Ten

10M am easy

One run today. Early in the morning.

More reps

18M double; rep session & recovery run
15M am incl 3x1.2K, 5x1K, 2x800m, 1x600m off 90s jog
3M pm recovery run

I went to the track early again today and ran some more 1.2K-600m reps. Early on I was sluggish, but I felt I got moving well by the end I ran really slowly the rest of the way to work. And I took it easy on the way home too.

A steady day

16M double; recovery run & steady run
6M am recovery run
10M pm steady run

My legs felt pretty full of running today. Hopefully, I'm entering a purple patch ahead of the weekend's race. I ran to work via a loop on the Heath after nursery drop off and ran home around the top of the Heath.

Lots of reps

18M double; track session & recovery run
15M am incl 3x1M-7x1K-5x600m off 90s-60s jog
3M pm recovery run

My legs felt like crap when I got up this morning, but they perked up as my session got going. I think the speed crescendo was good for them. I was intending to run 15 K reps, but thought I'd make it more interesting and a bit more 'sharpening' ahead of the Reading Half (on Sunday). I was shattered by the end and lumbered pathetically down the road to work from the track.

14 easy Monday miles

14M double; recovery runs x2
7M am recovery run
7M pm recovery run

Two easy runs to and from work today. My legs needed an easy day.

Summary of week ending 23/02/2014

TOTAL = 115M

22 hard

22M am long crescendo run at 6.45-5.50-5.30min/M

This week has ended well. This is my first good-feeling long run of the year. I even felt good and springy from the moment I left the door. By half way, I was holding myself back (perhaps partly because I had the wind at my back). And, though I was slowed a bit by the wind in parts, most of the final third was at around 5.30min/M pace. A decent run to end a good week.

Seven easy ones

7M am recovery run

I took it easy today. Mainly because I spent the day en famille. (I squeezed my run in at 6am)

A good tempo on the way to work

22M double; medium-long tempo run & recovery run
15M am medium long tempo with miles 2-14 at 6.00-5.20min/M
7M pm recovery run

This session has been eluding me for a while - mainly because I've not been able to run it on my preferred route, which finishes with 6-7M of fairly uninterrupted flat tarmac. It always seems to be hard work at the beginning and, like plenty of times before, I felt like throwing in the towel after about 6-7 miles when I was struggling to pick the pace up through Hyde Park. But towards the end, I started to feel really good. As good as I have felt this year. I think my fitness is finally coming through.

My evening run was super-slow and felt pretty rubbish.

Easy

10M double; recovery runs x2

7M am recovery run

3M pm recovery run

Just time for two recovery runs today. I'm tired after yesterday.

24 steady

27M double; recovery run & long steady run
3M am recovery run
24M pm at 6.45-6.00min/M

I didn't feel at my finest today. Still a bit coldy. So I was anxious about my evening long run. But I got going ok and could clip along at 6min/M without too much puff when I was on the flat. By the end I was pretty tired, but still moving ok and not too tight in my hamstrings. I think I should have eaten better yesterday and during the day.

Easy

14M double; recovery runs x2
7M am recovery run
7M pm recovery run

Two easy ones today.

Mile reps in Essex

13M incl 10x1M hard off 90s jog

I had clinic in Chelmsford today and found that there's a good mile-long stretch of pavement for reps nearby. I felt miles better than I have recently on my pre-dawn mile reps around the track.

I didn't have time for an evening run - I was driving to and from Oxford to pick up Hana.

Summary of week ending 16/02/2014

TOTAL = 81M

No run

I'm brewing another virus, so I thought I'd delay the 24 miler til Wednesday...

Easy

7M am recovery run

Nice and easy around the Heath

Steady

16M double; steady run & recovery run
13M am steady run
3M pm recovery run

I felt like rubbish this morning. I was dying for the end of the run from about half way through. I'm glad I didn't try to run it hard... that's tomorrow's job.

Pre-dawn track tempo

16M am incl 12M tempo

I got up at 5.15 this morning and ran around and around and around the track in the dark. I wasn't at my fastest I don't think, but managed to slowly crank up the pace. I was cream crackered on the 3 mile jog to work afterwards.

Pre-dawn mile reps

22M double; mile rep session & recovery run
15M am incl 10x1M off 90s jog
7M pm recovery run

I got up at 5am and ran ten mile reps around the dark track. They felt pretty good once I got going. And I had gone to be early enough that I felt pretty human while doing it and for the rest of the day. I managed a nice family breakfast too.

Short and easy

6M double; recovery runs x2
3M am recovery run
3M pm recovery run

A nursery drop-off and pick-up day. I took the few miles I ran easy.

Steady

13M double; steady run & recovery run
10M am steady run incl 1M swift
3M pm recovery run

I ran to work around the top of the Heath this morning fairly steadily including one swift mile through Regent's Park. I took the shortest route home to get on with the journey to Oxford to pick up Hana.

Summary of week ending 09/02/2014

TOTAL - 103M

Twenty with surges

20M am long run with 6x1M surges

We were busy today, so I had to get up early to fit in a long one. I ran my usual Parliament Hill-Regent's Park-Hyde Park-Westminster-River-Limehouse-Canal 20 mile route. But instead of my usual crescendo, I ran it with six hard mile surges in the last 10 miles with varying recovery periods at cruising speed between them. I feel I am beginning to find some fitness...

It was a good end to a hard week's running: two long runs, a medium long tempo and a 10x1M session.

Seven, easy

7M pm recovery run

Seven slow miles around the Heath. My legs felt in need of a gentle one.

Medium-long tempo on the way home

18M double; recovery run & medium-long tempo
3M am recovery run
15M pm incl 12M tempo

I ran my tempo run this evening along a different route from my usual. It was hilly (around the perimeter of the Heath twice), which made it hard, but also made it hard to hit my usual road running rhythm. The flat section along the top of the Heath was fast both times, so it was probably a pretty good session.

Just six

6M double; recovery runs x2
3M am recovery run
3M pm recovery run

Only time for short runs today - nursery pick up and drop off required.

24 before work

27M double; long crescendo run & recovery run
24M am crescendo run incl 0-10M at 7min/M; 10-19M at 6.15; 19-24M at 5.40
3M pm slow recovery run

I got up at five again this morning to fit in a quality long run before work. I went twice around Hyde Park and then past Parliament to Battersea Park and back to work.

I took the first segment really easy and didn't go crazy on the middle segment either (6.15min/M) but felt comfortable slowly cranking up the speed over the final five miles to finish a bit under 5.40min/M (I averaged 5.40, with the final mile more like 5.30 I should think). I was pleased. My legs aren't ready to go full blast at the end of a 24 miler (and maybe that's unwise anyway other than when racing), so this was a good, sensible session.

I ran home only to avoid the tube strike. My hamstrings were a bit tight initially, but I was running pretty normally by the end.

Recovery

13M double; steady run & recovery run
10M am steady run
3M pm recovery run

I ran to work around the top of the Heath this morning - fairly steadily, particularly on the hills. I was on nursery pick-up, so only ran three miles home.

Ten mile reps in the dark

12M am incl 10x1M off 90s jog

I got up at five this morning to fit in some mile reps on the track in the dark before childcare duties kicked in. They were good. And I had gone to bed early enough that it wasn't too painful. It was dark, but there's enough light from the city bouncing off the clouds that I could see comfortably right from the beginning.

Easy on a Saturday with the buggy

6M am recovery run with buggy

We went on our usual easy run around the Heath this morning.