Today's Training

[Travs]

With hamstrings still protesting after tuesday's 300mtr session, it was time for something even shorter and sharper... a session that i expect Marco and other track guys would recognise as a 800mtr runner's session....

1 x 500mtrs
5 x 200mtrs
5 x 60mtrs

Despite chucking it down, it was quite warm, track was slippy, and hitting the bends on the track at pace was rather worrying, expecting my feet to disappear from under me at any time.

Target on the 500mtrs was a highly ambitious 85secs... i was expecting 95secs, so was quite pleased to cross the line in 92.

Target for the 5 x 200mtrs was 32secs.... after a very creaky first rep of 35, i managed to knock the rest out at 33.

10.5 miles for the session... was my only session of the day due to having to go into the office.

Just leaves a long steady run at the weekend, probably sunday, to finish off a solid week.

[Travs]

Miserable weather this morning, but nothing to prevent a decent 15 miles around the north/north-east parts of the city. Turning back north from the city centre with 5 miles to go and hoping to turn up the pace a little, only to be confronted by a fierce headwind all the way home, was probably the toughest part.

Nothing too spectacular pace-wise, around 7:30/mile.

A good week, 81 miles. Next week i'm running in the first team in the National 12-stage. Not sure what leg yet, probably a short leg, at just over 5km.

Have taken the decision to drop out of the Wrekin fell race on the sunday... i can't see any way that doing two intense races in 24hrs won't end in tears. So i'll have to bite the bullet on the Shropshire Winter Fell Champs, but got other priorities to work towards.

[Travs]

Bit of a disaster last night.

Session was 5 x 1km with 3 minute rests. As i've possibly noted on here recently, i've had tight hamstrings since early March, and the shorter rep sessions last week were pushing my limit.

Had to bail out midway through the first rep last night... a minor strain in the hamstring rather than a full pull or tear.... but the feeling that continuing to run at pace then something was going to get much worse.

So it will be all very easy for me now until saturday, when i've got a short leg to run at the Midland Road Relays (5.1km) in a depleted 1st team.

[mr brightside]

Bit of a disaster last night.

Session was 5 x 1km with 3 minute rests. As i've possibly noted on here recently, i've had tight hamstrings since early March, and the shorter rep sessions last week were pushing my limit.

Had to bail out midway through the first rep last night... a minor strain in the hamstring rather than a full pull or tear.... but the feeling that continuing to run at pace then something was going to get much worse.

So it will be all very easy for me now until saturday, when i've got a short leg to run at the Midland Road Relays (5.1km) in a depleted 1st team.

Are you doing glutes recruitment exercises? Not just the big glutes, but the small ones too.

[Travs]

Basically my lower body strength work consists of various squats and presses. Nothing more scientific than that.... i do have some exercises prescribed by my physio, but they're generally working on my patellar tendonitis issue.

Although she will be looking at my hamstring tomorrow and no doubt giving me some advice/exercises.

[mr brightside]

Recruitment and strengthening are two different things, recruitment is to do with neural networks and often overlooked.

[Mossdog]

Another trip out of Teesdale today.

9.40 miles, 2 hr 7 mins, 2455 feet of ascent. Strong SW wind and constant curtains of rain, with water logged fell, so even many of the green trods were 'becklettes'.

Soaked through and needed a complete change of gear once back at the car. Wore newly bought pair of mudclaws (classic) for the first time having bought them in the summer on sale at `Pete Bland's.


Weasdale, Green Bell, Randygill Top, Leathgill bridge, along the ridge to Hooksey, and return to Weasdale, via Adamthwaite Bank, Green Bell, Weasdale.

[Llani Boy]

A dry, mild and headtorchless evening for last evenings RATRun from The Waterloo at Biggin. With all six of us having tired legs from last weekends Edale Skyline and Llanbedr-Blaenafon our gentle route took us along the Tissington Trail to Rivendale, across the 515 and a few fields, including a short trespass up to the TP at Hawks Low. Down to the road and up to Uppermoor Farm. Down to and along Cardlemere Lane, back across the 515, a short stretch of the Tissington Trail and back through the fields to Biggin.

A very enjoyable 7 miles and 680 feet in 1hr 2 min. Back in the Waterloo, proper homemade chips were washed down with a very good Otter Bitter 3.6% from the Otter Brewery in Devon.

[Travs]

Midland Road Relays this afternoon at Sutton Park.

Did my first run for three days this morning to see what condition my hamstring is in.... was fine jogging, but as i upped it to tempo pace i could feel the hamstring a little.

Just going to have to warm up very thoroughly and do my best, and keep damage to a minimum... if it does flare up today i'm under instruction to have 10 days - 2 weeks off anything remotely hard.

[Travs]

Another cracking Midlands 12 Stage at Sutton Coldfield.

Neither of the perennial winners, Notts AC or Bristol & West, managed a medal today.

Birchfield came through from about 5th place early on, to take the win, with their stars Kadar Omer and Omar Ahmed slicing through the field with quick runs. BRAT 2nd, Western Tempo edging out Notts for 3rd.

As to my own run, i was rather stunned to run a (very narrow) pb.... 19:12 on what i generally regard as a course that is about 45secs slower than a flat 5km.

Did a thorough warmup, some very cagey strides.... relaxed off the startline into the quick downhill section, and just ticked each couple of minutes off as a bit nearer to the finish without hamstring issue... it ached, and feels a little sore now, but turned on the burners a little in the final 6 or 7 minutes to finish respectably.

Will need to be careful next week, no ridiculously quick reps, but went about as well as i could have imagined.... possibly ran myself into contention for a place in the national 12 Stage in a fortnight.