25th March - 7th April

The routine of alternate easy run / hard run days is working well. Monday, Wednesday and Friday have Strength and Conditioning work scheduled with an easy run at the other end of the day (if possible), whilst on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I run at a harder intensity. Sunday is for a longer run, although I haven't gone beyond 60 minutes so far this year.

The 4-day Easter holiday broke this routine and posed some training challenges. Being away from Luton does have its downside - no access to a gym or track - and the weather put paid to the Good Friday AAA Open meeting at Gosling Park. Instead, Good Friday was spent away from home with Coach Wife and so a little exploring was required on Saturday morning to find a natural incline suitable for a Kenyan Hills session. (The weekend was great by the way - thanks to Naomi's Grandma for looking after our daughter)! On Bank Holiday Monday I jogged over to the Flitch Way to use the forgiving surface for leaps, hops and jumps, much to the amusement of a couple of dog walkers sharing the path with me!

Not to be denied a race on the track before the season begins proper, I entered the 3000m at the Bedfordshire AAA Open Meeting at Stockwood Park, Luton. To make the most of the 70 mile round trip from Bishops Stortford, I dragged Coach Wife and daughter along with me, not to watch my 7 and a half laps of the track but to visit Woodside Farm & Leisure Park, a place every toddler should visit!

I finished the race in 9'40'', about 20'' quicker than I had anticipated, which means I am a lot closer to a sub 16 minute 5000m than I thought I would be at this stage. After a quick opening 200m, I settled down to lap consistently at 78-79 seconds with a 71 second last lap. Hopefully I can achieve my 5000m target at the 18th May Southern Area League fixture at Wodson Park, which will also mark the end my Paternity Leave. After that  date I will probably just be happy for 16 minutes sleep!

 

Naomi takes Dad for a spin in her tractor at Woodside Farm & Leisure Park

Refueling post race at Cheeky Monkey's Play Barn

25th - 31st March

Monday: AM - S&C; PM - 40' varied pace running

S&C:

Ankle Hops 3 x 8

Depth Drop (40cm) 3 x 8

Drop Jumps (40cm) 3 x 8

Front Squat 3 x 5 (65kg) interspersed with Box Jumps (80cm) 4 x 5

Low hurdle hops 3 x 8

Press Up (with resistance band) 3 x 6

Bent Over Row (50kg) 3 x 5

Tuesday: AM - 'Up the clock' (400m - 800m - 1200m - 1600m - 2000m; 2' recovery & 6' recovery before final rep) [75' - 2'40'' - 4'05 - 5'40'' - 7'05]; PM - 30' easy running

Wednesday: AM - S&C; PM - 53' easy

S&C:

Front Squat 3 x 5 (65kg)

Single SL Dead Lift 3 x 5 (65kg)

Bent Over Row 3 x 5 (50kg)

Press Up (with resistance band) 3 x 6

Candlestick 2 x 3

Thursday: AM - 3 x 4 x 200m (2' recovery between 200's & 5' recovery between sets of 4) [all circa 30'']

Good Friday: AM - 40' easy running

Saturday: AM - 10' easy run - 20' Tempo/Kenyan Hills - 10' easy run

Easter Sunday: 40' easy running

1st - 7th April

Bank Holiday Monday: PM - 20' easy run to the Flitch Way - 20' Plyometrics - 20' easy run back home

Plyometrics:

3 x 8 Power Skips

3 x 8 Bounding

4 x 8 Single Leg Bounding (mximal hops)

4 x 5 Broad Jumps

4 x 5 Hi 'Hurdle' hops (without the hurdle)

Tuesday: PM - 4 x 0.91 Mile Reps [circa 5'04'']

Wednesday: AM - S&C PM: 53' easy running

S&C:

Front Squat 3 x 4 (70kg)

Dead Lift 3 x 5 (80kg)*

Pull Up 3 x 4 (body weight)

Press Up (with resistance band) 3 x 6

2 x 3 Candlesticks
* replaces single straight leg dead lift to economise time and to add work to gluteal muscles.

Thursday: AM - 6 x 400m (4' recovery) [69'' +/- 2'']; PM - 35' easy running

Friday: AM - S&C: 
Ankle Hops 3 x 8

Front Squat 3 x 5 (70kg) interspersed with Depth Drop (40cm) 3 x 8

Dead lift 3 x 5 (80kg) interspersed with Drop Jumps 3 x 8 (40cm)

Box Jumps (80cm) 4 x 5

Low hurdle hops 3 x 8

Saturday: RACE: Bedfordshire AAA Open Meeting - 3000m (2nd) [9'40'']

Sunday: 60' easy running

Trip to Milton Keynes

I do like to run twice a day if one of those runs is on the track. An easy run of a few miles helps recover from, (if the track session is AM), or prepare for, (if the track session is PM), the high intensity of track running. The additional mileage accumulated is also of benefit and is an important factor in the distance runner's training schedule.

However, I was provided little opportunity to follow Tuesday's early morning interval session with an evening run. After work I made the short trip from Luton to Milton Keynes to collect coach wife and Naomi from the train station and later that evening became re-united with the usual weekday evening routine. They had both spent a few days away visiting family and, whilst I waited for their arrival on platform 4 at Milton Keynes, I pondered what Naomi’s reaction would be having not seen or spoken to her daddy for 4 days. "Moon" she said, pointing right past me and towards the sky as I helped Coach wife lift the buggy off the carriage. "Look mummy, the moon". Perhaps if she grows up to be an astronomer I won't hold her interest in the moon over her own dad that evening against her!

As for Thursday, I give no excuse other than tiredness. The weather wasn't exactly enticing that evening and it would have taken a lot of bribery to get me outside. I also reminded myself that, whilst this is only my 6th consecutive week of training, it is the most running I have done for 12 months and, on the eve of the track season, I don't want to invite illness for the sake of a 30 minute jog.

　

Week Commencing 18^th March 2013.

A 'recovery' week on the traditional S&C work so good opportunity to introduce some more plyometrics on Friday. I have also measured the 'mile' reps I frequently run and admit the distance being closer to 0.9 than 1 mile!

　

Monday: AM - S&C; PM - 45' easy running

S&C:

Ankle Hops 3 x 8

Depth Drop 2 x 8

Straight Leg Dead lift 3 x 5 (80kg) combined with Drop Jumps 3 x 8

Front Squat 3 x 5 (60kg) combined with Box Jumps 4 x 5

Low hurdle hops 3 x 8

Press Up (with resistance band) 3 x 8

Bent Over Row (45kg) 3 x 5

Tuesday: AM - 5 x 800m & 400m (2' & 1' recovery) (800's circa 2'39; 400's circa 75'')

Wednesday: AM - S&C; PM - 53' easy

S&C:

Front Squat 3 x 5 (60kg)

Single SL Dead Lift 3 x 5 (60kg)

Bent Over Row 3 x 5 (45kg)

Press Up (with resistance band) 3 x 5

Candlestick 2 x 3

Thursday: AM - 6 x 300m (3' recovery) (reps #1-5 circa 50''; rep #6 46'')

Friday: AM - S&C

S&C:

Power Skip 3 x 8

Straight Leg Dead lift 3 x 5 (80kg) combined with bounding 3 x 8

Single-leg bounding 3 x 8

Front Squats 3 x 5 (60kg) combined with High Hurdle Hops 4 x 5

Broad Jumps 4 x 5

Saturday: 4 x 0.91miles (2' recovery) (5'10''; 4'57''; 5'02''; 4'58'')

Sunday: 55' easy

'Rest' week

Some words of wisdom from an amateur distance runner...

"Never bother to plan a rest week into your training schedule, they often arise with no notice and little choice".

These words have not been quoted from an experienced pro coach but are from a chap trying to balance work, family, running and sleep into every 24 hours that the earth spins. I have learned just to let the rest weeks happen, and this last week, (or the latter part of it), is a good example of that.

As intended, I did reduce the weight I was lifting, (see previous blog on simple S&C programming), and introduce some plyometric training, (more of which next week), but some personal business requiring Thursday and Friday off work and a weekend away from home on a training course was enough to disturb the (vital) routine and write off half of the week:

Monday: AM - S&C; PM - 40' easy

Tuesday: AM - 6 x 1000m (circa 3'30'', but last two reps 3'28'' and 3'25''); PM - 30' easy

Wednesday: AM - S&C; PM - 53' easy

Thursday: 30' easy

Friday: REST

Saturday: 10' easy 1 x 18' Kenyan Hills 10' easy

Sunday: REST

S&C, including Plyometrics, (Monday):

Ankle Hops 3 x 8

Depth Drop 2 x 8

Straight Leg Dead lift 3 x 5 (60kg) combined with Drop Jumps 3 x 8

Front Squat 3 x 5 (60kg) combined with Box Jumps 4 x 5

Low hurdle hops 3 x 8

Press Up (with resistance band) 3 x 8

Bent Over Row (45kg) 3 x 5

S&C, (Wednesday):

Front Squat 3 x 5 (60kg)

Single SL Dead Lift 3 x 5 (60kg)

Bent Over Row 3 x 5 (45kg)

Press Up (with resistance band) 3 x5

Candlestick 2 x 3

4th March 2013

This week, I decided to cancel my membership to one of the well known budget fitness facilities and instead direct my £16 per month to Active Luton, who manage the gym and track at Stockwood Park. Yes, £16 per month for 8 lanes of synthetic track, a lifting platform and 4 Olympic sized bars! If you doubt that is good value for money then you must be from Luton because in my first week there I have seen only a handful of people training!

The schedule below outlines the third week in a row of near full training. I can't remember the last time I have managed such a feat. Just like I can't remember the last time 3 weeks passed without feeling unwell or being snowed in. Speaking of illness, I seemed to have avoided the worst of the latest virus imported to the household from Naomi's nursery, unlike coach wife. The most likely reason is that this is a strain of something I have suffered from previously. However, I couldn't say my new found robustness had nothing to do with the re-introduction of a Vitamin D supplement to my diet. Vitamin D is mainly associated with bone health and muscle function but it does play a role in immunity...

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2879394/

 

If I had had insufficient levels of Vitamin D before starting the supplements, then I am certain I wouldn't have been the only person in the UK to suffer. Not least because the production of vitamin D in the skin relies on exposure to the sun, and anyone who has lived in the UK for the last 18 months has probably had very little exposure to, if at all seen the sun!

 

Perhaps those branded supplements are paying me back already!

 

Monday: AM - S&C; PM - 30' easy

Tuesday: Midday - 10' easy 2 x 10’ Kenyan Hills 10' easy

Wednesday: AM - S&C; PM - 53' easy

Thursday: AM: 20' cycle; PM: TRACK: 4 x 600m (5' recovery) (all approx 2' +/- 2'')

Friday: AM: S&C; PM: Rest

Saturday: 4 x (approx) 1 Mile (on road) (between 4'58'' and 5'05'')

Sunday: 61' easy

　

SC:

Front Squat 3 x 5 (70kg)

Single SL Dead Lift 3 x 5 (70kg)

Bent Over Row 3 x 5 (60kg)

Press Up (with resistance band) 3 x 6

Candlestick 2 x 3

 

 

25 Feb 2013

As the temperature rises to a tropical 4 or 5 degrees and my feet are not sodden at the end of every run, I am reminded that spring is upon us. According to science / legend, this is a time to phase out some of the winter / gym work and replace it with more specific training, namely ‘speed work’, ahead of summer competition. But historically, I have never had a period of gym work to phase out. Like many amateur endurance runners, I have doubted the importance of strength and conditioning and worried about the time I was spending not running. But increasing mileage brings only a diminishing return and, in my case, a chronic Achilles tendon injury! Perhaps most importantly though, there is now an abundance of literature suggesting that strength training reduces the oxygen cost of running at a given pace, which to an endurance runner, is like finding gold. So since late summer 2012 I have been attempting mine this pool of untapped potential.

　

But now March has arrived, I have to prepare for the possibility that I might be able to compete on the track this summer. Pregnant coach wife looks bemused when I mention the possibility of racing again this year. The schedule she has put together for me contains a long, extended break from all running from May onwards, when we will be expecting the arrival of our second child.

　

Even so, I heeded the advice of introducing speed work and could have been found at Stockwood Park in Luton on Thursday afternoon, running on an athletics track for the first time in 9 months. At 5 seconds a lap slower than my training times in 2010, my hopes of running 5,000m in under 16 minutes for the first time are faint. (Pregnant coach wife tells me my hopes of running 5,000m in over 16 minutes are equally faint). Yet undeterred, last week I continued with an easy day / hard day routine with S&C accompanying the easy runs, a routine suiting me quite well at present::

　

Monday: AM - S&C*; PM - 30' easy

Tuesday: Midday - 10' easy 2 x 10’ Kenyan Hills 10' easy

Wednesday: AM - S&C; PM - 53' easy

Thursday: Midday - 5 x 800m (avg. 2’40’’)

Friday: AM: Hit the snooze button so no S&C today. PM - 30' easy

Saturday: PM - 10' easy 20' (60'' hard / 60'' easy) 10'easy

Sunday: AM: 60' easy; PM - 2 hrs in the allotment

　

*SC:

Front Squat 3 x 5 (65kg)

Single SL Dead Lift (65kg)

Bent Over Row (55kg)

Chest Press (55kg)

Candlestick 2 x 3

2013 finally gets going

Cold weather and mild illness has provided very little material for me to write about in 2013, but I did string together a decent 7 days of training last week, (though the mileage is modest at best):

Monday: AM: S&C*. PM: 39' easy

Tuesday: 10' warm up, 2x10' Kenyan Hills, 10' cool down

Wednesday: AM: Abandoned S&C, still recovering from Monday! PM: 41' easy

Thursday: 20' indoor cycle. PM: 4 x 1M (approx) (avg 5.20'mile)

Friday: AM: S&C* PM: 30' easy

Saturday: An early start to the day tending to a poorly 2 year old was enough to undo plans for a varied pace run in the morning. I should have gone out in the afternoon but got too absorbed in the rugby and warmth. Therefore a REST day.

Sunday: AM: (A somewhat foolish) 3 hours in the allotment against the icy winds. (Cue another illness next week)

Sunday: PM: 44' easy. 


*S&C for this week as follows:

Front Squat: 3 x 5 (60kg)
Single SL Dead Lift: 3 x 5 (60kg)
Seated Row: 3 x 5 (45kg)
Seated Chest Press: 3 x (52kg)
Candlesticks: 3 x 3

I have no races to my name so far this year and only a vague plan to race (St Claires 10k) next month. The track season begins in April and, with high training volumes not an absolute necessity for the shorter distances, that may be the most realistic chance of competing seriously this year. Although when child number 2 arrives in early May that could easily change!

 

Flu strikes

It has been quiet on this blog front recently and for one very good reason - flu has left my training in tatters! Pregnant coach wife says she saw it coming. "I have no time for sympathy" she says. "Just make sure you stay away from me and your daughter"!

As I lay quarantined in my own bedroom for 48 hours with some newly acquired hindsight, I wandered how I didn't see it coming. Early mornings getting to the gym before work and busy evenings putting a stubborn 2 year old to bed, followed by a run, followed by a late evening meal and an even later bedtime. Throw in some slack meal planning and a sudden drop in the temperature outside and I was clearly vulnerable.

So what next?

While flu like symptoms usually subside after several days, it is considered wise to delay a return to training for at least another week, and resume only gentle training at that. Even for budding amateur athletes, Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome is a real risk if sufficient recovery is not allowed for. For me, that will mean no resistance work or hard interval sessions until the New Year, which I must confess, at present doesn't sound like a bad thing at all!

Having said that, I did put in a brave if not foolish performance for Thurrock Harriers in the Essex Cross Country League on Saturday. Thurrock have been going well this season, currently battling for 4th spot with Havering, and I was finding the thought of staying away difficult to come to terms with. My intention was to run the race at a steady pace, looking after myself whilst collecting a handful of useful points for the team. However, the bottomless conditions and the usual pride a runner has when lining up for a race put paid to that. It was the toughest race I have done in 12 months and I only had 35th place, (3rd home for Thurrock), to show for my efforts. Not a day to remember, less so after learning that Havering had finished 3 places ahead of us. And to make matters worse, I felt exhausted for the rest of the afternoon and retired to bed a full hour before Match of the Day! Pregnant coach wife says she could see that coming too!

With that said then, here is the training leading up to and beyond the recent illness...

Sunday 25th Nov: Chelmsford 10K (34' 55'')
Monday: AM: S&C.  PM: 45' easy.
Tuesday: AM: 30' indoor cycle.  PM: Rest (muscles feeling very tired after Sunday's 10K).
Wednesday: AM: Slept in, no S&C today.  PM: 60' easy.
Thursday AM: S&C  PM: Rest (Good excuse - I had an online application to complete).
Friday AM: 30' indoor cycle.
Saturday AM: 43' easy from Cheshunt station to Lea Valley.  PM: 38' steady from Lea Valley to Cheshunt station. Arrived on the platform just to see my train pulling away - D'oh!
Sunday AM: Train from Bishops Stortford to Cheshunt was late so ran 38' steady from Cheshunt station to Lea Valley.  PM: 22' tempo run from Lea Valley. Not feeling great and not confident  of making the train at Cheshunt (again) so I intercepted it at Enfield Lock.
Monday 3rd Dec: AM - S&C . PM: Rest. Still not feeling great...
Tuesday: Ill. Sudden fever, sweating, chesty cough.
Weds: Ill
Thurs: Ill
etc.
etc.
Mon 10th Dec: Return to work
Wednesday 12th Dec: 20 mins indoor cycle
Friday 14th Dec: 30 mins indoor cycle
Sat: Essex League Cross Country @ Basildon, 35th, 32' 18''
Sun: (Much needed) rest.

The remaining few weeks of 2012 will be 2 or 3 30 minute easy runs / indoor cycles per week. Beyond that, I need to think how to get the most effective training into an increasingly time limited week, without risking further illness. Any ideas?