Monday 28th Jan. HRV= 73 White.
A good start to the week and all going well I should be back on track by the weekend. Easy lunchtime run made harder because of the weather and a gale force wind. Almost forced to turn back after 3K thinking it might be dangerous to continue but then I found shelter and it was manageable for the most part. Pace was slow but maintained the planned HR for 10K. Finished the day with a 9k recovery run over an undulating local route.
Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session followed by a lunchtime recovery run and a second evening run while my son is training.
Tuesday 29th Jan. HRV= 73 White.
A good result after what seemed like a tough day yesterday and my HR is 4 beats lower. Early morning strength session of squats with a step back in lifted weight (-15Kg) but an increase in depth similar to last week and -15Kg step back for my Deadlift. This change of plan is based on my personal trainer knowing what I’ve been doing and the effects a week off can have. It’s called taking a step back before going forward because you lift with your muscles and not your ego. Similar lunchtime run to yesterday in similar conditions except the wind wasn’t as strong. Football training cancelled due to bad weather and that means my run is also cancelled and I’m now glad I made the effort to run earlier.
Plan for tomorrow is a lunchtime and after work MAF 10K and then a Team meeting before heading home for a coaching session.
Wednesday 30th Jan. HRV=63 White.
Unexpected low result and maybe the strength session was a bit more stressful than I thought. I’ll pay a bit more attention to my recovery today. Lunchtime MAF 10K on yet another blustery day with almost similar results.
Team meeting after work and got some bad news regarding the Black Ice Race with recent rumours being confirmed as true and the race is cancelled. Wasn’t in form for coaching so I went home.
Circumstances change but the training continues.
Provisional plan for tomorrow is a lunchtime MAF 10K but will rest if my HRV is lower than today. Coaching in the evening and doing pick up from soccer.
Thursday 31st Jan. HRV=73 White.
A big improvement on yesterday. Lunchtime run went wrong and couldn’t really concentrate on what I was doing as my mind was in overdrive trying to decide what to do next with regards my training. There’s a 50K race on in just over 2 weeks time and I was provisionally on the start list but hadn’t committed to running it but now I think I will even though I feel less than prepared. Soccer training was cancelled due to bad weather so I used the opportunity to fit in a second easy run of 12K after Athletics. Recovery less than ideal which included 2 bottles of beer. Expecting low score tomorrow but it’ll be partly drink related.
Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session followed by a lunchtime recovery run and if I have time for a second run I’ll take it.
Friday 01st Feb. HRV=63 White.
As expected but secretly hoping for higher. Easy session in the gym of all upper body work finishing with a 1k time trial on the rower. Lunchtime 10K MAF session and felt good even though the time to complete as slow.
Plan for tomorrow is an early 20K Trail Run and I’m out tomorrow night.
Saturday 02nd Feb. HRV=76 Green.
A great result and means I can push hard today. Very cold start and took a while to warm up. The run started with a 6K uphill and I felt like my legs were lacking the climbing strength needed to get the most from today. Recovered quickly on the descents and finished wishing I’d ran harder. Maybe I need a race?
Out tonight and won’t make any plans for tomorrow just yet as it might be best to wake without the alarm.
Sunday 03rd Feb. HRV= 76 White.
Late night that included a takeaway so I thought it best not to upset myself by waking early with an alarm to see a low score and maybe end up back in bed. Woke feeling ok and the resulting score shows I probably made a wise decision. Too late for a decent run so I made the most of a short window of opportunity and did a 5K recovery run. Went out again later with the intention of doing a 50 minute Steady State Run of 145-155 bpm on the track after a warm up running to the track and maybe extend the cool down by taking a longer route home. Took a bit of effort getting into the zone as my legs were tired from yesterday but then it started to feel ok and thats probably because my HR was staying elevated from fatigue rather than pace. Thinking on my feet I thought I’d push hard for the last 10 minutes and try staying at the upper end of the zone and instead of hitting the light button I hit lap and that messed up my programmed session 15 minutes early. Wasn’t switched mentally to just keep running so I started my cool down early.
Plan for tomorrow will depend on HRV but I’m hoping to do 2 sessions.
Weekly HRV Summary
A mixed week of mostly aerobic running with a hill and steady state session. Getting the bad news about the Black Ice Race being cancelled means my plans need to change and I’ve now to decide and prioritise on what to do over the coming months.
"Watch out for the temptation of lingering too long in a warm tent when your schedule is tight and the weather may change"
