Training Log Archive: AllyBeaven

(I left my watch in Gavin's car when I got changed so all these numbers are guesstimates.)

Braved the yellow weather warnings. About 4 degrees and light rain/sleet in Inverness.

Jogging around with Graham Bee for a bit before the start. Mad dash into the leisure centre for a prerace pee then a few cursory drills on the way to the start line. Left achilles was niggling this when I was walking about Inverness earlier but it didn't give me any grief once I started running.

Fast start along the canal path the hard left, past the playpark, through the field, up the bike trail. . . A very varied course. Almost all runnable though rough through the field and a short steep section to the top of the hill.

An inverness harriers guy went into an early lead and I sat in behind Gordon Lennox and Graham Bee. I past Graham a few k in, then passed Gordon then he passed me then I passed him again and pulled away on the more traily bit. I caught up to the leader at the bottom of the steep section then went ahead and opened a small gap on the slippery, technical stuff. I was hoping that was him burst but I could tell he was still there. I didn't take very good lines through the tussocky field and completed one forward somersault, getting top marks from the judges but losing a few seconds.

He caught me just coming out of the field, I stuck with him for a few hundred metres then he gradually pulled away, finishing somewhere between 30 seconds and a minute ahead. I was maybe a minute or so ahead of 3rd and 4th,

The usual short race feeling of hitting a ceiling and having no extra gears to go to, but nothing felt problematic. I cursed myself for wearing tights as after the first 10 minutes they were just holding water and sucking all the heat out of my hamstrings.

Jog around the early part of the route with Graham, Gordon and the guy who won. Turns out he races track in the summer. Not really a surprise that the long distance hill running guy couldn't hang with the 3,000m runner in the final flat/downhill kilometres. Still, gratifying to get in ahead of a couple of guys in the midst of road marathon training.

Drank 3 cups of tea and got really cold waiting to cross paths with Gavin so I could get my kit out of his car. Eventually found him, it had been unlocked all along.

Resistance band and squats and stuff by the fire while another shower of sleet blew by. Some stiffness/soreness from the gym yesterday, hamstrings and glutes, but legs also felt light and springy, like they wanted to run faster. Six hill sprints were good, no twinges and moving fast.

Some yoga afterwards.

A little bit of prancing around to warm up then out the door. Felt like I was running quite well. Same wee tight spots I've had the last few days but none of them troublesome.

Leg swings then a little stretching. Something tight in the front of my left hip, maybe down the quad. Will get the lacrosse ball on there.

Gym
5 minutes rowing
Front raises 5 5 5
Split squats 5 7.5 10
Dumbbell press 10 15 15
Lateral lunge 5 7.5 10
Pull up 5 10 10
Hamstring curl 8 reps per leg (might have forgotten the third set of these, not sure.)
Deadlift 65 75 85
Hang clean 30 35 35 getting there maybe
Front squat 35 40 45
Bench dip 30 35 40
Step up 10 10 15

6 minutes walking on the treadmill then stretching.

Morning jog, back on the usual loop. Everything feeling fine after my massage yesterday. A tender spot appeared in my right quad for about ten seconds going down a hill towards the end but it then disappeared into nothing. That was about the most remarkable thing that happened.

6 strides outside the house. Again, wholly unremarkable.

Went through two sets of 4 resistance band glute exercises then did some yoga. Gooood stretches for my back.

Running before breakfast. Couldn't be bothered with the usual fireroad loop so ran some different trails which were muddier, lumpier and, it turns out, a little longer.

Right glute was niggly to start with, a little in the hamstring too, but that eased up. That specific glute thing is a recurring niggle. The one that sometimes gives me bother while I'm driving. No stopping me doing anything just now but I'll keep an eye on it. Left ITB got a little tight later on but again, not painfully or debilitatingly so.

Went through all the SAM leg swings when I got back, massage this afternoon.

Had the best intentions of doing an hour but I was watching a video about Western States and the talking got a bit too much.

Easy pedalling, legs feeling fine, did a little yoga afterwards.

Gym session before work. Feeling surprisingly frisky today given the weekend's labours so thought I'd make tomorrow an easier day before my massage.

Time got away from me a little learning to count I'm Basque.

Resistance band bonanza - clamshells, fire hydrants, glute bridges.
Font raise - 5 5 5
Split squats - bodyweight 5 10
Dumbbell press - 10 15 15
Pull ups - 3x6x10
Deadlift - 6x60 70 70
Hang clean - 30 32.5 35 (catching better, legs haven't got a clue what they're doing.)
Front squats - 35 40 40
Bench dips - 30 35 40
Step ups - 5 7.5 10

A couple of exercises skipped to allow for a cool down. I got all the big hitters done though. 6 minutes on the treadmill then stretching.

All good, trying to focus on tempo and avoiding grinding through the last reps.

Watch said 1984m, Strava corrected to 1413, the truth is somewhere in between.

Running from the lodge. Up Meall a' Bhuachaille to start with, nearly but not quite getting blown over at the top, sacked off the idea of going up multiple times. A few of my Hilly Fartlek hills then out on my Easy Hills trails to the Chalamain Gap. Had planned to drop down into the Lairig Ghru on the other side but turned back as I was getting battered by spindrift and couldn't really see where I was going. Goggles would have helped but I wasn't carrying much extra clothing. Both times through the gap were tentative. Those boulders are leg breakers at the best of time, a bit of snow on top doesn't help matters. Back down towards the Lodge for more mucking about in the woods til I was done. Aside from the CG snow was never a problem, just like running on muddy trails. It occurs to me that LM42 could be in terrible weather, so this was probably really worthwhile training. It was uncomfortably hot 2 years ago so I've been assuming it'll be the same this year.

No particular niggles, tiring in the last hour or so but mostly feeling decent. Some part of right hamstring/glute was uncomfy driving back home.

350 calories an hour of Tailwind, salted caramel Gu (not a purchase I'll be repeating, though it's a big multiserve thing so I've loads to get through) and a bunch of lentil rice cakes. No stomach trouble.