Diary Of A Road Runner

8k Regular Run - Freezing, Pouring, Windy! 42m 38s

I’ve still not slept well, had some work stress late last night and ended up in bed late and tired but couldn’t drop off, very sluggish on waking, didn’t want to get up. Did eat better yesterday though.  Had a slight issue with guts before I set off - must be carrying something!

Didn’t want to go out to run at all especially in weather, having got used to the milder weather of earlier - now facing freezing cold, gusty wind and pouring rain - but forced myself again (as I will have to get used to it!) and started to feel my old self once I’d got past 4k and warmed up a bit, and even got a bit annoyed with myself and sprinted up a hill to get the endorphins flowing. Was planning 7k but threw in an extra k to make it 8 and threw in a speedy last 300 metres.

Managed average pace of 5:20 per k, which is faster than my comeback run over 5k at the weekend, so I am coming backfor real now - felt knackered by the end of this one though. But glad to get back into the over 5k territory and will slowly build back up

5K Time Trial - Warm Day - 24m 14s PB!

Today it was back to my regular (weekly if possible) 5k time trial as haven’t done one for a bit with races and stuff.

I did a bit of jogging to get warmed up, then set off, aiming to go hard and keep going somehow! I managed to run a fairly even pace, towards the end I thought I might break 24 minute barrier if I went hell for leather but Garmin seemed to tick distance over slower the faster I went and I ended up at 24:14 - still a PB by some 25 seconds but still needs work as I feel I should be improving faster!

Splits for this run were:

4:51
5:02
4:41
4:58
4:42

I hope to include my splits now I’ve figured out how to set it up on my Garmin Forerunner 101 (can’t afford the Garmin 405 and besides the kit I’ve got does me just fine for what I want it to do!

8K Easy Run - Mill Lane & Woods, 47 mins

The ever mis-named easy run - was feeling reluctant to go out for some reason, having had two days off had a mini crisis about whether I was able to run and keep going - after all this time! So had to force myself out telling myself it would just be an easy run - I kept the pace very slow, following a new route which I have walked before. Used trail shoes - felt a bit puffy in the early stages and some steps cut in the hillside took it out of legs a bit as I ran up them, just kept going very slowly, ended up going uphill up Stockport road and just jogged lightly home - whereupon it started raining again - I seem to keep missing the September showers.

How I felt on this run worries me a little, as I felt I couldn’t have gone much faster and maintained it - so hope another couple of rest days and an easy run before Sunday’s race will stand me in good stead!

5k Time Trial Tempo Run Mash Up - 24m 57s

This was one of those easy runs that suddenly turned into a time trial tempo run kind of mash up

I decided to do my 5k time trial route but in reverse, and just run it hard but comfortable and run to how I felt rather than keep checking the Garmin. But at 2k I felt comfortable and couldn’t resist checking the Garmin - and as I felt comfortable and was doing sub 25 min pace, I thought I would push on, and at that point it turned into a time trial. Mid way was a hill I usually coast down, but was climbing it this time and it took it out of my legs, but I ran the last 2k damned hard, so hard it took me a couple of minutes to stop breathing hard when I stopped - and only just broke 25 mins, so the hill bit must have slowed me a bit more than I thought.

I’ve had a week with little to no improvement, which is likely because I have been running quite intensively and now need a bit of a break - will have an easy week leading up to next Sunday’s Trafford 10k, throw in a 5k time trial, but mostly easy runs to keep fitness where it is and not burn too much energy - but on today’s evidence I wouldn’t be able to run the 2 sub 25 min 5k’s that would result in a sub 50 10k, but on the day who knows

8k Easy Run - Raining - 45m 06s

The ever misnamed easy run! Was raining when I went out, great I thought, but it stopped once I’d warmed up a bit

Ran at about 5:30/k pace, deliberately slowed at points, felt ok but legs were starting to feel pretty heavy towards the end - think last weeks workouts and Sunday’s ten miler are still in the legs, so a rest day tomorrow before deciding on strategy for pre-Trafford 10k week

5k Weekly Time Trial - Raining - 25m 28s

BIT OF A BAD RUN!!

Well, in a way - was quite experimental, as I was determined to run the first 3 k of my weekly 5k time trial at or just over 25 minute pace, and then put in a burst for the last 2k when feeling good.

At 1k I was 5:10, at 2k 10:20, but didn’t quicken up, thinking I would soon start to feel comfortable and would be able to up the pace, but it never came - after 3k I was just playing catch up and couldn’t find any extra pace or energy, and I must have been losing pace in fact as by the end I was a whole minute or so off my normal 5k time…

This either means the best policy is to go off sub 25 pace from the outset and just maintain it, or I’ve just had a bad day. I did run my heaviest week ever last week so maybe the legs are feeling it - then again I did just have a 2 day rest

Still, I find I sometimes shoot off a PB after a particularly bad run, so who knows

5k Personal Time Trial - 24m 38s - PB - Just!

5k against the clock on my usual route - managed a PB by 2 seconds, but more importantly I am running around abouts 24:30 now regularly whereas before I was stuck around 25:00 so there is definite improvement there.

For this run I did a little warm up jog, then set off, but I was overconfident again and set off too quickly, which I paid for in the latter stages. Did the first k in something ridiculous like 4 minutes 20! Was going about 24:00 pace with a k and half to go, but seemed to be going backwards a bit towards the end as my legs and lungs ran out of pace. Still was good to hit full throttle for a few k and if I can pace one of these 5k’s right I will be sub 24 before too long I hope!

Might do an easy run or rest day tomorrow and a long slow run on Sunday, which will make this my most intensive period of running to date, which I need if I am going to get faster and stronger!

Hill Work Session - 8k - 44m 21s

First time I’ve tried to do some hill work - having experienced hills both at the beginning and end of races, I’ve learned that I much prefer them near the end - but thought it would be a good idea to prepare for any hill races might throw at me, while at the same time building up speed and endurance.

I started off with a 1k jog on the flat and down Stockport Road, then ran back up - up and down about a k each, so did 3 reps of this plus another k cool down. No idea how steep the hill is, but it starts off very steep and then gently rises over the course of 1k - takes it out of the legs the first half!

Really felt it doing me good, and running 8k with 3 of them pushing uphill was a good workout

Recovery Run - Cold - 5k - 26m 08s

Nice little 5k recovery run after Sunday’s race. Full of confidence from my PB, I set off far too fast for a recovery run, running at sub 25 pace, and felt the pinch a little later and slowed down, was breathing hard by the end - shocked that I ran 10k at the weekend at the same average pace! Still didn’t take too much out of me, and felt like the 10k hadn’t taken too much out of the legs etc. Look forward to a bit more intensive training now over the next couple of weeks in preparation for Sheffield, aiming for sub 50!! Or at least sub 52!!

5k Time Trial - Cold and Cloudy - 24m 40s - PB!

Colder days seem to suit me for 5k time trial type runs - just wanted to run 5k as fast as I could today and ended up knocking a little off my PB again, about 5 seconds - felt a bit laboured the first half and got a bit caught up in traffic at the junction near Haughton Green Road, but managed to get across road without stopping. After 3k was 20 seconds under 25 minute pace, but seemed to slow a bit in the penultimate k before putting on another burst for the finish and getting caught up with cars again! Finished 5 seconds quicket than last 5k, was knackered but it felt good.

Am not sure how well I am going to be prepared for Birchwood this Sunday, as with one thing and another may not get too much running in this week. Have been feeling tired after a busy work week last week, and not been sleeping too well - next couple of days am tied up, so may try another 5 k on Friday and a nice easy 5 on Saturday, just to keep the legs loose - I doubt I am going to gain or lose much in the way of fitness with 3-4 days to go, so will just have to see how it goes. I am aiming for sub 53 (no delusions of grandeur about sub 50 - will take it off one minute at a time if I have to!!)