Summer 26 - Week 1

Week 1 back home. The start of summer.

Mile road race is canned so aside from a vets lge 800m (which is just a glorified roll out) my next race is Battersea 5k on the 24th - 3 weeks away.

Monday

Arrived home at 5am and got out of bed 8.50am like a zombie. Chores to do so glad of a rest day. Few aches and pains but nothing a good night sleep won't fix.

Tuesday

Up feeling much better. Seriously aware of the addiction junk food has on me. More on that later. Planning stage today. Need to look at what I will do in this block.

Viewing a new build that we hope to be moving to so no easy shakeout today it'll be straight into session tonight.

Food needs improving so I am going to (try to) eat cleaner. I'll look at reducing my processed food, lay off the sugar snacks, lay off the booze and generally just eat better quality foods.

I am feeling good about my training and fitness. Everything is trending in the right direction I just need to really nail a race feeling completely 100% and I believe I'll go close.

Plan for this week is to hit 55 again. I'll be guided by when Jr wants to run but as an outline it'll be track Tuesday and Thursday then threshold either Sat or Sun with a long run on the other day.

Session - track. Paln was 600/400/300 off 60 @ 3k followed by 3 x 1km @ 5k off 90 followed by 600/400/300 @ 1500 pace.

Long story short started waaay to quick, didn't correct it, started to struggle and then mentally head went down. Completely solo as Andy is injured and Holly DNS and that didn't help. Think again I just struggle with a slight breeze.

[1.52 / 72 / 53] - [3.10 / 3.14 / 57 (300)] - [1.46 / 53 (300) / 51] so dropped 900m of the last 1km and 100m of the 400. The 1500 pace was way too hard solo btw you need someone pushing you on that.

After I finished Fergal asked for help on his last set so ran 300 / 250 / 200 probably close to same pace I ran to help out.

The 1000s I just started too hard (75/2.31/3.10) on rep 1 and didn't really recover from that. The 3.14 was right pace but I didn't mentally have another one on that last rep as I was already switched on to cutting it short. Frustrating but it is what it is.

I think at the correct paces I would have been fine but that 400 in the 3k section started the problems and it escalated with the 3.10. The first 200 of the opening 600 was 34 as well haha

Positive side - I wanted to run hard and I achieved that! I pushed this session beyond what I had in the legs and that's what training is !! Rest of the week I have to stay in my wheel house now.

Correction - I need to start these tougher sessions easier and ease in to them first couple of reps. It's lack of confidence that's pushing me too hard at the minute combined with impatience to get to the next level. These are the paces I want to feel comfortable at but i am not quite there yet. Let the paces come to me, this is an important lesson going forwards as this will limit me.

Wednesday

Legs battered BUT not as bad as expected. Meeting Griff for brekky this morning and I'll run recovery with the boy later. Plan is 8 easy / recovery around the Fenny loop and no need to go looking faster than 8s.

Run - with Jake. Hour easy, we settle in around 7:45 pace and just roll along at that. Legs progressively improve and by the finish I feel pretty good. 

Not the most efficient run at 1065 beats/mile but I was tired and it was windy.

Thursday

Up and ready. Few chores and I'll need to shakeout this morning. Legs improving but slight ache (to be expected) slight concern on right post-tib but rehab last night helped and I really need to stay on that as it goes shitty after a lay off.

Thoughts now are drawing a line under the lack of confidence. I am starting sessions way too hard to force the pace. I have to let it come to me. I am in good shape but I need to be honest, defensive and consistent.

Tonight's session I'll use 71 as 1500 pace and 76 as 3k pace. That's on the cautious side of realism but I eed to just get back to rolling along without dying a death and feeling strong.

Plan from here is 9 with John recovery tomorrow, 8 x mile off 60 on Sat and 12 with the boys on Sunday.

Applied to be an On product tester. Missed the Nike window but I'll keep eyes open for that one.

Run 1 - shakeout 3. Felt OK but HR was high. Just a little beaten up still.

Session - 7 x 500, 2 x 600, 3 x 300 off 60, 90 & 100 walk with lap jog b/w sets. Paces as alternate threshold and 5k on 700s, 400 @ 5k followed by 200 @ 3k and 1500 pace for the 300s.

2.30, 2.19, 2.33, 2.19, 2.27 for the 700s (we aimed at 22 per 100 and 19.xx per 100) so bang on here.

600s went 1.56 and 1.53 which is on the quicker side and def closewd out faster than 3k. Tough setting this one right as it was windy on back straight.

300s went hard in 51, 48, 47. Lactic city but just the right place where I am missing top end.

Neck tweaked in cool down which is strange but got through it.

Session was what I needed, little easier as I am still beaten up from Tuesday. Paced it well enough and threshold felt fine. 5k pace did feela  little stiff if I am honest on tired legs but the volume was still good for the session.

The 300s were spot on and that's around 9 at sub 70 pace (very) since the start of Tuesday session so lots of good pace in there from me and where I am at. Actualy a lot of good vo2 pace work at 3k - 5k this week so just need to recover and relax now.

Confidence is a little hit as I am just getting impatient. I know I am not faster yet and I have plateaued a little but just need to take stock, get the body right and it'll happen. 2 more good weeks of training and then I should be good going in to taper.

Friday

Up to run with John. I'll drive over today as I am feeling achy in the neck and pretty beat up overall. No point pushing the 9, take 6 and get some extra recovery in.

At 27 for the week. 6 today (33), 9 tomorrow (41) and 13 Sunday (54) is the plan. Obvs try and get to 55 but main thing is remaining healthy. I still feel tired, I ache and my guts are not right. Address the health issues and the training will follow.

Always get a slump in training but overall I am so happy to be where I am considering that I'll take it. Even if I never progress I'd be very happy with where I am at. 7 days until the England masters team deadline and I'm currently sitting 7th which is actually really solid considering I don't feel that fit right now.

Review the footage later today and decide how I push out of this block.

Saturday

House viewing today. Lots on. Plan now is to run 5 & strides.

Yesterday, after looking at the slump it was obvious I was under fuelled. Last few days has taken a hit and I need to take a step back and recover. Not eating enough left me battered and a day of high carb / high calories left me much better this morning.

I had planned on the 6 x mile threshold sesh and I do think I could survive it but right now I think an extra day of easy into tomorrows long run will be just what i need. I'll do 5 & strides later and take the pressure off. Going forward I need to improve diet and recovery and I'll be golden.

Should get to 50 this week but considering I have done a LOT of 1500 -> 5k pace that's about right as the engine has been revved.

Next week I think that there should be limited issued holding that back so I'll be all good to push onwards. 

Fitness wise, I do not feel like I have improved BUT conditions maybe so. I feel confident of going in the 16.20s again but not so sure about a sub 16.10. I am in a slump however so maybe once recovered and out the oter side things may change. Def need to find a 5k in July but at the minute I have the 2 x mile races ready and loaded on the track so I'll see how they pan out. Not frustrated as it's been a long long block of positive running but it would be nice to feel good again so I am looking into fixing that part of me!

In need of confidence - I am MUCH more efficient at runs than I was in April when mentally I felt much fresher about racing. Even after harder sessions! 

I think possibly joining the threshold boys on Tuesdays might make sense? I am struggling with 2 hard track sessions right now otherwise I'll need to dial right back on the Thursday speed (although I did enjoy the way I ran the session this week)? Maybe, food for thought but under control and let the pace come to me is really in the front of my mind right now.

Got the 5 with some strides in and actually moving much better. Ate a lot more on Friday so likely just an under fuelling issue.

Sunday

Met Matt, Gabe & Max for 13.5 on the St Ives -> Goddy loop and had a great easy run out. Best I have felt all week and clipped along at 7:19/mm for 137 bpm. Always good when you finish with a spoons brekko !!

51.5 miles for the week. Bit of a struggle getting to 55 BUT felt hideous middle to late part of the week and def needed some extra rest from quality on the track.

Annoyingly right tib flared up across the week and Sunday afternoon was pretty bad - bad enough to call the race on Monday and consider no track on Tuesday.

Happy to keep it over average though and quality was much higher this week.