Rest - calves sore
The last 9 – 5 day for me and it was possibly the best. I didn’t set an alarm and was quite prepared to roll in late. I woke up at 0744 so there was just enough time to grab some stuff, chuck it in a bag and get out of the door. I made the usual train but looked as presentable as Ander Russell on a good day; I had one eye half-closed and horns of sticky-out hair. Deak was just getting onto the train as I arrived and I said ‘don’t try it Deakin, I know I look a twat.’ We had a 10 minute conversation about the state of today’s youth and then went our separate ways. I got a hot chocolate and a teacake at the ground before flattening down my tufts and washing my face. I was then in a meeting with some real big shots so it was a good thing I was presentable. It wasn’t as boring as it sounds as it was the steering group for the Yorkshire Cricket Mela; something I’ve been pretty involved in. A press pack was handed out and there was my introduction included so I was proud as punch; the fact the ‘author’ was Yorkshire CCC didn’t bother me one jot... one of the guys at the table was the owner of the Shababs Curry House in Leeds and a man me and Ziffy have had a few run ins with over table reservations! He didn’t recognise me and was nice of pie if I’m honest! It was suggested someone should put together an article on the benefits for the local economy. I happened to be halfway through such a publication but waited until after the meeting to casually tell Stewart (Regan – CEO of the club and the man who got me this placement). I cracked on with this article in the afternoon and it was 5pm in no time. My calves were still sore walking home so I decided to miss my easy 30 mins with the aim of being ok tomorrow morning! I made dinner for me and my Dad when I got home (my Mum was out for the evening) and then we went for a father & son cinema trip to see ‘Robin Hood’. It was an enjoyable watch but nothing special; I didn’t leave the theatre marvelling at how wonderful it was if you know what I mean. I organised all my stuff fir going back to Brum when we got back and was in bed for about midnight. Last and by no means least, it was my old friend and current captain Craig 'Gunny Bear/Gundo/No Fundo' Gundersen's 21st birthday today. What a great guy he is and I honestly mean that from the bottom of my heart. I do not think anyone in the world will have come across Gundo and thought anything other than 'what a lovely guy'. I have always used him as a great judge of character; i.e. if Gundo doesn't like them then they must be a twat. He has made me feel so welcome at Birmingham University since day 1 and as a friend for about 7 years he has never done anything other than this. A great captain and a great friend, not to mention a fantastic return to form with 8.19 at the most recent Watford after a winter riddled with injury. I think I speak for everyone in wishing him a great birthday weekend and even more importantly a great 2 years in Indiana at Butler University although it really will not be the same in Brum without him; I am only just realising the act I have to follow as captain.
Friday, 28 May 2010
Second Pre-race Blog: Sports City BMC
So it’s five days almost to the second since my last race where I ran like a bit of chump. Excited or not, wanting to ‘give it a go’ or however I want to dress it up I ran badly. I had explicit race instructions from Phil that we had discussed I advance and I totally forgot about them once the gun went. That will not happen tomorrow. I am quietly confident and the guarantee of a PB (it is my first 5k) takes a bit of the pressure off! We are being paced at 14.30 for 3000m which is ideal when you look at the start list. I had a smashing session on Tuesday so I see no reason why I can’t go out and race well as long as I execute my race tactics properly. The forecast is for cool weather with a little rain which is a lot more suitable for 5000m running than last Sunday! Regardless of field, weather or how I feel, I have to respect the distance because quite simply this is unknown territory and to give anything less than the respect it deserves would be suicidal. I don’t have as much buzzing around my mind this week so this is a lot briefer and less revealing than for Loughborough! Fingers crossed the next time I write I’ll be a lot happier than Sunday evening.
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Doing nothing from 9 - 5
am: Easy 20 mins at Beckett Park on the grass
pm: 8 x 31 secs strides, JBR on grass on the clearings @ SLS
9.5mi
I'm catching up on my blog here and I cannot remember anything of note from Thursday. I finally had a frappuccino and unfortunately it was overpriced and sickly. I made a beef chilli and Phil & I stopped at a chippy on the way home for some chips to go with it. they gave me a mouldy bread-cake and thus we shall never go there again. I felt great running at lunch time and it is quite a miraculous turn around. For whatever reason, this week I have been like a new man. I felt so fresh today and had such a low HR. I just did 3mi as Phil told me to cut down my first run if I was to do one at all. I just did not want this run to end and the fact it was only 20 mins made it even worse! There was one downside; my calves are still very sore. I went down to SLS to do some strides with Dale on the clearings with Dale and felt decent. We were covering pretty much 200m on each stride and jogging back in a brisk 60 seconds. My calves were still quite sore so I didn’t do any dynamic drills and just strode in my regular running trainers. It was a bit windy but a lovely temperature for running in the evening. I genuinely do not know what I did at the cricket ground from 9 to 5. It seems tedium has set in so it is probably a good thing that Friday will be my last non-match day. My new trainers arrived this morning and I wore the new version of the Supernova Glide for both runs; they were like a pair of slippers! I went to bed earlier than usual and missed what looked like a potentially great episode of Question Time.
pm: 8 x 31 secs strides, JBR on grass on the clearings @ SLS
9.5mi
I'm catching up on my blog here and I cannot remember anything of note from Thursday. I finally had a frappuccino and unfortunately it was overpriced and sickly. I made a beef chilli and Phil & I stopped at a chippy on the way home for some chips to go with it. they gave me a mouldy bread-cake and thus we shall never go there again. I felt great running at lunch time and it is quite a miraculous turn around. For whatever reason, this week I have been like a new man. I felt so fresh today and had such a low HR. I just did 3mi as Phil told me to cut down my first run if I was to do one at all. I just did not want this run to end and the fact it was only 20 mins made it even worse! There was one downside; my calves are still very sore. I went down to SLS to do some strides with Dale on the clearings with Dale and felt decent. We were covering pretty much 200m on each stride and jogging back in a brisk 60 seconds. My calves were still quite sore so I didn’t do any dynamic drills and just strode in my regular running trainers. It was a bit windy but a lovely temperature for running in the evening. I genuinely do not know what I did at the cricket ground from 9 to 5. It seems tedium has set in so it is probably a good thing that Friday will be my last non-match day. My new trainers arrived this morning and I wore the new version of the Supernova Glide for both runs; they were like a pair of slippers! I went to bed earlier than usual and missed what looked like a potentially great episode of Question Time.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
'That's Dawlish Baby'
pm: 1 hr easy on trails & grass
8.5mi
This morning I rocked up to Headingley Cricket Ground with the intention of getting the bulk of my assigned tasks done. I ended up getting a fair bit done and hob-nobbing with a few people who were here for interviews. I found out a bit of internal gossip on player and commercial activity which was cracking and then had a longish lunch to feed the bowling machine for someone in the indoor school. I had a bit of a bowl first and considered taking the sport back up and enrolling at my local cricket club such was the level of turn I was getting. I quickly let this temptation dissipate when I remembered we soon have the North v South cricket match at BUAC; a big enough stage to showcase my cricketing talents. The main thing I learnt at work today was just how fast 99mph bowling is. It is like a gun-shot and extremely frightening to face! I had to spend quite a while working out which T20 matches I can and cannot attend this summer and I also found out I can get discounted tickets which has got to be a bonus; then again I am working here for free after all. I fixed up a run with Danny and headed home. I spoke to Mikey Williams on the phone for a while about Lance Armstrong and THAT article in the Times and had a bit of a giggle about it as the mounting evidence is bordering on the ridiculous now! I caught the train to Woodlesford and as ever it was packed to the rafters. I was stood over a chavvy 17/18 year old girl, trying to decide if she was a goer. Sat on her right was a moderately attractive ‘emo’ type girl, a little older. I quickly formulated a list of pros and cons but was struggling for time as I’m the first stop on the Hallam Line so we are talking 7 minutes or so. Thankfully, the decision was taken out of my hands. Both delved into their bags, almost instantaneously, pulling out a marvel comic and an iPod. Remarkably, the ‘emo’ put some horrific dance music on full volume and the slutty little bird started reading what looked like some sort of variation on ‘Radio Active Man’ from the Simpsons. I was pretty unsettled by this latest turn of events as it was far too similar to the plot-line of the Jennifer Garner movie ‘In Her Shoes’ for me to draw any other conclusion than the most obvious; exactly the same had happened here. I was relieved to get off the train, free from the worry of being catapulted into the body of the obese ginger haired motorcyclist a few feet down the train who liked to pick his nose and wipe it on Robbie Paul on the ‘Northern Rail Cup’ advertisement. Back to reality, I got home, got changed and did an easy hour with Dan. I am now convinced it is better to run later in the afternoon on the day following a session. Last week I was borderline disabled for the first mile, today I was as fresh as a daisy. My calves and Achilles were still tight/sore (especially when running on hard ground) but I didn’t have tired legs. I ran very easily with Danny but it was a decent pace with little effort and a low HR. I hope my calves settle a bit tomorrow as they are quite sore just walking around. We had a bit of an event in the middle of the run which is worth including here. We came to a fence covered in barbed wire and obviously, the only option is to climb over it. Firstly I threw my dog over, not realising it was quite deep on the other side so he was not too happy. I then put my foot on the bottom of the fencing and it immediately snapped off. I now carefully had to step over the barbed wire and then step on the highest bit of wood. It took my weight ok, and then as if in stages it started to collapse in on itself until I felt the barbed wire on my buttocks at which point I sprung off into the ditch. Danny was in stitches and I almost literally needed some! The Kid likes to use the phrase ‘I nearly tore myself a new arse-hole’ when you get chaffing from shorts or do a huge shit. Well, I almost did tear myself a new arsehole so I won’t be using that phrase again in a hurry! I made a rhubarb crumble before dinner with the rhubarb generously picked from the farm by Dale. I was then looking forward to a pizza my Mum had bought from the supermarket and as I got ready for dinner she took it out of the oven and dropped it on the dirty kitchen floor. I nearly blew my top that she’d done it was quite ridiculous the way she tried to take it out. I decided it wasn’t worth it, picked up the phone and got some Dominos in; worse things have happened after all. After dinner and a cracking crumble, there was nothing at all on TV so I ended up just killing time until bed. I tried watching ‘Junior Apprentice’ but what a load of shit that turned out to be. The highlight of the evening was being alerted by an excited Alex Davy that for some reason Michael Salter had put this video blog on eightlane.com:
www.eightlane.com/generator.php?search=Video&id=1326
This is some of the best work yet from The Dawlish Boys of Birmingham and I enjoyed everything about it if I’m quite honest; he IS going well over the barriers after all.
8.5mi
This morning I rocked up to Headingley Cricket Ground with the intention of getting the bulk of my assigned tasks done. I ended up getting a fair bit done and hob-nobbing with a few people who were here for interviews. I found out a bit of internal gossip on player and commercial activity which was cracking and then had a longish lunch to feed the bowling machine for someone in the indoor school. I had a bit of a bowl first and considered taking the sport back up and enrolling at my local cricket club such was the level of turn I was getting. I quickly let this temptation dissipate when I remembered we soon have the North v South cricket match at BUAC; a big enough stage to showcase my cricketing talents. The main thing I learnt at work today was just how fast 99mph bowling is. It is like a gun-shot and extremely frightening to face! I had to spend quite a while working out which T20 matches I can and cannot attend this summer and I also found out I can get discounted tickets which has got to be a bonus; then again I am working here for free after all. I fixed up a run with Danny and headed home. I spoke to Mikey Williams on the phone for a while about Lance Armstrong and THAT article in the Times and had a bit of a giggle about it as the mounting evidence is bordering on the ridiculous now! I caught the train to Woodlesford and as ever it was packed to the rafters. I was stood over a chavvy 17/18 year old girl, trying to decide if she was a goer. Sat on her right was a moderately attractive ‘emo’ type girl, a little older. I quickly formulated a list of pros and cons but was struggling for time as I’m the first stop on the Hallam Line so we are talking 7 minutes or so. Thankfully, the decision was taken out of my hands. Both delved into their bags, almost instantaneously, pulling out a marvel comic and an iPod. Remarkably, the ‘emo’ put some horrific dance music on full volume and the slutty little bird started reading what looked like some sort of variation on ‘Radio Active Man’ from the Simpsons. I was pretty unsettled by this latest turn of events as it was far too similar to the plot-line of the Jennifer Garner movie ‘In Her Shoes’ for me to draw any other conclusion than the most obvious; exactly the same had happened here. I was relieved to get off the train, free from the worry of being catapulted into the body of the obese ginger haired motorcyclist a few feet down the train who liked to pick his nose and wipe it on Robbie Paul on the ‘Northern Rail Cup’ advertisement. Back to reality, I got home, got changed and did an easy hour with Dan. I am now convinced it is better to run later in the afternoon on the day following a session. Last week I was borderline disabled for the first mile, today I was as fresh as a daisy. My calves and Achilles were still tight/sore (especially when running on hard ground) but I didn’t have tired legs. I ran very easily with Danny but it was a decent pace with little effort and a low HR. I hope my calves settle a bit tomorrow as they are quite sore just walking around. We had a bit of an event in the middle of the run which is worth including here. We came to a fence covered in barbed wire and obviously, the only option is to climb over it. Firstly I threw my dog over, not realising it was quite deep on the other side so he was not too happy. I then put my foot on the bottom of the fencing and it immediately snapped off. I now carefully had to step over the barbed wire and then step on the highest bit of wood. It took my weight ok, and then as if in stages it started to collapse in on itself until I felt the barbed wire on my buttocks at which point I sprung off into the ditch. Danny was in stitches and I almost literally needed some! The Kid likes to use the phrase ‘I nearly tore myself a new arse-hole’ when you get chaffing from shorts or do a huge shit. Well, I almost did tear myself a new arsehole so I won’t be using that phrase again in a hurry! I made a rhubarb crumble before dinner with the rhubarb generously picked from the farm by Dale. I was then looking forward to a pizza my Mum had bought from the supermarket and as I got ready for dinner she took it out of the oven and dropped it on the dirty kitchen floor. I nearly blew my top that she’d done it was quite ridiculous the way she tried to take it out. I decided it wasn’t worth it, picked up the phone and got some Dominos in; worse things have happened after all. After dinner and a cracking crumble, there was nothing at all on TV so I ended up just killing time until bed. I tried watching ‘Junior Apprentice’ but what a load of shit that turned out to be. The highlight of the evening was being alerted by an excited Alex Davy that for some reason Michael Salter had put this video blog on eightlane.com:
www.eightlane.com/generator.php?search=Video&id=1326
This is some of the best work yet from The Dawlish Boys of Birmingham and I enjoyed everything about it if I’m quite honest; he IS going well over the barriers after all.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Frustratingly Delayed Adaptation
am: Easy 30 mins on grass & trails
pm: 3 (3 x 500 @ 3k pace) + 5 x 200 @ 8-15 pace, 100 jog (45 secs) & 5 mins btw sets - 83, 82, 83, 81, 83, 82, 81, 82, 82, 29, 29, 29, 28, 30
13.5mi
I saw today as another day to tick off at the cricket ground and I’m looking forward to a bit of time without working as I’ve decided to go back to Brum after Sports City on Saturday. So many of the guys will have finished their exams on Friday that it feels like the right time to go back; I didn’t want to be a bit of third wheel while everyone was revising. There is only so long you can go without being around your friends and really my whole life is in Birmingham. When the guys were going back to University on Sunday evening and I was going with my parents I just felt pretty shit and flat. Today: I was set to do an easy 30 with the Kid at 11 but had to cancel as I got stuck in a very dull meeting about IT so had to run on my own at 12. I felt so much better again today, as I did yesterday. I found my HR monitor this morning and it was encouraging to see that my HR echoed how my legs felt as it was super-low on flat sections and dropped down very quickly once I finished. Both achilles were stiff again and my calves & hamstrings are still a little tight. I was hugely pleased that I am finally feeling a lot better easy running. In the afternoon I did a bit of planning for the match day YCM and soon enough it was home time. Now these past few weeks, for some reason I've had a nostalgic urge to get a strawberry and cream Frappuccino from Starbucks in Leeds Rail Station. The nostalgia is attached to the fact that between the ages of 13 & 15 my best friend was current GB decathlete Dan Gardiner and most our weekends were spent trying to look cool in the coffeehouse (during holidays replace most with all and weekends with days). Frustratingly, every day I have been too time for time when I’ve wanted to abate the stifling humidity of the train station and give into to my craving. Today was different; I had bags of time. Time was not an issue, the issue was the fact it was bloody freezing and it just was not the right time. The one day I can is the one day I choose not to. Tomorrow's another day I suppose. I had a good conversation with my pal Alex Davy as I called to see how his exams are going. He seemed pleased enough though a bit stressed out, understandably. I hopped on the train, tapping my feet to the sound of Buble and thinking about dropping a great session in a few hours time. I had a snack at home and watched some very old ‘Friends’ – I felt for Ross when they let slip his baby was going to be a boy. It was very muggy tonight but pretty still so good conditions for a big session. Today was one of those days where I knew going into the session that I was going to train well for some reason. However, I almost postponed until tomorrow. My legs were still a bit sore today, mainly my calves, so I decided to see how I felt warming up. They weren’t that bad so I thought I’d be much better training with a group when I felt in the mood rather than waiting until tomorrow evening and hoping for the best. I trained in my XC spikes, a bad idea given the state of my calves and one I’d pay for later. I felt very good tonight and the target times were 85 and 30 but I had no intention of running any slower than 83. I shared the pace with Smithy for the majority and felt within myself. My calves got progressively sorer but I just had to get on with it. I had to ice my calves afterwards as I was in considerable discomfort walking around! I was very pleased to bank this session and if it means sore calves for a day or two then so be it. Phil said that although I trained faster this week, I looked better last week but I am not sure why. I can’t wait until I combine both! My chest was very tight tonight but only on the recoveries. I didn’t take any hay-fever medication today so I reckon that could be why. It was such a relief to train well tonight and having spoken to Phil I am pretty sure I know why I seem to have struggled these past few weeks compared to where I'd like to have progressed to. Having spoken to a lot of the guys who also went to FR I am the only one who was able to do a session the first weekend back. I happened to train well that day but unfortunately I think it has meant I hav adapted a few days later than everyone else; almost all the other guys have run a PB or close to already. The other consideration Phil was keen to stress yesterday when I was being overly analytical was that I should wait to feel like there's some altitude benefit and maybe even post-testing before drawing conclusions. Everyone is individual and it is impossible to predict altitude response. Maybe my excellent performance has been delayed until the BMC 5k then! I got home, had some dinner and tried in vain to find something half-decent on TV. I realised just before bed that I have not spoken to my housemate Matt for literally months so I called to see how his life is going and tell him the good news that I’d be in Birmingham on Saturday night. This was a relief to him as it coincides with Wilko going back to Leeds for a few days next week and Midge can barely cook toast.
pm: 3 (3 x 500 @ 3k pace) + 5 x 200 @ 8-15 pace, 100 jog (45 secs) & 5 mins btw sets - 83, 82, 83, 81, 83, 82, 81, 82, 82, 29, 29, 29, 28, 30
13.5mi
I saw today as another day to tick off at the cricket ground and I’m looking forward to a bit of time without working as I’ve decided to go back to Brum after Sports City on Saturday. So many of the guys will have finished their exams on Friday that it feels like the right time to go back; I didn’t want to be a bit of third wheel while everyone was revising. There is only so long you can go without being around your friends and really my whole life is in Birmingham. When the guys were going back to University on Sunday evening and I was going with my parents I just felt pretty shit and flat. Today: I was set to do an easy 30 with the Kid at 11 but had to cancel as I got stuck in a very dull meeting about IT so had to run on my own at 12. I felt so much better again today, as I did yesterday. I found my HR monitor this morning and it was encouraging to see that my HR echoed how my legs felt as it was super-low on flat sections and dropped down very quickly once I finished. Both achilles were stiff again and my calves & hamstrings are still a little tight. I was hugely pleased that I am finally feeling a lot better easy running. In the afternoon I did a bit of planning for the match day YCM and soon enough it was home time. Now these past few weeks, for some reason I've had a nostalgic urge to get a strawberry and cream Frappuccino from Starbucks in Leeds Rail Station. The nostalgia is attached to the fact that between the ages of 13 & 15 my best friend was current GB decathlete Dan Gardiner and most our weekends were spent trying to look cool in the coffeehouse (during holidays replace most with all and weekends with days). Frustratingly, every day I have been too time for time when I’ve wanted to abate the stifling humidity of the train station and give into to my craving. Today was different; I had bags of time. Time was not an issue, the issue was the fact it was bloody freezing and it just was not the right time. The one day I can is the one day I choose not to. Tomorrow's another day I suppose. I had a good conversation with my pal Alex Davy as I called to see how his exams are going. He seemed pleased enough though a bit stressed out, understandably. I hopped on the train, tapping my feet to the sound of Buble and thinking about dropping a great session in a few hours time. I had a snack at home and watched some very old ‘Friends’ – I felt for Ross when they let slip his baby was going to be a boy. It was very muggy tonight but pretty still so good conditions for a big session. Today was one of those days where I knew going into the session that I was going to train well for some reason. However, I almost postponed until tomorrow. My legs were still a bit sore today, mainly my calves, so I decided to see how I felt warming up. They weren’t that bad so I thought I’d be much better training with a group when I felt in the mood rather than waiting until tomorrow evening and hoping for the best. I trained in my XC spikes, a bad idea given the state of my calves and one I’d pay for later. I felt very good tonight and the target times were 85 and 30 but I had no intention of running any slower than 83. I shared the pace with Smithy for the majority and felt within myself. My calves got progressively sorer but I just had to get on with it. I had to ice my calves afterwards as I was in considerable discomfort walking around! I was very pleased to bank this session and if it means sore calves for a day or two then so be it. Phil said that although I trained faster this week, I looked better last week but I am not sure why. I can’t wait until I combine both! My chest was very tight tonight but only on the recoveries. I didn’t take any hay-fever medication today so I reckon that could be why. It was such a relief to train well tonight and having spoken to Phil I am pretty sure I know why I seem to have struggled these past few weeks compared to where I'd like to have progressed to. Having spoken to a lot of the guys who also went to FR I am the only one who was able to do a session the first weekend back. I happened to train well that day but unfortunately I think it has meant I hav adapted a few days later than everyone else; almost all the other guys have run a PB or close to already. The other consideration Phil was keen to stress yesterday when I was being overly analytical was that I should wait to feel like there's some altitude benefit and maybe even post-testing before drawing conclusions. Everyone is individual and it is impossible to predict altitude response. Maybe my excellent performance has been delayed until the BMC 5k then! I got home, had some dinner and tried in vain to find something half-decent on TV. I realised just before bed that I have not spoken to my housemate Matt for literally months so I called to see how his life is going and tell him the good news that I’d be in Birmingham on Saturday night. This was a relief to him as it coincides with Wilko going back to Leeds for a few days next week and Midge can barely cook toast.
Monday, 24 May 2010
Adidas Supernova Glide
pm: Easy 45 mins + light circuits
6.5mi
I didn’t sleep very well last night as I could not stop thinking about yesterday’s race and also it was roasting hot. The straw that broke the camel's back was a huge argument between a chav couple that I tried to ignore for as long as I could. Eventually I had to get up and look out of the window as it sounded like it could get a bit violent; thankfully my baseball bat stayed in the wardrobe. I felt tired this morning and would have missed my train had my dear mother not run me to the rail station. I had to eat porridge out of a tub on the train but once I'd finished I composed myself, washed my face in the toilet at the station, had a nice orange juice from Starbucks and was ready to click into being a big shot in a suit. The first thing I did at work was log onto Start Fitness. My foot was a little sore yesterday so I have ordered some new shoes: 2 pairs of trainers at a cost of bloody £130 as unfortunately I cannot play the trick of getting shoes for 66% of original SRP as I am forced to buy the new version! The correlation between those who have worn the Supernova Glide and those who have had enflamed sesamoid bones is too strong to ignore any longer. Phil has been begging me to buy new trainers for weeks and I have finally given in. My foot was a little sore warming up and down yesterday but ok in the race. What tipped me over the edge to part with £130 was when Wilko said afterwards 'my foot's sore' and I said 'mine too' but he quickly replied 'not my sesamoid bones, just blisters; my foot's fine since I changed shoes.' It would be nice if he got Adidas to send me some free ones as I am very, very brand-loyal. It's Adidas shoes, IPods, The Times, Quaker's Oats and Activia Yoghurts - some things just cannot be compromised for cheaper alternatives. I had woken up with a cough and a sore throat this morning and it wasn't until lunchtime that I could speak properly; luckily I didn't need to. I achieved nothing at work all day as my boss lost his head and was down in the dumps for some reason; as a consequence he gave me no work (literally none). The only activity I undertook all day was walking up to the Otley Road for lunch with a colleague to waste as much time as possible. We went to 'Brod' as it is a particular favourite of Stephen Lisgo (he used to, and still does, go on about it all the time) but I never actually knew where it was. To be honest, it was a pretty standard tuna sandwich for £2.50. I got home about 5.40 to run with the guys. I felt pretty good tonight. I expected to be quite knackered from yesterday and was prepared for a very easy plod in 8 minute miles but was pleasantly surprised. I was stiff and sore from the knee down on both legs with my left shin feeling a little irritated. I also had slightly tight hamstrings; I think these are to be expected after my first proper track race though. I didn’t do any strides because of these niggles. It was cooler and nice for running which helped this evening although it was still vest and shorts and very hot for Leeds. I didn’t do much at circuits as I was sore in my groin and glutes and I don’t want to be too sore to train tomorrow. I stretched quite a lot though. My grandparents came round in the evening to ask questions about my adventures and watch a fairly abject 3-1 England win, worth watching for Glen Johnson's wonder strike. Bed at 11.
6.5mi
I didn’t sleep very well last night as I could not stop thinking about yesterday’s race and also it was roasting hot. The straw that broke the camel's back was a huge argument between a chav couple that I tried to ignore for as long as I could. Eventually I had to get up and look out of the window as it sounded like it could get a bit violent; thankfully my baseball bat stayed in the wardrobe. I felt tired this morning and would have missed my train had my dear mother not run me to the rail station. I had to eat porridge out of a tub on the train but once I'd finished I composed myself, washed my face in the toilet at the station, had a nice orange juice from Starbucks and was ready to click into being a big shot in a suit. The first thing I did at work was log onto Start Fitness. My foot was a little sore yesterday so I have ordered some new shoes: 2 pairs of trainers at a cost of bloody £130 as unfortunately I cannot play the trick of getting shoes for 66% of original SRP as I am forced to buy the new version! The correlation between those who have worn the Supernova Glide and those who have had enflamed sesamoid bones is too strong to ignore any longer. Phil has been begging me to buy new trainers for weeks and I have finally given in. My foot was a little sore warming up and down yesterday but ok in the race. What tipped me over the edge to part with £130 was when Wilko said afterwards 'my foot's sore' and I said 'mine too' but he quickly replied 'not my sesamoid bones, just blisters; my foot's fine since I changed shoes.' It would be nice if he got Adidas to send me some free ones as I am very, very brand-loyal. It's Adidas shoes, IPods, The Times, Quaker's Oats and Activia Yoghurts - some things just cannot be compromised for cheaper alternatives. I had woken up with a cough and a sore throat this morning and it wasn't until lunchtime that I could speak properly; luckily I didn't need to. I achieved nothing at work all day as my boss lost his head and was down in the dumps for some reason; as a consequence he gave me no work (literally none). The only activity I undertook all day was walking up to the Otley Road for lunch with a colleague to waste as much time as possible. We went to 'Brod' as it is a particular favourite of Stephen Lisgo (he used to, and still does, go on about it all the time) but I never actually knew where it was. To be honest, it was a pretty standard tuna sandwich for £2.50. I got home about 5.40 to run with the guys. I felt pretty good tonight. I expected to be quite knackered from yesterday and was prepared for a very easy plod in 8 minute miles but was pleasantly surprised. I was stiff and sore from the knee down on both legs with my left shin feeling a little irritated. I also had slightly tight hamstrings; I think these are to be expected after my first proper track race though. I didn’t do any strides because of these niggles. It was cooler and nice for running which helped this evening although it was still vest and shorts and very hot for Leeds. I didn’t do much at circuits as I was sore in my groin and glutes and I don’t want to be too sore to train tomorrow. I stretched quite a lot though. My grandparents came round in the evening to ask questions about my adventures and watch a fairly abject 3-1 England win, worth watching for Glen Johnson's wonder strike. Bed at 11.
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Loughborough Intenational 3k
am: Very easy 25 mins shakeout
pm: Loughborough International 300m - 8.43
7mi
WEEK: 60mi - A bit of a lower-mileage week which I think I perhaps needed as I've been struggling for quality of late. Good session on Tuesday and then a steady week should set me up for a good 5k debut as I think all my fitness is still trapped in aerobic conditioning - NOTE: must go off slower next race!
I had a good night's sleep in Singhy's bed last night surrounded by Burnley FC memorabilia. I went downstairs to discover Peersy and Lewis watching some retro Gladiators. Rhino was particularly impressive and the travelator looked much easier than I remember. We the went for an easy easy morning shakeout and it was stiflingly hot, quite ridiculous. I didn’t feel too great this morning and was a little out of breath at points but I think a lot of that was to do with how hot and humid it was. We did very little all day, conserving as much energy as possible and staying out of the baking sun. We watched The Hangover, a lot of SSN and had a nice chat with Lew's parents and grandparents who arrived early afternoon. Bowser popped in a couple of times to say hello; I think he was just driving around Loughborough all day to waste time. We walked down to the track about 4pm and I was sweating almost straight away. I was given an informal 'history of Loughborough' by Adam Peers and was suitably impressed. I got my number and went to meet my Mum & Dad who were sat with the Brum mob. I caught up with a few of the guys, watched the 1500 and went to get ready. It was so hot that all I did was a very slow 10 mins jog and a couple of drills before dousing myself in water to keep cool - it was pushing 30°c track side. I was pretty nervous today but I didn’t let it get the better of me. My mind was doing its best to try and talk me out of it, even on the start line a little voice in my head was saying ‘it’s not too late to pull out now, what are you doing in this race – they’re all too good for you.’ I fought it off by telling myself I wanted to be in this race, this is what we train for. The gun went and I was fine. If anything, I may have been a little too pepped up as I ended up going out too fast although I had done everything to remain chilled out pre-race. I went through 1k in roughly 2.43/2.44 which was too fast, but the main mistake was the way I ran this first kilometre. I felt fantastic on the first lap with a lot of bounce but by 600 the race was starting to split up into its relevant groups. I found myself naturally picking it up to close the gap and heard Phil shout ‘it’s too fast, stop moving through.’ I tried to ease back a bit but as soon as I did I felt much worse. By about 1250m I was on my own in a big gap and it was an uphill struggle from there. Up until that point I’d been sheltered from the wind and now I was taking all of it. I managed to stay relaxed and try and get into a rhythm to slowly close the gap to Craig Hopkins up in front. I slowly reeled him in but he re-overtook me with about 60m left. I went to pieces in the final 600 and dread to think what I ran the last lap in. I didn’t kick really in the last 200, I just ran to the finish which isn’t ever acceptable as when you’ve run 90 odd % of the race it is a crime not to finish it off regardless of how it has gone (22nd out of 23 is obviously not the aim). I was sick a few times afterwards and had a bad head but managed to squeeze in a very slow 10 minute mile to warm down. I did another 1mi jog when we got home as I stiffened up in the car; especially my right groin and my calves. I felt much better for jogging. I had some dinner and watched 2 episodes of 24 before going to bed. I had a huge blood blister that I had to clean up in the shower as I didn't want to stain my sheets (with blood from my toe before anyone tries to twist my words) overnight. I got into bed a lot more dissatisfied with today than I had been earlier. It certainly didn’t go entirely to plan but I have to be richer for the experience and although in hindsight I probably could have run much quicker had I gone off a couple of seconds slower per lap early on, I don’t necessarily regret having a bit of a go for the opening 3 laps; doing it in 30°c with a bit of wind probably wasn’t the best tactic though.
pm: Loughborough International 300m - 8.43
7mi
WEEK: 60mi - A bit of a lower-mileage week which I think I perhaps needed as I've been struggling for quality of late. Good session on Tuesday and then a steady week should set me up for a good 5k debut as I think all my fitness is still trapped in aerobic conditioning - NOTE: must go off slower next race!
I had a good night's sleep in Singhy's bed last night surrounded by Burnley FC memorabilia. I went downstairs to discover Peersy and Lewis watching some retro Gladiators. Rhino was particularly impressive and the travelator looked much easier than I remember. We the went for an easy easy morning shakeout and it was stiflingly hot, quite ridiculous. I didn’t feel too great this morning and was a little out of breath at points but I think a lot of that was to do with how hot and humid it was. We did very little all day, conserving as much energy as possible and staying out of the baking sun. We watched The Hangover, a lot of SSN and had a nice chat with Lew's parents and grandparents who arrived early afternoon. Bowser popped in a couple of times to say hello; I think he was just driving around Loughborough all day to waste time. We walked down to the track about 4pm and I was sweating almost straight away. I was given an informal 'history of Loughborough' by Adam Peers and was suitably impressed. I got my number and went to meet my Mum & Dad who were sat with the Brum mob. I caught up with a few of the guys, watched the 1500 and went to get ready. It was so hot that all I did was a very slow 10 mins jog and a couple of drills before dousing myself in water to keep cool - it was pushing 30°c track side. I was pretty nervous today but I didn’t let it get the better of me. My mind was doing its best to try and talk me out of it, even on the start line a little voice in my head was saying ‘it’s not too late to pull out now, what are you doing in this race – they’re all too good for you.’ I fought it off by telling myself I wanted to be in this race, this is what we train for. The gun went and I was fine. If anything, I may have been a little too pepped up as I ended up going out too fast although I had done everything to remain chilled out pre-race. I went through 1k in roughly 2.43/2.44 which was too fast, but the main mistake was the way I ran this first kilometre. I felt fantastic on the first lap with a lot of bounce but by 600 the race was starting to split up into its relevant groups. I found myself naturally picking it up to close the gap and heard Phil shout ‘it’s too fast, stop moving through.’ I tried to ease back a bit but as soon as I did I felt much worse. By about 1250m I was on my own in a big gap and it was an uphill struggle from there. Up until that point I’d been sheltered from the wind and now I was taking all of it. I managed to stay relaxed and try and get into a rhythm to slowly close the gap to Craig Hopkins up in front. I slowly reeled him in but he re-overtook me with about 60m left. I went to pieces in the final 600 and dread to think what I ran the last lap in. I didn’t kick really in the last 200, I just ran to the finish which isn’t ever acceptable as when you’ve run 90 odd % of the race it is a crime not to finish it off regardless of how it has gone (22nd out of 23 is obviously not the aim). I was sick a few times afterwards and had a bad head but managed to squeeze in a very slow 10 minute mile to warm down. I did another 1mi jog when we got home as I stiffened up in the car; especially my right groin and my calves. I felt much better for jogging. I had some dinner and watched 2 episodes of 24 before going to bed. I had a huge blood blister that I had to clean up in the shower as I didn't want to stain my sheets (with blood from my toe before anyone tries to twist my words) overnight. I got into bed a lot more dissatisfied with today than I had been earlier. It certainly didn’t go entirely to plan but I have to be richer for the experience and although in hindsight I probably could have run much quicker had I gone off a couple of seconds slower per lap early on, I don’t necessarily regret having a bit of a go for the opening 3 laps; doing it in 30°c with a bit of wind probably wasn’t the best tactic though.
Saturday, 22 May 2010
London Baby!
am: 40 mins easy + strides
5.5mi
I slept like a log last night even though I was on a very suspect matress. I got up around 0930, had some cereal and then took the dog over to Deptford Park for an easy run. I tried to see this morning's run in a positive manner as it is good that there is a grass park less than 200m from my Grandparents house - the fact the perimeter is probably only 800m is the drawback. It was a beautiful day but roasting hot! Luckily I was in the shade of trees for almost all my run so I barely sweated despite the temperature. I felt fresh and bouncy today; a nice change from yesterday. Still, I felt tired when I stopped despite running at such an easy pace although I think the heat had a lot to do with that. Running with Molly the Labrador was an experience as she is no Wilson, that’s for sure; I think she hit the wall after 2mi or so! Both Achilles were really stiff when I started jogging but ok after a couple of minutes. I didn’t take an anti-histamine pre-run out of forgetfulness which was a bit silly as I was sneezing like buggery last night when I took the dog to the park. I did a few strides just to stretch my legs. My Grandad had been at work this morning so he had a nap until about 1300 and I just watched some TV. After lunch we went to visit my Gran in hospital and it took us forever to get there. Thanks to some protestors in Trafalgar Square some of the roads were closed but on the upside I got to see the sites as we had to cross the bridge and go around Parliament Square before doubling back. After finally getting to St Thomas Hospital I was astonished at what I saw. It was like bloody Meadowhall on the ground floor! An M&S, a splattering of restaurants and a souvenir shop. The latter really takes the biscuit. Come on now, who buys a souvenir at the hospital? Every time you glance at the mantel piece to see a hand-held replica of Westminster Abbey there is the reminder of when you tried in vain to shit those kidney stones out, culminating in the Doctor having to getting them out for you. Anyway, rant over. Back on topic. I wasn't at the hospital to buy Percy Pigs, some of you will know that my Gran isn't very well. I didn't think I'd be hugely affected but when I saw her sat in her ward I found it quite distressing. She looked incredibly frail and as awful as it sounds part of me thought she'd be better off passing away. She was jsut staring at the wall when we got there but came around a lot and was chatty enough. I think when it gets to the point of just sitting in a ward all day, medicated up to your eye balls then it is not really living. We left about 90 mins later as she had to go for a scan; I won't bore you with the details of the conversations in this hour and a half. Seeing what my Grandad was like in the hospital makes me glad that I happened to be down on a weekend where he would otherwise have been lonely in the house as he was so drained after we left. We got back to the house and listened to the end of the play-off final astonished that Blackpool are going to be in the Premier League next year; hats off. I made some dinner when my Grandad and Aunt went to Church and then headed off to get the tube to St Pancras International. People were passing out in the Underground due to the heat! I was mightily impressed by the new EuroStar terminal and killed time by looking around it and its various shops. I bought 'The Winning Mind' by Seb Coe and read the first 30 or so pages on the train to Loughborough. Despite being in First Class there was no wi-fi so I missed the Champions League Final! Strangely Lewis and Peersy rocked up at Loughborough Station in a posh Passat Saloon; it turns out it was Lewis' girlfriend's company car. It was gone 10pm when I got to their house - an incredibly nice one for students! I slept in Singhy's room - a Burnley fanatic - in a comfortable bed that I was grateful for.
5.5mi
I slept like a log last night even though I was on a very suspect matress. I got up around 0930, had some cereal and then took the dog over to Deptford Park for an easy run. I tried to see this morning's run in a positive manner as it is good that there is a grass park less than 200m from my Grandparents house - the fact the perimeter is probably only 800m is the drawback. It was a beautiful day but roasting hot! Luckily I was in the shade of trees for almost all my run so I barely sweated despite the temperature. I felt fresh and bouncy today; a nice change from yesterday. Still, I felt tired when I stopped despite running at such an easy pace although I think the heat had a lot to do with that. Running with Molly the Labrador was an experience as she is no Wilson, that’s for sure; I think she hit the wall after 2mi or so! Both Achilles were really stiff when I started jogging but ok after a couple of minutes. I didn’t take an anti-histamine pre-run out of forgetfulness which was a bit silly as I was sneezing like buggery last night when I took the dog to the park. I did a few strides just to stretch my legs. My Grandad had been at work this morning so he had a nap until about 1300 and I just watched some TV. After lunch we went to visit my Gran in hospital and it took us forever to get there. Thanks to some protestors in Trafalgar Square some of the roads were closed but on the upside I got to see the sites as we had to cross the bridge and go around Parliament Square before doubling back. After finally getting to St Thomas Hospital I was astonished at what I saw. It was like bloody Meadowhall on the ground floor! An M&S, a splattering of restaurants and a souvenir shop. The latter really takes the biscuit. Come on now, who buys a souvenir at the hospital? Every time you glance at the mantel piece to see a hand-held replica of Westminster Abbey there is the reminder of when you tried in vain to shit those kidney stones out, culminating in the Doctor having to getting them out for you. Anyway, rant over. Back on topic. I wasn't at the hospital to buy Percy Pigs, some of you will know that my Gran isn't very well. I didn't think I'd be hugely affected but when I saw her sat in her ward I found it quite distressing. She looked incredibly frail and as awful as it sounds part of me thought she'd be better off passing away. She was jsut staring at the wall when we got there but came around a lot and was chatty enough. I think when it gets to the point of just sitting in a ward all day, medicated up to your eye balls then it is not really living. We left about 90 mins later as she had to go for a scan; I won't bore you with the details of the conversations in this hour and a half. Seeing what my Grandad was like in the hospital makes me glad that I happened to be down on a weekend where he would otherwise have been lonely in the house as he was so drained after we left. We got back to the house and listened to the end of the play-off final astonished that Blackpool are going to be in the Premier League next year; hats off. I made some dinner when my Grandad and Aunt went to Church and then headed off to get the tube to St Pancras International. People were passing out in the Underground due to the heat! I was mightily impressed by the new EuroStar terminal and killed time by looking around it and its various shops. I bought 'The Winning Mind' by Seb Coe and read the first 30 or so pages on the train to Loughborough. Despite being in First Class there was no wi-fi so I missed the Champions League Final! Strangely Lewis and Peersy rocked up at Loughborough Station in a posh Passat Saloon; it turns out it was Lewis' girlfriend's company car. It was gone 10pm when I got to their house - an incredibly nice one for students! I slept in Singhy's room - a Burnley fanatic - in a comfortable bed that I was grateful for.
Friday, 21 May 2010
A Very Short Post
am: Easy 40 mins on canal trails
pm: Travelled to London on train
5mi
I'll keep this brief as I achieved very little on Friday and I'm currently catching up on blog posts. I got up, packed for the weekend ahead, did a run and then got the train to London. I got lost on the tube a bit for eventually reached my Grandparents' house in south-east London at around 7pm. It was great to catch up with my Grandad as I haven't seen him more than a year. We has fish & chips and just generally caught up until about midnight. My Aunt Jill told me the next morning how much brighter he'd been for having me around so that in itself has made the trip down here worthwhile. Here's my training log entry for today's run where I felt terrible:
I ran through Millennium & on the canal trails. I felt quite shit today, very ploddy. It was stiflingly hot & humid which didn’t help but I was just uncomfortable. I made myself run very slowly as my HR seemed to be escalating if I ran a bit quicker. I was a little worried about this but Dad reckons it’s nothing to worry about as long as I was running well into my easy zone. The dog struggled in the heat even more than I! My calves were a bit stiff, not tight or sore, to begin with but eased quickly. I was down to run an hour but cut it down as I saw little point in running that slowly, feeling shit and having to keep tabs on my HR.
pm: Travelled to London on train
5mi
I'll keep this brief as I achieved very little on Friday and I'm currently catching up on blog posts. I got up, packed for the weekend ahead, did a run and then got the train to London. I got lost on the tube a bit for eventually reached my Grandparents' house in south-east London at around 7pm. It was great to catch up with my Grandad as I haven't seen him more than a year. We has fish & chips and just generally caught up until about midnight. My Aunt Jill told me the next morning how much brighter he'd been for having me around so that in itself has made the trip down here worthwhile. Here's my training log entry for today's run where I felt terrible:
I ran through Millennium & on the canal trails. I felt quite shit today, very ploddy. It was stiflingly hot & humid which didn’t help but I was just uncomfortable. I made myself run very slowly as my HR seemed to be escalating if I ran a bit quicker. I was a little worried about this but Dad reckons it’s nothing to worry about as long as I was running well into my easy zone. The dog struggled in the heat even more than I! My calves were a bit stiff, not tight or sore, to begin with but eased quickly. I was down to run an hour but cut it down as I saw little point in running that slowly, feeling shit and having to keep tabs on my HR.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
First Pre-Race Blog: Loughborough International
I thought it was appropriate to put up how I feel about Saturday's race as I've been thinking about it a lot these past days. I am going to visit my ill Grandmother in London tomorrow which I am actually looking forward to; at the time I booked my train it was a bit of a chore. I think getting away for the couple of days before Sunday should keep me relaxed so I am not obsessing. The start list went up for Loughborough 3k the other day and it is difficult not to be intimidated by such a high class field. I rationalised things as quickly as I could and really nothing has changed just because they put the field online. I knew I was putting myself in a race where I’d be one of the slowest and I still know that if I run my own race and to my form I’ll have no problems, regardless of who is running (to a certain extent anyway!). the feeling of anxiety soon changed to one of excitement as at the end of the day, everyone in that race expects to beat me so what have I got to lose? The negativity that tries to seep in is over fears like ‘I don’t want to get really detached and look a clown’ and/or ‘I’ve been to altitude fir 3 weeks and people are bound to expect me to run well.’ I can honestly say that during a race it has never crossed my mind to think about other people’s reaction to my performance so why should I be worried about it before the race? When the start lists went up I briefly spoke with Phil and I could easily sense his concern: ‘are you going to be ok in that race?’ and I immediately answered ‘it’s about time I was.’ I’ve been to watch this race for each of the last 3 years, every time leaving with the desire to run in it next time. This is that year and I know that come Sunday, when I’m walking along the back straight, every sinew stiffened every sense on edge, that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Don’t get me wrong, this race is not the pinnacle of my running career or even my season, but I cannot help feeling the significance of this race trying to escape from inside me in the days leading up. Is this the race where I finally make some sort of breakthrough? I certainly feel a bit more under pressure after the fantastic performances of friends and rivals over the last few days but if they can do it, why can’t I? Anyway, however it goes on Sunday, at least I’ve documented how I’m feeling and maybe it will be helpful to others to see my thought process; I know I feel better for having written all this down. How about that for a first pre-race blog?
The Captain is Back
am: Easy 30 mins on trails
pm: 8 x 200 stride/200 jog(75 secs)-30, 30, 30, 29, 29, 29, 30, 28
11.5mi
I slept until I woke up this morning, which was 0840, as I could go into work a little later (I got there about 0945). Today is the first day that I have felt back to normal totally when performing simple daily tasks although I had a restless night’s sleep last night. I had a simple morning at work and then went to meet the Kid for an easy 30 at 1130. This morning I saw the results of Watford last night and was delighted to see Captain Craig Gundersen had obliterated his 3k PB despite a winter of injury - great job skip. The last couple of days have seen some great performances from BUAC guys but special praise should go to Gundo and Josh Gorecki (3.50) for putting months of injury trouble behind them to record huge personal bests. So, I met the Kid and we ran on some twisty trails and then around Kirkstall Abbey. I am now pretty sure I am hay-feverish as I felt really good before I ran but as soon as I went outside and started to jog I felt heavy, had a tight-chest and was generally sluggish. My HR was higher than it should be and the temperature was close to 20 degrees. I presume the pollen count is high because of the heat and humidity so I’m going to start on my meds this evening. For some reason, I usually suffer from hay-fever at the start of summer and then it is ok after 2 or 3 weeks. Last summer I benefited massively from the tablets so I’ll use them again and see the impact. So, I ran with the Kid at a very easy pace but felt poor. I suppose the main positive is that I had no niggles but I felt rubbish and had a higher HR than usual. I enjoyed this run still as I haven't seen much of Nick for 2 months or so and it was nice to have a general catch up. It is good to hear he is stepping his running up again after injury and he seemed genuinely positive about his progress. We said our goodbyes as I split off and he carried on. I had a shower and some lunch and then cracked on with some work. I managed to finish all my separate pieces for the Pakistan vs Australia Test match except for one that needs finalising. I was delighted to find a new route to the train station and so I didn't have to do the last minute downhill sprint to make the 11 mins past train. As has been the case for the last week I once again didn't have to buy a ticket from Burley Park along with a young lad on his way to join the army. He seemed like a good guy and I wished him luck and said I hadn't the courage to be a soldier as I'd be shit scared. He said 'best place for me, can't get a job!' Fair enough! I watched the last ever Friends episode so any of you that have seen it will understand why I was in such good spirits on my way to training! I had the pleasant surprise of seeing 800m star Lil Mikey Salter when I got to training despite rumours that he'd be back in Birmingham for big sesh. This lifted my spirits yet further. I presume I have this a bit from McLeod and a bit from Ali, but I seem to start my warm up jogs very, very slowly now - me and Ali were about 50m behind once we'd been through the car park! I felt bouncy on drills and quickly got on with what was really a glorified session of strides. I felt much better this evening but I still do not feel fresh. I trained in my cross spikes and didn’t suffer from tight calves at all. I felt very comfortable running 30s which I can churn out like clockwork at the moment, but I ran a lot harder off the bend on the final rep without being able to go much quicker! That was a little concerning but I really haven’t done any 15-specific stuff so I can’t argue with that. I don’t have much else to write really. It was very warm and pretty windy tonight, but generally nice for running. I did a bit longer warm down as I was waiting around for the boys and then headed off home. I just missed out on getting Fish & Chips as my mum phoned whilst I wa sin the queue to say she had made dinner; gutted. After dinner, a couple more episodes of 'Strike Back' and ''Question Time' I was ready to hit the hay, though yet again I did not feel tired in the evening.
pm: 8 x 200 stride/200 jog(75 secs)-30, 30, 30, 29, 29, 29, 30, 28
11.5mi
I slept until I woke up this morning, which was 0840, as I could go into work a little later (I got there about 0945). Today is the first day that I have felt back to normal totally when performing simple daily tasks although I had a restless night’s sleep last night. I had a simple morning at work and then went to meet the Kid for an easy 30 at 1130. This morning I saw the results of Watford last night and was delighted to see Captain Craig Gundersen had obliterated his 3k PB despite a winter of injury - great job skip. The last couple of days have seen some great performances from BUAC guys but special praise should go to Gundo and Josh Gorecki (3.50) for putting months of injury trouble behind them to record huge personal bests. So, I met the Kid and we ran on some twisty trails and then around Kirkstall Abbey. I am now pretty sure I am hay-feverish as I felt really good before I ran but as soon as I went outside and started to jog I felt heavy, had a tight-chest and was generally sluggish. My HR was higher than it should be and the temperature was close to 20 degrees. I presume the pollen count is high because of the heat and humidity so I’m going to start on my meds this evening. For some reason, I usually suffer from hay-fever at the start of summer and then it is ok after 2 or 3 weeks. Last summer I benefited massively from the tablets so I’ll use them again and see the impact. So, I ran with the Kid at a very easy pace but felt poor. I suppose the main positive is that I had no niggles but I felt rubbish and had a higher HR than usual. I enjoyed this run still as I haven't seen much of Nick for 2 months or so and it was nice to have a general catch up. It is good to hear he is stepping his running up again after injury and he seemed genuinely positive about his progress. We said our goodbyes as I split off and he carried on. I had a shower and some lunch and then cracked on with some work. I managed to finish all my separate pieces for the Pakistan vs Australia Test match except for one that needs finalising. I was delighted to find a new route to the train station and so I didn't have to do the last minute downhill sprint to make the 11 mins past train. As has been the case for the last week I once again didn't have to buy a ticket from Burley Park along with a young lad on his way to join the army. He seemed like a good guy and I wished him luck and said I hadn't the courage to be a soldier as I'd be shit scared. He said 'best place for me, can't get a job!' Fair enough! I watched the last ever Friends episode so any of you that have seen it will understand why I was in such good spirits on my way to training! I had the pleasant surprise of seeing 800m star Lil Mikey Salter when I got to training despite rumours that he'd be back in Birmingham for big sesh. This lifted my spirits yet further. I presume I have this a bit from McLeod and a bit from Ali, but I seem to start my warm up jogs very, very slowly now - me and Ali were about 50m behind once we'd been through the car park! I felt bouncy on drills and quickly got on with what was really a glorified session of strides. I felt much better this evening but I still do not feel fresh. I trained in my cross spikes and didn’t suffer from tight calves at all. I felt very comfortable running 30s which I can churn out like clockwork at the moment, but I ran a lot harder off the bend on the final rep without being able to go much quicker! That was a little concerning but I really haven’t done any 15-specific stuff so I can’t argue with that. I don’t have much else to write really. It was very warm and pretty windy tonight, but generally nice for running. I did a bit longer warm down as I was waiting around for the boys and then headed off home. I just missed out on getting Fish & Chips as my mum phoned whilst I wa sin the queue to say she had made dinner; gutted. After dinner, a couple more episodes of 'Strike Back' and ''Question Time' I was ready to hit the hay, though yet again I did not feel tired in the evening.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
A Day At Home
am: Easy 75 mins on the golf course and canal
pm: Drills
10.5mi
So the plan was to sleep in as late as I could. I went to bed about 2230 and was woken up by my Dad at 0930; that's a pretty long sleep. I felt ok, a lot more refreshed than when I've been stumbling around the house, tripping over dogs and knocking over vases for the last week. I got some breakfast and tried to work out if there was a way of recording the Daegu grand prix but there wasn't as it was online/red-button. I was planning on absolutely shuffling this morning so running with Phil & 'Mad' Martin Sanders was good. We were out of the door at 1115 and I was not looking forward to negotiating 75 mins (I've moved my training around a little this week due to a Sunday race). I felt terrible immediately today, just pretty tired. I got going after a mile or so and then felt ok just moving along at an easy pace. I had a long discussion with Martin about marathon running as he wants to get back to 100mi a week and have a good go at running 2.25-2.30 next April; fair play to him. I split off after 30 mins or so and headed for the canal. After about 40 mins I made the commitment to do at least 70 mins by going out to the far bridge near Methley. When I got to the apex of the hill just before it I felt very tired and the rest of the run I had to concentrate on running slowly enough to keep my HR down as it was harder to control than usual. It was pretty windy today and quite hot and humid so I think that is why my HR was a little higher. Phil was unconcerned by it so I am too. Didn’t do strides as I had to eke out the last 5 mins as it was; strides would have been worthless! I watched some athletics and did a bit of stretching over lunch as I had to wait for the plumber to come and go. Once he'd left I ran a hot bath and set up my laptop so I could watch '1968: Black Power Salute' on iplayer. I didn't know half the stuff that was on the documentary so it was a really interesting watch. I watched a couple of old One Tree Hill episodes, put dinner on and then went to do drills. The plan was to jog down or walk down to the canal with the dogs, let them off so they could run around a bit, do my drills session for half an hour or so and jog/walk home. It didn't quite turn out that way. The dogs were very excited when I asked if they wanted to go out but this lasted just a minute or so. Alfie, my King Charles Spaniel, decided after 30 secs of jogging that he wanted to go home so he dug his claws in to the ground and coughed like he was being choked. Embarrassingly this was in front of someone I knew, their helpful input was 'I don't think he wants to go!' I kept trying and for a brief period of 15 seconds Alfie started sprinting down the hill, only to slam the brakes on and begin yelping. I carried him for a bit and tried again but he got worse! I gave up. When both dogs realised we were going towards home they sprinted flat out for the entire 3 mins, so proving that it was pure laziness that caused their behaviour. I did the same drills session from Font Romeu on the drive in my back garden instead. I felt pretty good doing these and had expected to be a bit tired from this morning’s run but I was ok and think I did them pretty well. I had a beef dinner and then watched a new show on Sky One called 'Strike Back' and was very impressed. Writing this blog I have realised that essentially, all I did today was train and watch TV; it was a good day. I went to bed for 1030 to try and get back into a sleeping pattern.
pm: Drills
10.5mi
So the plan was to sleep in as late as I could. I went to bed about 2230 and was woken up by my Dad at 0930; that's a pretty long sleep. I felt ok, a lot more refreshed than when I've been stumbling around the house, tripping over dogs and knocking over vases for the last week. I got some breakfast and tried to work out if there was a way of recording the Daegu grand prix but there wasn't as it was online/red-button. I was planning on absolutely shuffling this morning so running with Phil & 'Mad' Martin Sanders was good. We were out of the door at 1115 and I was not looking forward to negotiating 75 mins (I've moved my training around a little this week due to a Sunday race). I felt terrible immediately today, just pretty tired. I got going after a mile or so and then felt ok just moving along at an easy pace. I had a long discussion with Martin about marathon running as he wants to get back to 100mi a week and have a good go at running 2.25-2.30 next April; fair play to him. I split off after 30 mins or so and headed for the canal. After about 40 mins I made the commitment to do at least 70 mins by going out to the far bridge near Methley. When I got to the apex of the hill just before it I felt very tired and the rest of the run I had to concentrate on running slowly enough to keep my HR down as it was harder to control than usual. It was pretty windy today and quite hot and humid so I think that is why my HR was a little higher. Phil was unconcerned by it so I am too. Didn’t do strides as I had to eke out the last 5 mins as it was; strides would have been worthless! I watched some athletics and did a bit of stretching over lunch as I had to wait for the plumber to come and go. Once he'd left I ran a hot bath and set up my laptop so I could watch '1968: Black Power Salute' on iplayer. I didn't know half the stuff that was on the documentary so it was a really interesting watch. I watched a couple of old One Tree Hill episodes, put dinner on and then went to do drills. The plan was to jog down or walk down to the canal with the dogs, let them off so they could run around a bit, do my drills session for half an hour or so and jog/walk home. It didn't quite turn out that way. The dogs were very excited when I asked if they wanted to go out but this lasted just a minute or so. Alfie, my King Charles Spaniel, decided after 30 secs of jogging that he wanted to go home so he dug his claws in to the ground and coughed like he was being choked. Embarrassingly this was in front of someone I knew, their helpful input was 'I don't think he wants to go!' I kept trying and for a brief period of 15 seconds Alfie started sprinting down the hill, only to slam the brakes on and begin yelping. I carried him for a bit and tried again but he got worse! I gave up. When both dogs realised we were going towards home they sprinted flat out for the entire 3 mins, so proving that it was pure laziness that caused their behaviour. I did the same drills session from Font Romeu on the drive in my back garden instead. I felt pretty good doing these and had expected to be a bit tired from this morning’s run but I was ok and think I did them pretty well. I had a beef dinner and then watched a new show on Sky One called 'Strike Back' and was very impressed. Writing this blog I have realised that essentially, all I did today was train and watch TV; it was a good day. I went to bed for 1030 to try and get back into a sleeping pattern.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
ZA-TO-PEK!
am: Easy 30 on road, grass and trails from the Cricket Ground in Headingley
pm: 5 x (600, 200) 200 jog (80 secs) – 1.43, 1.42, 1.41, 1.41, 1.41, 30, 30, 30, 29, 29 at South Leeds
12.5mi
This morning I felt quite fresh walking to the train station and I was thinking about how I know I’m going to do a good session this evening; I sometimes get this feeling, I don't know why, but it is just when my body doesn't feel especially tired. Unfortunately, this feeling lasted little more than half an hour. I felt a bit sluggish and tired across the morning but once I got running I felt good. No niggles really, a pretty standard half hour on the grass & trails at Beckett Park. I ran from Headingley Stadium to Queenswood Drive and ran around the perimeter of the trails at Carnegie for a lap. It was great weather to run in but I soon found out the plague of green-flies is not isolated to Woodlesford. I got back, had a shower at the indoor cricket centre, ate some lunch and got back to my desk. It took 30 mins or so for me to feel like I was back to square one. I am just physically drained. My 'boss' is away these next 2 days so I am not obliged to come in. I definitely am not tomorrow as I feel like I need a day to catch up on some sleep and try and freshen myself up as apart from the first morning back, I've been getting up early every morning. There is a possibility that a bit of hay-fever could be a contributory factor but I consider that unlikely. I went home at 4pm so I could chill a bit before training and try and recharge the batteries a bit. When Phil and I arrived at South Leeds it was uninspiring to see we only had 5 guys turning up for training. This wasn't what I needed as I felt flat and tired so the prospective of taking all the reps myself didn't fill me with optimism. I had hoped to repeat the success with Smithy from Saturday but he is racing 10k tomorrow. I tried to wake up and concentrate on the jog and drills to get myself going. I felt quite crap this evening and I am feeling very drained a lot at the moment. I decided to feel my way into the session and was more concerned with getting it done than flying on it. I felt very easy but a bit shitty. It was weird, I just didn’t want to run any quicker than I was doing on the 6s so it was as if I found my comfort zone and my body simply wouldn’t come out of it. It wasn’t just a question of speed though as I felt fantastic on the 200s. It’s amazing how much difference, probably psychologically, not leading every rep makes as Elliott took over on rep 3 and it felt like we were jogging for the first 200; I expected the split to be 35 but it was 32! On all the 600s I was running through the line smoothly without any real fatigue. On the 5th one I had the urge to stop and walk as I was started to get a bit tired. Apparently I looked excellent tonight and Phil said it was the best my running form has been for a long time; this has to be good. I could have done another set but Phil said I was best to just do 5. I felt fresh as a daisy warming down, a la Saturday. I got home and watched some of Huddersfield against Millwall and then just lazed about until I felt properly tired as I knew I could sleep in tomorrow and I wanted to fall straight to sleep tonight. As a bit of casual toilet literature I read Emil Zatopek's section in the book 'Running with the Legends' that my Mum bought me a while back. I love everything this guy was about and I doubt anyone will ever rival his achievement of winning 5, 10 and marathon in the Olympics as it is a quite ridiculous feat. I'd recommend this book to anyone as there are about 15 different contributions. I'm not really looking forward to the Lasse Viren one mind...
pm: 5 x (600, 200) 200 jog (80 secs) – 1.43, 1.42, 1.41, 1.41, 1.41, 30, 30, 30, 29, 29 at South Leeds
12.5mi
This morning I felt quite fresh walking to the train station and I was thinking about how I know I’m going to do a good session this evening; I sometimes get this feeling, I don't know why, but it is just when my body doesn't feel especially tired. Unfortunately, this feeling lasted little more than half an hour. I felt a bit sluggish and tired across the morning but once I got running I felt good. No niggles really, a pretty standard half hour on the grass & trails at Beckett Park. I ran from Headingley Stadium to Queenswood Drive and ran around the perimeter of the trails at Carnegie for a lap. It was great weather to run in but I soon found out the plague of green-flies is not isolated to Woodlesford. I got back, had a shower at the indoor cricket centre, ate some lunch and got back to my desk. It took 30 mins or so for me to feel like I was back to square one. I am just physically drained. My 'boss' is away these next 2 days so I am not obliged to come in. I definitely am not tomorrow as I feel like I need a day to catch up on some sleep and try and freshen myself up as apart from the first morning back, I've been getting up early every morning. There is a possibility that a bit of hay-fever could be a contributory factor but I consider that unlikely. I went home at 4pm so I could chill a bit before training and try and recharge the batteries a bit. When Phil and I arrived at South Leeds it was uninspiring to see we only had 5 guys turning up for training. This wasn't what I needed as I felt flat and tired so the prospective of taking all the reps myself didn't fill me with optimism. I had hoped to repeat the success with Smithy from Saturday but he is racing 10k tomorrow. I tried to wake up and concentrate on the jog and drills to get myself going. I felt quite crap this evening and I am feeling very drained a lot at the moment. I decided to feel my way into the session and was more concerned with getting it done than flying on it. I felt very easy but a bit shitty. It was weird, I just didn’t want to run any quicker than I was doing on the 6s so it was as if I found my comfort zone and my body simply wouldn’t come out of it. It wasn’t just a question of speed though as I felt fantastic on the 200s. It’s amazing how much difference, probably psychologically, not leading every rep makes as Elliott took over on rep 3 and it felt like we were jogging for the first 200; I expected the split to be 35 but it was 32! On all the 600s I was running through the line smoothly without any real fatigue. On the 5th one I had the urge to stop and walk as I was started to get a bit tired. Apparently I looked excellent tonight and Phil said it was the best my running form has been for a long time; this has to be good. I could have done another set but Phil said I was best to just do 5. I felt fresh as a daisy warming down, a la Saturday. I got home and watched some of Huddersfield against Millwall and then just lazed about until I felt properly tired as I knew I could sleep in tomorrow and I wanted to fall straight to sleep tonight. As a bit of casual toilet literature I read Emil Zatopek's section in the book 'Running with the Legends' that my Mum bought me a while back. I love everything this guy was about and I doubt anyone will ever rival his achievement of winning 5, 10 and marathon in the Olympics as it is a quite ridiculous feat. I'd recommend this book to anyone as there are about 15 different contributions. I'm not really looking forward to the Lasse Viren one mind...
Monday, 17 May 2010
Sneaking off early
pm: Easy/steady 50 mins on canal trails + circuits straight after.
8mi
I got up at 0730 this morning but I don't think I woke up until gone 9. I shuffled about the house trying to get my stuff together and have my breakfast; thankfully I was getting a lift as I may have ended up asleep on the train and in some random Yorkshire rail station when awakening. Most of today was spent in meetings and then tweeting for the 1st & 2nd XI games. I felt horrific today and I think I was pretty useless. The article about 'Pakistan clutching defeat from the jaws of victory' I mentioned the other day got deleted in my spell of tiredness and was the final straw for me. My Mum was going back to Woodlesford at 3pm so I knocked off early and got a lift; I figured I would be exhausted this evening otherwise. I got home and had some belated lunch as I'd forgotten to make sandwiches this morning which I am sure was a contributory factor to my cavemen-like state. I then went to sleep for an hour and felt worse for it! I decided to jump in the shower to wake myself up for the 6pm run. Unfortunately, a bi-product of this was that 3 or 4 people arrived whilst I was showering and obviously the doors were locked! I gave my sincerest apologies, took a bit of abuse as the presumption was that I was showering to clean something off myself (which I ferociously denied!) and then headed out for a steady run with a good group of guys. It was a nice evening for running as it was warm but not stifling (until the latter stages). I ran with Deak and Danny at a good pace throughout. We picked it up every mile from down to about 6.10 and I felt pretty decent tonight but never incredibly comfortable. It was an effort to run that little bit quicker as Deak wanted to run a little faster this evening. It was never hard enough that I thought I should back off but it wasn’t an ‘easy’ run. I have a little swelling below my right knee that is a bit sore but Phil thinks it’s nothing. I had slightly tight calves post-run so decided against strides. I felt tired and drained at circuits and I think the humidity of the run played a part. My swelling below my right knee was sore and stopped me doing a few exercises but I needed the rest anyway! I had a big spag bol that I'd prepared for the family before my nap before watching some 24 (this series is fantastic and I definitely recommend it) and then getting to bed for 2230. What I am finding annoying at the moment is that I feel awful in the day and regardless of whether I nap or not I am not that sleepy come 10pm.
8mi
I got up at 0730 this morning but I don't think I woke up until gone 9. I shuffled about the house trying to get my stuff together and have my breakfast; thankfully I was getting a lift as I may have ended up asleep on the train and in some random Yorkshire rail station when awakening. Most of today was spent in meetings and then tweeting for the 1st & 2nd XI games. I felt horrific today and I think I was pretty useless. The article about 'Pakistan clutching defeat from the jaws of victory' I mentioned the other day got deleted in my spell of tiredness and was the final straw for me. My Mum was going back to Woodlesford at 3pm so I knocked off early and got a lift; I figured I would be exhausted this evening otherwise. I got home and had some belated lunch as I'd forgotten to make sandwiches this morning which I am sure was a contributory factor to my cavemen-like state. I then went to sleep for an hour and felt worse for it! I decided to jump in the shower to wake myself up for the 6pm run. Unfortunately, a bi-product of this was that 3 or 4 people arrived whilst I was showering and obviously the doors were locked! I gave my sincerest apologies, took a bit of abuse as the presumption was that I was showering to clean something off myself (which I ferociously denied!) and then headed out for a steady run with a good group of guys. It was a nice evening for running as it was warm but not stifling (until the latter stages). I ran with Deak and Danny at a good pace throughout. We picked it up every mile from down to about 6.10 and I felt pretty decent tonight but never incredibly comfortable. It was an effort to run that little bit quicker as Deak wanted to run a little faster this evening. It was never hard enough that I thought I should back off but it wasn’t an ‘easy’ run. I have a little swelling below my right knee that is a bit sore but Phil thinks it’s nothing. I had slightly tight calves post-run so decided against strides. I felt tired and drained at circuits and I think the humidity of the run played a part. My swelling below my right knee was sore and stopped me doing a few exercises but I needed the rest anyway! I had a big spag bol that I'd prepared for the family before my nap before watching some 24 (this series is fantastic and I definitely recommend it) and then getting to bed for 2230. What I am finding annoying at the moment is that I feel awful in the day and regardless of whether I nap or not I am not that sleepy come 10pm.
Sunday, 16 May 2010
'Silly' Sausage
Easy 1hr 40 + 8 uphill strides (JBR). Road, trails and grass.
15mi
WEEK: 70mi - I’m pretty pleased with this week. I knocked the mileage down a bit as was recommended by George and Barry last week and also kept it generally easy. I was always going to be happy this week if I could do all my runs properly and get a quality Saturday session in the bag.
I had my best night of sleep this week and felt pretty refreshed though a little groggy whilst eating my breakfast; consequently I spilt my tea and burned my leg! After a great night last night it was good to hook up with a big group for the 9.30 long run. After a slow start we picked up gradually but it always remained easy. It is so straightforward to run on days like this when the sun is shining and the company is so good; I can’t wait to lead these guys next year. We did one of our staple routes (‘Church Hill) slightly altered, which is mainly trails and grass with some road. It was an easy pace; I don’t see much point in running particularly quickly on a Sunday in the summer although I am a big advocate of 6-minute miles in winter. I felt a bit tired in the first 4mi or so but after that I felt fine and could have easily kept running for longer. We split into three groups that one could label ‘moderately-fast’, ‘moderate’ and ‘moderately-slow’ quite early on – I fell into the middle group. My hamstrings were a little tight all run but only for brief moments. I got tripped and kicked on my right Achilles towards the end and it was a bit stiff & sore afterwards. I finally felt decent on strides but in the couple of mins after the run I really didn’t feel like doing them as my legs were a bit heavy! I quickly watched the Great Manchester 10k in fast forward and biggest credit from a British perspective should go to Mark Warmby who had an excellent run in sub 29 mins. A traditional Selly Sausage post-long run breakfast followed and we had the pleasure of 1.50 800m man Michael 'Silly' Salter arriving as Bugs Bunny and BUCS Indoors silver medallist Andrew Stanton as Robin Hood. This is par for the course if you happen to live at 186 Dawlish Road as these boys are undertaking forfeits willy nilly! I think Salty genuinely enjoyed the experience whereas as Andy seemed totally unaffected; just eating his food as if he was in regular clothes. I got my stuff together and headed back up the M1 so Wilko could get on with some revision and I could spend most of the afternoon with my parents as my Dad arrived back from Portugal late last night. The evening consisted of a classic Sunday Roast, England giving the Aussies a deserved towelling and Tyson Gay breaking the world best for a straight 200m. I went to bed at 11pm to try and get myself back into a nice routine.
15mi
WEEK: 70mi - I’m pretty pleased with this week. I knocked the mileage down a bit as was recommended by George and Barry last week and also kept it generally easy. I was always going to be happy this week if I could do all my runs properly and get a quality Saturday session in the bag.
I had my best night of sleep this week and felt pretty refreshed though a little groggy whilst eating my breakfast; consequently I spilt my tea and burned my leg! After a great night last night it was good to hook up with a big group for the 9.30 long run. After a slow start we picked up gradually but it always remained easy. It is so straightforward to run on days like this when the sun is shining and the company is so good; I can’t wait to lead these guys next year. We did one of our staple routes (‘Church Hill) slightly altered, which is mainly trails and grass with some road. It was an easy pace; I don’t see much point in running particularly quickly on a Sunday in the summer although I am a big advocate of 6-minute miles in winter. I felt a bit tired in the first 4mi or so but after that I felt fine and could have easily kept running for longer. We split into three groups that one could label ‘moderately-fast’, ‘moderate’ and ‘moderately-slow’ quite early on – I fell into the middle group. My hamstrings were a little tight all run but only for brief moments. I got tripped and kicked on my right Achilles towards the end and it was a bit stiff & sore afterwards. I finally felt decent on strides but in the couple of mins after the run I really didn’t feel like doing them as my legs were a bit heavy! I quickly watched the Great Manchester 10k in fast forward and biggest credit from a British perspective should go to Mark Warmby who had an excellent run in sub 29 mins. A traditional Selly Sausage post-long run breakfast followed and we had the pleasure of 1.50 800m man Michael 'Silly' Salter arriving as Bugs Bunny and BUCS Indoors silver medallist Andrew Stanton as Robin Hood. This is par for the course if you happen to live at 186 Dawlish Road as these boys are undertaking forfeits willy nilly! I think Salty genuinely enjoyed the experience whereas as Andy seemed totally unaffected; just eating his food as if he was in regular clothes. I got my stuff together and headed back up the M1 so Wilko could get on with some revision and I could spend most of the afternoon with my parents as my Dad arrived back from Portugal late last night. The evening consisted of a classic Sunday Roast, England giving the Aussies a deserved towelling and Tyson Gay breaking the world best for a straight 200m. I went to bed at 11pm to try and get myself back into a nice routine.
Saturday, 15 May 2010
A Long Overdue Reunion
am: 1600, 3 mins, 8 x 400 (1 min), 3 mins, 5 x 200 (30 secs) @ 5k, 3k & 8/15 pace – 4.38, 68, 66, 67, 66, 67, 65, 66, 64, 30, 29, 30, 29, 28. Thornes Park, Wakefield.
pm: 35 mins easy in Cannon Hill Park
13mi
I got myself to bed early(ish) last night and finally slept well which was a massive relief. Despite getting a good solid kip I still felt as if I’d been on big night out as I stumbled into the kitchen to make some breakfast. Such is the politics and general incompetence of Leeds City Council, there is not an available track in Leeds on a Saturday morning. As a consequence we are forced to drive to Wakefield and use Thornes Park; this isn't really an issue for me as it is only 15 mins but from the other side of Leeds you are looking at almost 45! I met Dale and Smithy in the car park at 0930 with the sun shining and we did a lap of the park as a warm up. I did not feel like training at all as my body is still not back to itself. I decided to approach the session in as professional a manner as possible to get it done effectively. I did no waiting around (I didn't have the time anyway as I had to be at Headingley for 1145) to try and wake my body up so I did stretching, drills & strides like clockwork. It was windy as ever so Smithy and I decided to share laps for the duration of the session. I still wasn't in the mood although my legs felt fresh enough; it was the rest of my body & mind didn’t. I felt very bouncy and relaxed on the mile rep and I could have banged out a good number more 400s too. I talked myself into the session and managed to get a really good workout at faster than what I thought I’d be capable of today. It was brilliant to share the session with Smithy as he’s a pretty metronomic runner (as I am) so we just banged out the session with minimal fuss – I certainly don’t think I could have trained as effectively on my own. I got a big blister on my left forefoot on the 2s which is usually a good sign I haven’t been rocking back on my heels! I am not sure how my posture was today but I was making a deliberate attempt to forefoot strike. I’d struggle to be more pleased after getting that session in the bag. I took Barry Fudge's advice and got my SIS Rego down as soon as I could before doing an easy lap of the park and racing across to Headingley Cricket Ground for the match against the Netherlands. I didn't even have time for a shower so I had to blow cold air on myself whilst in the car instead. I arrived on time, got changed and then did my 90 minute stint of programme selling. I went for the soft sell by listening to plenty of old people's stories, ranging from simple ones such as 'these use to be 50 pence you know' to tales of working in the armed services. Having sold my quota I headed to the press box to watch the first innings and thankfully there was a buffet set up as I was famished. Whilst updating the Yorkshire Twitter feed and marvelling at just how fast 93mph bowling looks, I managed to persuade Danny into coming to Brum with after the Netherlands had batted. I picked him en route and made it to Selly Oak in good time. It was nice to see my basketball housemate Jake had made a running comeback as he'd just returned from an easy 5 with Wilko and the boys! I ran to and from Cannon Hill with one big lap with Dan. I ran almost straight out of the car and as a consequence I felt terrible for the first mile or so but after that initial tiredness I was absolutely fine. My hamstrings felt a little fatigued from this morning’s session but other than that I had no complaints. We kept it very easy and it was perfect for an evening run. Cannon Hill is a fantastic place to run around and unsurprisingly on a beautiful evening it was buzzing with young families feeding the ducks. I had a very quick shower and arrived late for 'Big Ladz Curry' at our usual haunt of Chamon on Bristol Road. It was a brilliant night and our camaraderie was unbelievable - I think Danny Davis will have left thinking just how brilliant a place to be BUAC is. The particular highlight had to be Josh Gorecki's downing of a jug from the pickle tray and then going a bit crazy. We headed down to The Gun Barrels for an hour or so before getting to bed at a half-decent hour.
pm: 35 mins easy in Cannon Hill Park
13mi
I got myself to bed early(ish) last night and finally slept well which was a massive relief. Despite getting a good solid kip I still felt as if I’d been on big night out as I stumbled into the kitchen to make some breakfast. Such is the politics and general incompetence of Leeds City Council, there is not an available track in Leeds on a Saturday morning. As a consequence we are forced to drive to Wakefield and use Thornes Park; this isn't really an issue for me as it is only 15 mins but from the other side of Leeds you are looking at almost 45! I met Dale and Smithy in the car park at 0930 with the sun shining and we did a lap of the park as a warm up. I did not feel like training at all as my body is still not back to itself. I decided to approach the session in as professional a manner as possible to get it done effectively. I did no waiting around (I didn't have the time anyway as I had to be at Headingley for 1145) to try and wake my body up so I did stretching, drills & strides like clockwork. It was windy as ever so Smithy and I decided to share laps for the duration of the session. I still wasn't in the mood although my legs felt fresh enough; it was the rest of my body & mind didn’t. I felt very bouncy and relaxed on the mile rep and I could have banged out a good number more 400s too. I talked myself into the session and managed to get a really good workout at faster than what I thought I’d be capable of today. It was brilliant to share the session with Smithy as he’s a pretty metronomic runner (as I am) so we just banged out the session with minimal fuss – I certainly don’t think I could have trained as effectively on my own. I got a big blister on my left forefoot on the 2s which is usually a good sign I haven’t been rocking back on my heels! I am not sure how my posture was today but I was making a deliberate attempt to forefoot strike. I’d struggle to be more pleased after getting that session in the bag. I took Barry Fudge's advice and got my SIS Rego down as soon as I could before doing an easy lap of the park and racing across to Headingley Cricket Ground for the match against the Netherlands. I didn't even have time for a shower so I had to blow cold air on myself whilst in the car instead. I arrived on time, got changed and then did my 90 minute stint of programme selling. I went for the soft sell by listening to plenty of old people's stories, ranging from simple ones such as 'these use to be 50 pence you know' to tales of working in the armed services. Having sold my quota I headed to the press box to watch the first innings and thankfully there was a buffet set up as I was famished. Whilst updating the Yorkshire Twitter feed and marvelling at just how fast 93mph bowling looks, I managed to persuade Danny into coming to Brum with after the Netherlands had batted. I picked him en route and made it to Selly Oak in good time. It was nice to see my basketball housemate Jake had made a running comeback as he'd just returned from an easy 5 with Wilko and the boys! I ran to and from Cannon Hill with one big lap with Dan. I ran almost straight out of the car and as a consequence I felt terrible for the first mile or so but after that initial tiredness I was absolutely fine. My hamstrings felt a little fatigued from this morning’s session but other than that I had no complaints. We kept it very easy and it was perfect for an evening run. Cannon Hill is a fantastic place to run around and unsurprisingly on a beautiful evening it was buzzing with young families feeding the ducks. I had a very quick shower and arrived late for 'Big Ladz Curry' at our usual haunt of Chamon on Bristol Road. It was a brilliant night and our camaraderie was unbelievable - I think Danny Davis will have left thinking just how brilliant a place to be BUAC is. The particular highlight had to be Josh Gorecki's downing of a jug from the pickle tray and then going a bit crazy. We headed down to The Gun Barrels for an hour or so before getting to bed at a half-decent hour.
Friday, 14 May 2010
Jinxing Pakistan
pm: Easy 35 mins along the canal
5mi
After another night of little sleep I am starting to get exasperated by my tiredness. I felt the worst I have felt all week today. I can’t carry on with such little sleep as I’m convinced that is the main problem as I just feel beaten up all the time. I didn’t do much moving around today as I wanted to expend as little energy as possible; hence my short blog. Walking to & from the train stations was hard work! I have had an incredibly annoying runny nose since I came down and it is starting to get to me now. I spent most of today writing an article on Pakistan's woeful record against Australia, specifically highlighting their uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It is 15 years since Pakistan won a Test against the Oz which is quite ridiculous. Similar to yesterday I almost sacked off my run as I was laid out on the sofa like a dog in the med. I ran almost all on the canal so I could just switch off for half an hour. Remarkably I actually felt ok running and if I remember rightly I felt fine running post-St Moritz but horrendous the rest of the time. My right Achilles was a bit sore today but got better as I ran; it was irritated uphill. I felt easy and ran slowly but I didn’t have the ease that makes you feel like you could run all day. I got home and caught the end of the T20 final between the aforementioned sides. Surprise surprise, the Pakistanis are in an almost (and I must stress that it always 'almost' with them) unassailable position but Mike Hussey hits 60 from 24 balls; the PCB should make 'The Beer Drinker's Guide to Sports Psychology' from Charlie's book a compulsory read. I watched a bit of Newsnight to recap this week's politics as well as catching some of the League 1 playoffs. I went to bed as soon as I felt sleepy to (hopefully) sleep like a log.
5mi
After another night of little sleep I am starting to get exasperated by my tiredness. I felt the worst I have felt all week today. I can’t carry on with such little sleep as I’m convinced that is the main problem as I just feel beaten up all the time. I didn’t do much moving around today as I wanted to expend as little energy as possible; hence my short blog. Walking to & from the train stations was hard work! I have had an incredibly annoying runny nose since I came down and it is starting to get to me now. I spent most of today writing an article on Pakistan's woeful record against Australia, specifically highlighting their uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It is 15 years since Pakistan won a Test against the Oz which is quite ridiculous. Similar to yesterday I almost sacked off my run as I was laid out on the sofa like a dog in the med. I ran almost all on the canal so I could just switch off for half an hour. Remarkably I actually felt ok running and if I remember rightly I felt fine running post-St Moritz but horrendous the rest of the time. My right Achilles was a bit sore today but got better as I ran; it was irritated uphill. I felt easy and ran slowly but I didn’t have the ease that makes you feel like you could run all day. I got home and caught the end of the T20 final between the aforementioned sides. Surprise surprise, the Pakistanis are in an almost (and I must stress that it always 'almost' with them) unassailable position but Mike Hussey hits 60 from 24 balls; the PCB should make 'The Beer Drinker's Guide to Sports Psychology' from Charlie's book a compulsory read. I watched a bit of Newsnight to recap this week's politics as well as catching some of the League 1 playoffs. I went to bed as soon as I felt sleepy to (hopefully) sleep like a log.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Coerced back into blogging
So the plan had been to blog just while I was in the picturesque serenity of Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via (to give the full name) but I have been pestered by a handful of people to 'update your bloody blog!' The final straw being my friend and training partner Harry Harper declaring 'a blog is for life, not just for altitude.' I have endeavoured to remember as much of Tuesday & Monday as possible with yesterday and today still fresh in my mind. Thankfully I keep a very detailed training log so it shouldn't take me too long!
pm: Easy accelerating 65 mins on canal trails + strides - 7.12, 6.36, 6.34, 6.30, 6.18, 6.12, 6.10, 6.02, 6.36, and 5.58.
10.5mi
As I thought would be the case I woke up at 0530 this morning feeling like I'd been dragged through hell; and back again. I had some cereal and thought I may as well get the 0747 train again as I was ready for it. The annoying thing about my route to work is that my connecting train departs Leeds at 0759 whereas the train from Woodlesford is due to arrive at 0800. I am hoping that by the law of averages I will be able to catch this train at least once over the next 3 weeks although I'm not holding my breath. As expected I entered Leeds station at 0801 and had 30 mins of kicking my heels at platform 3a. I read Spedding's book to fill the time and I was hugely encouraged to read that he ran a 4.25 mile in between running 28.17 at the Bislett Games in Oslo and winning an international 5000m for England at the Palace. This goes to show we are all human and touch wood I'll run be running low 28 minutes and mid 13 mins soon enough (after all, 4.06 translates to about 4.23 for the mile so why not run QUICKER than Charlie did ...). All joking aside I have folding this page to remind myself that even the best athletes have bad runs and sometimes they can even run inexplicably badly. I sat in on a few more meetings today and felt as if I contributed well to some discussions. My main task of the day was to write a brief introduction for the Yorkshire Cricket Mela that will go on their website. Essentially, the Mela is a 10 day festival climaxing in the Pakistan vs. Australia Test match at Headingley. Fundamentally it is designed to encourage Yorkshire's Pakistani demographic to attend. I'll post a link when it's up there and I'm happy to take all criticism; as long as it's constructive! I managed to negotiate the route home without ever being asked for a ticket and I was able to watch most of England's run chase against Sri Lanka while having some pasta so I wasn't running on fumes this evening. To be totally honest, I very nearly didn’t get out of the door this evening. I felt rubbish and considered just giving myself a rest day to freshen up for Saturday. I eventually just got out and committed to doing an easy half hour. I felt fine once I got going and after the first easy mile I got progressively quicker without thinking about it. This run felt easy but anything quicker than about 6.20 and I had to think about the pace. Because I couldn’t be bothered to start with and saw 70 mins as a long way off I played this game of running every mile quicker than the next which meant picking it up for certain periods to assure this. I had an emergency stop after 8mi and then decided to stretch my legs to finish with. I was getting pretty pissed off today as I have literally never encountered so many midges on a run; I had to angrily knock them out of my way with my hand although I must admit it was entertaining to see other runners doing the same! The dog must have had something wrong today as he was miles back and this was frustrating me no end. So, consequently tonight wasn't the stress-relieving run I was hoping for although it did have me once again thinking about racing a 10k on the road but I tried to forget about it and concentrate on the track season. I felt pretty terrible on strides; almost as if I was tying up. I cut them down to about 8 secs in length and felt a bit better but still poor. I had dinner with my Mum and then watched a bit of TV before surprisingly my sister phoned me. Usually, this means there is a problem or she wants something but tonight we simply had a half hour catch up which was nice. I asked her for a bit of advice on mobile phones as I'm due an upgrade tomorrow. She recommend her new phone the 'HTC Desire' that runs on the Google operating system - I'm open to suggestions from anyone. I watched most of Question Time as ever and was in bed for just past 11pm.
pm: Easy accelerating 65 mins on canal trails + strides - 7.12, 6.36, 6.34, 6.30, 6.18, 6.12, 6.10, 6.02, 6.36, and 5.58.
10.5mi
As I thought would be the case I woke up at 0530 this morning feeling like I'd been dragged through hell; and back again. I had some cereal and thought I may as well get the 0747 train again as I was ready for it. The annoying thing about my route to work is that my connecting train departs Leeds at 0759 whereas the train from Woodlesford is due to arrive at 0800. I am hoping that by the law of averages I will be able to catch this train at least once over the next 3 weeks although I'm not holding my breath. As expected I entered Leeds station at 0801 and had 30 mins of kicking my heels at platform 3a. I read Spedding's book to fill the time and I was hugely encouraged to read that he ran a 4.25 mile in between running 28.17 at the Bislett Games in Oslo and winning an international 5000m for England at the Palace. This goes to show we are all human and touch wood I'll run be running low 28 minutes and mid 13 mins soon enough (after all, 4.06 translates to about 4.23 for the mile so why not run QUICKER than Charlie did ...). All joking aside I have folding this page to remind myself that even the best athletes have bad runs and sometimes they can even run inexplicably badly. I sat in on a few more meetings today and felt as if I contributed well to some discussions. My main task of the day was to write a brief introduction for the Yorkshire Cricket Mela that will go on their website. Essentially, the Mela is a 10 day festival climaxing in the Pakistan vs. Australia Test match at Headingley. Fundamentally it is designed to encourage Yorkshire's Pakistani demographic to attend. I'll post a link when it's up there and I'm happy to take all criticism; as long as it's constructive! I managed to negotiate the route home without ever being asked for a ticket and I was able to watch most of England's run chase against Sri Lanka while having some pasta so I wasn't running on fumes this evening. To be totally honest, I very nearly didn’t get out of the door this evening. I felt rubbish and considered just giving myself a rest day to freshen up for Saturday. I eventually just got out and committed to doing an easy half hour. I felt fine once I got going and after the first easy mile I got progressively quicker without thinking about it. This run felt easy but anything quicker than about 6.20 and I had to think about the pace. Because I couldn’t be bothered to start with and saw 70 mins as a long way off I played this game of running every mile quicker than the next which meant picking it up for certain periods to assure this. I had an emergency stop after 8mi and then decided to stretch my legs to finish with. I was getting pretty pissed off today as I have literally never encountered so many midges on a run; I had to angrily knock them out of my way with my hand although I must admit it was entertaining to see other runners doing the same! The dog must have had something wrong today as he was miles back and this was frustrating me no end. So, consequently tonight wasn't the stress-relieving run I was hoping for although it did have me once again thinking about racing a 10k on the road but I tried to forget about it and concentrate on the track season. I felt pretty terrible on strides; almost as if I was tying up. I cut them down to about 8 secs in length and felt a bit better but still poor. I had dinner with my Mum and then watched a bit of TV before surprisingly my sister phoned me. Usually, this means there is a problem or she wants something but tonight we simply had a half hour catch up which was nice. I asked her for a bit of advice on mobile phones as I'm due an upgrade tomorrow. She recommend her new phone the 'HTC Desire' that runs on the Google operating system - I'm open to suggestions from anyone. I watched most of Question Time as ever and was in bed for just past 11pm.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
My First Day
pm: LSAC v BUAC v Army (+ guests) 1500m @ Loughborough: 4.06, finishing mid-field + 5mi easy warm down
8mi
My body is adjusting to the altitude (or lack of) as I woke up at 0500 this morning and couldn’t wrestle myself back to sleep. On Monday night it was similar but I managed to steal a few extra hours by getting up late; today I had to catch the 0747 train to Headingley to start work experience. I was planning on doing an easy 30 mins at lunchtime but I felt very sluggish just walking around so I thought better of it. It was an enjoyable first day as I was introduced to the workings of a professional sports club and goodness me it is complex; the number of staff and departments is staggering. Although I enjoyed it, the fact that walking from the press box to the office felt like I was scaling Everest was probably a good indicator that I should have waited until Monday to start this role. I was allowed to leave 2 hours before the 5pm finish time because of racing this evening and boy was I glad for it. I got home and had a quick nap to try and get a bit more energy but I noticed little difference on awakening. My Mum got home from work, we had a bite to eat and then set off down the M1. I was very relaxed going into the race and trying everything to keep the pressure off myself. George and my Dad had told me to run a 1500 but said to be prepared that I may run poorly. In hindsight, I think I may have been TOO prepared to run poorly and consequently, I did. I ran 4.06 finishing mid-field which undoubtedly was a poor run. The first thing I wrote in my training diary was 'Poor run, as expected after 3 days back at sea-level.' How much of this was psychological? I had convinced myself that a poor run would be acceptable since the session of 6 x 2 mins on Saturday, and perhaps even before then. One has to be honest though, how can a 'poor' run EVER be acceptable? It is, by definition, unsatisfactory. I am not going to sit here and say I am in fantastic 1500m shape, but I think I am in somewhere between 3.58 and 4.02 shape. Some of you may say 'you've been to altitude for 3 weeks, how are you not fitter?' Well, I am fit, but not very 1500m fit. I think if I was to race a 10k now, I'd run really well, but I am just lacking that track sharpness at the moment. The long and the short of it is that I underperformed today for a number of reasons but the one that was in my direct control, my mental focus, has to be better managed. Without ever being explicitly negative pre-race, I successfully lowered my expectations via negative reinforcement to a point where underperformance was deemed acceptable. The race: I felt terrible today, especially warming up. I jogged, did drills, strides & 45 secs hard and all of it was a real effort. I took extra time between drills as I felt so heavy legged at the end of each one. When the gun went I tried to run conservatively in a choppy, slightly windy race where I never felt at ease. My body felt weirdly tingly at about halfway and I probably tightened up a bit. I was 3.00 at the bell and I really had to dig deep to re-pass Booker with 50m left after initially deciding I wouldn’t bother! I don’t feel at all disheartened as the job was to turn the legs over and the job has been done. My only disappointment is my inability to pick it up on the last lap though having spoken to Phil he said I can’t expect to if I am just a bit off it. I did a long warm down and felt better the more I did and I wasn’t tired at all. My chest was bit tight and I was coughing a lot but I am usually like this post-track race. I genuinely think I could have run another 1500 at the same pace given a 15 minute or so recovery. Bizarrely, I am incredibly positive after this race as I have highlighted something that I let talk me out of running well and I won’t let it happen again. Fulham's defeat in the closing stages of the Europa League final was a huge disappointment on the journey home but it was nice to catch with my Mum about my trip away and what she's been up to as well. I got home at 2315 and wasn't in bed until nearly 1am as I was wide-awake and there was no way I could sleep.
8mi
My body is adjusting to the altitude (or lack of) as I woke up at 0500 this morning and couldn’t wrestle myself back to sleep. On Monday night it was similar but I managed to steal a few extra hours by getting up late; today I had to catch the 0747 train to Headingley to start work experience. I was planning on doing an easy 30 mins at lunchtime but I felt very sluggish just walking around so I thought better of it. It was an enjoyable first day as I was introduced to the workings of a professional sports club and goodness me it is complex; the number of staff and departments is staggering. Although I enjoyed it, the fact that walking from the press box to the office felt like I was scaling Everest was probably a good indicator that I should have waited until Monday to start this role. I was allowed to leave 2 hours before the 5pm finish time because of racing this evening and boy was I glad for it. I got home and had a quick nap to try and get a bit more energy but I noticed little difference on awakening. My Mum got home from work, we had a bite to eat and then set off down the M1. I was very relaxed going into the race and trying everything to keep the pressure off myself. George and my Dad had told me to run a 1500 but said to be prepared that I may run poorly. In hindsight, I think I may have been TOO prepared to run poorly and consequently, I did. I ran 4.06 finishing mid-field which undoubtedly was a poor run. The first thing I wrote in my training diary was 'Poor run, as expected after 3 days back at sea-level.' How much of this was psychological? I had convinced myself that a poor run would be acceptable since the session of 6 x 2 mins on Saturday, and perhaps even before then. One has to be honest though, how can a 'poor' run EVER be acceptable? It is, by definition, unsatisfactory. I am not going to sit here and say I am in fantastic 1500m shape, but I think I am in somewhere between 3.58 and 4.02 shape. Some of you may say 'you've been to altitude for 3 weeks, how are you not fitter?' Well, I am fit, but not very 1500m fit. I think if I was to race a 10k now, I'd run really well, but I am just lacking that track sharpness at the moment. The long and the short of it is that I underperformed today for a number of reasons but the one that was in my direct control, my mental focus, has to be better managed. Without ever being explicitly negative pre-race, I successfully lowered my expectations via negative reinforcement to a point where underperformance was deemed acceptable. The race: I felt terrible today, especially warming up. I jogged, did drills, strides & 45 secs hard and all of it was a real effort. I took extra time between drills as I felt so heavy legged at the end of each one. When the gun went I tried to run conservatively in a choppy, slightly windy race where I never felt at ease. My body felt weirdly tingly at about halfway and I probably tightened up a bit. I was 3.00 at the bell and I really had to dig deep to re-pass Booker with 50m left after initially deciding I wouldn’t bother! I don’t feel at all disheartened as the job was to turn the legs over and the job has been done. My only disappointment is my inability to pick it up on the last lap though having spoken to Phil he said I can’t expect to if I am just a bit off it. I did a long warm down and felt better the more I did and I wasn’t tired at all. My chest was bit tight and I was coughing a lot but I am usually like this post-track race. I genuinely think I could have run another 1500 at the same pace given a 15 minute or so recovery. Bizarrely, I am incredibly positive after this race as I have highlighted something that I let talk me out of running well and I won’t let it happen again. Fulham's defeat in the closing stages of the Europa League final was a huge disappointment on the journey home but it was nice to catch with my Mum about my trip away and what she's been up to as well. I got home at 2315 and wasn't in bed until nearly 1am as I was wide-awake and there was no way I could sleep.
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
A Tory PM with a Liberal Deputy
am: Easy 35 mins on golf course & trails
pm: Very easy 35 mins + strides from SLS
10mi
My work placement at Yorkshire CCC doesn't start until tomorrow which is a huge relief as I struggled to get some consistent sleep last night. I woke up and just felt incredibly flat. It is amazing how sitting around doing nothing at home can make you feel so lethargic, whereas doing exactly the same for 5 of the last 6 weeks abroad has simply been a 'full-time athlete lifestyle.' I lazed around for much of this morning and then tied up a few loose ends which meant I went out a little later than I usually would. When I put my HR monitor on I was pleasantly surprised to see a resting HR of 36 – the lowest I can ever remember having. Unfortunately, this didn’t reflect how I felt whilst running. I went through short periods of feeling a little better but in the main I felt shit. My legs felt tired and I was generally sluggish; I couldn’t really be bothered to run beforehand so that probably played a part. I kept it very easy and spent most of the time encouraging my dog, he seemed to be having more of an off-day than I. I think I felt a bit flat after getting home and having no one to run with and knowing half of my apartment was still in the Fort, being a little run-down from travel and the weather being poor. I spent the rest of the day catching up on the 5 episodes of '24' that I have missed over the last few weeks and I am pleased to say that it is the best series for a long time. I had to set off to the club early as my Mum is on the entrance desk from 1745 on a Tuesday so I tucked 'From Last to First' under my arm with the intention of finally making some progress. This was to be in vain as I got roped into doing odd jobs for John Lunn, Martin Horbury and Leeds City A.C's new Secretary Janet Wilkinson! It was nice to catch up with people when they started to arrive and tell a few stories of my travels but what was even nicer was being able to run comfortably for half an hour or so. I felt really good running tonight; totally different to this morning. I had no real niggles apart from a slightly sore left foot. I warmed up with the guys and then did the rest with Ali around the clearings. It was at this time that he told me how he'd snuck into the Leeds Half Marathon the previous Sunday without a number and tried to stay with the leader for as long as he could! It was cool but nice weather which I think helped my mood as it was enjoyable to just do a nice relaxed run. I felt decent on strides too which was an added bonus. As I left the stadium news was filtering through that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had come to an agreement and David Cameron was the new Prime Minister. I couldn't help feeling excited at the prospect of a new government with the Lib Dems finally having a say; most importantly they will be able to temper the right-wing elements of the Tories. Suddenly, that vote for Nick Clegg had paid off. After dinner stayed up a little later than I should have because a) I wanted to watch all the reaction to the forming of the coalition and b) I had to scrape together an outfit for my first day at Headingley after realising 90% of my smart clothing is still in Selly Oak!
pm: Very easy 35 mins + strides from SLS
10mi
My work placement at Yorkshire CCC doesn't start until tomorrow which is a huge relief as I struggled to get some consistent sleep last night. I woke up and just felt incredibly flat. It is amazing how sitting around doing nothing at home can make you feel so lethargic, whereas doing exactly the same for 5 of the last 6 weeks abroad has simply been a 'full-time athlete lifestyle.' I lazed around for much of this morning and then tied up a few loose ends which meant I went out a little later than I usually would. When I put my HR monitor on I was pleasantly surprised to see a resting HR of 36 – the lowest I can ever remember having. Unfortunately, this didn’t reflect how I felt whilst running. I went through short periods of feeling a little better but in the main I felt shit. My legs felt tired and I was generally sluggish; I couldn’t really be bothered to run beforehand so that probably played a part. I kept it very easy and spent most of the time encouraging my dog, he seemed to be having more of an off-day than I. I think I felt a bit flat after getting home and having no one to run with and knowing half of my apartment was still in the Fort, being a little run-down from travel and the weather being poor. I spent the rest of the day catching up on the 5 episodes of '24' that I have missed over the last few weeks and I am pleased to say that it is the best series for a long time. I had to set off to the club early as my Mum is on the entrance desk from 1745 on a Tuesday so I tucked 'From Last to First' under my arm with the intention of finally making some progress. This was to be in vain as I got roped into doing odd jobs for John Lunn, Martin Horbury and Leeds City A.C's new Secretary Janet Wilkinson! It was nice to catch up with people when they started to arrive and tell a few stories of my travels but what was even nicer was being able to run comfortably for half an hour or so. I felt really good running tonight; totally different to this morning. I had no real niggles apart from a slightly sore left foot. I warmed up with the guys and then did the rest with Ali around the clearings. It was at this time that he told me how he'd snuck into the Leeds Half Marathon the previous Sunday without a number and tried to stay with the leader for as long as he could! It was cool but nice weather which I think helped my mood as it was enjoyable to just do a nice relaxed run. I felt decent on strides too which was an added bonus. As I left the stadium news was filtering through that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had come to an agreement and David Cameron was the new Prime Minister. I couldn't help feeling excited at the prospect of a new government with the Lib Dems finally having a say; most importantly they will be able to temper the right-wing elements of the Tories. Suddenly, that vote for Nick Clegg had paid off. After dinner stayed up a little later than I should have because a) I wanted to watch all the reaction to the forming of the coalition and b) I had to scrape together an outfit for my first day at Headingley after realising 90% of my smart clothing is still in Selly Oak!
Monday, 10 May 2010
Tiddler 1 - 0 Ryan Air
am: Travel home from Font Romeu (door to door 0630 - 1530 GMT)
pm: Very easy 50 mins + 4 uphill strides on trails
7.5mi
It was an early start to today as myself, Sarah Tunstall & Aaron Thomas' group headed to Girona Airport at 0730 to fly back to Leeds Bradford Airport. It was set to be quite an eventful drive as Charlene told us that she wasn't a very good driver, hadn't driven in weeks and had never driven abroad. I managed to steal a few naps on the way down but any period that I was awake for involved near crashes, missing motorway junctions and a bit of cursing. We arrived safely at the airport 90 mins before departure and my next task was to get a 15kg sports holdall and a laptop satchel onto the plane without paying £35 for hold luggage. This involved initially sweet-talking the woman at the kiosk to no avail before ultimately emptying almost half my bag behind a pillar and asking the ever-reliable Jack Hallas to watch it (this was a huge risk in itself). Amazingly, the woman was happy to accept that I had discovered 5kg of basmati rice at the bottom of my bag that had to be sacrificed. The more difficult stage was negotiating boarding with two bags while the Gestapo blocked my way to Britain by announcing there was 'strictly one piece of hand luggage each' and watching like a health and safety officer in Aberdeen. I decided that to avoid an argument I would tie my laptop case to the bottom of my bag to give the appearance of a flat bottomed sports bag; I also dropped my passport at the feet of the steward as an added distraction. A fairly nondescript 2 and a half hours later I was out of the airport and on the bus home. I'm not sure whether it was mainly psychological but I felt incredibly drowsy and lethargic on my way back to Woodlesford but content with my 3 weeks work and happy to have made so many new friends, hopefully for life. Once I got home and started to sort my stuff out I felt even worse with really tired legs just getting up from the sofa. Come 1800 I ran through Millennium Park & along the canal trails. Surprisingly I felt really good. I was shocked to look at my HR and see it was in the 120s for at least the first 10 mins so that has to be a good thing. I expected to feel very sluggish as I had during the day but as soon as I set off I felt bouncy and fresh so I was naturally pleased. I ran with Lav who also wanted to run easy so I made sure I kept it very, very easy and just ran at what felt like the right pace. I didn’t feel too good on the uphill strides but not particularly bad; my Achilles was a little tight too. I know I'm settled back in Yorkshire when I've had once, mushy peas & a bread-cake from the local chippy for my dinner before hitting the hay relatively early as I was positively wiped out.
pm: Very easy 50 mins + 4 uphill strides on trails
7.5mi
It was an early start to today as myself, Sarah Tunstall & Aaron Thomas' group headed to Girona Airport at 0730 to fly back to Leeds Bradford Airport. It was set to be quite an eventful drive as Charlene told us that she wasn't a very good driver, hadn't driven in weeks and had never driven abroad. I managed to steal a few naps on the way down but any period that I was awake for involved near crashes, missing motorway junctions and a bit of cursing. We arrived safely at the airport 90 mins before departure and my next task was to get a 15kg sports holdall and a laptop satchel onto the plane without paying £35 for hold luggage. This involved initially sweet-talking the woman at the kiosk to no avail before ultimately emptying almost half my bag behind a pillar and asking the ever-reliable Jack Hallas to watch it (this was a huge risk in itself). Amazingly, the woman was happy to accept that I had discovered 5kg of basmati rice at the bottom of my bag that had to be sacrificed. The more difficult stage was negotiating boarding with two bags while the Gestapo blocked my way to Britain by announcing there was 'strictly one piece of hand luggage each' and watching like a health and safety officer in Aberdeen. I decided that to avoid an argument I would tie my laptop case to the bottom of my bag to give the appearance of a flat bottomed sports bag; I also dropped my passport at the feet of the steward as an added distraction. A fairly nondescript 2 and a half hours later I was out of the airport and on the bus home. I'm not sure whether it was mainly psychological but I felt incredibly drowsy and lethargic on my way back to Woodlesford but content with my 3 weeks work and happy to have made so many new friends, hopefully for life. Once I got home and started to sort my stuff out I felt even worse with really tired legs just getting up from the sofa. Come 1800 I ran through Millennium Park & along the canal trails. Surprisingly I felt really good. I was shocked to look at my HR and see it was in the 120s for at least the first 10 mins so that has to be a good thing. I expected to feel very sluggish as I had during the day but as soon as I set off I felt bouncy and fresh so I was naturally pleased. I ran with Lav who also wanted to run easy so I made sure I kept it very, very easy and just ran at what felt like the right pace. I didn’t feel too good on the uphill strides but not particularly bad; my Achilles was a little tight too. I know I'm settled back in Yorkshire when I've had once, mushy peas & a bread-cake from the local chippy for my dinner before hitting the hay relatively early as I was positively wiped out.
Sunday, 9 May 2010
The Last Run & The Worst Run
am: 90 mins very easy on trails in horrendous conditions + strides
pm: Light Circuits
12.5mi
Week: 75.5mi - A good week battling the snow for a lot of it and I seem to be managing my niggles
The flights were back departing Barcelona by 0700 this morning so it looks like I will be back in Old Blighty by tomorrow afternoon. The weather was shit this morning and I was not looking forward to the long run. I had some porridge and orange juice and reluctantly headed to reception. I spoke to George beforehand about how much to do as I know you’re supposed to run easy for the last few days of altitude. He said to drop to 90 mins and keep it very easy; thank goodness I didn’t have to do 1hr 50 today. I felt great today, my legs were fresh, my niggles had settled but the conditions were horrific. It is easily the worst Sunday run in recent memory. It rained very hard, there was a gale-force wind in our faces for most of it and anywhere we ran was covered in soaking wet ground so you couldn’t move fast. My face, hands and legs were numb by about 30 mins and it was just a case of survival. There weren’t many hills today, probably a good thing as I just wanted to get back to the flat in as little distress a possible. I struggled to peel my banana in the car as my fingers had lost all sensation but I got there in the end. I had a hot shower followed by soup, tea and bread back at the apartment. As is standard protocol here, I just got into bed with the intention of doing very little for the rest of the day. Jonny shouted up to me that on the news 20 Spanish airports have been closed until 8pm so the dream of staying a bit longer is back on! I am always very hungry post-Sunday run so I had some toast and cereal about 1330 and then played a bit of Pro. I did circuits some light core in the afternoon. I had to move my conditioning around a little this week due to the moving around of sessions due to the weather so this was a mini-maintenance session as if I am back in the UK tomorrow I’ll do circuits with the group and if not I’ll have drills with George. We watched bits and pieces of Chelsea's 8-0 demolition against Wigan to win the Premier League before going out for 'The Last Supper' at La Fromagerie. It was a great end to a great trip that I am so glad I went on. I was jealous as I got ready for bed knowing that Nuttall's boys were staying for another few days; plus I wasn't looking forward to an early airport transfer!
pm: Light Circuits
12.5mi
Week: 75.5mi - A good week battling the snow for a lot of it and I seem to be managing my niggles
The flights were back departing Barcelona by 0700 this morning so it looks like I will be back in Old Blighty by tomorrow afternoon. The weather was shit this morning and I was not looking forward to the long run. I had some porridge and orange juice and reluctantly headed to reception. I spoke to George beforehand about how much to do as I know you’re supposed to run easy for the last few days of altitude. He said to drop to 90 mins and keep it very easy; thank goodness I didn’t have to do 1hr 50 today. I felt great today, my legs were fresh, my niggles had settled but the conditions were horrific. It is easily the worst Sunday run in recent memory. It rained very hard, there was a gale-force wind in our faces for most of it and anywhere we ran was covered in soaking wet ground so you couldn’t move fast. My face, hands and legs were numb by about 30 mins and it was just a case of survival. There weren’t many hills today, probably a good thing as I just wanted to get back to the flat in as little distress a possible. I struggled to peel my banana in the car as my fingers had lost all sensation but I got there in the end. I had a hot shower followed by soup, tea and bread back at the apartment. As is standard protocol here, I just got into bed with the intention of doing very little for the rest of the day. Jonny shouted up to me that on the news 20 Spanish airports have been closed until 8pm so the dream of staying a bit longer is back on! I am always very hungry post-Sunday run so I had some toast and cereal about 1330 and then played a bit of Pro. I did circuits some light core in the afternoon. I had to move my conditioning around a little this week due to the moving around of sessions due to the weather so this was a mini-maintenance session as if I am back in the UK tomorrow I’ll do circuits with the group and if not I’ll have drills with George. We watched bits and pieces of Chelsea's 8-0 demolition against Wigan to win the Premier League before going out for 'The Last Supper' at La Fromagerie. It was a great end to a great trip that I am so glad I went on. I was jealous as I got ready for bed knowing that Nuttall's boys were staying for another few days; plus I wasn't looking forward to an early airport transfer!
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Final Session
am: 6 x 2 mins, 90 secs rest on trails at 4000ft
pm: Very easy 45 mins + strides
13.5mi
I got at about 0815 feeling a bit tired this morning but nothing major. I got some breakfast and headed to reception for 9 as we were meeting earlier to drive down the mountain to 4000ft to ensure a snow-free trail for the session. Charles Van Commenee and Spencer Barden came down to observe the session and Aaron Thomas' athletes trained with us for the first time so it was a really big group of us heading to Purgceda. I felt terrible jogging and really concentrated on my drills to try and get myself going. It changed nothing, I simply felt absolutely horrific today I don’t really know why. I won’t be taking a rest day again if I can avoid it as I cannot believe how awful I felt. It is like my body has just switched out of running mode because I had one day off! I am delighted that the session was less than 20 mins in total length as it was easy to get my head round; otherwise I think I could have been in trouble and had a DNF. I tried different ways of running by setting off hard and clinging on or setting off easy and picking up but it made no difference. I pushed pretty hard but there was just nothing in the tank. It wasn’t great underfoot as there were rocks sticking out and it irritated my foot a little. Unfortunately, Hannah was right – my shins were killing today. It was my anterior shins so it's purely muscular and I’m sure they’ll settle down. I warmed down with the Sooses, Barkesy and Challinor and said to them that it was the best I felt all morning as towards the end of the jog I suddenly felt like I had some bounce! Still, I suppose you'd say it is job done. I said to Ricky and Lisa that it genuinely has been a pleasure to train with them over the past 3 weeks and it was fantastic to see Ricky Soos back training; you really could not meet two nicer people in the world. Lisa was encouraging me to come on the next trip to Kenya and I'm not surprised as since I got here I've been leading her sessions out for her for the first two thirds! To get ready for the evening run I decided to take the Kenyan approach by having lunch and then just lying in bed all day. The atmosphere was palpable in our flat as Lewis watched Leeds Utd fight back from a goal and a man down to secure promotion; I think the evening run would have been a nightmare had they lost. After the final whistle I quickly made a beef stew to put on slow cook for when we got back. We ran on the trails from the apartment and after an opening mile of almost 10 minutes I decided to go by myself. I really don’t understand my body sometimes as I felt great running tonight from my first foot-strike; it’s bloody annoying that this wasn’t the case this morning. It was a very, very undulating route around the back of the track and golf course and probably wasn’t ideal for a recovery run. I felt strong and had no real niggles so I was pretty pleased. I felt fine on strides; strong and relaxed. We had a proper British beef stew for dinner which was just the ticket. I had a quick internet browse before we watched 'The Longest Yard' and both airports in Barcelona were closed because the ash-cloud has reared its ugly head once more! If I'm being totally honest, I would be delighted to stay here for another week so I am not fussed either way if my flight home is cancelled!
pm: Very easy 45 mins + strides
13.5mi
I got at about 0815 feeling a bit tired this morning but nothing major. I got some breakfast and headed to reception for 9 as we were meeting earlier to drive down the mountain to 4000ft to ensure a snow-free trail for the session. Charles Van Commenee and Spencer Barden came down to observe the session and Aaron Thomas' athletes trained with us for the first time so it was a really big group of us heading to Purgceda. I felt terrible jogging and really concentrated on my drills to try and get myself going. It changed nothing, I simply felt absolutely horrific today I don’t really know why. I won’t be taking a rest day again if I can avoid it as I cannot believe how awful I felt. It is like my body has just switched out of running mode because I had one day off! I am delighted that the session was less than 20 mins in total length as it was easy to get my head round; otherwise I think I could have been in trouble and had a DNF. I tried different ways of running by setting off hard and clinging on or setting off easy and picking up but it made no difference. I pushed pretty hard but there was just nothing in the tank. It wasn’t great underfoot as there were rocks sticking out and it irritated my foot a little. Unfortunately, Hannah was right – my shins were killing today. It was my anterior shins so it's purely muscular and I’m sure they’ll settle down. I warmed down with the Sooses, Barkesy and Challinor and said to them that it was the best I felt all morning as towards the end of the jog I suddenly felt like I had some bounce! Still, I suppose you'd say it is job done. I said to Ricky and Lisa that it genuinely has been a pleasure to train with them over the past 3 weeks and it was fantastic to see Ricky Soos back training; you really could not meet two nicer people in the world. Lisa was encouraging me to come on the next trip to Kenya and I'm not surprised as since I got here I've been leading her sessions out for her for the first two thirds! To get ready for the evening run I decided to take the Kenyan approach by having lunch and then just lying in bed all day. The atmosphere was palpable in our flat as Lewis watched Leeds Utd fight back from a goal and a man down to secure promotion; I think the evening run would have been a nightmare had they lost. After the final whistle I quickly made a beef stew to put on slow cook for when we got back. We ran on the trails from the apartment and after an opening mile of almost 10 minutes I decided to go by myself. I really don’t understand my body sometimes as I felt great running tonight from my first foot-strike; it’s bloody annoying that this wasn’t the case this morning. It was a very, very undulating route around the back of the track and golf course and probably wasn’t ideal for a recovery run. I felt strong and had no real niggles so I was pretty pleased. I felt fine on strides; strong and relaxed. We had a proper British beef stew for dinner which was just the ticket. I had a quick internet browse before we watched 'The Longest Yard' and both airports in Barcelona were closed because the ash-cloud has reared its ugly head once more! If I'm being totally honest, I would be delighted to stay here for another week so I am not fussed either way if my flight home is cancelled!
Friday, 7 May 2010
Rest day
Phil said to miss a run this week to knock the mileage down a little so I decided to take Friday as a total rest and let my niggles settle. My shins felt fine today which surprised Hannah as she said I’d be really sore today as she went pretty hard – that’s got to be good news! So I pretty much got up late and did very little all day. I went in the pool and the sauna for a bit with a few of the guys and then a big group of us went to the natural hot spring 15 mins away. It was pretty cool but it stunk of egg, apparently due to the sulphur. The stand-out highlight was when Moses walked in on a Frenchman doing a job on his bird in the indoor baths only for them to laugh and finish off! We had to get back for a team meeting at 1600 to discuss tomorrow's training plans and the final arrangements for transport home. Whilst at the meeting we all realised simultaneously that we stunk of rotten egg which was less than ideal when you have 2 big cheeses from UKA and a few Olympians sat next to you. I got a shower to wash the smell off and then went down to the town to have cake for Thewlis' birthday and to print my boarding pass off. I felt pretty exhausted bizarrely and walking up a huge hill from the Cyber Cafe I was in a world of trouble! I think the hot spa was a bit draining as the other guys felt similar. We had a standard Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner and then watched 'Blood Diamond'; a film that I'm a big fan of. Because I wanted to keep my legs awake a bit I tidied around the apartment and washed up for something to do. I was in bed at 2300 ready for the final session of the trip tomorrow.
Thursday, 6 May 2010
A Wasted Vote?
am: Very easy 70 mins on trails + strides
pm: Strength & conditioning
10.5mi
I really did feel like I'd gone 12 with Tyson when I woke up this morning. I had some porridge and a coffee to try and wake up for training. We again drove down the mountain to get out of the snow and it was a bit of a boring run to be quite honest with a lot of out and back. It was a nice and easy recovery run which was just what was needed. I was really tired today along with everyone else and hated the first 45 mins or so. After then I felt fine and like I could run forever which shows the run had done its job; early on I just wanted it to be over! I didn’t have any major niggles which is good, apart from irritating my foot on a rocky section and having slightly tight hamstrings from yesterday’s session. We kept on the flat for the most part but any hills were unpleasant to negotiate. We stopped off at the supermarket on the way back as we were running low on supplies but the fact there were only 2 people on the checkouts meant it took forever to get in and out. I checked my phone and my Dad voted Lib Dem for me as I asked. I spent almost all the afternoon in bed watching terrible films such as 'Blue Streak' but dragged myself out to go to the shop again as we needed a few more things. I spoke to my friend and former training partner Sean Dirrane online for over an hour and think I have persuaded a mini comeback via doing easy runs from Headingley with me whilst I'm doing work experience over the next 3 weeks - fingers crossed. We then hit the gym to get huge and hopefully it did the trick. I jogged up to the gym but after a few minutes I had to walk because my right Achilles suddenly became incredibly painful. I walked for a bit and then jogged again and it seemed ok; strange. Finally, third time lucky, I didn’t feel dizzy and weak whilst in the gym! Squats still felt harder than at sea-level but much easier than last week which has to be positive. I adapted the session slightly to protect my Achilles and suffered no twinges. Lewis and I had a mini bench competition (I lost) that we probably shouldn’t have... I walked over to the treatment room for a much needed massage. I was generally stiff from the knee down of my right leg and then had my ongoing sore left foot too. I flet a lot better afterwards and will probably just rest tomorrow to let any little niggles settle. I had to have a quick turnaround as we were going out for a meal with it being Shaun and Ross' final night plus it's Thewlis' birthday tomorrow. They are two cracking lads and it was nice to see them off; we all chipped in to pay for Jonny's meal to wish him bon anniversaire. I stayed up later than usual tonight to watch the election reaction on the BBC and unfortunately it seems most people who said they'd vote for Nick Clegg changed their minds and plumped for one of the two main parties; disappointing.
pm: Strength & conditioning
10.5mi
I really did feel like I'd gone 12 with Tyson when I woke up this morning. I had some porridge and a coffee to try and wake up for training. We again drove down the mountain to get out of the snow and it was a bit of a boring run to be quite honest with a lot of out and back. It was a nice and easy recovery run which was just what was needed. I was really tired today along with everyone else and hated the first 45 mins or so. After then I felt fine and like I could run forever which shows the run had done its job; early on I just wanted it to be over! I didn’t have any major niggles which is good, apart from irritating my foot on a rocky section and having slightly tight hamstrings from yesterday’s session. We kept on the flat for the most part but any hills were unpleasant to negotiate. We stopped off at the supermarket on the way back as we were running low on supplies but the fact there were only 2 people on the checkouts meant it took forever to get in and out. I checked my phone and my Dad voted Lib Dem for me as I asked. I spent almost all the afternoon in bed watching terrible films such as 'Blue Streak' but dragged myself out to go to the shop again as we needed a few more things. I spoke to my friend and former training partner Sean Dirrane online for over an hour and think I have persuaded a mini comeback via doing easy runs from Headingley with me whilst I'm doing work experience over the next 3 weeks - fingers crossed. We then hit the gym to get huge and hopefully it did the trick. I jogged up to the gym but after a few minutes I had to walk because my right Achilles suddenly became incredibly painful. I walked for a bit and then jogged again and it seemed ok; strange. Finally, third time lucky, I didn’t feel dizzy and weak whilst in the gym! Squats still felt harder than at sea-level but much easier than last week which has to be positive. I adapted the session slightly to protect my Achilles and suffered no twinges. Lewis and I had a mini bench competition (I lost) that we probably shouldn’t have... I walked over to the treatment room for a much needed massage. I was generally stiff from the knee down of my right leg and then had my ongoing sore left foot too. I flet a lot better afterwards and will probably just rest tomorrow to let any little niggles settle. I had to have a quick turnaround as we were going out for a meal with it being Shaun and Ross' final night plus it's Thewlis' birthday tomorrow. They are two cracking lads and it was nice to see them off; we all chipped in to pay for Jonny's meal to wish him bon anniversaire. I stayed up later than usual tonight to watch the election reaction on the BBC and unfortunately it seems most people who said they'd vote for Nick Clegg changed their minds and plumped for one of the two main parties; disappointing.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
An Extremely Proud Day
am: 35 mins very easy on trails at 1300m elevation
pm: 2k @ 5k pace, 12 mins, [200, 700, 200, 600, 200, 500, 200, 400 (90/2.30 rec)] 200s @ 15 pace, longer reps progressing down from 3k pace. Estimated times according to pace run on each rep – 6.02, 1.56, 1.33, 75, 59, ave 31.
14mi
We weren't due to meet until 0930 this morning so I got a bit of a lie for a change. I had some cereal and a coffee, got a quick wash and then headed to reception. The snow was still deep but the sun was out and forecast to stay so until the evening. The decision made was that we will drive down the mountain this morning to do an easy run while George and Spencer look for somewhere to do 2 minute reps. I got in Barkesy car and it was amazing that within 20 minutes of driving we were in green meadows! There appeared to be Spanish police watching us for a bit when we got out of the car but they finally cleared off. We ran very easily this morning and it was good to be down the mountain and totally out of the snow. It didn’t feel any different running at this elevation (3800ft) and to be totally honest I felt leggy for the first few minutes if anything. It was little more than shake out on a fantastic trail path we found. Danny treated us all to doughnuts from the petrol station and I just could not refuse so I suppose combined with a banana it was a good refuel... As we got a little lost on the drive this morning, we didn't finish the run until 1110 or so. After soup and a lot of bread for lunch I wanted to maximise recovery so I just stayed in bed until 3pm. The track had been cleared enough for us to our session but with timed reps rather than distance due to snow obstruction. I did my jog, drills & strides and felt like I had force myself to get up for the session. A huge thanks must go to Coach Li for trying to clear the inside as much as possible with a huge snow shovel! George said to keep relaxed and controlled on the 2k and go a little slower than 5k effort so not to affect the increasing speed of the rest of the session; so I did. I lost a bit of concentration in the middle and didn’t feel very good but I suddenly clicked into gear and felt great in the last 600 – yet again though I had to run a long rep in a hole! I felt decent today without ever feeling fantastic. I was a wound up for some reason beforehand and felt a little sick too. With the constant rescheduling and changing of the session I was just glad to finish what was a pretty good workout. Ryan McLeod recorded some of the session to do a Flotrack WoW type video which should be on UKA soon. I am looking forward to just stretching my legs out on the 2 minute reps on Saturday now after getting the job done today. My shins were a little tight afterwards and so was my right Achilles and my left foot! Presumably it is down to the snow and a hard, cold track. In short, I’m glad I have massage tomorrow evening. I jogged back to the apartment feeling fine. We had a pretty standard evening of sausage pasta for dinner followed by 'What Happens in Vegas' - a pretty terrible film. I also had a nice, hot bath which seemed to do wonders for my tired legs. I decided for whatever reason that I needed some sugar so walked to the vending machine and plumped for a good old-fashioned Kit-Kat. Last but by no means least, I today received the captaincy for the University of Birmingham cross country team for next year and I would struggle to be more proud about it; hence why this is a very proud day for me. I go to bed a proud man but still undecided on who I'll vote for in tomorrow's UK election.
pm: 2k @ 5k pace, 12 mins, [200, 700, 200, 600, 200, 500, 200, 400 (90/2.30 rec)] 200s @ 15 pace, longer reps progressing down from 3k pace. Estimated times according to pace run on each rep – 6.02, 1.56, 1.33, 75, 59, ave 31.
14mi
We weren't due to meet until 0930 this morning so I got a bit of a lie for a change. I had some cereal and a coffee, got a quick wash and then headed to reception. The snow was still deep but the sun was out and forecast to stay so until the evening. The decision made was that we will drive down the mountain this morning to do an easy run while George and Spencer look for somewhere to do 2 minute reps. I got in Barkesy car and it was amazing that within 20 minutes of driving we were in green meadows! There appeared to be Spanish police watching us for a bit when we got out of the car but they finally cleared off. We ran very easily this morning and it was good to be down the mountain and totally out of the snow. It didn’t feel any different running at this elevation (3800ft) and to be totally honest I felt leggy for the first few minutes if anything. It was little more than shake out on a fantastic trail path we found. Danny treated us all to doughnuts from the petrol station and I just could not refuse so I suppose combined with a banana it was a good refuel... As we got a little lost on the drive this morning, we didn't finish the run until 1110 or so. After soup and a lot of bread for lunch I wanted to maximise recovery so I just stayed in bed until 3pm. The track had been cleared enough for us to our session but with timed reps rather than distance due to snow obstruction. I did my jog, drills & strides and felt like I had force myself to get up for the session. A huge thanks must go to Coach Li for trying to clear the inside as much as possible with a huge snow shovel! George said to keep relaxed and controlled on the 2k and go a little slower than 5k effort so not to affect the increasing speed of the rest of the session; so I did. I lost a bit of concentration in the middle and didn’t feel very good but I suddenly clicked into gear and felt great in the last 600 – yet again though I had to run a long rep in a hole! I felt decent today without ever feeling fantastic. I was a wound up for some reason beforehand and felt a little sick too. With the constant rescheduling and changing of the session I was just glad to finish what was a pretty good workout. Ryan McLeod recorded some of the session to do a Flotrack WoW type video which should be on UKA soon. I am looking forward to just stretching my legs out on the 2 minute reps on Saturday now after getting the job done today. My shins were a little tight afterwards and so was my right Achilles and my left foot! Presumably it is down to the snow and a hard, cold track. In short, I’m glad I have massage tomorrow evening. I jogged back to the apartment feeling fine. We had a pretty standard evening of sausage pasta for dinner followed by 'What Happens in Vegas' - a pretty terrible film. I also had a nice, hot bath which seemed to do wonders for my tired legs. I decided for whatever reason that I needed some sugar so walked to the vending machine and plumped for a good old-fashioned Kit-Kat. Last but by no means least, I today received the captaincy for the University of Birmingham cross country team for next year and I would struggle to be more proud about it; hence why this is a very proud day for me. I go to bed a proud man but still undecided on who I'll vote for in tomorrow's UK election.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Here's to you Charlie
am: 45 mins easy at a good pace in the underground car park + hill strides
pm: 30 mins easy at the lake
12.5mi
I had a bit of a joke with George yesterday at drills saying 'if Charlie Spedding can do a session in an underground car park then drills is too easy!' Well, I certainly didn't think that I'd be running 50 laps of the car park the following morning! I woke up at 0800 and the weather was far worse than yesterday with a huge blizzard blowing and the snow three times as deep as yesterday. I had some breakfast and stretched a little before going to reception for 0930. Due to the ridiculous weather there were few options and I decided to run in the underground car park. I did so many laps that I stopped counting very early but surprisingly I actually quite enjoyed it. I felt great today and ran pretty quickly as I got into a nice rhythm. My glutes were a little tight early on but eased off very soon into running. I walked a lap afterwards and it was 273 strides and my laps were 55 seconds throughout. So, at a guess I was running just under 6 minute miling which corresponds with the HR average I’d expect. The hill in the car park was ideal for strides and I felt nice and bouncy on them. I thought I may as well use today for meetings so I had a great 1 hour chat with Coach Li - coach to Bernard Lagat amongst others - and found it very helpful. His philosophy is about strength over speed so he loves threshold & tempo which is very similar to what I'm doing at the minute anyway. I had some ravioli and logged my training before going to meet Barry Fudge the physiologist for my mandatory session. I got some good tips on hydration and nutrition but most of it was just common sense. I have booked in for testing at Loughborough in early June which will be interesting to see how I have come on (hopefully!) from my last test in the autumn. Just to round off the day's meetings Lewis and I went for a chat with George next door. It was incredibly interesting to listen to the philosophies of two world renowned coaches in such quick succession and comforting to know that there really are no secrets and that I'm along the right lines in my development. Probably the best bit of advice I took out of today was not to be afraid to take rest and also that consistency is king. I was planning to take a rest in the afternoon but I decided to just go down to the lake for a shuffle and some fun in the snow. It was very thick snow on the trails but the roads/paths were clear enough to run on properly. This was really just a bit of a laugh in the fresh air. I felt a bit tired and heavy legged to begin with but ok after a while. It was not nice to run in because of the blustery snow in our faces and by the looks of the dam we won’t be doing reps on there tomorrow so there may be another change of plan! The conditions were treacherous driving back as after it had abated for a handful of hours the snow poured once again. Once back at the apartment a huge pot of paella was ready to be served which is just the ticket! A great dinner followed by a great film 'The Butterfly Effect' - it is indescribably weird though. I thought it may be interesting to put up a photo from Saturday morning and one from this morning to see just how ridiculous the weather change has been!
The track at the Fort in all it's glory; this is why we came here.
This is not what I wanted to see out of my window this morning; this is why we almost went to Kenya!
pm: 30 mins easy at the lake
12.5mi
I had a bit of a joke with George yesterday at drills saying 'if Charlie Spedding can do a session in an underground car park then drills is too easy!' Well, I certainly didn't think that I'd be running 50 laps of the car park the following morning! I woke up at 0800 and the weather was far worse than yesterday with a huge blizzard blowing and the snow three times as deep as yesterday. I had some breakfast and stretched a little before going to reception for 0930. Due to the ridiculous weather there were few options and I decided to run in the underground car park. I did so many laps that I stopped counting very early but surprisingly I actually quite enjoyed it. I felt great today and ran pretty quickly as I got into a nice rhythm. My glutes were a little tight early on but eased off very soon into running. I walked a lap afterwards and it was 273 strides and my laps were 55 seconds throughout. So, at a guess I was running just under 6 minute miling which corresponds with the HR average I’d expect. The hill in the car park was ideal for strides and I felt nice and bouncy on them. I thought I may as well use today for meetings so I had a great 1 hour chat with Coach Li - coach to Bernard Lagat amongst others - and found it very helpful. His philosophy is about strength over speed so he loves threshold & tempo which is very similar to what I'm doing at the minute anyway. I had some ravioli and logged my training before going to meet Barry Fudge the physiologist for my mandatory session. I got some good tips on hydration and nutrition but most of it was just common sense. I have booked in for testing at Loughborough in early June which will be interesting to see how I have come on (hopefully!) from my last test in the autumn. Just to round off the day's meetings Lewis and I went for a chat with George next door. It was incredibly interesting to listen to the philosophies of two world renowned coaches in such quick succession and comforting to know that there really are no secrets and that I'm along the right lines in my development. Probably the best bit of advice I took out of today was not to be afraid to take rest and also that consistency is king. I was planning to take a rest in the afternoon but I decided to just go down to the lake for a shuffle and some fun in the snow. It was very thick snow on the trails but the roads/paths were clear enough to run on properly. This was really just a bit of a laugh in the fresh air. I felt a bit tired and heavy legged to begin with but ok after a while. It was not nice to run in because of the blustery snow in our faces and by the looks of the dam we won’t be doing reps on there tomorrow so there may be another change of plan! The conditions were treacherous driving back as after it had abated for a handful of hours the snow poured once again. Once back at the apartment a huge pot of paella was ready to be served which is just the ticket! A great dinner followed by a great film 'The Butterfly Effect' - it is indescribably weird though. I thought it may be interesting to put up a photo from Saturday morning and one from this morning to see just how ridiculous the weather change has been!
The track at the Fort in all it's glory; this is why we came here.
This is not what I wanted to see out of my window this morning; this is why we almost went to Kenya!
Monday, 3 May 2010
From Sunshine to Snow
am: 40 mins easy in snow
Drills with George + lots of strides
pm: 45 mins easy/steady on trails at the lake
12.5mi
We'd read the weather forecasts and prepared for the worst but I don't think anyone expected to see over 2 foot of snow after peeling the curtains back this morning. I was up at 0800 and I was pretty nonplussed to be honest - there's no point in getting annoyed; just make the best of it. I had some breakfast and wasn't planning on running but drills was put back an hour so I just did an easy run beforehand instead of warm up & warm down. I was a bit antisocial and boring on the run as I didn’t throw any snowballs or mess around as I stubbornly wanted to get it out of the way and avoid running stupidly slowly. The road was very clear so I just took the risk and ran with the traffic on the road up to the track. Once we got there I ran in lane 1 with a kicking running style to get the snow out of the way and then it wasn’t too bad. I just kept lapping and then ran back along the road – job done. I warmed myself with up with a hot mug of tea and then headed into the underground car park for drills! My glutes were still sore/tight today so I was careful what I did and missed an exercise in the middle – I had a good stretch here instead. It was a bit different to last week as we did more clawing-type exercises like the regular ‘cycling’ drill that I am used to. Lots and lots of strides. I had a shower and some porridge with Rocky Balboa on the TV - I paid little attention! We went to Super-U and the roads were remarkably clear - credit to Font Romeu and the surrounding area. I had a general massage as soon as we got back, focussing on my tight glutes that are still there from Saturday's session! I felt nice and loose afterwards. I got a few league games in the bag on PES and then found out Bogdanovich has played his last game for the Reds - not the sort of uplifting news I wanted on a snow day. On our way to reception Paula Radcliffe had just arrived for physio but I didn't manage to catch a glimpse of her! The trails at the lake were great as the snow was not an issue down there; it was very wet underfoot but it was a relief to be able to run naturally given the conditions. It was really cold and blustery and not pleasant to run in but had to be done. It started out at very easy and then we gradually picked it up to a good pace that seemed relatively easy but my legs were heavy to begin with. I didn’t do strides as I just got straight into the car to get warm. Barkesy and I agreed that you feel incredibly satisfied getting the scheduled training done in adversity so morale was high. We had a proper British dinner of steak, mash, veg and gravy before a meeting at 8pm to discuss the changes to training plans for the week. The decision we came to was to move the session on the dam from Saturday to tomorrow so fingers crossed the weather will hold off a little but I'm not holding my breath. I Skyped Phil again this evening and altered my schedule a little due to the weather. A big well done to one of my best friends James Wilkinson for taking on the 1500 guys at BUCS and bagging bronze.
Drills with George + lots of strides
pm: 45 mins easy/steady on trails at the lake
12.5mi
We'd read the weather forecasts and prepared for the worst but I don't think anyone expected to see over 2 foot of snow after peeling the curtains back this morning. I was up at 0800 and I was pretty nonplussed to be honest - there's no point in getting annoyed; just make the best of it. I had some breakfast and wasn't planning on running but drills was put back an hour so I just did an easy run beforehand instead of warm up & warm down. I was a bit antisocial and boring on the run as I didn’t throw any snowballs or mess around as I stubbornly wanted to get it out of the way and avoid running stupidly slowly. The road was very clear so I just took the risk and ran with the traffic on the road up to the track. Once we got there I ran in lane 1 with a kicking running style to get the snow out of the way and then it wasn’t too bad. I just kept lapping and then ran back along the road – job done. I warmed myself with up with a hot mug of tea and then headed into the underground car park for drills! My glutes were still sore/tight today so I was careful what I did and missed an exercise in the middle – I had a good stretch here instead. It was a bit different to last week as we did more clawing-type exercises like the regular ‘cycling’ drill that I am used to. Lots and lots of strides. I had a shower and some porridge with Rocky Balboa on the TV - I paid little attention! We went to Super-U and the roads were remarkably clear - credit to Font Romeu and the surrounding area. I had a general massage as soon as we got back, focussing on my tight glutes that are still there from Saturday's session! I felt nice and loose afterwards. I got a few league games in the bag on PES and then found out Bogdanovich has played his last game for the Reds - not the sort of uplifting news I wanted on a snow day. On our way to reception Paula Radcliffe had just arrived for physio but I didn't manage to catch a glimpse of her! The trails at the lake were great as the snow was not an issue down there; it was very wet underfoot but it was a relief to be able to run naturally given the conditions. It was really cold and blustery and not pleasant to run in but had to be done. It started out at very easy and then we gradually picked it up to a good pace that seemed relatively easy but my legs were heavy to begin with. I didn’t do strides as I just got straight into the car to get warm. Barkesy and I agreed that you feel incredibly satisfied getting the scheduled training done in adversity so morale was high. We had a proper British dinner of steak, mash, veg and gravy before a meeting at 8pm to discuss the changes to training plans for the week. The decision we came to was to move the session on the dam from Saturday to tomorrow so fingers crossed the weather will hold off a little but I'm not holding my breath. I Skyped Phil again this evening and altered my schedule a little due to the weather. A big well done to one of my best friends James Wilkinson for taking on the 1500 guys at BUCS and bagging bronze.
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Inspired for the Long Run
am: Easy 1hr 45 + strides on trails
16mi
Week: 92mi - A good week & thankfully no illness/injury on the horizon
Today started earlier than usual as the alarm was set for 0640 so we could watch Thommo's 10k debut. Lewis & Ryan had spoken to John Nuttall yesterday and he said the target time was 27.30 which seemed very ambitious if I'm being honest. I logged onto CBS Sports and it turned out we had to bloody pay $9.99! After getting up so early we thought we may as well pay it between us so having missed the opening 2k we finally had it on - it was worth every penny. There was a knock at the door and surprisingly it was George Gandy! George was as enthralled as us for the next 20 mins and although the Americans went wild for Solinski's sub 27, Thommo running 27.29 was arguably a bigger breakthrough for British endurance running. Imagine becoming one of the fastest ever white men on 10k debut after so many years of unfulfilled promise via injury and poor form. Andy Vernon shouldn't be forgotten for a solid 28.10 but it was Thompson's night; he has shown that it can be done. Hopefully most Brits feel as inspired as I do and see some light at the end of the tunnel for distance running in the UK. Congratulations to my good friend and former (still sometime) training partner Luke Cragg who ran 29.10 in the 'B' race which is a 1 minute P.B. - maybe he can sneak the 28.50 Commonwealth standard next time out. Unbelievably motivated and fuelled up on muesli, toast and coffee I bounced down to reception where everyone was buzzing. We ran on the trails & road on a new loop starting from the lake. I felt great this morning and I was so close to doing 2 hours but decided against. If I had done so and then got ill or injured I’d be so annoyed at myself. I ran with Sonia Samuels as the group split and I was comfortable running at a quicker pace with her. My aerobic fitness seems pretty good currently and I've considered cashing in on a good 10k but having discussed it with Phil we decided 15 & 5k is what I should focus on this summer. My glutes were so sore today and everyone who did my session yesterday was exactly the same – presumably it was the hill reps. That was my only niggle and it is a good one as it just shows I worked hard. I sometimes feel heavy legged and can't be bothered with post-Sunday run strides but today I felt so fresh and bouncy on them. It was a nice feeling and shows I didn’t over-fatigue in the latter stages. I had a jam sandwich and yoghurt as soon as I could get in the car! I got a lift back from Mary Wilkinson and she had to stop off at the shop so I did half an hour of stretching outside the car in the sunshine - I was thankful I'd brought some food with me. I ran a nice hot bath whilst watching Flotrack's video of Thommo's race from about 20 mins in. We had a big flat clean up before watching Chelsea all but sew up the Premier League title whilst making sure I had plenty of carbs to avoid the depletion of Wednesday. Having lazed around for a bit we had a scheduled team meeting at 6pm. The meeting was good and most if it was about how inspirational this morning was! We watched a bit of Avatar after having chicken pasta for dinner but generally did very little - I felt very drowsy this evening.
16mi
Week: 92mi - A good week & thankfully no illness/injury on the horizon
Today started earlier than usual as the alarm was set for 0640 so we could watch Thommo's 10k debut. Lewis & Ryan had spoken to John Nuttall yesterday and he said the target time was 27.30 which seemed very ambitious if I'm being honest. I logged onto CBS Sports and it turned out we had to bloody pay $9.99! After getting up so early we thought we may as well pay it between us so having missed the opening 2k we finally had it on - it was worth every penny. There was a knock at the door and surprisingly it was George Gandy! George was as enthralled as us for the next 20 mins and although the Americans went wild for Solinski's sub 27, Thommo running 27.29 was arguably a bigger breakthrough for British endurance running. Imagine becoming one of the fastest ever white men on 10k debut after so many years of unfulfilled promise via injury and poor form. Andy Vernon shouldn't be forgotten for a solid 28.10 but it was Thompson's night; he has shown that it can be done. Hopefully most Brits feel as inspired as I do and see some light at the end of the tunnel for distance running in the UK. Congratulations to my good friend and former (still sometime) training partner Luke Cragg who ran 29.10 in the 'B' race which is a 1 minute P.B. - maybe he can sneak the 28.50 Commonwealth standard next time out. Unbelievably motivated and fuelled up on muesli, toast and coffee I bounced down to reception where everyone was buzzing. We ran on the trails & road on a new loop starting from the lake. I felt great this morning and I was so close to doing 2 hours but decided against. If I had done so and then got ill or injured I’d be so annoyed at myself. I ran with Sonia Samuels as the group split and I was comfortable running at a quicker pace with her. My aerobic fitness seems pretty good currently and I've considered cashing in on a good 10k but having discussed it with Phil we decided 15 & 5k is what I should focus on this summer. My glutes were so sore today and everyone who did my session yesterday was exactly the same – presumably it was the hill reps. That was my only niggle and it is a good one as it just shows I worked hard. I sometimes feel heavy legged and can't be bothered with post-Sunday run strides but today I felt so fresh and bouncy on them. It was a nice feeling and shows I didn’t over-fatigue in the latter stages. I had a jam sandwich and yoghurt as soon as I could get in the car! I got a lift back from Mary Wilkinson and she had to stop off at the shop so I did half an hour of stretching outside the car in the sunshine - I was thankful I'd brought some food with me. I ran a nice hot bath whilst watching Flotrack's video of Thommo's race from about 20 mins in. We had a big flat clean up before watching Chelsea all but sew up the Premier League title whilst making sure I had plenty of carbs to avoid the depletion of Wednesday. Having lazed around for a bit we had a scheduled team meeting at 6pm. The meeting was good and most if it was about how inspirational this morning was! We watched a bit of Avatar after having chicken pasta for dinner but generally did very little - I felt very drowsy this evening.
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Lactate Intolerance
am: 1200, 10 mins, 10x25 sec hills(WBR), 15 mins, 800 – 3.25, ave 150m, 2.05
pm: 45 mins easy on trails
16.5mi
I slept by far the best I have since arriving. I got up at just before 0800 and had a good bowl of porridge and an orange juice plus a strong cup of coffee just before heading out. We got a bit of telling off at reception for having a fire the other night but I don't think we'll do it again! I jogged nice and easy to the track and then rounded it up on the flat grass. It was windy and humid this morning which wasn't ideal as it made me feel slightly light-headed. I did all my stretched, drills and strides and felt ready to go. This session took training at altitude to a whole different level. I had to run every stride of the 1200 on my own with Lisa Dobriskey breathing down my neck for most of it! I found it really tough for the first couple of laps and then on the 3rd my body felt numb and tingly and although I ran a 69 I felt much, much better. On the hills I felt strong up until the last 20m of each rep where the lactic kicked in; particularly after 8 reps or so. The 3.40 1500 guys really stole a march on me which is to be expected but this type of elastic power is something I think I need to improve. I dropped my cross spikes on for the 800 and thought I’d gone off controlled but went through 800 in 59 and paid for it in the last 200! I spewed 5 times post-session as I was just over-run with lactate. A few minutes later I felt absolutely fine. I really enjoyed this session as it was a bit different and I found it easy to get my head round it. If I’d had guys to run with on the track reps then I know I’d have gone quicker. I had a banana and yoghurt within sight of the Dr so I should stay in his good books for a while longer (he gave me a pat on the back having seen my painful final 100m). I warmed down 3mi with Lewis then had a hot shower and went out to grab a fresh pizza. I gambled on a 'Western' which was covered in onion & minced beef and not only was it a dream, it totally filled me up. I checked on the live results of BUCS, browsed the web and then got a text update from Wilko saying the 15 boys were safely through. I stuck some shorts on and headed out for a massage. This massage was painful! My legs felt fine apart from one specific point in my calf which was pure agony and to be quite honest it didn't ease off. It seemed like a lot of pain for nothing as I had no discomfort running. I got back to the apartment and had a bowl of cereal before a frustrating 0-0 on Pro against Rick. By this time it was 1700 so I went down to reception for an easy run with the group. Since the session there had been rain and hail all day and by the time of this run it was still pissing it down. I quite enjoyed running in the rain and on a bit of mud at the lake for a change, especially when I felt as fresh as a daisy. The other guys were out when I got back so I cracked on with making chilli con carne which went down well as a good athlete meal. I went on Skype to my Mum & Dad for almost an hour to talk training, the election and general gossip. I hit the sack early so I will be ok to get up and watch the 10k at Stanford tomorrow morning; fingers crossed Thommo, Vernon and most important for me, Cragg run well.
pm: 45 mins easy on trails
16.5mi
I slept by far the best I have since arriving. I got up at just before 0800 and had a good bowl of porridge and an orange juice plus a strong cup of coffee just before heading out. We got a bit of telling off at reception for having a fire the other night but I don't think we'll do it again! I jogged nice and easy to the track and then rounded it up on the flat grass. It was windy and humid this morning which wasn't ideal as it made me feel slightly light-headed. I did all my stretched, drills and strides and felt ready to go. This session took training at altitude to a whole different level. I had to run every stride of the 1200 on my own with Lisa Dobriskey breathing down my neck for most of it! I found it really tough for the first couple of laps and then on the 3rd my body felt numb and tingly and although I ran a 69 I felt much, much better. On the hills I felt strong up until the last 20m of each rep where the lactic kicked in; particularly after 8 reps or so. The 3.40 1500 guys really stole a march on me which is to be expected but this type of elastic power is something I think I need to improve. I dropped my cross spikes on for the 800 and thought I’d gone off controlled but went through 800 in 59 and paid for it in the last 200! I spewed 5 times post-session as I was just over-run with lactate. A few minutes later I felt absolutely fine. I really enjoyed this session as it was a bit different and I found it easy to get my head round it. If I’d had guys to run with on the track reps then I know I’d have gone quicker. I had a banana and yoghurt within sight of the Dr so I should stay in his good books for a while longer (he gave me a pat on the back having seen my painful final 100m). I warmed down 3mi with Lewis then had a hot shower and went out to grab a fresh pizza. I gambled on a 'Western' which was covered in onion & minced beef and not only was it a dream, it totally filled me up. I checked on the live results of BUCS, browsed the web and then got a text update from Wilko saying the 15 boys were safely through. I stuck some shorts on and headed out for a massage. This massage was painful! My legs felt fine apart from one specific point in my calf which was pure agony and to be quite honest it didn't ease off. It seemed like a lot of pain for nothing as I had no discomfort running. I got back to the apartment and had a bowl of cereal before a frustrating 0-0 on Pro against Rick. By this time it was 1700 so I went down to reception for an easy run with the group. Since the session there had been rain and hail all day and by the time of this run it was still pissing it down. I quite enjoyed running in the rain and on a bit of mud at the lake for a change, especially when I felt as fresh as a daisy. The other guys were out when I got back so I cracked on with making chilli con carne which went down well as a good athlete meal. I went on Skype to my Mum & Dad for almost an hour to talk training, the election and general gossip. I hit the sack early so I will be ok to get up and watch the 10k at Stanford tomorrow morning; fingers crossed Thommo, Vernon and most important for me, Cragg run well.
Friday, 30 April 2010
Recovery Day
am: 50 mins easy on trails
pm: Circuits
7mi
I woke up just before 10 feeling fresh. I started cleaning up after the BBQ last night and then had some porridge, orange juice and a coffee. I did a little stretching and lazed around for a bit before finally booking train tickets to see my Grandparents on the weekend of the Loughborough International. It was good to finally get round to it as I’ve been putting it off for days! I set off with McLeod and Lucy O’Gorman and after slow opening mile (it was uphill) of outside 9 mins I decided to go on my own. I thought it was pointless running that slowly at this point of the trip as my HR was barely above 120. I just ran around trails and grass at the track to keep it on the flat and I felt really smooth and relaxed. I think I am pretty much acclimatised now as I was running a similar pace and heart rate as I would do at home. My legs felt fine; a good indicator that I didn’t run too hard last night. I was going to do strides but decided against it with circuits to come later on today. I had an egg sandwich, jam on toast, yoghurt and some fruit before a hot shower and a trip to the supermarket. I felt really sleepy walking around and just wanted to get back to the apartment and laze about. Today seemed to go really quickly and having chilled out for a bit and had a bowl of cereal it was suddenly 1830. I decided that if I didn't get my core session done now I'd end up sacking it off. I did a short, sharp session with Lewis and felt pretty decent although my back was a little stiff towards the end. We had turkey stir fry for dinner which should be good fuel for a big session at the track come tomorrow morning! I feel really sleepy typing and it is only 2100 but I reckon I'll be in bed within the hour.
pm: Circuits
7mi
I woke up just before 10 feeling fresh. I started cleaning up after the BBQ last night and then had some porridge, orange juice and a coffee. I did a little stretching and lazed around for a bit before finally booking train tickets to see my Grandparents on the weekend of the Loughborough International. It was good to finally get round to it as I’ve been putting it off for days! I set off with McLeod and Lucy O’Gorman and after slow opening mile (it was uphill) of outside 9 mins I decided to go on my own. I thought it was pointless running that slowly at this point of the trip as my HR was barely above 120. I just ran around trails and grass at the track to keep it on the flat and I felt really smooth and relaxed. I think I am pretty much acclimatised now as I was running a similar pace and heart rate as I would do at home. My legs felt fine; a good indicator that I didn’t run too hard last night. I was going to do strides but decided against it with circuits to come later on today. I had an egg sandwich, jam on toast, yoghurt and some fruit before a hot shower and a trip to the supermarket. I felt really sleepy walking around and just wanted to get back to the apartment and laze about. Today seemed to go really quickly and having chilled out for a bit and had a bowl of cereal it was suddenly 1830. I decided that if I didn't get my core session done now I'd end up sacking it off. I did a short, sharp session with Lewis and felt pretty decent although my back was a little stiff towards the end. We had turkey stir fry for dinner which should be good fuel for a big session at the track come tomorrow morning! I feel really sleepy typing and it is only 2100 but I reckon I'll be in bed within the hour.
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