Today's Training

[Travs]

The extra couple of days recovery helped and i was able to do a full uphill session this morning. Hamstrings were still a little tight/sore, i wouldn't have managed a fast flat session today, but the slower pace of steep uphill reps meant it was manageable.

4 x (10mins uphill 15%, 5 mins flat recovery)

This is quite a tough session, the last couple of recovery periods were over all too quickly, however i still felt spritely enough to speed up a little on the final rep. Whether i'd have felt quite so good if i'd had two midweek sessions in my legs is a different matter.

Was absolutely dripping by the end of it, so much so that i had to change into another vest to continue with the rest of my conditioning/stretching/strength work in the gym.

9.5 miles including warmup and down.

Next big hill session i'll go for 4 x (12 on, 3 off)..... If that is a success then i'll start building into a continuous long rep.

[Travs]

A long uphill run today.

Its hard to keep a long uphill run in the "easy" zone due to the obvious factor of it being uphill... have to be very careful with the pace. But managed 9.5 miles mostly at 8% gradient, lowered it down to 6% towards the end.

And 4 very easy miles this evening.

A solid start to the year, 74 miles.

A shame that i was unable to manage any club sessions, but the weekend went very well and the hamstring soreness seems to be gone.

Next week we've got 5 x 1km on tuesday night, then an easy one on thursday as its the next installment of the XC League on saturday, back at the fantastic Warley Woods in Smethwick.

[Travs]

Club session on a bitterly cold night.

5 x 1km off 2 minute rests.

Was a little apprehensive that perhaps the hamstring might not be ready for such a fast-paced session, so just vowed to take one rep at a time, and call it a day early if in doubt.

3:24 (including an altercation with a car)
3:20
3:20
3:16
3:16

Very pleasing. Felt a little stiff in the legs, and really struggled through the couple of miles warm down afterwards, however it was the first time i'd done such a quick session since before xmas, and i'd have taken those times even when 100% confident.

My heart rate was low before the session, and i felt great doing the warm-up drills, so i knew i was in good shape as long as the legs survived.

11 miles.

Easy running now until the XC on saturday.

[Travs]

Due to the upcoming XC at the weekend we had no rep session tonight, but instead a strength/conditioning circuit.

Nothing too taxing for a gym regular like me.... lots of under and over hurdles, hops, planks, pressups, leg raises, etc. Some of the guys and girls struggled with the leg raises and pressups though.

Although some of us do a longer warm up and down before/after this session, so i still knocked up 9 very easy miles tonight, on top of 5 steady miles this morning.

[anthonykay]

Beacon Hill and Windmill Hill; this route has several stretches of tarmac, so I used my "usual" trainers (Brooks Cascadia) rather than Walshes, and suffered for it on some of the muddier parts of the route. Another slow run, and the slowness cannot be entirely accounted for by the ground conditions. But I am not going to get depressed about this; I know that it is part of the natural annual cycle, and by March things will start picking up.

People encountered on the way:
Lady with a poodle, who I passed on the way up Beacon Hill: she saw me coming, and distracted the dog with a snack, but it soon came running after me. I tried to encourage it to accompany me the rest of the way to the top, but having showed that it could catch up with me, it went back to its owner.
Three ladies at the top of Beacon Hill, with a dog called Branston; presumably because it was the same colour as Branston pickle.
Also near the top of Beacon Hill, a bloke with a road bike, which didn't look suitable for the rough paths on the hill, although it would have been good for the 120m climb up the road from Woodhouse to the top car park. But part of my descent route was along one of the main tracks in the country park, which is tarmac covered with a thin layer of leaf debris and mud, and he came whizzing past me on that.

[Llani Boy]

Last nights RATRun was from The Waterloo in Biggin and on our arrival it was all in darkness. The landlord popped his head out of an upstairs window to tell us they were closed for a week for some refurbishments but was happy for us to use his carpark.
Just 3 of us set off on a cold, still but dry evening across fields to Bigginmoor Farm, surprised at how dry it was underfoot after all the recent rain but I suppose that's limestone for you! A touch of tarmac to Uppermoor Farm and then a series of bridleways and High Peak Trail to Upperhouse Farm. More fields up to the TP at Aleck Low and then down to Cardle View. Over the 515, a section of Tissington Trail and a few more fields back to The Waterloo.

A total of 7 miles, 675 feet in 1hr 8 min. A drive to The Bulls Head in Monyash for refreshments. Too late for chips but a lovely couple of pints of Wincle Waller 3.8% from Wincle Brewery.

An enjoyable steady run and now feet up until The Trigger on Sunday.

[mr brightside]

Anyone been running in this ice? That snow partially melted then froze into a half inch thick layer of ice around here. If it's not a bus route, it's under a half inch of ice. I wanted to get a 10k in tonight.

[MattPo]

Otley Ac have cancelled all tonight's runs. Not too disappointed as I've run a lot (for Me) this week, so I'll save myself for Hoofstones on Saturday.

[Mike T]

Anyone been running in this ice? That snow partially melted then froze into a half inch thick layer of ice around here. If it's not a bus route, it's under a half inch of ice. I wanted to get a 10k in tonight.

Microspikes essential - I have worn them door to door 2 days in a row.

[mr brightside]

I remembered there is a bit of light after 4pm now so went out to the woods, only to find the same story there. Still managed a very steady 5k, which will be good rehab for my bad left ankle which didn't like how hard I ran at Roberts park parkrun the other week.