Daz Does Tri

I think I can officially say winter training is over for me. Time to focus on indoors and specifically 3000m at the European Masters Champs in March. It's a huge relief that I seem to have come out of the dip that I found myself in and have a solid week banked where everything was where it needed to be. There are 7 full weeks and 5 days until race day. I'd say right now I'm in or around 9.30 shape. Long way to go but a decent place to start. I ran 9.29 last Feb feeling good and I think I can move on from that with a solid block of training. Confidence is key for me. I need to start thinking about myself and how I want to feel through this training block. I want to enjoy running and I want to be excited by racing. I want to feel that at my age every opportunity to run fast is a gift. I love the fact that I can race at a high level and every time I step out on the track it may be the last time I ever get to improve. This version of me is someone that works hard and enjoys eve...

Finally feel like I am back on track to progress. Amazing how a few sessions in the bag can bring the confidence back up. Last blog post was basically working through the slump so now it should all hopefully be sunshine and roses !! Thursday 18th Weight back up to 10 st 5. Cold, absolutely freezing bloody cold at the minute. Track was closed last minute so after arriving we all drove to west site.  Session moved around, was so cold and no warm base so basically 2 mile warm up. Minimum stretching and then into main set. 3 x 1km @ 5k [off 90] 6 x short hills [walk back] 3km tempo Km loop was three hard turns and a hill with lots of stuff to move around and avoid so paces slightly slower than Eddy where you can just run smooth and uninterrupted.  Got confused first rep and ran slightly slower (felt awful warming up into it too) but paces (no Garmin) were around 3.20 - 3.25 first set. Hills ran relaxed hard. Working on this kind of feel for fast efforts which should help more than...

I knew it would happen. You always hope it doesn't and worst case you plateau but sometimes you hit a slump in form. I've had this loads of times in the past and the reality is that I always end up compounding everything. In the spirit of the new me (circa 2022) I am going to do the opposite. Analyse why and plan to move forward. Am I actually in a slump? The Parkrun at Lydiard went pretty shocking tbf. That was on 16th December and came off the back of a good set of training. I had tight calfs and I felt pretty low. I had the Sunday off. The next week was the run into Christmas and was pretty average. I ran easy Monday then rested Tues and Weds before an average session on Thursday. Had a solid session on the Saturday then slr Sunday. So far, I can see some interruption and in fairness that's 2 weeks where I've run well after recovering. I remember looking forward to getting back to routine and feeling that Dec had been stop-start. The following week was bigger at 55 m...

Right, this is it now. Silly season. Everything gets turned on it's head. Booze, food, nights out, colds and flu, family time, doing shit. It's all happening so between now and the day after Boxing Day it's a simple matter of just doing what you can! I have a basic outline - I'd like to get 50 odd miles per week and 2 sessions plus a Parkrun in the 2 week period but again, it will be what it will be. Right now I feel like I am approaching good shape but I'll be more than happy not to give too much back to the clock !!  Last week I really messed up timing and made things excessively hard for myself. This week a little more intelligence required. Monday - am) Gym. Decent session. Focus on the main movements and added in some Iso stuff at the end of each section. Paid off handsomely with some DOMS on Tuesday. I'll struggle to get more than 1 x per week so focus on some good work here. pm) BJJ. Enjoying this. Not 100% on benefit but it's some x-training and it...

It's that time of year where running becomes a bit of a blur and merges into a heavy Christmas filled booze / food / film / cheese state. No real race plans now. Bunty 10 on 30th is likely and I'll probably hammer a Parkrun on the 23rd as I'll have aged a year. The plan is to get through the Crimbo minefield with some decent base training banked and not ill or injured. Battersea Debrief So the dust has settled. 16.33 is a bit outside where I wanted to be however it was probably the worst I could have raced so that said it's not actually horrible. My legs just didn't have any zip in them, lack of race conditioning was crucial. I'd say that better pacing would have gotten a low 16.20 range so it's not a million miles off. Better conditions would have helped and all of a sudden now we are talking. Nothing critical to fix I just need to keep doing what I am doing. It's all positive in the big scheme of things. No need to panic, just some patience required. I...

OK, definitely feels like I am pumping this up a bit now !! Still coming in to this week off a cold and not quite 100% BUT feel OK enough. Little achey and less return thatn I wanted from last week but doesn't change the fact it's all progress and in the name of a bigger picture later this winter. Key now is to get healthy and on the start line in decent shape ready to fdo the best I can on the day. Still going to be VERY dissapointed if I don't go under 16.30 and pretty dissapointed if I don't run in the years range (16.00-16.22) Still feel par would be 16.1x. Big range I know but I am in good shape and I can't always be a pussy. Monday - up and busy. Legs feel OK after yesterday but just a little fatigue from this cold. BJJ tonight and I'll probably run something low volume with some strides in there to kick the legs into action. Slept awkwardly and back is tight ... again. Fucksake. Upper back and neck solid. Get this every few weeks now. No running. Went BJ...

Finished my cut back week by bashing my head on the garage door and near knocking myself out. Massive gash in head so Ange took me to A&E. After 4 1/2 hours waiting in small injuries clinic with just 2 people left was told it was now shutting and return to main A&E. The NHS folks, not fit for purpose. Couldn't see last 2 people (I only needed glue stitches) and couldn't tell us much earlier the situation (they sent 2 under 16s back there at minnight). Not one for bashing the NHS but FFS really, is this the best we can do. One poor guy had been in a car accident and was there lot longer than us. Told them he was sick, overheard nurse saying he should have been in trauma rather than here but nobody wanted to do anything about it. Useless. Anyways... Back on the harder training now, 2 weeks solid them taper for Battersea test event. Key for this week is just to roll through everything and stay on top of the good habbits. Monday - am) gym. Up to 45 kg chest, leg extension, ...