Le Cheile A.C Novice & Masters Team.
Monday September 30th. HRV= 62 White.
A good jump since yesterday and shows signs of recovery but I know my legs are still repairing and I won’t rush back into normal training. Went for an easy 5K after work and had a relaxing evening which included an online Q&A for http://www.runinthedark.org/training/. I’ll avoid the Gym until next week to allow the race recovery and adaption.
Plan for tomorrow is unsure but I expect to run.
Tuesday October 01st. HRV= 66 White.
Didn’t feel like I had a lie in and woke feeling tired. Took the opportunity for an easy / short lunchtime run and could feel my legs starting to loosen up towards the end, 8.5K in 37 minutes. Got text message after work to ask if I was running and ended up with a second easy run of 9K in 40 minutes. It was an effort to stay slow with the second run and had to watch the pace rather than heart rate as that seems to be back to normal and remained low for the most part. The dark evenings are becoming more obvious and I’ll soon need to work on a winter plan as routes will need to be changed.
Plan for tomorrow is a lunchtime run and I’ll go be feel.
Wednesday October 02nd. HRV= 73 White.
A great result but still feel like my legs are recovering so I’ll continue to take it easy for the next few days which means no Sprinting but may increase the pace slightly. I’m hoping to get back into the hills on Saturday to build on the Training Effect from last Saturday and try hold onto that improved leg strength by maintaining what I’ve got. Easy lunchtime run but finished a bit faster than planned partly because I can feel the legs getting back to normal and sometimes it can be hard to stay disciplined. Out for dinner after work and had a few drinks seeing as it’s an easy week.
Plan for tomorrow is undecided but I’m hoping for an early night.
Thursday October 03rd. HRV=65 White.
Not surprised with the drop after the day I had yesterday and I expect that this is more because of the night out than the training. Easy lunchtime run similar to yesterday and finished the day with 5K on the Track after coaching and included 6* 100M strides to loosen out the legs. Feeling good and surprised to cover the distance in just under 20 minutes.
Plan for tomorrow is undecided as I’m thinking about the Parkrun on Saturday and there’s also the Cross Country on Sunday. Parkrun would be leisurely but the XC is a Race..
Friday October 04th. HRV= 59 White.
Much lower than expected. Easy lunchtime run of 5K with the weekend in mind. Relaxed for the evening and went to bed early
Plan for tomorrow is the Parkrun as I’m committed to volunteering after finishing. Intensity will be decided tomorrow.
Saturday October 05th. HRV= 77 Green.
The early night paid off and I woke before the alarm to a great result. Plan for today is a bit mixed as I’m unsure of what to expect but I’m hopeful of a sub 18 finish. Stood towards the front and expected a fast race as there were quite a few new faces and a lot of club singlets. Started conservatively with the aim of going through the first k in 3:30 but felt the pace was a bit slow so I took the chance and went to the front and pushed it to suit what I wanted. Went through the 2nd K in 3:35 and that’s close to my usual and I’m still feeling ok with an extended gap. Slowed down to 3:39 as I hit the 3K mark and then dug deep to try keep the lead in preparation for the slow drag to the finish. Hit the 4K in 3:32 and from here to the finish I just tried not to slow too much and did just enough to keep the lead. Crossed the line, changed my Tshirt and helped out with scanning the rest of the field. Stayed around for a few minutes after it was all over to chat and eat biscuits and then it was off to the hills for an 8.5K Recovery run while my daughter was training. Probably not ideal prep for tomorrow’s race but the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing and my main thing is a few months away and I can’t afford detours every other week.
Plan for tomorrow is the Novice & Masters Cross Country County Championships..
Sunday October 06th. HRV= 75 White.
Perfect and all is good. Went out for a short run before breakfast to loosen out the legs and work up an appetite as the best time to consume carbs is post exercise because glycogen uptake is an exercise induced response and the muscles are more responsive post exercise. Finished with a walking cool down and then it was my usual porridge mix of a volume relative to the time to race. Got a lift to the venue and arrived in plenty of time to watch the junior athletes put in some great performances while still having time to check out the course and watch the Novice & Masters Ladies race start. Had a quick Team chat and then found my position close to the front and got into a good position quite quickly. Shortly after the first straight I found myself bunched in with a group of 5 and struggled to break free and when a gap presented itself I sprinted through and forced the pace a bit too much and felt the pressure as I tried to recover without losing my position. The course was 2 3/4 laps with a few sharp hills and tight turns and on the start of the second lap I remember thinking how glad I was that it was only 1 more full lap before the short lap. It’s a bad sign when these thoughts enter your head so I tried to focus on improving my position with the limited time available rather than wishing it to end. I started to close the gap on a pack up ahead and knowing that I’m always caught on the sprint finish I made an attack on one of the hills, recovered at the top and attacked again on the next hill to really push it out. Made up a few places and before I knew it I was heading down the straight to the finish. Conscious of how many times I’d lost ground at this point in a race I tried to put in a finishing kick and managed to hold it to the end. Crossed the line in 5th place (I think) and led my Team to Silver in the Novices Race, Bronze in the Masters Race and an individual Gold in the Masters 40-44 category.
My son was watching and he later told me that I was in 11th place starting the last lap and he was hoping I’d make up a position to get a top 10 finish and was surprised to see how strong I was towards the end but he also told me that if the finish line was 10-20 meters further away then I’d have been caught as the gap was closing fast. Must do more speed work!
Plan for tomorrow will depend on Recovery and includes the online Q&A .
Weekly Summary:
A great week and finished with 2 good races. Low volume but high intensity and Recovering really well.
A good start to the week but I can feel the fatigue in my legs and some tightness around my ITB (illiotibal band) and have booked a massage for Thursday. Easy lunchtime run of 8.5K and that’ll be all for today as I’ve an online Q&A later for 
Early Gym session of mostly mobility work and a slight increase in lifted weight with the Back Squat and improvements is always good, 5 sets of 5 @ 47.5kg (+2.5kg). Squat weight has increased by 7.5Kg over the last 3 weeks and feeling more manageable which is a good sign and although 47.5Kg might not sound like a lot my lifted volume from this session equals 1187.5Kg. Legs starting to feel much stronger again and there’s no signs of any discomfort around the knees or lower body. Didn’t have time for a lunchtime run as I was stocking up on some items for next week’s race and when I got home it was raining quite heavy which meant overdressing and having to change my run plan. Went for a local hilly loop and included some fast paced reps along a forest trail but fading light and the bad weather meant having to cut it short as I didn’t want to risk a fall or twisting an ankle. I was starting to enjoy picking up the pace to try beat
A great result but I can feel the DOMS from yesterday’s strength session and although that’s good as it show’s I’ve lifted enough to stress the body it also means altering my run plan for later as I don’t want to slow down my recovery and adaption to the strength work. Took the opportunity to do a lunchtime Recovery run and stayed slow and flat for an easy 6K with a walking finish. Climbing a set of step towards the finish had me feeling like a newborn giraffe. Legs started to loosen up as the day went on and only noticed the improvement when I started to think about my next session. Made a slight alteration to the session and instead of the usual steady state run I went for an easy to steady warm up followed by 5*800s at an average of 2:45 per rep. Finished with a long cool down and then it was coaching for an hour with an opportunity to stretch.
A great result and makes me want to run later so I’ll make sure to be prepared if the opportunity presents. Early Gym session and it’s a repeat of last week with a set of 3*3 Deadlifts @ 95Kg, 3*3 Strict Press @ 25Kg (-10Kg) plus 3 sets of 5 Pull Ups (+1). It felt very manageable compared with how I felt last week and that shows improvement on me without having improvement on the bar. Stress / Rest / Adapt. Lunchtime massage and not half as bad as I was expecting which is good but my left leg was much tighter than my right which is the opposite to what I was thinking and that’s not so good as it means there was a possible problem developing that I was unaware of. Won’t leave it as long before next massage. Managed a short run between Athletics finishing and the coaches meeting starting and made the most of my limited time. Did a quick but easy warm up of 2K and on every lap after than I threw in a 100M sprint with a 300M recovery for 5 laps before finishing with a cool down to end the session with 5K in 21 mins.
A great result and I’m putting this down to last night’s session followed by a good night’s sleep and waking without an alarm. Feeling good but legs still recovering from the strength training and the tenderising from yesterday’s massage. Easy lunchtime run of 6K with very low heart rate and with that a very easy pace.
Managed to wake without the alarm and started the day with a 
A great result but feeling like I could do with a lie in. Ran as planned and did 18K with almost 780M of Ascent over one of my usual routes with some good climbs. Took my time and made a few stops to take in the views and refuel with wild berries. Finished the day with a short recovery run of 5K.
A good week finishing with a first place in a tune up 5K race and a medium distance Trail Run. Noticing the results of my reduced volume in my HRV scores and the Taper proper starts tomorrow.
Another good result after a tough session which has me wondering if I need to start increasing the intensity. Not sure what to do today but got an offer of some company for a lunchtime run and just let it happen. Started at a comfortable pace but could certainly feel it as the run progressed and know I would have slowed down if I was on my own, finished with 11.2K (7 Miles) in 46 minutes. Didn’t have a run opportunity after work as I got late notice of a ‘Code of Ethics’ course at the Athletics Club and I’m feeling better about the lunchtime session. Do what you can when you can.
Early Gym session of mostly mobility work and a slight increase in lifted weight with the Back Squat and improvements is always good, 5 sets of 5 @ 45kg (+5kg). The discomfort I was feeling behind my knees last week has gone and only realised it when asked by my Trainer. Unsure what to do later and trying to decide on either a hilly continuous run or a session of Hill Repeats. Change of plan and went for a shorter than usual lunchtime run as I was told it would also be shorter than usual.
Woke during the night with very bad pains in lower stomach area it kept me awake for over an hour. Fell back asleep eventually and then woke feeling very tired with the alarm. Not surprised with result but putting it down to lack of sleep and feel ok to continue with training as normal while keeping myself under observation. Also feeling the DOMS from yesterday’s strength session and this could help with keeping the training controlled. Skipped the opportunity to run at lunchtime to benefit from the extra rest ahead of the usual Wednesday night group session. A slight change of pace and plan for this evening to accommodate those recovering from recent races and preparing for upcoming races. Session consisted of a steady 10K at a Pace no quicker than 4:15 per K and no slower than 4:30 per K. This meant a conscious effort to stay slow and we finished the 10K with an avg of 4:15 followed by a few faster laps to loosen out the legs. Finished the evening with a coaching session and much neglected stretch.
A late night and early morning might be the reason for this but I’ll be taking it easy just in case. Early Gym session with a slight increase on last week including a set of 3*3 Deadlifts @ 95Kg (+5Kg), 3*3 Strict Press @ 35Kg (very tough) plus 3 sets of 4 Pull Ups. Skipping the Lunchtime run and will reduce the volume / intensity of this evenings session. On two minds whether to run or not but settled for a few easy laps with 4* 400M at a faster pace included. Total distance of 5K and then it was home for an early night.
A good night’s sleep and feeling good but a little creaky in the legs department but you’re supposed to feel that way during times of heavy training. Decided against a lunchtime run but knowing it was my only option I changed my mind and went out for an easy 8K in the hope of loosening out my legs and aid recovery. Took a few minutes before it started to feel easy and at that point I was wishing that I’d stayed closer to work. Finished with 8.5K in just under 40 minutes and not looking forward to standing on the sideline of a football pitch this evening.
Almost a lie in as most of my weekend mornings have had early starts over the last while. Still woke early but went back to bed after checking my HRV and used the opportunity to take a 
A great result but my legs are feeling the effects of yesterday and the weather seems a bit rough so I do a double take knowing it might not be a day for the hills. I go back to bed thinking I need to go but thinking back to last Friday when I had a close call due to leg fatigue I think it’s the right choice. When I finally get up I get caught up watching the Great North Run and the weather gets even worse and I almost miss my Long Run opportunity. Eventually I notice a break in the weather and take my chance for a long run and just run without any plan on where to go and make it up as I go along to arrive home 30K later. It felt a bit tougher than it should have and that makes me think I needed it more than I realised.
Again it’s another good week but would have preferred more time in the hills and not happy to have missed the long run opportunity on Sunday. Fitness is definitely improving and my Parkrun time trial resulted in a Season’s best without a lot of effort and without a Taper.
A great result considering how I was feeling after yesterday’s long run. Legs still feeling a little bit fatigued so I settled for an 8K recovery run at lunchtime. Might leave it at that for today as I’m doing an online Q&A for 
A good result and feeling better than yesterday. Early Gym session and it was a lot easier than expected with mostly mobility work and a consultation to plan my next few months with the main focus on the 24-hr World & European Championships in Latvia next May (TBC). Won’t be doing too much in the gym this side of the Isle of Man Mountain Ultra as I can’t afford the recovery time costing run time and I need to get as much time on the hills as I can. Running commute home and my plan was add in a few Km at what should be by half marathon pace but the stride sensor had a low battery so it was back to heart rate based effort. Stayed steady throughout by slowing on the climbs and speeding up on the flat to keep the HR profile stable and without peaks & troughs. A good run
Woke early and when getting out of bed could still feel some tenderness behind my knees so I decided to bin the run in favour of the evening session. Met with 3 others and we set out to repeat last week’s session but from the off we were running at a faster pace. It didn’t feel too fast but the effort was made to stay controlled. After a 2k warm up we started the session aiming for an even 4:00 per k for 10K but it was always faster. Went through 10k in 38:40 and then 2 of us pushed on with another 1K in 3:30 before starting a cool down. A good run but tomorrow will tell if it was too much. Too soon to go testing the fitness and you don’t want to leave your best effort on the training ground. Finished the evening with the usual coaching session and an opportunity to stretch.
Unexpected result and it’s good when you get it in your favour but today might not be the day to make the most of it. Yesterday’s session felt manageable but it was still a tough session. Early Gym session with reduced volume and intensity but did include a set of 3*3 Deadlifts @ 80Kg plus Walking Lunges and Core work. Will see how I feel later and make my run decision at the Track depending on who turns up. Legs started to tighten up as the day went on and didn’t think I’d be on for a repeat of last week’s 4*1K @ 3:30K and scaled it back to a lower volume & intensity session of 3*1K @ 3:40K. Started the session and felt better than expected but didn’t get too carried away. The Intervals ended up as 3:30s without any extra effort but stuck with plan of only doing 3 as the knock on effect could be a bad day tomorrow. Total distance for session was 7K.
Woke at 6 and switched off the alarm rather than hitting snooze. Woke again at 6:35am and wondered was it too late to run? Took a chance and was glad I did as it was a perfect morning. Could feel my legs starting to tighten up as the day went on and also starting to feel some tenderness in my glutes after the gym session. Finished the day with a second run of 13K at recovery pace on the track with someone preparing for a 24-hr Race.
Slight change of plan and stayed local for a medium distance run of 25K over the same route as last Sunday but taking an escape route to shorten the distance. Missed the opportunity to add in a hill run and finished the day with an 8K recovery run including a few controlled hills
A good result but legs feeling fatigued and I might not get what I want from this session. Started on a climb and tried to minimise the amount of recovery time by running hard on the descents and avoiding the possible flat sections as much as possible. This meant doubling back and repeating climbs whenever I felt there was too much recovery time. With roughly 10K to go I was starting to feel the effort required to lift my legs and kicked a rock twice so I knew it was time to think about finishing. Slowed it down and made my way back to the start with 1000M in the bank.
A good week but would have preferred more time in the hills.