Week 6 – Another 8/10 week
A full week that built nicely and saw some success / enjoyable runs. Hopefully a sign of things to come over the next 6 weeks. Protein powder definitely making a difference to my healing.
I reviewed my running back in 2020 – when I first managed to break 3 hours and had a really positive view of what I was doing. As I looked back I could see I was fighting an achilles injury, did no strength work, was faster (as I would expect at 48 vs 51) and had a better balance for the 5 weeks leading to the marathon – but over tapered, leaving myself feeling too flat. This certainly supports the idea of running journals to look back on and review where I was and what I was doing. Having plotted out this all out it allowed me to then adjust & plan what I was intending to do over the next 6 weeks.
I don’t intend to mirror everything exactly as is – the 6th week (which would be the week I am about to embark upon) has too much faster work, too close together for my liking. But I am going to take direction from the general overview and balance in terms of intensity / when to run / how to run long & what falls in between.
Monday 16/10: Second run back post injury so decided to split into blocks off 60sec walks. 2 x 5m / 2 x 11m / 1 x 24m. Went out at 6:15, watching the sun come up. Left calf all good and enjoyable run. All nasal and relaxed. 11.6km in 1 hour
PM – S&C Endurance round 1. Session involved:
26 x marching plank / wipers / Russian Twists / Trunk weight rotation / Donkey kicks
2 mins wall sit / 90 secs break
3 x 20 Goblet squats / deadlifts off 60 secs / 90 secs b/n exercises
3 x 60 sec walk waiter carry off 60 secs
3 x 12 seated SL soleous raises
3 x 20 bird dog single arm rows / 3 x 18 press ups off 60 secs.
50mins total – felty about 10% easier than previous week.
Tues 17/10 (A) Easy run and the wind is back, strong. Running into it, then back with it. Compared the wind to running home from school wearing a rucksack helped and wonderful to watch the sky lighten as morning arrived. Keen this week to get more KM under feet as week progresses, building up to a longer run on Sunday. I had moments when I felt like I was over-stretching (8-10k) and wondered about calf. Thankfully all fine. 14km / 1h 13m
(P): Yin Yoga, not cycling. I knew my body needed a rest, felt that way an hour after running. Run felt good then a couple of aches and pains. Giving my body some rest. Definitely one to repeat.
Weds 18/10: Rest
Thurs 19/10: (A) Back at it – changed session flippity / flop. First was going to be 90 mins @ 4’40ish, then 6 x 1.6km at threshold, then during run decided this:
3k WU, including last km 5 step / 10 step breathholds 500m each. 5 x go exercises
3 x 1.6km uncomfortably comfortable (3’47/3’44/3’46 avg pace) off 400m walk/jog. Had a caff gel then wondered what it would be like to run marathon effort on tired legs so looked at 3×1.6km progression run. Hadl way through second 1.6 and realised overfuelled as stomach felt tight and full, so finished at 2 (4’24 / 4’13 avg pace) 17km / 1h 27m
Fri 20/10: (A) Damp, drizzle, so much so that gloves needed wringing out at the end of the run. Dark at start but NO wind. Ran in raincoat – kept me dry and warm. Started slow – rear right achilles tight, all loosened up within 2k, really good way to start and important to carry on in this fashion next few weeks. 12km / 1h 1m
Sat 21/10: (A) Felt creaky, unsure how well everything working so deliberately slow and easy on run. Wind, some light rain and got it finished. 12km / 1h 3m
Sun 22/10: (A) Long run – felt good post a solid nights sleep. Based the session off the cycle I did the previous Saturday. Out to Herne Bay – minimal wind on way out, perfect running conditions. Ran past the Kings Hall in Herne Bay where I went to my first all night rave, back around 1989. no drink or drugs and fell asleep nxt to one of the big speakers. Happy memories. Think I went on my own as well. Took 2 caff gels. First one after an hour kicked in within 9 mins, second one around 13 mins
15 mins easy WU /
60 mins steady 12.74km (4’42 avg pace) /
6 x 5mins @ progressive effort off 5 mins easy (4’06 / 4’08 / 3’58 / 3’52 / 3’53 / 3’50)
10 mins CD for a total of 30k in 2h 20m
Positives – Ran a solid long session
To learn – Continue to listen to body – when tired change what doing
Time for week: 9h 55m
Distance: 97km
Split Over / under pace of 4:22/km 85.5%
Long run = 31% of distance
Total stress points – (which for me is rate of perceived effort X time as a simplistic metric to look at) 2180. Better balance to week.
