy shakeout with strides. Thursday travel to Seville and rest again. Friday head to course for a shakeout and strides. Saturday race. Sunday post-race shakeout with maybe some threshold work if I feel good.
Racing off of a LONG layoff like this always throws up so many questions. My race target is anywhere from 16.29 (absolutely amazing legs) to 17.09 (not quite there). That range is all from what I feel like I could run on fresh legs (haven't had those for a while!!). Either way I get a benchmark to work from.
My plan is going to be very solid and I'm not changing based on the week. I am playing it safe no matter how good I feel. If I feel shit I just won't ever get on pace so that doesn't matter lol.
I will try and run 5.25/mm for the first mile (16.50 pace). that's 3.22 per km.
I'll adapt from there but I need to average under 5.28 for a 16.59. At 3.22 per km I don't think I'll explode but all being well I can pick up the pace on the 2nd mile.
HR wise I'll be looking at getting over 170 by the second mile and if I start too hard I'll try to hold that at 171/172 until the late stages.
Sub 16.30 is 5.18 per mile. It's possible but my concern is starting that fast it is possible of a decent slow down. This race is just a rust buster and a line in the sand after all.
Not that I am overthinking all of this - lol
Tuesday
Eddington. Taper session. Legs starting to come back to life but my body just feels like it's playing catch up on rebuilding itself after the past 8 weeks. Sleeping in way past where I normally would but just plan to take the rest and try to give myself best possible chance to perform on fresheshest legs!
Warm up feeling good. Switch into Adios 4. They feel really nice, just like the OG 1s, a nice roll to forefoot.
Session is 2 x 4 x 400m at 5k effort and 1500 effort.
[80,79,78,73] [70,69,69,67]
Feel good, actually felt better pushing out to the mile paces. Once I start hitting those regularly I think the flood gates will open but right now I'm moving where I need to.
Cool down and done. That's a bag until race day on effort.
Analyse on Strava and distances for each rep coming in between 0.22 and 0.24 mile - way down on distance but check against previous efforts and I'm stopping it past where I went lol. Mental games now as it's telling me I'm running close to 45m short on my 67 ffs !! I know it is what it is but have to wipe that off my mind. First rep clocked at 5.31/mm when I was well up on Matt and Andy who ran 5.20.
If I take it for the times then it's really positive as I felt like I was moving well.
Slight pull on achillies but I'l put that to back of my mind.
[7.3]
Wednesday
Now it's time to really taper and prep as I would in season.
5 & strides. Very slow shakeout and 4 x 20-25 sec efforts. Moving well once i got going, legs heavy - ish - but improving. Another lay in today, need to be up early now as race is 8am start UK time.
[13]
Thursday
Travel to Seville. No run, just chill. Nice bit of Tapas and a couple of beers with my 2 girls.
Friday
Jogged the route and got some strides in. Very relaxed, really letting the taper come in. Probably a bit less than I would have liked but was pre-breakfast off no food. 3.8 miles mainly around 7.20 pace and feeling pretty relaxed. Course looked OK, bit of a faff in the park around the round bit tho.
[16.9]
Saturday
Up and atom. Early start. Lots of walking on Friday and was wiped out. Started reading in bed at 8pm and was fast asleep by 8.30. Slept in until just after 6 then up at 6.40. 10 solid hours, must either be saving it or something not quite right!
Jogged 2 miles warm up from the hotel then toilet break and tempo warm up. Felt OK jogging but the tempo was horrific. 6.11 pace feeling heavy and breathing like a choo choo train. Fuck, not good. Set my head on 17.30 as a target, felt sub 16 was off the cards based on this. Feel really heavy and unresponsive. Too early. 9am start is 8am UK time and I'm not great at Parkrun!
Meet the girls from the group, quick chat then into the pen.
Starting about 4 rows back. Looks spicy on the front row and lots of whooping from the commentator.
Bang, head out the park, jostling for position. Follow a lady from looks like TVH but is actually another club. She looks like she knows how to pace.
First few hundred meters sketchy then settle in. Passed by a few as pace settles. i'm way back. Feels like barely top 100. Pass 1km marker in 3.06 - lol - that's way off. Only have time on screen so no idea of pace but it's not 15.30 pace!
Big group pass at the first turn and I settle on to back of it. As we turn on the main drag the immediately start spitting off the back and I move forward with a couple.
Pass 2km in 6.34 - 3.17 per km feels about right. Just behind who I thought was lead women but was 2nd and lead Spannish woman - cameras all over her.
Have settled now. Not confident enough to push and just trying to relax. Unlike Battersea I can control the effort and I'm more relaxed with some pushing but I feel like I can dial back.
Turn along the top. Not long until we are back in the park. Pass 3km in 10.01 - 3.20/mm if this is accurate (it's probably not).
Mentally telling myself low 17 is worst case. Can't see myself popping from here.
Now have a decent few runners around me and we're close to a group. Have horsey breathing Spaniard, an undescript and freebie Asics man.
Hit the big semi circle. Beautiful and I can see why it's on the course but absolute ball ache. Supershoes do not like circles, it's flagstone and about 500m of a big continuos turn with the entrance and exit.
Go in feeling - ok ish. Come out starting to hit the rev counter.
Check watch and I have missed the 4km split somewhere.
Settle behind freebie Asics man, he seems OK and doesn't appear to be struggling.
Through the park and finally see the last bit which is like a running track shape.
Have about 90 secs to break 17 and I'm thinking I'm comfortably under.
Bit of fucking about getting past people on the last turn then head up and see the finish gantry. Watch says 16.25. Look up, it's not the finish gantry - it's about 50m short. I need to get a fucking shifty on here. Dig the last bit out and peg it across both finish mats.
16.59 on the Garmin. Ended up with 16.57 chip time. First V50 and beat Martin Fiz - happy days.
Considering how I felt at the start line that's really good. I think a couple of hours later and I'd have been more settled and easily got another 10 secs out of it.
HR was 161 bpm avge and 171 max. That's pretty low tbf but again, most likely a combination of being a bit conservative in the middle of the race and the early start.
From about 3.5km to 4.8km I did drift somewhat, I felt it was definitely under 17 and I was more defensive than attack minded.
The course also is worth a few seconds. Don't get me wrong, it was warmer than a UK race but I just think against perfect conditions I was probably worth more like where I would like to be.
Comparing that to Battersea last year (16.36) I was 169 bpm avge and 176 bpm max. More in the tank but after what I have been through I'd rather be back on the sub 17 bandwagon and put more of a shift in than go through that crap again like I did all winter.
Really pleased, decent effort and plenty to take away. Plenty to be happy with, good idea of where I can get to and now it's all about knuckling down to some graft again.
[23.5]
Sunday
Long day of travelling and head pretty much straight out for a run. Decide just an easy 8-10. Not eaten nearly enough and struggle pretty bad in the wind. 8 miles at just under 8s. Just need to eat and sleep.
[31.7]
Taper week done. Race was OK, a good start point for my V50 career but it's definitely onwards and upwards from here. Need to track food again and get on top of that as I'm feeling weak.
Plan now is to get to sub 16.30 and from here it's very achivable if a) I can get on top of my achillies (which still niggles) and b) get healthy enough to push on and get everything bagged.
Week 3 - February 24 - March 2nd - Recover and Build
Monday
Today wake up feeling better. Lot of bits to sort out so the plan is to chill in the morning and do all the good habbit stuff and then get out for 5 and strides this afternoon. Really need to start to bring in some strides into runs as I'll start to do more work towards 1500 pace in the near future.
Feel pretty good about the spot that I am in. really feels like I am at the starting gate now and I don't think I'm far off getting into decent times. I have to remember I have only done 2 full weeks of sessions and only 1 full week as the first was a cut back!
The plan this week - I know I have already said this - is to consolidate fitness rather than push so the paces remain the same. The plan is to get through this week nailing everything with lots of volume and strength work. Next week I will push the paces on but right now it's all about staying on top and keeping the plates spinning.
Warmed up and headed out for 5 and strides. The new normal as we approach race season. Pretty relaxed. Top of left foot sore across tendons but at least it stopped me worrying about right achillies !
5 x 20 sec strides and was moving well.
[5.3]
Tuesday
OK, so R&D head on. Looking at my blood test results from yesterday, I'm basically borderline iron-deficiency anemia. My coeliac is causing low ingestion. Research shows that non Hema iron (plant based) basically gets blocked by anything you eat around 2 hours of it. Hema (animal based) is only really blocked by calcium (I don't eat or drink any in the morning). Low iron = low energy so this would explain why I am so knackered and also needed 10 hours sleep on Friday night.
Also, this coupled with tracking food again showed yesterday that I was woefully short on carbs - I had a huge bowl of cornflakes (3 portion sizes) - to get that macro where it needed to be. I am constantly amazed how low my carb intake is when I start tracking. I'll improve how it get that up but for now it's all about hitting numbers.
So - focus is on tracking food and hitting macros EVERY day. Iron supplementation plan is hema based in the morning with my other supps and non-hema before bed (2 hours after food) which I did last night. I am hoping that this gives me a boost in energy, absorbing fitness and injury prevention.
It explains a LOT. Hopefully I have identified a pretty easy win here. If I focus on this and s&c plan I think that I will start to see some big results.
Wake up this morning and I feel full of energy. Like a huge improvement on the fog I have had for the last few weeks. This could be game changing.
Few chores to get done today so no training until Eddington tonight but lets see how staying on top of this affects the day.
Eddington and usual warm up. Session was a bit more relaxed on paper. 6 x 600 @ 5k pace (90) 2 miles @ thresh (120) 2 x 400.
Ran the 600's at 3k pace (1.55,1.54,1.53) then the 2 miles was feeling OK but HR was high and last half mile was a drag but think this was just from being off the back. 5.41/mm avge which is borderline OK but was above threshold and not a million miles off 5k. Probably 5 mile effort. The 2 400s went well - 71,71 and were a real struggle. Did 180m stride afterwards but feet were sore - especially left across tops. Need to fix that. Achilles was OK enough until later. Vaporfly are not working for me, too unstable.
[14.8]
Wednesday
Feel good waking up. Iron / nutrition is really working. On the downside my left foot and right achillies still ache. Not so worried about right side as that's a long term fix but my left foot needs addressing. So frustrating as I am nearly all systems go but just these little niggles to address.
Working trip to lower mill. Get home and foot is still sore. Will try and aleviate as best I can and rest up. Not a lot I can really do. I'll hammer rolling and gunning to loosen calf and ice it but will rest it today.
Also need to try window lacing and will do a test run tomorrow. Always something else to worry about !!
Thursday
Easy shakeout first thing. Foot across big toe tendon still not quite right. Better but not 100%. Will try tonight but keep it sensible and see how it goes. Very frustrating. Right achillies slight grumble and foot ache on left is there but not sure exactly how much better I think it should feel. One big thing is that I feel much more energised and healthy and nothing outside these two small issues really aches.
Will try the plantar arch supports later and the takumi sen are a lot more stanble than everything else I wear so glimmer of hope that this will help.
Seem to be right on top of nutrition and iron intake and body feels better. If I can iron out these issues I really feel like I can push onwards to where I need to be but I guess I just need to be patient.
Runbritain rankings has updated. Currently at 1.2 and ranked no1 in UK for V50 which is nice! Obviously need a big pickup to retain that but nice to see it as it stands.
Need to get back into strength work now pre-podium and also the calf work once these issues are resolved but right now not 100% on doing calf raises with the left foot problem.
Hit track. Warm up fine, can feel foot but it's not a real problem.
Session is a biggie. 6 x 600/200/200 continuous all off 200 float. Paces are 5k / 3k / 1500 so target is 2.00 / 38 / 36. 6 miles of volume just from the main set.
If my foot kicked off I was going to bin the session.
Happily it held tight. Takumi Sen 10 save the day, I absolutely love these shoes!
Kept session under control and never felt pressured and never pushed past the limit. Plan this week was always to keep it where it needed to be and not get dragged into trying to push - rather let the pace come to me.
600s were 2.00 / 2.00 / 2.00 / 2.00 / 2.00 /1.59
200s were 38 / 38 / 37 / 38 / 37 / 37
200s were 35 / 35 / 36 / 35 / 35 / 34
Floats were all between 1.03 and 1.12 for 200m and actually decreased as session went on.
With warm down 10 miles and the 2.2 this morning for 12.2 for the day.
Really positive session. Long way to go but 3 weeks of full group sessions now (in 4 weeks) and main thing was no damage done to legs. Lots of rolling tonight before bed and I'll hopefully be back on it tomorrow.
Comparing Andys session last year was actually only really the floats that were much slower. 200s were about the same and apart from one quick 600 the rest were 2-3 secs slower. Good spot in fairness as Andy was in great shape then.
Good spot, think the nutrition is paying off. Would ideally start to see this fitness start to rise with paces now and see that 5k effort start to come down to 78/79 and then I'm really in a good place.
[27]
Friday
Wanted to get a decent length recovery in just to try to make up for an easier few weeks. 8.9 miles @7.55/mm @ 137bpm. Felt pretty tired, little light headed as just had dinner in me.
Not sure what it is but feeling hungrier since I have got more on top if diet and iron.
Pretty solid run. Can't complain just tired. Easy again tomorrow plus weights and then a solid hit out on Sunday.
Left foot still not right but does not appear significantly worse so just keep trying to keep going with it and hope it fucks off. At least i'm not worried about my achillies anymore lol
[36]
Saturday
Parkrun - nice and relaxed today with Bear and John. Forgot HRM but was around 21 flat so 6.50 pace feeling easy once I loosened up. Short warm up as arrived late so only 6 for the run but will do gym later as a proper session.
Wore Peggy Plus and foot was best yet. Also zero on the achillies. Think firmer sole is better for me so need to factor this in. Feels like plantar fasciitis.
I will see how tomorrow goes. I may wear them for steady and if they click I'll buy another pair as they're only £115 on Sportshoes.com
Gym in the arvo with Andy, Gabe & Dani. Held back some this week on the weights, just dialled back as I've had a week off of them to race. Felt OK, just need to get back on these and push forwards but def stronger than when I started.
[42]
Sunday
Slight DOMS and heavy legs but all in all have to say I am starting to feel fitter and healthier. Decent run today and that's 3 full weeks and a race in the can in the last month.
Met Dan at Northstowe and headed out for the standard steady 10. Felt alright today. First few took just easing into but from about 1.5 it felt relaxed. Slightly headwind again going out. On the way home to about 8.5 miles it felt really easy. Last 10-12 minutes just felt a bit heavy going but most likely legs from weights.
2 easy cool down at 12 banked.
The 10 was 6:25/mm @ 154bpm (160 max). Last time I had a rest day beforehand with very similar stats.
Wore Pegasus Plus and practically zero foot issues. Definately need to prioritise this in my rotation until I see progress on the plantar and achillies. Think I'll buy a new pair today as these ones are pretty old. Might bin the vapes off onto eBay as I'm really not confident in those and have never found them comfortable.
[54]
54 miles for the week. A big step up on a full week and still working towards 60 on a build week. Managed 2 full sessions, 1 gym session and a steady. Really good return. Seem to have got on top of my iron deficiency / nutrition / energy levels which is a good sign.
Needed a rest day on Wednesday as I have plantar issues and did a Lower Mill trip.
Sessions were all under control and in the 16.40 runner range. On target with the plan just need to stay the course.
Consistency is aiding the improvement. Still waiting for a jump in form and patiently waiting for the pace to come to me rather than chasing it. Plan next week is to repeat (swap Mon/Weds rest) and then taper again into Podium.
Week 4 - March 3rd - March 9th - Build
Monday
Tuesday
Where I am at right now is switching back to being more realistic than hopeful. I am realistically in 16.45 shape rather than 16.30. I could obviously still achieve but right now it feels like just being patient is the right call as my legs are just not playing ball. At some stage I really expect a boost in fitness and I'm not going to lie, it's tough watching everyone train at a level I want to be at. I am thankful that above the knee absolutely everything is checking out a.o.k but I just have these niggles that need to be ironed out. I have to focus on making my calfs strong and ping again and that will be key going forwards. Little things like being able to run sessions in Alphafly are going to bring things on but right now I'm stuck wearing non plated shoes to help my calfs and feet. Once Podium is over I'll start to do more hill work and that should start to finally show some speed into the legs and the strength work will finally show up. If I achieve my targets this year I'll refer to this blog time and again as right now I am at the lowest possible point - the point where the effort is really high but the output is low and the point where my body is resisting the most.
am) lots of rehab on the calf. Stretching and mobility. It feels a lot better but is still tender. Not sore, not pain but def there and slightly too tight (if that makes sense)? Ran a gentle shakeout 2.2 miles to wake it up in the Superblasts. Finished with glute bridges and pogos (5 x 20 both, 5x10 each side singles).
Ultimately, I'm not sure how many times I need to hear it but if I can get my body strong enough to handle the fast running I will be fine but right now my body strength can only handle running 7.30 miles with the odd 6.30 push. I NEED more strength to be able to handle the load. IT IS THIS SIMPLE.
pm) Tired af but just needed to get something done. Legs are sore but I just need to run through this as it's getting to the stage I'd rather die trying or just die with it!
5.59 mile @ 7.35/mm with 4 x strides at half way. Wore the Evo SL. Right calf loves them, left foot hates them. Fucksake this is annoying now !!! Ordered new pair of Peggy Plus and hoping they get me through this period.
Got back and straight into S&C. This is a must now. Deadlifts 40->50kg (light for activation). RDLs 15kg into single leg with drive for balance. Core challenge with kettle bell pass. Hurdle drills with ankle weights (4x10 each leg continous). Tib raises 3 x 20.
Good set, hits everything that Saturday doesn't. Think this is a good balance for the 'off' weeks and maybe keep in race week.
[15.3]
Thursday
Legs sore from weights - good sign. Feet seem to ache less!
Did my rehab work this morning - glute bridges and pogos.
2 mile shakeout around the village to wake up. Still feeling a bit tired through the day and have gluten in system so need to figure that out.
Hit track with J and it's a low turnout tonight. Session is 10 x 300 off 100 walk alternating the 300s at 3k and 1500 pace. My target is 57 and 54 (hit this in September). First rep is waaayy off but get it back on track (kinda) 60,55,56,55,56,55,56,55,56,53 and recoveries were about 40 after the 3k and 60 after the 1500.
Last time I did this sesh I was actually pretty fit in September and came off a race block. Hit 56/54 so slightly faster but harder work. Still not moving well atm, hammys are in bits after weights and achillies and foot still giving me gip.
Bottom of the pit. Things can only get better from here! If my legs come good I am confident but right now it's quite a painful death !!
[23.8]
Friday
Good news is that plantar and achillies are pretty much a non issue. Bad news is hammys are incredibly tight. Doing some research now on impact of weak hammys on running performance.
My adhd brain tells me that if I can run a mile / 5k race at say 6/mm and 7/mm I know I would never have any leg stress issues. My legs can comfortably run those paces with very low stress on tendons and muscles.
My current paces are say 4.50/mm and 5.25/mm. It's not an exact science BUT lets say I need to increase muscle strength by between 20% and 30% so lets say an increase of 25% on all exercises to get where I need to. That's actually very doable.
I think strength work is going to make or break this season. Thats why after podium I think dropping to 5 run days to focus the recovery and 100% hitting 2 strength sessions plus adding a hilly long run and hills on Saturday will be a breakthrough training block for me.
OK so yeah basically my slight research leads me to the conclusion that I need to continue with the focus on strength - Saturdays are amazing and then an off day to do all the other muscles like I did Wednesday. My hammys need focus so I do need to continue with those to get past the DOMS stage and then I canget them to grow. It feels like doing daily small doses should get them where they need to be. Lets add them to the list lol
So off to run with John in a bit. Relaxed easy running today and tomorrow. - think base. Weights Saturday afternoon and then steady Sunday is the plan. That will be a solid 2 week block in terms of my current fitness (16.45-16.59 runner). I am being patient, 60 mpw is for when I am closing in on that 15 minute 5k. For now 50-55 on a big week is more than enough. From there we taper in to Podium and hope the legs come on board. I'll take some risks in terms of s&c but on the whole the legs should be pinging by Thursday.
They are absolutely shredded right now and things are not much fun if I am honest. Bottom of the hill.
Easy 3.5 with John, just enough to shake them out. Feel like shit so will focus on recovery now. Just can't seem to get them close to manageable with sessions and weights but I am at least trying!
Plan now is to run my fitness. I think 16.30-16.59 is in the 40s per week. I'll run more when I am fitter but right now the restricting factor is recovery not motivation lol
[28.2]
Saturday
Parkrun - tired this morning so decide to jog it with bear. Start relaxed and build in to just under 7s. Actually feel pretty relaxed but achillies is under slight protest.
Cool down to just over 7 miles and job done. Plantar and achillies still letting me know they are there and hammys are mega fucked.
Back home and lots of rehab including bridges, foot work and pogos. I am at leats doing everything I can to get on top of this.
Gym in the afternoon. Get there early so crack on. Same loop as usual. Hit 70s for deads and 80s for squats. Really happy with those numbers, starting to border moving where it needs to be. Just keeping that going and defeating the DOMS is going to change the game.
Right now working hammys, doing pogos every day and keep building the strength numbers will get me where I need to be.
The issue is that my legs are smashed constantly and until they ease off it will be a very painful ride. I am going to wear the EVO SL tomorrow with an arch supposrt and hope that gets me over the line with achillies and plantar. I need those to go along with the general aches that have been the theme of this block.
I really believe anything can happen if I can get my legs back feeling healthy.
Just a steady 10 tomorrow and then it's taper time again. Not really in a position to be targetting much right now until these legs stop aching and breaking !!
[34.6]
Sunday
Early start to get Sawyer to his powerlifting comp then meet Dan at 9.15. Legs actually feel like they are recovering this morning. Like a rest day would bring them back. Fuucckk !!
Km warm up then into the steady. Legs feel heavy today but roll along at 6.27/mm for the first 5. Last 0.5 bit tough but long piss break and head back. Legs feel decidedly heavy after weights BUT not much issue with foot or achillies.
Get to about 8.5 again before it gets tough. Last mile is definitely 'thresholdy' and tough. Pace is actually very comfortable today but legs are just so heavy and unresponsive.
2 mile slow cool down. It was warm today and I wore the hoody!
No HRM today but 10 @ 6.27 pace on those legs was probably the best steady I have done.
My legs are absolutely spannered from cummulative load plus the weights. I think they've been battered since about Tuesday.
After run, went to Herbies for Waffles and milk shake. Then watched rest of Sawyers comp (he won with pb lifts) and back home.
To be fair. Legs actually starting to recover and as tired as I am I am feeling that there are just green shoots coming through of adaptions and recovery.
12.63 miles @ 6.53/mm - wore Evo SL with an arch support and feet were best for some time.
[47.2]
Second build week banked and 4th week of this block. I've enjoyed the routine of Tue & Thursday sessions with a steady 10 at the weekend. Strength work is consistent and I am feeling the benefit. However, there is no doubt that I need to recover in this final week which is a taper into Podium.
I've managed to get on top of my health issues by tracking food and getting iron in.
I'm working through my issues with daily bridges and pogos. These will (in theory) give me more push off. Coupled with strength plan I am hoping this finally gets me into sub 60 shape for 400 which is going to be essential to my plans.
I've (just) decided to hammer my hammys with RDLs as I have identified them as a key area of weakness for the above project!
I've settled on being more poatient and measured with my training. I consider 16.45 the next step and 40-50 mpw is plenty to get there. I'll step the miles up in line with results. No point doing 60 mpw to run 16.57 that's for when I want to target a 15.xx.
I'll continue with the RDLs - basically lift, breakdown, recover then lift again as it's the only way to force adaptions. Ideally I would taper fully into this week and miss strength work but I'll never get where I need to without the build. However, equally I won't get there on battered legs !!
Next week will be something along the lines of - Mon - rest, Tue - session, Wed - 5 & strides, Thu - 2 x mile of 200/200, Fri - rest, Sat - race, Sun - long hilly.
Next block will be 5 days per week. Hilly long easy run and hills on Saturdays. Focus is on recovery between sessions. Start to move towards that 70 secs per 400 being target pace. Will be a big block as I prepare for track season and I plan to race A LOT.
Week 5 - March 10th - March 16th - Race Week
Monday
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