Hello,
So, my lower leg already seems to have increased mobility, which is good. However, I still think a more cautious approach to training should be followed this week. I've put the prescribed plan below. due to previous plans, I was already going to do Sunday's run on Monday. This might work out well, since I think I should have a day of rest between each run this week, even if I do think the ankle is fine to run on.
Monday: Cross train
Tuesday: 4 miles easy
Wednesday: 7 miles
Thursday: 4 miles easy
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday: 15 miles
I did want to increase Sunday's run from 15 to 17 miles. If I'm ok to run on it by then, perhaps that will make up for some missed mileage.
Perhaps this week's run schedule should instead be:
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Monday: 17 miles. We'll see
Monday, 25 February 2013
My body's trying to tell me something
Well, surprise surprise.
After my highest mileage week (I think ever), I'm broken. That lower leg various pains caused my ankle to seize again, so when I woke up this morning, it was quite painful to get around.
I don't think its a sprain, as I can put weight on it, and I was able to run 14 miles on it yesterday, but I do think if there isn't already damage to the joint, I'd be risking it if I continued to run on it.
Today is a cross training day: I would like to cycle, but I think it will still be too dark when I get home. Given my schedule over the next week, I am going to put in an extra rest day here, as I was already planning to do nxt Sunday's run on Monday. I think I can have an extra day and a half rest, and shift the training schedule, and hopefully the leg will have healed enough to get the miles in. Instead of running/cross, I'll be doing lots and lots of stretching and foam rolling.
After my highest mileage week (I think ever), I'm broken. That lower leg various pains caused my ankle to seize again, so when I woke up this morning, it was quite painful to get around.
I don't think its a sprain, as I can put weight on it, and I was able to run 14 miles on it yesterday, but I do think if there isn't already damage to the joint, I'd be risking it if I continued to run on it.
Today is a cross training day: I would like to cycle, but I think it will still be too dark when I get home. Given my schedule over the next week, I am going to put in an extra rest day here, as I was already planning to do nxt Sunday's run on Monday. I think I can have an extra day and a half rest, and shift the training schedule, and hopefully the leg will have healed enough to get the miles in. Instead of running/cross, I'll be doing lots and lots of stretching and foam rolling.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
The reservoir, car dealerships and a squirrel
Today's run was 14 miles and bound to be difficult after yesterday's 7 miles at race pace. I decided to make it harder by trying a new route. If I'm being completely honest, I probably shouldn't have run today. My left ankle had seized up when I woke this morning, though it did loosen after a couple of hours.
I decided I would run to ardleigh reservoir, loop around it, and come home... I thought it would be a nice scenic run- lots of beautiful scenery etc, and a nice alternative to the Wivenhoe trail I've come to rely on for my long runs as I don't really like running on busy roads with lots of cars.
Instead, getting to the reservoir was exclusively along busy roads, and I even had to cross the A12. I spent so much time looking at my iPhone for directions that I hadn't even completed 5 miles within an hour of leaving home. When I got to the reservoir, what I thought was the footpath hada loads of signs saying private, farm only, so I gave up trying to find a way round. I was only 5 miles in so had to find an alternative. I got back to the top of Ipswich road (crossing A12 again and decided on going into castle park and around a loop that would take me home. Turns out my running route today was particularly devoid of nature, but flush with car dealerships. I saw mini, BMW, vauxhall, Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, fiat, Saab and probably others that I don't remember!
By the time I reached castle park the cold had ensured I needed to empty my bladder, so I aimed for the toilets. On the way, I saw a squirrel sitting on a post, looking very cute. I decided to stop and take a picture- he decided to run right up to my feet!
Whilst the first few miles of this run were quite tough- my left leg was hurting, the middle miles actually felt quite good. I took a couple of gels on board and thought I may as well stretch out to 15 as its going so well. Around mile 11, the bottoms of my feet started to feel quite sore, and I could feel the beginnings of a blister. The loop I took I could have got home by 13.5 miles, but I decided to tag a bit on to make it at least 14. I ended up with 14.16 before I gave up. I probably could have eeked it out to 15, but I'm not sure what training benefit I would have gotten from that extra mile when I was clearly already in the fat burning vs glycogen burning zone.
I decided I would run to ardleigh reservoir, loop around it, and come home... I thought it would be a nice scenic run- lots of beautiful scenery etc, and a nice alternative to the Wivenhoe trail I've come to rely on for my long runs as I don't really like running on busy roads with lots of cars.
Instead, getting to the reservoir was exclusively along busy roads, and I even had to cross the A12. I spent so much time looking at my iPhone for directions that I hadn't even completed 5 miles within an hour of leaving home. When I got to the reservoir, what I thought was the footpath hada loads of signs saying private, farm only, so I gave up trying to find a way round. I was only 5 miles in so had to find an alternative. I got back to the top of Ipswich road (crossing A12 again and decided on going into castle park and around a loop that would take me home. Turns out my running route today was particularly devoid of nature, but flush with car dealerships. I saw mini, BMW, vauxhall, Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, fiat, Saab and probably others that I don't remember!
By the time I reached castle park the cold had ensured I needed to empty my bladder, so I aimed for the toilets. On the way, I saw a squirrel sitting on a post, looking very cute. I decided to stop and take a picture- he decided to run right up to my feet!
Whilst the first few miles of this run were quite tough- my left leg was hurting, the middle miles actually felt quite good. I took a couple of gels on board and thought I may as well stretch out to 15 as its going so well. Around mile 11, the bottoms of my feet started to feel quite sore, and I could feel the beginnings of a blister. The loop I took I could have got home by 13.5 miles, but I decided to tag a bit on to make it at least 14. I ended up with 14.16 before I gave up. I probably could have eeked it out to 15, but I'm not sure what training benefit I would have gotten from that extra mile when I was clearly already in the fat burning vs glycogen burning zone.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Today's run 7 mile pace
I just wanted to add a comment on why. I think this run went well.
1) I used sis regs night after Wednesdays longer run- I shall use it tonight as well
2) I did all my recovery runs this week
3) even though I had a few glasses of wine yesterday, I had a lot of water too to avoid dehydration
4) I had snacks throughout the day yesterday, and even ate dinner at 5 pm before going to a party- at the party I tried to avoid the fattier nibbles.
5) this morning, I had a good breakfast of porridge and banana as well as 500ml of sis go- I also took this on the run with me.
6) I managed to do the run at about 1030 having properly fuelled and hydrated beforehand, along with adequate rest.
I should definitely use some of this in my racing strategy...
1) I used sis regs night after Wednesdays longer run- I shall use it tonight as well
2) I did all my recovery runs this week
3) even though I had a few glasses of wine yesterday, I had a lot of water too to avoid dehydration
4) I had snacks throughout the day yesterday, and even ate dinner at 5 pm before going to a party- at the party I tried to avoid the fattier nibbles.
5) this morning, I had a good breakfast of porridge and banana as well as 500ml of sis go- I also took this on the run with me.
6) I managed to do the run at about 1030 having properly fuelled and hydrated beforehand, along with adequate rest.
I should definitely use some of this in my racing strategy...
Getting Speedier :-)
Yipeeee! I did my 7 mile run- was aiming for 8:56 pace as that's my target for Colchester half... I actually couldn't keep it that slow until the last mile and ended up averaging at about 8:45- I actually think I managed my 10k pb (just) in this run, though I can't be sure- wish I could find a 10k local enough that I can just go and test that theory out, but here's my splits:
Mile 1: 8:39
Mile 2: 8:49
Mile 3: 8:31
Mile 4: 8:52 ( had to stop the garmin at a particularly long wait traffic lights, and had a few roads to cross, this messed with pacing for this mile
Mile 5: 8:47
Mile 6: 8:47
Mile 7: 8:50 - trying to make the distance up before having to stop for traffic lights so lots of turning around in this mile, shame because had it been straight and flat out I really would have pushed it.
Put some extra kt tape on my lower leg before the run and it seems to have helped... I think one more piece on the inside will make sure i can get thru tomorrows long one!
Mile 1: 8:39
Mile 2: 8:49
Mile 3: 8:31
Mile 4: 8:52 ( had to stop the garmin at a particularly long wait traffic lights, and had a few roads to cross, this messed with pacing for this mile
Mile 5: 8:47
Mile 6: 8:47
Mile 7: 8:50 - trying to make the distance up before having to stop for traffic lights so lots of turning around in this mile, shame because had it been straight and flat out I really would have pushed it.
Put some extra kt tape on my lower leg before the run and it seems to have helped... I think one more piece on the inside will make sure i can get thru tomorrows long one!
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Week 7 off to a good start
Monday, I did a strength session designed to help minimise risk of knee injury, that I saw in women's running magazine. It looked easy when I read it through, but was actually quite challenging. I think I need to do more core work in general, but I'm still happy that I'm getting some strength work in, because this is what I've really failed on in the past.
Tuesday, I had to wake up even earlier as it was 4 miles rather than 3. 4 miles in the morning was lovely. I spent the first 3 miles still achy from the weekend and wondering if my tight calf was a sign of somethig worse, then everything loosened up in mile 4, making me remember the point of recovery runs. I felt great for the rest of the day but felt very hungry mid morning, just 2 hours after breakfast, so I prepared the mini feast in the picture :-)
Wednesday, I took this day off work. I had a lot of errands to run, so I decided to run them! My 7 miles actually became a 5.5 mile run, a 1 hour break, then a 1.5 mile run. I decided to put kt tape on my weak points before this run, given the high mileage week. Tonight I'm also going to try the sis night recovery product. I probably don't need it ahead of only a 4 mile run tomorrow, but I want to try it out to see if I feel a difference..
So far 11 miles out of 11 target, and 36 for the week. This will be my highest mileage week for a really long time, and I hazard a guess that it might have been the highest mileage week ever- never in the past have I been quite so committed to training. Lets hope I survive it, and come back to next week even stronger!
Tuesday, I had to wake up even earlier as it was 4 miles rather than 3. 4 miles in the morning was lovely. I spent the first 3 miles still achy from the weekend and wondering if my tight calf was a sign of somethig worse, then everything loosened up in mile 4, making me remember the point of recovery runs. I felt great for the rest of the day but felt very hungry mid morning, just 2 hours after breakfast, so I prepared the mini feast in the picture :-)
Wednesday, I took this day off work. I had a lot of errands to run, so I decided to run them! My 7 miles actually became a 5.5 mile run, a 1 hour break, then a 1.5 mile run. I decided to put kt tape on my weak points before this run, given the high mileage week. Tonight I'm also going to try the sis night recovery product. I probably don't need it ahead of only a 4 mile run tomorrow, but I want to try it out to see if I feel a difference..
So far 11 miles out of 11 target, and 36 for the week. This will be my highest mileage week for a really long time, and I hazard a guess that it might have been the highest mileage week ever- never in the past have I been quite so committed to training. Lets hope I survive it, and come back to next week even stronger!
Monday, 18 February 2013
Planning week 7
After 3 weeks of not hitting my training targets in terms of miles run, this is a week to refocus, and reenergise.
I knew week 6 was likely not to be a 100% week, so in anticipation I took a day off in week 7 to ensure I have a maximum chance of completing the target for the week. I'm finding the weights session is aggravating my knee, so I'm going to switch to doing the squats and lunges without extra weights, or not at all.
Here is the plan for the week:
Monday: Cross train
Tuesday: 4 miles easy
Wednesday: 7 mile run
Thursday: 4 miles easy
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 7 mile pace run
Sunday: 14 mile long run
Total: 36 miles
I'm going to try the night time recovery drink I bought on Saturday night, and possibly also Friday ahead of the hard sessions for the week. My pace for a 1:57 half should be 8:56, so that is my goal for Saturday's workout. I need to find a good route for this, and think practising on the race route is the best plan (if I can find the way!)
I knew week 6 was likely not to be a 100% week, so in anticipation I took a day off in week 7 to ensure I have a maximum chance of completing the target for the week. I'm finding the weights session is aggravating my knee, so I'm going to switch to doing the squats and lunges without extra weights, or not at all.
Here is the plan for the week:
Monday: Cross train
Tuesday: 4 miles easy
Wednesday: 7 mile run
Thursday: 4 miles easy
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 7 mile pace run
Sunday: 14 mile long run
Total: 36 miles
I'm going to try the night time recovery drink I bought on Saturday night, and possibly also Friday ahead of the hard sessions for the week. My pace for a 1:57 half should be 8:56, so that is my goal for Saturday's workout. I need to find a good route for this, and think practising on the race route is the best plan (if I can find the way!)
Week 5 & 6 Recovery from flu
Wow, its been a little while since I posted. It has been a crazy few weeks, as I really struggled to get back into the swing of things since my flu. I've been trying my best to hit all the training sessions, however, since being allowed to drink again in February, a friend getting engaged, adn Valentines day, I have missed two weeks in a row of my Thursday recovery run. I did organise my schedule that way, so that if I had to miss 1 run in the week, it would be that one. However, I've recently read a very interesting article on the importance of recovery runs. Basically it says that although we do them at a very very easy pace, we are still working out when our body is fatigued, thus increasing what our body can handle in terms of time on feet per week.
We are at the start of week 7 of my plan, so I am doing a bit of a review, not least because my half marathon is in 4 weeks, and I really want that pb. See below for goals of weekly mileage and percentage hit:
Week Goal Percentage
1 24M 100%
2 25M 101%
3 22M 103%
4 28M 11% This was the week I had flu so took it easy, and didn't train at all
5 30M 90% Still feeling groggy from flu, but still missed the Thursday run- meeting my friend who just got engaged
6 26M 61% Valentines day on Thursday and missed the long run (9m) Sunday to attend a leadership in running fitness course
Looking back, whilst I can accept week 4, and partially week 5's missed sessions. I am not happy with week 6. I feel I should have organised my week a bit better, though it was meant to be a step back week, and I didn't want to tire myself out too much for this coming week.
This does mean I need to consider some things: Is this week's step up to 36 miles too much? Do I try and fit in some of the miles from last week in favour of building up time on feet/miles in legs?
My inclination, given this is already a big step up week is that i just take my chips and stick to the schedule, however, I do want to run tonight rather than tomorrow for my recovery run, as my knees have beeen flaring up from squats and lunges lately.
I also have a concern that my last pace run did not feel good at all, and I think nutrition and maybe the effects of undertraining from the flu week have caused that. I drank quite a bit of wine on the Thursday (run was Saturday). I did the run with no breakfast- only 500ml of Sis sports drink, and during the run I only had water with me. The tank felt empty by mile 3. I think I stayed up too late on Friday, after a short night on Thursday.
With 4 weeks until the half marathon in which I'm going for a pb, I need to focus on nutrition/recovery and training at the right paces. All this as well as eating properly. In January I only ate fresh organic food, whereas I have had quite a few takeaways/grab and go food in the last couple of weeks.
We are at the start of week 7 of my plan, so I am doing a bit of a review, not least because my half marathon is in 4 weeks, and I really want that pb. See below for goals of weekly mileage and percentage hit:
Week Goal Percentage
1 24M 100%
2 25M 101%
3 22M 103%
4 28M 11% This was the week I had flu so took it easy, and didn't train at all
5 30M 90% Still feeling groggy from flu, but still missed the Thursday run- meeting my friend who just got engaged
6 26M 61% Valentines day on Thursday and missed the long run (9m) Sunday to attend a leadership in running fitness course
Looking back, whilst I can accept week 4, and partially week 5's missed sessions. I am not happy with week 6. I feel I should have organised my week a bit better, though it was meant to be a step back week, and I didn't want to tire myself out too much for this coming week.
This does mean I need to consider some things: Is this week's step up to 36 miles too much? Do I try and fit in some of the miles from last week in favour of building up time on feet/miles in legs?
My inclination, given this is already a big step up week is that i just take my chips and stick to the schedule, however, I do want to run tonight rather than tomorrow for my recovery run, as my knees have beeen flaring up from squats and lunges lately.
I also have a concern that my last pace run did not feel good at all, and I think nutrition and maybe the effects of undertraining from the flu week have caused that. I drank quite a bit of wine on the Thursday (run was Saturday). I did the run with no breakfast- only 500ml of Sis sports drink, and during the run I only had water with me. The tank felt empty by mile 3. I think I stayed up too late on Friday, after a short night on Thursday.
With 4 weeks until the half marathon in which I'm going for a pb, I need to focus on nutrition/recovery and training at the right paces. All this as well as eating properly. In January I only ate fresh organic food, whereas I have had quite a few takeaways/grab and go food in the last couple of weeks.
Monday, 4 February 2013
Planning week 5
Well folks, unfortunately week 4 was a bad bad case of the flu, was completely useless Wednesday through Friday. Quite useless on Saturday, though I did manage to leave the house. I thought I might get back into it on Sunday, but started feeling awful again as I got into my kit.
The plan for this week:
Monday: cross train
Tuesday: 3 mile easy
Wednesday: 6 mile run
Thursday: 3 mile easy
Friday: rest
Saturday: 6 mile run
Sunday: 12 mile long run
Hopefully I can come back fighting fit and the week off will be a positive rather than a loss of fitness!
The plan for this week:
Monday: cross train
Tuesday: 3 mile easy
Wednesday: 6 mile run
Thursday: 3 mile easy
Friday: rest
Saturday: 6 mile run
Sunday: 12 mile long run
Hopefully I can come back fighting fit and the week off will be a positive rather than a loss of fitness!
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