mr b's comeback

[mr brightside]

My uphill walking sessions paid off for me, and i didn't reach the top with ruined legs, which is what i wanted; but the speed was missing. I remember being too far into 02 debt too many times and just feeling very overworked and out of control due to exhaustion.

Ten years ago when i was running 27/28, all i was doing was the short stuff. If diversifying my racing portfolio is to blame for this, i honestly didn't realise that the body starts to specialise and you become crap at other things. I'm actually a bit disappointed that if i want to stay quick in a BM that i'm going to have to put up with a rubbish Wansfell every year.

[Travs]

I've spoken with some very knowledgeable guys in terms of training towards a full fell season, bearing in mind the vast range of distances required in a typical champs season... general consensus seems to be that you can only aim to peak for the first target race and then just take it from there...

Obviously if you are looking to specialise at a certain type of race then its a bit different.

I'm a great believer in doing a lot of flat mileage, even for running on the fells, as i think it gives you that solid base to cope with the wild fluctuations of a fell calendar... which i think if you're set on racing varying distances (back in July i had a 2hr race followed the next weekend by a 6hr race for example), then all you can do is make sure your base level is as solid as possible.

[mr brightside]

Auld Lang syne race today, 6.7m/1000'.

It was very windy. I had hoped to hang onto tindersticks along the Brontë way, but the strength of the wind made it impossible. I didn't actually stop going backwards down the field until the trig point turn, even the flat run off top withins was slow for me. The long drag up was a total leg burner, It felt like a hill twice the gradient. The second I turned and dropped into the descent it was like someone had given me a jet engine, I was flying past people and getting some good air over the obstacles. I kept picking them off down the track, but got slowed a bit the the climb out of the gill, and the uphill finish lost me another 3 places. A bit of a struggle all in all, I don't have the engine for these conditions.

[mr brightside]

7m at 8mmp with Horsforth Harriers last night. This pace is too quick for me to concentrate on what I want to. My calves get a bit trashed too.

[mr brightside]

Probably won't get a speed session in before Scout Scar. My calves are still sore from tuesday, and my left leg is still sore from having a concrete breaker laid across it.

150 good form squats, followed straight up with pushing 140kg to failure on the leg press this morning. I'm going to try and see if i can do this once a week, beginning with once a fortnight for a month or two. Marginal gains and all that.

[mr brightside]

Well, another flat performance at scout scar today. My time for 2019 was 33.39, I'm almost unwilling to look at what went on today. I just haven't really recovered from the non stop barrage of illness I've had since early September. Constantly going backwards, constantly getting overtaken, just can't hold a place in the field.

[mr brightside]

Christ. 3mins slower.

[mr brightside]

Right, well there's an established pattern here, i'm 9% +/- 1% slower in any race at whatever distance. In addition to this i feel shit all race, i never get into that nice flow state where everything's going smoothly and your body is coping. I've never really recovered from the barrage of viral infections that have plagued me recently, i sound like Bob Phlegming all the time and my nose is like a leaking tap.

I've set up a email chat with a Virologist, as i think this needs to be tackled as a recovery from infection problem, not a training problem. I'm going to have to start hitting the garlic soup quite hard, as the traditional chinese recipe i use is medicinal and recommended for lung conditions.

I hope this isn't forever. Quite a lot of the knocks my body takes just last forever and never fully heal.

[noel]

Right, well there's an established pattern here, i'm 9% +/- 1% slower in any race at whatever distance. In addition to this i feel shit all race, i never get into that nice flow state where everything's going smoothly and your body is coping. I've never really recovered from the barrage of viral infections that have plagued me recently, i sound like Bob Phlegming all the time and my nose is like a leaking tap.

I've set up a email chat with a Virologist, as i think this needs to be tackled as a recovery from infection problem, not a training problem. I'm going to have to start hitting the garlic soup quite hard, as the traditional chinese recipe i use is medicinal and recommended for lung conditions.

I hope this isn't forever. Quite a lot of the knocks my body takes just last forever and never fully heal.

I find it hard to train properly through the winter. My body gets run down. Whether that's SAD or not, I don't know. I try to fight it with SAD lamps and cod liver oil capsules, but I've learnt to expect that my mileage will be less in winter and I'll be less fit.

Keep looking after yourself and maybe you'll start to improve when the days get longer - I normally do.

I'm trying to remember if we've had this conversation before (on this or another thread). Apologies if this is going over old ground.

[mr brightside]

I find it hard to train properly through the winter. My body gets run down. Whether that's SAD or not, I don't know. I try to fight it with SAD lamps and cod liver oil capsules, but I've learnt to expect that my mileage will be less in winter and I'll be less fit.

Keep looking after yourself and maybe you'll start to improve when the days get longer - I normally do.

I'm trying to remember if we've had this conversation before (on this or another thread). Apologies if this is going over old ground.

You've never mentioned it before. I've had chest infections and flu before, but they've cleared up fully and i've been back on song within 3wks, this time it's been over 3 months and i'm still racing like i'm very ill. Winter has never affected me adversely, i always run well in the KWL. Every result is slower by the same margin, 10%, this is a red flag situation. I need to start by finding out what i should and shouldn't be doing,