17 in all, but easy

17M double; recovery runs x2
7M am recovery run
10M pm recovery run

I was pretty tired today. Or, actually when I think about it, just still suffering the after effects of my first core session in an age. Day 2 is always worse. Hopefully I'll be in shape for a session tomorrow. Perhaps around Port Meadow in Oxford if it's not under water.

Chilly K reps along the river

17M double; recovery run & K rep session
7M am recovery run
10M pm incl 8x1K off 90s jog

Brrrr. It's a bit nippy out. I think I prefer warm and wet to cold. I wrapped up nice and warm for both my runs and didn't regret it at all

My legs (and especially my glutes) were beginning to ache by the evening after yesterday's core work, but it didn't seem to detract from my kilometre reps. I felt really good and springy. Up on my toes. And I think I got the pacing about right.

I feel like I'm in a really good block of training right now.

Steady (and some core exercises!)

17M double; recovery run & steady run & core exercises
7M am recovery run at ~6.45min/M
10M pm recovery run at ~6.15min/M

Nothing flashy. Nice and easy on the way in to work. And fairly steady on the way home (via the 10 mile route around the top of the Heath).

I also managed to do my first lot of core exercises since my injury in the summer. I have been slower than I should have to reintroduce them. But better late than never. I did five cycles of the following: single leg squats with 8kg (x15); single leg toe touches (x20); sit ups (x20); side plank (1 minute each side); anterior straight arm lifts (x20); plank with single leg raise (x20 each side).

Surge session

15M double; recovery run & surge session
7M am recovery run at ~6.45min/M
8M pm surge session with 400-800-1K-2K-1K hard (each followed by same at ~6.30)

My evening session was a surge session designed by Ron. It was fairly short and sharp. I felt pretty up for it after a rest day. My legs were back in the groove this morning and evening at the beginning of my evening run when I still had my pack (I had to run with it from my early evening meeting back to the office before I started the session proper).

The session was good. It alternated hard running with the same distance at a steady state pace (about 6.30min/M) so it was a bit like the a longer version of the surge session I've run a few times recently. My planned final rep was 2K which I ran up Swains Lane (painful). To save me time on the way home (it was dinner time by then) I added an extra 1K hard to finish rather than run the final 2K all at steady state.

Rest

My scheduled rest day. (Still trying to take one day off every 2 weeks).

Summary of week ending 25/11/2012

Mon 19/11 - 14M double; 7M recovery runs x2
Tue 20/11 - 17M double; recovery run & 10M incl 400-1500 pyramid session
Wed 21/11 - 17M double; 7M & 10M recovery runs
Thu 22/11 - 13M double; 5M recov run & 8M incl 6x1M reps off 90s walk/jog
Fri 23/11 - 16M double; 7M recov run & 9M steady run
Sat 24/11 - 10M cross-country tempo run
Sun 25/11 - 20M long run
TOTAL - 107M

Feeling tired on a long run

20M long run at ~7.15min/M

I was tired today. A bit at the beginning. And properly tired by thirty or so minutes to go. It was another club long run, but my navigational inabilities meant that I ran most of it without most of the guys I set out with. Luckily, we managed to find a good route, similar to the one we ran last week.

Muddy cross-country tempo heaven!?

10M cross-country tempo run

I headed to the Heath for some cross-country tempo running this morning around a combination of the National course (two big laps) and London champs (one big lap).  It was way muddier than last Saturday's race and brought back memories of my National cross-country initiation at Alton Towers 18 months ago... though that might be overstating it a bit.

Anyway, it was a good session. Good, hard work from start to finish. And good practice for my city-dwelling, road-running legs.

Steady (in the East)

16M double; recovery run & steady run
7M am recovery run
9M pm steady run

Today was a Romford clinic day, so I had my pack full of computer and clothes to lug with me on my runs. I felt pretty sluggish in the morning and not sluggish but tired in the evening. Hopefully I'll be perky for a fairly rapid spin around the Heath tomorrow (training not racing - I'm having a break from racing 'til the next Met League cross-country after four in the last four weeks).

Mile reps down by the river

13M double; recovery run & mile rep session
5M am recovery run
8M incl 6x1M hard off 90s walk/jog

I ran a pretty good session down on the North bank of the Thames this evening between work and a nice meal out. I was spurred on by a minor altercation with a cyclist on the pavement during rep one. The rest of the session was probably about 5-10s faster per rep thanks to the adrenalin! I hit a really good rhythm despite the blustery wind. The recovery was meant to be jog, but half the time I was too spent to manage more than a stumbling walk.

I bought some new sets of spikes for my x-country spikes today. (Including a set of 15mm ones.) That should reduce the amount of wheel spin on slippy corners in my next race - I was particularly poor on one of the corners last week that must have lost 10-15s there over the course of the race.

Not too arduous

17M double; recovery runs x2
7M am recovery run
10M pm recovery run

My legs wouldn't have wanted to go anything but slow today. Which was ok. And probably understandable.

A pyramid session

17M double; recovery run & pyramid session
7M am recovery run at ~7.00min/M
10M pm incl 400-600-800-1000-1200-1500-1200-1000-800-600-400 off 60/90s jog

My legs were in good shape today I think, though the slippy rained-upon pavements took a bit of the edge off the shorter reps of my evening pyramid session. Having said that, it was far from a right off. I've found a good route home now which works well for this kind of session and I have enough pairs of shorts that fit my phone and keys etc so I can leave my bag at work. I got away pretty early today and I even a made it to the track to say hello to a few people before making it home in time for dinner.

I ran my reps off 60s jog recovery other than the middle three, which I followed with 90s jog. My new trainers (Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12) feel a bit firmer under foot than the old version (version 11). I'm still getting used to them, but I think they might be better for getting me into a race-type gate.

Recovery

14M double; recovery runs x2
7M am recovery run at ~7.00min/M
7M pm recovery run at ~6.30min/M

Just gentle running today. Nothing too taxing. My legs were feeling surprisingly good this evening. Really springy.

Summary of week ending 18/11/2012

Mon 12/11 - 17M double; 7M & 10M recovery runs
Tue 13/11 - 19M double; 7M recov & 12M incl 5x2K at 5.00-5.05
Wed 14/11 - 14M double; 7M recovery runs x2
Thu 15/11 - 12M am recovery run
Fri 16/11 - Rest
Sat 17/11 - 11M incl 10K cross-country race (34.51)
Sun 18/11 - 21M gentle long run
TOTAL - 94M

A club long run in the sun

21M am long run at ~7.30-6.30min/M

I joined in the club Sunday long run today for a trundle around various hilly and wooded corners or North London. I couldn't tell you exactly where we went, but it included a good amount of the Heath, the West Heath, the Heath extension, Highgate and Queens Woods and across to Finsbury Park and back. I ran for a total of a bit over two and a half hours, fairly gently most of the way. It was probably about 21 miles, but who knows. It was just what my legs needed after yesterday's race.

Another good cross-country race - the London Champs

11M incl 10K London Cross-country Championships (7th place)

I was really pleased with today's race. Last week was not bad for me as cross-country goes, but it was flat and about as tailored to my strengths as I could hope for. Today's race was the London Championships and was run at Parliament Hill. So it was hilly. Home turf. But no home advantage for me.

I paced it pretty well I think, though I could still have done with holding back a bit more early on. During the first of the four laps I moved through from about 15th to 7th and I kept that position to the end. By the beginning of the fourth lap, I was surrounded by a bunch of three who had come up on me, and each of whom came past me at some point. But I found enough over the last kilometer to finish ahead of them all. In fact, I finished just behind Ryan - though quite what he was doing at the end I don't know.

I'm stronger than I used to be on the up hills, but it's still my weakness in these races. My downhill running is good now and was the reason I could pull out a gap at the end.

And we won the team race!... with me in the scoring four. Tidy.

Rest

A day off, ahead of tomorrow's race.

Twelve gently

12M am recovery run

I went slow and a bit longer this morning on my way in to work. It was a bit chilly. No run this evening.

Easy

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

Two recovery runs today. The old legs were even heavier this morning. But I enjoyed plodding along. The evening was similar, with Y for company.

Some good 2K reps around the Inner Circle

19M double; recovery run & 2K rep session
7M am recovery run
12M pm incl 5x2.06K in 6.26-6.32 (5.00-5.05min/M) off 90s

I felt pretty heavy legged today. Not sure why really. Maybe the strides yesterday? But probably just Saturday plus Sunday.

On my morning run, I was just going through the motions nice and gently. I felt pretty sluggish when I started my evening warm up. And I can't say I felt at my most dynamic as I flung myself around the Inner Circle on the first of my reps. It was my slowest. Numbers 2 and 5 were my (equal) fastest. I was really hanging on at the end and felt a bit dizzy on the way home. The sign of a solid session!

Despite my heavy legs, I think my times came out within acceptable bounds in the end. Taking the fact that the loop is just over 1K, I think they were 5.00-5.05min/M pace). I tried to concentrate on finding a good 10K-style race rhythm rather than thinking of them as reps. On keeping my stride length long (by pushing off well with my calves rather than over-striding) and keeping a good high cadence.

Easy. And some strides.

17M double; recovery runs x2
10M am recovery run
7M pm recovery run incl 10x100m strides

Nothing too much today. My legs felt pretty heavy this morning for the first couple of miles. A bit tight.

My morning run ended up being really enjoyable though. I looped through Sandy Heath and the Extension before heading home through the Heath proper. Autumnal running bliss.

My evening run was less interesting and included some strides.

Summary of week ending 11/11/2012

Mon 5/11 - 12M double; 5M & 7M recovery runs
Tue 6/11 - 7M am recovery run
Wed 7/11 - 17M double; 10M incl 6x1K hill reps & 7M recov
Thu 8/11 - 14M double; 6M am recov & 8M incl pyramid session
Fri 9/11 - Rest
Sat 10/11 - 8M incl 5M cross-country race
Sun 11/11 - 22M long run at 6.30min/M
TOTAL - 80M

Long and not too fast

22M am long run at ~6.30min/M

Plenty of miles nice and gentle again today. The same route as last week. Legs a bit worse for wear after yesterday, but still enough in them to keep ticking over nicely the whole way.

Great day out in Stevenage

8M incl 5M Met League cross-country race (28th; 6th Highgate; 27m35s)

My first proper cross-country race since the National, and a really great race. Mainly for the team performance - we won on the day, moved to the top of the league and all sorts of other exciting jazz! It was another reggae-tastic, megaphone-assisted bonanza of a day out in the mud with the Highgate troops. A pretty unbeatable way to spend a Saturday afternoon. If you like that sort of thing.

I think my race was not bad either. I definitely paced the beginning about right and was gaining places from half way through the first lap until the beginning of the third. From there I lost a couple and would have liked to be pulling through better.

Rest

No running today - my once in 2 weeks day off. And I'm racing tomorrow.

A pyramid session (along the Thames)

14M double; recovery run & pyramid speed session
6M am recovery run
8M pm incl 400-600-800-1000-1200-1000-800-600-400 off 60s jog

Another speed session today, 36 hours after yesterday's - the best I could do given Tuesday's business and the race I have on Saturday. This time I ran it down on the North Bank of the Thames between Blackfriars and Westminster. It's only a mile from work. And is wide and quiet enough for a proper session.

I ran a Ron-prescribed pyramid session and was pleased with how it felt - fast and painful.

A perfect prelude to dinner with Hugh at Great Queen Street.

A Parliament Hill session

17M double; hill rep session & recovery run
10M am incl 6x1.35K up-down hill reps off 90s
7M pm recovery run

I caught up with yesterday's delayed evening session with a trip to the Heath before work this morning. It's the third time I've run it now (though the first time I ran nine reps rather than six). I was slowed on the ups compared to my last running of the session by the slippy slideyness of the bottom field (my ups took 2m54s-3m00s) but my overall splits were actually faster (4m58s-3m10s).

My evening one was a gentle one with Yasmin and co. Plus a little bit extra on my own at either end.

Less than I would have wanted

7M am recovery run

The day ran away with me today and I could only fit in one run today. A gentle one. To work.

Recovery

12M double; recovery runs x2
5M am recovery run
7M pm recovery run

I was up late last night and was glad just to plod to and from work today. Nice fireworks here and there on the way home over Primrose and Parliament Hills.

Summary of week ending 04/11/2012

Mon 29/10 - 13M double; 5M & 8M recovery runs
Tue 30/10 - 17M double; 5M recovery & 12M steady runs
Wed 31/10 - 15M including 9x2K hard off 90s jog
Thu 01/11 - 15M double; 7M recovery & 8M incl 20min surge session
Fri 02/11 - 17M double; 7M recovery & 10M kind of steady runs
Sat 03/11 - 6M including 5K cross-country race
Sun 04/11 - 21M gentle long run
TOTAL - 104M

A gentle 21

21M pm long run at ~6.30min/M

I ran a long gentle one this afternoon. Two and a quarter hours, looping around Hyde Park and back up again. I wrapped up warm in long socks, leggings and long sleeved top - just write - and set out with mild trepidation given the long gap since my last long one.

But, as I soon remembered, I love a long slow run and before I knew it, I was cruising along at a nice speed while putting various thoughts about the world, work and life in general in order. A cracking use of a late Sunday afternoon.

Turns out, I've run 104 miles this week! First time in a while.

Fun at the National cross-country relays

6M incl 5K cross-coutry relay leg in 17.04

I had great fun today at the National cross-country relays in Mansfield. It was my first day back in cross-country spikes since the National on Parliament Hill in March and I was grateful it was fairly easy under foot, making it a gentle reintroduction.

I ran the final leg for the Highgate B Team and tried to pace my effort better than I seem prone to doing. It felt like I did a fairly good job, though I was a bit disappointed to be 7th fasted of 8 on the day. Especially as last weeks 10 miler tells me I'm clearly in pretty good shape. Room for cross-country improvement.

Still, we are improving as a team. The A team managed a stunning 10th and we managed 35th (out of 150 odd).

The highlight of my day was watching the Highgate kids teams running hard for some good placings. It made me remember the funny relationship I had with racing as a kid. I would get horribly nervous before races, run ill-advisedly hard at the beginning so my arms got so heavy I couldn't pump them as I ran up the hills, vomit as I crossed the line and have a paralysing bellyache all the way home. But I loved it!

Nice and easy

17M double; recovery & probably a steady one
7M am recovery run
10M pm kind of steady run

Nice and steady today. A clinic day in Romford, so my morning run was to Liverpool Street and my evening run was from Romford to Stratford.

A bit of a session

15M double; recovery run & surge session
7M am recovery run
8M pm incl 20min surge session

I wanted to squeeze in another bit of speed this week but wasn't sure of the best timing. I delayed my first session until yesterday (and it was a HARD one). And I'm running a (short) cross-country race on Saturday.

So I ran the 20 minute surge session again (the one I did a few weeks ago for the first time with Danny). I ran it under the floodlights at the track so I could see where I was putting my feet. And ran 90-90-60-60-60-60-30-30-30-30-15-15-15-15 surges. It's a good compromise session to use in weeks I can't fit in my normal pattern.

My legs were surprisingly up for it after yesterday.