Monday Dec 24th. HRV=61 Red.
Looks like today is a rest day but I don’t mind. Spent the day out and about with a lot of walking and some last minute Christmas shopping. Retested again late afternoon to check my recovery and got a result of 91 which must be my highest ever. Decided to take a chance and went for a short run but threw in 6* 1 minute fast and felt all the better for it.
Plan for tomorrow is to eat, drink and be merry.
Tuesday Dec 25th. HRV=62 White.
Today is a rest day and I’ll be trying not to overdo it with the food and drink without appearing obvious. There’s a local 4.2 mile race on tomorrow and if that fits in with the home itinerary I’ll take it. Tomorrow’s possible race won’t be mentioned or used as an excuse not to over indulge but I will try to pace myself. Think for yourself but sometimes you need to behave like others.
Plan for tomorrow is a 4.2 Mile race or a longer steady run depending on my waking time.
Wednesday Dec 26th. HRV=76 Green.
A good result even though I’m feeling slightly bloated and sluggish but waking without the alarm and in good time to drive to the race means the decision is made. I’ve never regretted running but have often regretted not running! Arrived at the race venue with little time to spare and yet again missed my warm up. This was an unplanned race and to make it worthwhile I decided to run at slightly faster than my Tempo pace with my HR at 90% of HR max. Got trapped at the start and for the first Km I was trying to find an opening that would allow a break from the pack. By the time this happened the field was well spread out and I was too far back to make any impression on the results. I ignored what was going on around me and got into my own rhythm quite quickly and ran it steady all the way. My pace changed with the lie of the land but my HR stayed constant at 158-160bpm. Finished in 25:09 and I’m quite happy with that as my recent training has all been about strength & endurance rather than speed and I’m running on tired legs that are far from race ready.
Plan for tomorrow is up in the air at the moment as we’re visiting friends tonight so that could be a deciding factor plus I have a long drive.
Thursday Dec 27th. HRV=60 Amber.
An expected low result after all of yesterday and don’t think I’ll have time to run today as I’ve a 4hr car journey that might take a little bit longer. Having a low result makes the decision to rest easier as I know it’s of more benefit than training.
Plan for tomorrow is run to and from work at an easy pace to work off a bit of Christmas and start getting back to a normal routine.
Friday Dec 28th. HRV=82 Green.
A good result and helped banish the second thoughts I was having about running to work. Shortly after leaving my house I was wondering if I should have saved myself for a faster session later on but although my score is showing good signs of recovery I can feel a heaviness in my legs and that’s the result of a few days away from a normal diet. Ran home again at a slightly faster pace. Over the next few days I’ll make the effort to recover and refuel.
Got an offer of a lift to the Parkrun so that’s my plan for tomorrow.
Saturday Dec 29th. HRV=71 White.
A good result after yesterday’s split session but on waking with the alarm I wanted to just switch it off and stay in bed. Not feeling great and my legs are stiff and heavy. Went to the race with no expectations but did start up front and planned on staying with the lead runners for as long as possible. My start was slow and I got caught behind a group of approx 20 on a 3 person wide footpath. The race starts with a slight climb and then a sharp turn right before a slight but short downhill and it was here that I made a break to catch the lead runners. It felt more of an effort than last week but I stuck with the plan and held my ground even though the temptation to slow down was always there. Finished in 6th Place with a time of 18:35 and although a lot slower than last week it’s my 3rd race in a less than ideal week and not forgetting I ran close to 40K yesterday.
Plan for tomorrow is an early start for a Team training session on the beach pulling a tyre or weighted sled.
Sunday Dec 30th. HRV=69 White.
Woke early and felt slightly congested before testing and wasn’t expecting such a high result. I was planning on running before the tyre hauling session but decided to forget about the run and just concentrate on the more important Team session. Went back to bed for an extra 2 hours and drove to the training venue. The objective of this workout is to train the event specific movement rather than just the muscles and today we spent 3-hrs at a consistent pace hauling a weight of over 30Kg.
Plan for tomorrow is a running commute to and from work.
Weekly Summary
This week was more about damage limitation than proper training and I think it went better than expected with the inclusion of a few short races that served as quality sessions. The blue line is starting to curve upwards and that’s a good way to end the year.
Plan for next week is to include a blood test as I want to start using Inside Tracker to ensure I’m in the best possible condition in the build up for my departure to Siberia as I know from experience that a change in diet caused by unfamiliar surroundings can have a negative effect on the overall experience.
A great result after a tough session yesterday and I put it down to the extra effort I put into my recovery. Yet again I did the same session as I’ve done for the last 2 Monday’s with similar results. Session was 16K with the middle 9K @ just under 4mins per K on the Track.
Woke before the alarm and HRV slightly lower than expected but then again last night was a hard run after a hard run. Early morning strength session consisting of 5 sets of 3 (1 ¼)Squats with 57.5Kg (+2.5Kg) and 3 sets of 3 Deadlift with 102.5Kg (+2.5kg). Yet again I found this session mentally tough and felt slightly nervous with the weight as I seemed to be thinking about what I’d already done rather than what I was supposed to be doing. I was wondering if last night’s session would mean my legs were too tired for what I’m about to do and that’s something I’ll bear in mind before I consider increasing the intensity or duration of my Monday night session. Similar run to this time last week but shortened it yet again because all I’m looking for is a training induced response rather than a workout that will slow my recovery and adaption.
A bit lower than expected but probably a good thing as I can feel the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) in my legs. Feeling a bit lazy about my lunchtime run but because I don’t have a window of opportunity later, I’ll do what I can when I can. Easy run of 8K in just under 40 minutes, the DOMS are still there but the guilt is gone. Didn’t win the award but happy to say my Team mate Mark Pollock did and because he wasn’t there I was asked to collect it in his place. Honoured to be nominated and honoured to accept the award for Mark. Had a great night and had a chance to mingle with like minded people and meet with some old friends.
Feeling a bit tender this morning after a late night and early morning, had a few pints but avoided the takeaway and drank a bottle of coconut water before going to bed. Have a sore head and the DOMS. . HRV higher than I was expecting but resting heart rate is also higher but could be a lot worse. Early morning strength session of 5*3 Power Clean with 45Kg (-3) and 3*3 Strict Press with 35Kg (-2). Dropped the weight slightly as my concentration levels were low and when doing an exercise like Power Clean you need to be switched on. Don’t feel like doing a lunchtime run.
A good result but might not get the chance to make the most of it as it’s a busy day but I’ll be ready to run if the window of opportunity presents itself! Lunchtime meeting with ‘Team Mark Pollock’ regarding logistics for the Siberian Black Ice Race. As expected the run didn’t happen.
Lower than expected. Decided to do the Parkrun again as a short fast run is sometimes more beneficial than a slower longer run and it’ll wake me up ahead of a long drive. Barely made it to the venue on time and my warm up was nothing more than a short jog to the start line. Took off with the lead runners and the pace felt very comfortable which had me wondering if I should push on to force a faster pace but I took the easy option and just stayed with the pack. The course itself was almost cross country as a result of recent heavy rain and there were many muddy puddles to run through and in parts it was quite slippy. At 4K we were running as a group of 5 and then it opened up and just like before I couldn’t follow the sprint. Finished in 4th place with 18.10 and 3 seconds improvement on last time. Next time I won’t be as cautious. Followed the race with a 5hr drive that should have only taking 3hrs and missed my dinner. Not happy but that’s life.
Wasn’t expecting this but then again yesterday was far from ideal. Decided not to run but re-tested a few hours later to see how my recovery was coming along and to my surprise got a result of 91. Went for a run but felt heavy in the legs so it might not have been a good idea. On the plus side it helps keep the weight in check and that’s important over the Christmas period.
This week I also accepted the award for Mark Pollock at the Outsider ‘People of the Year’ awards.
