First Track Session (at 6000 feet!)

am: 3x1k, 2x800 (8min cycle inc. 400jog) + 1mi stride straights/jog bends: 2.53, 2.54, 2.54, 2.21 & 2.18 + strides in 15s
pm: 35 mins easy on trails
15mi

I struggled to get to sleep last night so I listened to a bit of Alisha Keys – it didn’t do the trick! It is probably the worst night’s sleep since arriving 8 days ago but that is altitude. I was wide awake at 0700 so did some stretching (I was struggling to kill time as Bowser swiped my laptop for late night poker) before having a bowl of porridge and an orange juice. I must have slept awkwardly as the right side of my neck was very stiff – like I’d taken a Viagra and it got stuck halfway down! I had a strong cup of coffee and we headed to reception to meet the others. George explained the session and we jogged a couple of miles to the track and I did all my drills and strides. My hamstrings were sore but once the session got started I forgot about them. It was a bit windy but the sun was out and it was glorious for training. I felt terrible on the first rep and just had to get it done. On the 2nd and 3rd I felt very easy for the first half but then ended up in a hole and tensed up a little. I dropped down to 800s to maintain the same pace rather than going to pieces. I’m bound to have days feeling rubbish at altitude; the session is in the bank and that’s all that matters. It was such an odd feeling running quicker at altitude and I definitely needed the 5 mins recovery. I had air stuck in my right ear all session and no amount of nose blowing or head shaking did the trick. I felt great on my strides which was encouraging – I put my cross spikes on for them and felt like I was bouncing along effortlessly. The group worked together brilliantly and you can really see why Ian Stewart and George Gandy are trying to encourage more National Squad days. I did some stretching and had a banana and a yoghurt before Vince was 0.3 seconds from achieving 1.26 for 600m. It was very entertaining and a great effort but like a man, he handed the agreed €20 stake to McLeod. We jogged home and blood started trickling out of my nostril very similar to when I completed my first session in St Moritz. It quickly settled and we had fish finger sandwiches and cups of tea for lunch. I jumped in the shower and then got into bed to catch up on Heroes and have a well earned rest. I got a massage at 1500 on my tight neck & hamstrings and it seemed to loosen them off a little. I then just chatted to the guys out on the patio and suddenly it was time to get ready to run again. A group of us headed to the far side of the lake at just gone 1700. I felt really good this evening, my legs weren’t tired from this morning’s session and although my hamstrings were a little tight they were much better than pre-massage. We started with an 8 minute mile and then clipped along at 7s on a new route through the woods, all on grass. It was ideal – pan flat except for one short incline. I toyed with the idea of doing more because I felt good but stuck to coach's orders. I was starving towards the end of this run and my cereal bar did little to satisfy this hunger! Luckily for me and Ryan, when we got back to the ranch Lewis had almost finished making a huge spaghetti bolognese. I wolfed mine down in record time and then had seconds - you've got to refuel right? A cup of tea and Pro-Evo set up a standard evening in Room 120. We went out with the intention of meeting a group that had gone out for dinner but it never came off. We had to settle for a few games of pool in Font Romeu's scabby bar, heading back for bed at 2300.