Training Log Archive: AlistairH

Long run to Balerno with some extra canal. Tired from races Wednesday and Thursday but thought I was doing OK. Then got very tired last few km, uphill from Heriot Watt campus. Feeling unwell now - nerves jangling a bit. Wonder if I'm coming down with some bug. Or maybe it's a shock to the system getting back to this.

So, I have been reflecting on my training... The plan unil May/June is: focus on long reps until the National XC, doing no more miles and races than are compatible with turning up fresh enough to do a proper session. Then, after the National, build up miles (dropping most speedwork) and do a late spring marathon (mostly because I've never done one and really ought to get round to it in case I injure myself for a decade again, partly to see what the effect of the mileage is on me). Only marathon specific prep. before the National is building up the length of easy long runs so they're not a shock to the system.

Going back through last year, starting fresh at New Year after an injury break I did some easy running to get back into things, then some easy miles (up to 40, which was new to me) then long reps starting as late as possible for the JK (due to interrupted training), then did (15 second) hill sprints during the competition season April/May, an attempt at fairly traditional periodization over about 4-5 months. In retrospect this went pretty well and the high point was May, with 17’39 @ Silverknowes Scottish 5k road champs, (vdot 57.6), then 2nd M40L at BOC Long three days later.

Then thinking I'd to the same again but harder, I upped the miles a little more, with intervals, but didn't really progress much over the summer. I think that May was the fittest I've been all year, so why didn't the rest of the year help much? I think I spent a lot of the next few months too tired to run fast. Lots of evidence through the year of poor strength relative to those of similar road race speed.

Plan re-started in mid-October with hill sprints (mostly 1 min) and I'm happy to have completed that given my injury history with any kind of sprinting. Although I'm not so big on Jack Daniels' running formula, I'm interested in his use of an early season strength block before an interval training block - hopefully enabling the intervals to be done better and faster. So, as I've definitely picked up some strength since mid-October I'll see if this works.

Foul weather outside again, so treadmill.

ESOC Hair of the Dog @ Cammo. I do like a good novelty Xmas event although Cammo is barely TD3. I think I won although I'm not sure as I haven't seen any results. Went anticlockwise to get the controls without a bail out option done first and realised it was short so legged it.

Portobello Promathon. Fun to do this again - first time this millennium. 38th. +22.6%. Not entirely helped by boozy New Year party chez Jambo and Gash last night, but then again. Fairly happy with my time taking that into account and also as haven't done long reps for a while, still it would be nice to get rid of that 2kg I've picked up in the last 8 weeks.

Another easy lunchtime run. Not actually feeling that good.

Easy lunchtime run.