Space Cadet

Blog followers will have gathered that I safely survived the interval session on Tuesday night. It was by all means tough to be back running 1k reps especially with the ghastly uphill finish. The puzzling thing has been the continued difficulty in getting my heart rate into the right zone for these efforts; 90% I can just about do but 95% seems unreachable right now. I've been pondering the problem all week; I'm wondering if my efforts to build the quality through the training week are being inhibited by my old lady legs. 

The heart and lungs are happy and 'up for it' but the leg muscles just can't seem to go as fast as my lungs want them to. I'm beginning to assume this is a natural result of the last few months of patchy training. Though I've been keeping aerobic fitness topped up with steady running, I've missed so much of the tough stuff that the legs have some work to do to restore the muscle strength they once had. A steady 14 miles on Thursday saw my legs die well before my lungs as I desperately tried to reach threshold heart rate levels on the run.

Anyway, I'm not gonna be disheartened and will trust I'm building back race fitness, session by session, brick by brick. The adjustments to marathon volume will be taking their toll. 

A cheeky 5k cross country on Saturday morning was a welcome return to race pain; the Open Kross Challenge organised by fine local club Keighley AC is a great little event, held every second Saturday in the month. These are well organised and very friendly races offering a low key alternative to a speed session at the weekend. The event costs only a quid a go and gets the lungs working hard around the new permanent XC course at Cliffe Castle, Keighley. I knocked 40 seconds off my time from a month ago so felt some satisfaction as I struggled through the stiff early miles of the long run this morning. Another 20 miles logged in crazy windy weather. I'm now feeling very spaced, ready for a large bowl of curry and a Sunday telly marathon. Every session counts.

Dreadmill Daze

After my toughie tempo sandwich run on Saturday morning I've enjoyed a relaxing couple of days of easy running to recover well and ready myself for tonight's quality session; long intervals. The pretty but pesky snow has disrupted my nice new training plans but the white stuff didn't get the better of this Runningbear. A shuffle around town last night saw me clock 8 miles in the blizzard that hit Ilkley at 8pm. Thankfully the absence of any cars on the roads left space for hazard free running. 

Tonight was a different matter with no option but to go indoors for some quality. The ice and snow have forced a return to Keighley leisure centre for a bit of dreadmill running. I can just about cope with intervals sessions indoors but remain unconvinced that the physical effort is anywhere near a match for a session on the track. The plan was for something long and taxing so 4 x 5 mins seemed a good start. The trick is to translate the pace; there's no let up once that dreadmill belt starts turning over and you need to get heart rate just right for maximum training benefits. 

I'm not sure I managed it tonight. Starting out at 5.40 pace,  the efforts all felt a bit too 'manageable'; no lung bursting or leg burning of note. I finished with an extra effort of 2 mins at 5.14 pace, in an attempt to end the session on a high note. Somehow the heart rate didn't seem to reach it's usual heights so I'm unsure the session achieved it's true purpose or if in fact I'd selected a dodgy dreadmill. But, a total of 10 miles running was a start at least and not to be sniffed at; it's definitely better than nowt and a sensible start to some quality running.

Back to Business

I'm positively buzzing that we're already midway through the week and so far the leg is still working. Another bit of a leg test last night indicates that all is on the mend. Following no ill effects from Saturday's exploits I'd pencilled in another slightly tough run for last night; a few interval efforts on the grass. 

I sensibly avoided the track surface (get me!) keeping to soft, terrain I tested the leggy with a few intervals to replicate an 800s session. A bit of stiffness in the warm up soon eased off and once the intervals were underway there wasn't a peep from shinny. 

Despite the lack of pain I was gasping like an asthmatic warthog. It was a bit embarrassing as M strode on ahead of me, relaxed and barely breathing i.e. looking far too fit and easy.  Meanwhile I was feeling sweaty, blobby, lumpy and all wrong in Lycra. THANK GOD I can run again. Strange things happen to me when training stops. Where did my fitness go in two weeks?! But grumbles aside; it's so good to be getting back to the business.

Chilly Calves

It felt unusually early when the alarm cockadoodled me awake this morning; a sure sign I'm over cooking things a bit. Once I'd peeled myself out of bed I was glad to be up though; trainers on and out into the frost for a morning jog and a chance to wake up the legs the morning after the night before.

I've been a bit lazy with the chores lately and am rapidly running out of fresh kit. I optimistically pulled on capri pants and immediately regretted the decision as the morning's icy fingers wrapped themselves around my calves. Lovely though to be greeted by dawn light on these early runs after a long, dark winter.

The jog was an easy one after squeezing a steady 15 in last night. It was a perfectly still and clear night so pacing was a comfy 6.50s average, with my heart rate a bit lower again than last week. My new improved spreadsheet is definitely a winner; I can now monitor improvements in my average pacing and heart rate each week and identify shifts in aerobic fitness. Interesting aren't I. Yes, I am a geek and proud of it :)

@~@~Sent from my BlackBerry~@~@

Hot Chestnuts!

Ee by 'eck, its a lovely foggy 'n' cosy night and I've just got in from a chilly run at quite a lick. M and I ran together tonight & after feeling pretty tired the last day or two expected another slow slog. Bodies are funny things aren't they. After some weird spiky business with the heart rate again it then plummeted and we found ourselves clipping along at 6.30mm on the flat and barely dipping into zone 3 of heart rate (aerobic training pace). Not sure what's going on but we felt much fresher and easier running at what isn't even a a minute above 10k race pace for both of us. It must be the super powers of roast chestnuts. I've bunged some more in the oven for blog afters. They're a must on foggy nights.

Jelly Bliss

Another very long day in the office today meant another late start out for the evening run, which also means I've only just sat down to some fuel and blogging. I'm just starting on my pud. Its a bit naughty but tonight I've indulged in jelly & ice cream. Phwoar.

Having given myself permission to relax a bit and respond to how tired I felt after the hard slog of the XC on Saturday I'm kinda quite enjoying these easy runs and feeling pretty chilled about this week's training. The energy is slowly seeping back though I did have some weird spiking on my heart rate tonight; either I had three heart attacks in quick succession or there was a lack of sweatiness to get the chest strap working. Erm, that wasn't meant to sound kinky at all. Back to the jelly and ice cream, mmm, food of the gods. I hear its Paula's favourite.