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"
Expected higher after an easy day yesterday. I’ll proceed with caution as this could be an advance warning of an illness brewing. Today will be an easy day. Easy lunchtime run of 40 mins followed by an evening run to a meeting with Athletics Ireland.
Only a slight improvement but my HR is slightly higher than yesterday and just as I expected from yesterday’s result I’m coming down with something. Slightly congested and there’s a pain in my sinuses when I blow my nose. Today will be another easy day. Early strength session and surprised myself with a strong session even though I can still feel the DOMS since Saturday. 5 sets of 3 (1 ¼)Squats with 60Kg (New PB) and 3 sets of 3 Deadlift with 95Kg (small decrease).
A great result and I’m feeling a lot better which shows I dodged the bullet by heeding the advance warning. Legs still not recovered from the recent hill run and that’s partly because my training has continued and not forgetting the squat session yesterday. Decided against the Temp run and instead I did a variation on my MAF test by running 13K instead of my usual 10K. Took a few minutes to loosen up and get into the zone and when I finished the results were surprising.
Same as yesterday but my HR is slightly less and I managed a good session last night so the signs are good. Took a step back with the Power Clean with reduced weight but higher volume as I hadn’t done them since before Christmas. Session consisted of 3 * 5 instead of my usual 5*3 with 40Kg (-7.5Kg) and 3*3 Strict Press with 30Kg (-5Kg) alternated with 3”3 max chins and finished with 2* 1min plank. Lunchtime recovery run with the DOMS keeping my HR nice and low. Finished the day with a Team meeting and some good news regarding a kit sponsor.
Showing signs of good recovery but I still have the DOMS. Lunchtime run taking it nice and easy to aid recovery rather than trying for a training effect
An early start for an easy run over one of the most scenic routes in Ireland called the
Alarm went off at 6:00am and didn’t feel like getting up. Took the interrupted lie in and almost missed the chance to run but luckily I found time just before it got dark and decided on a MAF test to make the best use of my available time. Session went well and noticed a 1 sec improvement per K since Wednesday using same venue and same conditions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 next week is to include a blood test as I want to start using 
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.
