Training Log Archive: Jon X

Lots of sore muscles to stretch. Bad. And at the same time good.

Relatively small turnout. About half the people had run Alloa. Not the most lively and energetic session we have ever had.

Looking forward to a run on the nice soft smooth spongey forgiving grass of the golf course.

Both Rosco and I had forgotten our head torches.

So it was the streets of Dunblane instead. Mmmm road running.

Event: Alloa Half Marathon
 

Round the 'little loop' at the start of the course with Rosco. Seemed a long way. Reminded ourselves that it is only a liitle loop in the context of the overall race distance...

Alloa half-marathon, 59th of 901. And far more importantly, a new PB by 35 seconds!

Plan was to go out at pb pace (approx 6:20/mile), see how I was at 5km and then decide whether to maintain it, fight hard up the climbs in mile 11 and mile 12, and hope to have something for the largely flat/downhill final mile or so.

And all went pretty much to plan, pushed hard from fairly early (pulse up near max the whole way) and got to 10km in 39:04 having survived a little bad patch through TIllicoultry, then got to 10miles in 63:24 (almost exactly 6:20 pace).

Ran okay up the hills from there but just let a sub-83 clocking slip away in the last mile and a bit, was struggling to get the pace back high enough after the last climb. A pb was the main aim anyway so satisfied with my day's work!

Legs not too bad afterwards but soles of both feet blistered - need to note for next time that those shoes need to be v tightly laced across the forefoot. As they were before I loosened them off today...

C • A PB!! 12

Doing the commentary at BUCS individual at Balkello, well set up with two radio controls and a spectator control before the final loop, plus some visibility of runners on the hill during the second part of the course too.

Intended doing a short jog at some point but never got round to it - lower back extra tight after all the time peering at the various laptop screens for commentary so did at least manage some stretching..

Cruise along the Carse road from Craigforth after work, threw in a couple of two minute efforts at a strong pace to try and remind my legs what sort of thing is expected from them on Sunday, plus a couple of shorter sections of strides on the way back.

My race haircut from lunchtime didn't seem to be a go-faster haircut. My race shoes didn't seem to be go-faster shoes either. Hoping to feel a little more bouncy in the race.....

Day trip to Reading and back today. Plus I have run on all the previous 25 days so well due a rest day anyway!

C • Good Effort 1

FVO training from the uni, special pre-half-marathon treat of a mostly flat mostly road run - out past Strathallan Park and then round Carse of Lecropt, back on the tracks above BoA.

Very misty round the Carse where luckily some early looping back left me all on my lonesome and safe from the pre-race psychological warfare being waged out front!

Calves feeling better today and this run was just what was needed. A few easy days now!

Dithered all day re sore left calf but finally decided to do the Ochils session. Felt pretty good on the warm up but not so good during the session, lacking in any sort of running rhythm and feeling a bit misaligned around hip/pelvis. Plus my previously-dodgy right calf started to play up during the hill reps.

Session ended up being
4:45 rep by Airthrey Castle (3:48/km pace)
8 x 1 minute (ish) hill reps up Pendreich Road with jog down recovery (just under 2 mins recovery)
5:45 rep by Airthrey Castle (3:55/km pace)

Forgot heart rate monitor but pushed quite hard on first rep, going okay on the hill reps despite calf concern, thought I had gone a bit faster on the final rep than it turns out I did...

Hilly warm up all the way up the road from Logie Kirk and back down Pendreich, liked it. Chatted to Pete Buchanan and found out he is currently doing 60-70mpw, thought he had been going well lately!

Warm down round Bridge of Allan, pottering along okay.