Today's Training

Club night on the grass.

8 x 1 minute, with 2 minute rests
5 x 30secs, with 1 minute rests

My resting heart rate told me that i was well recovered after the weekend, but my legs were trying to tell me otherwise. Felt a bit stiff but hopefully my endurance would pull me through the session.

Started feeling sorry for myself about midway through the 2nd rep, and started to fall off the back of our group of three. However i grimly held on, and was pretty sure i'd claw my way back eventually as long as i worked hard and didn't drop the pace.

Sure enough got back on the group... passing one on the penultimate 1min rep, and then taking the front of the group on the 2nd 30sec rep.

Started to feel a bit looser towards the end and felt like i could have continued the session for a few more reps. However this good-feeling didn't last once finished, and it was a sorry trudge back to the car on the warm-down.

10 miles for the session, plus 4 easy miles AM.

Tomorrow is going to have to be very steady, as i've got hill sessions thursday and saturday.... due to my schedule over this weekend and the following week, i can't let these days slip.

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Originally Posted by Travs

The first 5 or 6 miles were on tarmac... from Llanrwst, crossed the Conwy Valley to Trefiw, then the horrendously steep minor road heading west into the middle of nowhere. This eventually bought me around the dam of Llyn Cowlyd.

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Ah memories..This is a road I have cycled up a few times. The Conwy valley has some notable climbs but I think this is probably the longest. It is tough and I don't envy your run up it!;The descent via another lane to the North was the final nail in the coffin for rim brakes on my bike. A wet and slippery road, combined with the gradient and an incoming tractor saw me bail out into a hedge. Sold that bike soon after!

[QUOTE=PeteS;688424]The descent via another lane to the North was the final nail in the coffin for rim brakes on my bike. /QUOTE]

Oh ye of little faith. Sigh.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Graham Breeze

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PeteS

The descent via another lane to the North was the final nail in the coffin for rim brakes on my bike.

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Oh ye of little faith. Sigh.

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Well, I do still have one bike with rim brakes but as that is a single speed fixie, you could argue they are superfluous anyway!

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Originally Posted by PeteS

Well, I do still have one bike with rim brakes but as that is a single speed fixie, you could argue they are superfluous anyway!

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Ah indeed. What muscles you must have!

But on a 40+ mph long downhill I'll still put my faith in my silly, old fashioned, obsolete Campagnolo Potenza rim brakes. Even in the rain. :)

Whilst my training group were back out on the grass doing another speed session, i was in the gym for a treadmill hill session.

3 x 10 mins @ 6% gradient, 5 minute flat jog rests.

Tonight wasn't about totally destroying myself (plenty of time for that on saturday morning), but getting in a good chunk of solid effort.... that said, i was still perspiring heavily within a couple of minutes, and with 4mins to go on the final rep, my legs were stiffening up quite alarmingly.... a bit of a hangover from tuesday's session. Still, i'm not overly fussed if i don't feel 100% fresh in every session, its to be expected with three sessions a week.

9 miles in total, on top of 4 easy miles AM.

A glorious evening for last nights RATRun from The Queen Anne at Great Hucklow. It was a part recce of the Great Hucklow Fell Race which is on this Sunday, and a part recce as much of the route is on private land.

The five of us set off up through the woods behind the village towards the Gliding Club and then over fields to Abney Grange. Across the road and onto open moorland of Abney Moor where we picked up the pathless race route. Down to the hamlet of Abney then more fields before steeply down through bracken on a narrow trod to the delightful Bretton Clough. This part of the route up the clough is hidden in bracken and very easy to take the wrong trod. Evenually the stream is crossed by a wooden bridge and then steeply up, back to Abney Grange. From here we retraced our steps to Great Hucklow which is the last mile of the race route, the last bit steeply down to the woods.

A steady 5.5 miles and 1'110 feet which is a mile shorter and 300 feet less than the actually race. Back in the Queen Anne cheesy and non cheesy chips were washed down with a very good pint of Bass 4.4%. Apparently Bass is not only the original English Pale Ale but also England's first ever trademark.

40 minute continuous hill session at 15% gradient this morning.

Hard work, full change of clothes required before i could stretch and do some leg strength work.

Enjoying the challenge of racing less and really focusing on training between races. Although whilst i'm getting good results and pb's its easier to stay motivated.... i guess it will be a challenge when i hit a bad spell.

Long run this morning turned out to not be particularly long at all.... i went out to catch a local road 10km, and only did 9.5 miles.

So another 6 miles PM, bringing the week to an end with 81.5 miles.

Doing a 3000mtr track race next sunday... i feel that my current pb (10:31) is due for a revision.... however i've not raced on track for two years, and past experience tells me that it sometimes takes a few races to get sharp.... so i've got absolutely no idea what i'll end up with.... can i get near 10:00...? Or will i be struggling to break 10:30....?

Club night and a departure from the recent grass sessions, as we hit the road in the Warwick Uni campus.

3 x 1 mile, 4 minute rests.

5:26
5:23
5:29

A little slower than last time we did this session (in fact averaging 7.5secs slower per mile). This was a little disappointing, particularly slipping off the pace on the last rep.... however it was quite windy tonight, and slippery underfoot..... perhaps that had some effect, or perhaps i just wasn't quite at it tonight, who knows.

But as a very famous coach says.... "its not the training you do.... its the effect of the training you do...."

....and despite not quite having the top end speed tonight, its another solid session in the bank, and hitting times i'd have been ecstatic with a year ago.

Hill session on thursday, possibly 6 x 3mins, then a couple of easy days before sunday's track race (although i'll likely do a longish run on saturday still, of perhaps an hour or so).

10 miles tonight, 4 miles AM.