Training Diary 10th - 16th December

Monday Dec 10th. HRV=63 White.

Lower than expected after a rest day and I suspect it’s down to a cumulative fatigue from a heavy week.  I’ll ease back or do similar to last week rather than trying to train harder and I’ll make sure to have a few early nights as sleep is a very important part of the recovery process.  Did almost the same session as last Monday but started slower and ended up running faster.  The session felt comfortably hard and I finished knowing I could have done more but at this stage there’s no point in testing my breaking point.  Finished off with an early night.

Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of Squats and Deadlift followed by a lunchtime run of 40 mins.

Tuesday Dec 11th. HRV=75 White.

Woke before the alarm and HRV shows signs of a good recovery.   Early morning strength session consisting of 5 sets of 3 (1 ¼)Squats with 55Kg and 3 sets of 3 Deadlift with 100Kg.  Squat weight remained the same as last week but had a slight increase with the Deadlift and it felt great hitting that milestone of 100Kg.  Found this session mentally tough and knowing I was going for 100Kg almost gave me a mental block and I think that’s why the squat weight remained the same.  Lunchtime run of 9K in 37 mins.  Pace was a bit slower than last week with heart rate less than 85 percent of max so I cut it short.

Plan for tomorrow is a lunchtime run similar to today or if time allows I’ll do something shorter and follow up with an evening Steady state run of up to 1hr.

Wednesday Dec 12th. HRV=76 White.

A good result and I’ll make the most of it.  Didn’t have time for a lunchtime run so I ran my evening run a little bit harder by keeping my heart rate above 85 percent of max for just over 1hr.  Ran on the Track yet again as the footpaths were icy and this was quite an effort as my legs were fatigued from yesterday’s strength session and it was mentally tough being on my own.  The mind also needs training and it’s during these sessions that this training happens.

Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of mostly Power Clean and a lunchtime recovery run of 40 mins max.  I’m expecting a red line.

Thursday Dec 13th. HRV=72 White.

Wasn’t expecting such a high result and maybe my fatigued legs stopped me from over cooking last night.  If all goes to plan today I’ll jump in with the club session this evening. Early morning strength session of 5*3 Power Clean with 48Kg (+1) and 3*3 Strict Press with 37Kg (+2).  A repeat of last week with the Power Clean so I’m happy with that and I’m getting back on track with the Strict Press. Lunchtime recovery run of 40 minutes and I’m feeling the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).  Took it nice and easy with the emphasis being on recovery rather than a training effect.  Club session was 4* 600M with 3 min recovery and took a chance on it but didn’t have it in my legs and felt the pressure during the second rep.  Made a judgement call and stopped before I needed to.  It seems like last night’s session has caught up on me.

Plan for tomorrow is an evening run if time allows with the intensity depending on my HRV result.

Friday Dec 14th. HRV=70 White.

Much higher than expected as my recovery was far from ideal last night.  Found it hard getting the time to train today and barely managed 40 minutes as part of a shopping trip so I ran it fast.

Plan for tomorrow is an early session of Tyre Hauling with the Black Ice Race Team starting at 08.00am.  It’ll be long duration but low intensity and if I wake early enough I might go for a run beforehand.

Saturday Dec 15th. HRV=65 White.

An expected low score but today is a low intensity day so it makes no difference.  Training didn’t go to plan as the session was cut short after 1hr by the Park Rangers after listing off all the bye laws we had just broken with our Tyre hauling.  Finished off with a 2hr run and the rest of the day was a write off.

Plan for tomorrow is a 1-3hr run at 140-155 bpm or I also have an offer of a race entry for a local 5K so I’ll see how I feel in the morning.

Sunday Dec 16th. HRV=70 White.

Better than expected but I’ve had a lie in so my plan changes slightly.   Ran at just above 85 percent (150bpm) of heart rate max until I reached TE of 4.5 which was comfortably hard and it made the most of my available time.  Sweated almost 3Kg for the session and finished feeling spent.  Took it very easy for rest of day as I want to train hard tomorrow and that will all depend on my recovery.  On days of continuous hard training I take a concentrated cherry juice and the one I use is called Cherrygood.

Weekly Summary

A slight dip in my blue line but that’s to be expected after what was possibly my hardest training week in a long time.

Plan for next week is to make the most of whatever time I have available as there’s a few forced rest days the following week.  I’ve been nominated for an Outsider Magazine  ’People of the Year Award’ with the awards night next Wednesday so that could be a day off leading to a day off.http://www.cherrygood.com/

Training Diary 03rd - 10th December.

Monday Dec 03rd. HRV=70 White.

Higher than it should be after a race and goes to show I didn’t give it my all.  Not for the want of trying but it just seems like my fast twitch muscle fibres have switched off and I suppose that’s to be expected with all the longer slower runs that make up the bulk of my training.  Evening run of 75 mins with 40 mins @ 75-85 percent of Heart Rate max to make the most of my post race high score.

Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of Squats and Deadlift followed by a lunchtime run of 40 mins.

Tuesday Dec 04th. HRV=71 White.

Early morning strength session consisting of 5 sets of 3 (1 ¼)Squats with 55Kg and 3 sets of 3 Deadlift with 97.5Kg.  A good strong session and it felt easier than previous sessions with lighter weights.  Lifting heavier every week and not noticing the increase with the progressive overload.  Lunchtime 10K in 40.50 mins keeping my heart rate less than 85 percent of max.  Started off easy and pushed on a bit as I felt it was there.  Interesting to see that it’s less than a minute slower than my 10K XC race last Sunday with a lower HR avg.  Should mention that this was flat and less effort than running in XC conditions.

Plan for tomorrow is a lunchtime run similar to today and I’ll adjust the intensity depending on how I feel and if my HRV is higher than today I might do a set of 400s.

Wednesday Dec 05th. HRV=70 White.

A good result and was secretly hoping it would be lower as I woke with the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).  Didn’t have a lot of time today and missed my lunchtime opportunity.  Only managed to fit in a run of less than 1 hr while my son was at football training which of course is better than nothing.  The footpaths were icy so I ran on the track again which also got a bit icy and forced a slower pace.  10K in 43 minutes and frozen fingers.

Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of mostly Power Clean and a lunchtime recovery run of 40 mins max.

Thursday Dec 06th. HRV=84 Green.

A great start to the day and changes my plan slightly and I’ll try make the most of the high score.  Early morning strength session of 5*3 Power Clean with 47Kg and 3*3 Strict Press with 35Kg.  This was my best Power Clean session and it looks like I’ve nailed the technique but next week will tell if it was a fluke.  Dropped the weight on the Strict Press as I struggled with proper form last week.  Afternoon run in the wind & rain of 12K with HR avg of 150 bpm (85 percent of max), stopped only because I was stuck for time.  Finished off the day by joining in with a club session of 400M*2 with 1 minute rest in between repeated 3 times with a 5 minute rest between sets.  A great day and I’m hoping I’ve done enough to go Amber tomorrow.  Stress / Rest / Adapt.

Plan for tomorrow is a Recovery run during lunchtime.

Friday Dec 07th. HRV=79 White.

Much higher than expected and I’m guessing it’s because of the effort I put into my recovery.  Today’s plan has changed and the pace  / intensity will depend on feel.  Lunchtime run of slightly faster than recovery pace but still Aerobic at less than 80 percent of heart rate max.  That’s all for today as I’m busy later.

Plan for tomorrow is up in the air at the moment and I’ve a few options with first being a 5K race as part of the Park Run series.  If I wake on time I’ll go but won’t be setting the alarm clock because sleep is when the recovery happens and I haven’t woken naturally in a while.

Saturday Dec 08th. HRV=81 White.

Excellent result and I’ve woken early enough to opt for the 5K race.  Drove to the venue leaving plenty of time for a long warm up and just as well because it was freezing out.  The pre race briefing warned of icy spots and to apply caution at turns but that was all forgotten about when the starter signal went. I got caught in a group just behind the lead group and by 2K I was sitting comfortably in a fighting position for 3rd position.  Held my place until the last 300M but was then left behind in the sprint for the finish line and finished with 6th place in 18:13.

Almost 1 minute off my PB but a good result considering the week I’ve had.  Parkrun Results.

Plan for tomorrow is a 3hr run at 140-155bpm.

Sunday Dec 09th. HRV=50 Amber.

Totally unexpected and this turns today into a rest day.  Went back to bed and spent the rest of the day trying to convince myself not to run.  Legs say go but heart says no and it’s obeying these warning signs that helps prevent overtraining.  Stress / Rest / Adapt.

Weekly Summary.

Blue line is still showing a slightly upward trend and I’ll try keep it that way until Christmas week.

Limited time with good planning and the guidance of ithlete meant 3 quality sessions and continuous improvement.  Missed out on my long run but I’d rather miss one session to aid my recovery rather than spend days recovering from a session that might have been that little bit too much.  Train Hard but Train Smart.

I plan on doing a separate blog post or posts sometime soon to explain my strength sessions and nutritional plan in a bit more detail. 

Plan for next week is a to include a group training session with the Siberian Black Ice Race Team.

Training Diary 26th Nov – 2nd Dec

Monday Nov 26th. HRV=60 Amber.

Probably should be a rest day but did the next best thing with a recovery run keeping my HR between 120-130bpm.

Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of mainly squats and an evening run with the intensity depending on how I feel and available time.

Tuesday Nov 27th. HRV=72 White.

Early morning strength session consisting of 5 sets of 3 (1 ¼)Squats with 52.5Kg, 3 sets of 3 Deadlift with 95Kg and finishing with some foam rolling..  No time to run but I probably need the rest anyway.

Plan for tomorrow is a pre race 6-10*400M @ 75-80 seconds which I’ll do during my lunch break. Number or reps will depend on how long it takes to warm up as time is limited.

Wednesday Nov 28th. HRV=70 White.

Rested yesterday and expected a higher result which has me thinking that the strength session took more out of me than I thought.  Started my interval session and could feel a tightness in my right hamstring but thought it safe enough to continue.  The recent lack of speed work was another limiting factor in the session and I couldn’t move my legs fast enough or run hard enough to put myself under any real pressure.  Not a great session but finished knowing I’d worked hard and no further complaints from my hamstring.  Splits were: 82, 80, 76, 78, 80, 79.  The DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) from yesterday’s strength session started to kick in by evening time so I decided against a second run and only because I have a race at the weekend.

Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of mostly Power Clean and a lunchtime recovery run of 40 mins max.

Thursday Nov 29th. HRV=66 White.

Didn’t think yesterday’s interval session would cause this drop as it was relatively short.  Early morning strength session of 5*3 Power Clean with 45Kg and 3*3 Strict Press with 40Kg.  This was a very tough session and I’m still struggling with the Power Clean technique and should be lifting 47.5Kg comfortably at this stage.   Easy lunchtime run doing just enough to get a training induced response without hampering my recovery.  Managed to fit in a short Interval session of 4*600 during a club coaching session, splits were; 2.07, 2.05, 2.05, 2.05 with a long recover and focusing on quality over quantity.  Finished before I needed to finish

Plan for tomorrow is an easy lunchtime run with 6*1 minute fast / 1 minute recovery and might include a second evening run depending on HRV score.  If higher than 66 I’ll aim for a double day.

Friday Nov 30th. HRV=75 White.

Much higher than expected and the perfect result ahead of an interval session.  Lunchtime run of 6K which included 6* 1 min fast covering an average of 298M per rep and finished comfortably.  I wasn’t looking forward to the race on Sunday but I’m now feeling a bit more confident.

Tomorrow is a forced rest day due to a running related meeting that involves a 10hr round trip.

Saturday Dec 01st. HRV=78 White.

Expected lower even though it was a short enough session yesterday but the accumulation of the faster sessions made me think I’d be in the red.  Early start for a rest day and I’ve 10hrs of travelling today for a 3hr meeting.

Plan for tomorrow is a 10K Cross Country Race.

Sunday Dec 02nd. HRV=66 White.

Surprised with this low score after a day off yesterday and maybe it’s only now that the fatigue is kicking in? Could it be a training response similar to the DOMS?  Feeling ok so I put in down to pre race nerves and less than 1hr later I had a dodgy stomach which confirms I could be right.

Jogged 7K at an easy pace to the race start and arrived with 15mins to spare and got changed and completed my warm up in the rain.  Lined up and took off just behind the lead pack and more or less finished in that position having lost maybe 2 places and close to 1Km behind the race winner.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/248581768

Weekly Summary

A slight dip in my blue line which I was expecting as the result of some quality sessions but I expected to do better in today’s race as I’ve been running as fast in training but then again I need to factor in the cross country conditions when making the comparison. 

Looking at my low Heart Rate I know I should have been running faster but the power wasn’t there and I put that down to the fact that I trained through rather than tapered.

Plan for next week is a few longer Tempo / Steady runs and if time allows I’ll head for the hills on Sunday.  Nothing is cast in stone and it’ll be day by day to make the most of what I’ve got.

Training Diary 19 – 25th Nov

Monday Nov 19th. HRV=68 White

A good start to the week and a lot higher than expected as I thought the long day yesterday would have been a bit more stressful on my body but a low TE of 1.8 for the run confirms I was working at the lower end of my Aerobic Zone and can safely continue.  Went for an easy recovery run of just over 7K to assist rather than impede my recovery.

Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of mainly squats and an evening run with the intensity depending on how I feel and available time.

Tuesday Nov 20th. HRV=70 White

Early morning strength session consisting of 5 sets of 3 (1 ¼)Squats with 52.5Kg, 3 sets of 3 Strict Press with 37.5Kg and finishing with 2 sets of max chin ups.  No time to run but I probably need the rest anyway.

Plan for tomorrow is 6*1k intervals which I’ll add into my running commute home.

Wednesday Nov 21st. HRV=81 White

What a difference a day off makes and this result is just what I want for an interval session day but I can feel the effects of yesterdays strength session so my timing is off.  Decided against the intervals as I think the strength session coupled with the very recent long run might be pushing my luck.  Rather than lose the benefit of today’s high score I did a MAF test (Maximum Aerobic Function) on the track with a set distance of 10K in Heart Rate zone of 137-142 bpm.  Covered the distance in 42:38 with avg HR of 140bpm. Forgot to lap per Km for comparison.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/245494159

Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of Power Clean & Deadlifting and a lunchtime Massage. Unsure about my run as I might be stuck for time and don’t know how I’ll feel after massage.

Thursday Nov 22nd. HRV= 78 White

My strength coach decided against doing Power Clean when I told him how I was feeling (muscular) and instead I did some upper body work.  Lunchtime massage and I seemed to be a lot worse than expected with both IT bands (illiotibial) very tight.  Walked the pain away and felt reasonably ok by the time I got back to the office.  Decided to run on the track again after finishing my coaching duties as it’s a safe way of testing my post massage recovery, my thinking is I’m never too far from the car if I need to stop.  Used the Garmin (610) with a regular programmed session of 50 minutes @ 145-160bpm.  Finished the session which was comfortably hard with an average HR of 150bpm and went home happy.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/245883001

Plan for tomorrow will depend on 2 factors. 1. HRV result.  2. When I find out how busy my Saturday will be.

Friday Nov 23rd. HRV=66 Amber

As expected and the low score is evident of my quality session last night.  Tried a Tempo run during my lunch break as I expect to be busy tomorrow but my run was slowed down by upper body DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).  Almost a rest day.

Plan for tomorrow is an afternoon Tempo run.

Saturday Nov 24th. HRV=83 Green

Stress / Rest / Adapt. Excellent Result and shows the difference an easy day can make. Made the most of my available time with a run that included 20 mins Steady State and ran any hill I could see.  Planned the session wrong and spent almost as much time on my cool down getting back to base.

Plan for tomorrow is a 2-3hr run.

Sunday Nov 25th. HRV=75 White

Expected lower and this tells me I didn’t work hard enough yesterday.  Plan has changed accordingly and instead of just going for time on feet I turned it into a session and ran at 145-150 bpm for as long as comfortably possible.  Comparing pace with heart rate I was starting to slow down at 19K and I then decided to head for home as I wanted quality over quantity.  Finished off with 30K in 2hr08 and so ends a great week.

Weekly Summary

Blue line is starting to curve upwards again and I’m starting to feel like I’m getting back on form.  Limited time with good planning and the guidance of ithlete meant 3 quality sessions and continuous improvement.

Plan for next week is a to include a few shorter but faster speed sessions and if time allows I’ll try for a red result by the weekend with a planned overreach before Friday in preparation for a 10K cross country race on Sunday.  Saturday will be a forced rest day due to a meeting.  Confidence is increasing.