Training Log Archive: AliC

Ah panic! Got an email about observing that I needed to respond to immediately. That left me 1hr to: workout, shower, dress, and oh, pack and vacate hotel room. So quick workout!

Legs ok, but achilles a bit painful, so kept the treadmill flat.

Oooo, nice exercise bike at the hotel gym! So quiet. How does it do that? Magnetic resistance or something? There was definitely no fan.

Quads a bit sore...

Warm up around a block outside the stadium x 3. Right achilles tendon hurt, but not terribly, and knee felt fine, which made me happy!

Penn + Cornell v. Oxford + Cambridge

3k flat
Think my previous best was 10:42, so this is a good improvement, even if not amazingly fast. Was so cool to run at Franklin field- massive, massive stadium. I wasn't one of the scoring runners from Achilles, but the two girls that were dropped out... It was super hot out (ok only 80F=~26C), but still, really hot and sunny compared to what I'm used to!

Cool down with Helen to the dining hall. Left hamstring tight and right achilles very painful- ouchie!!! Ice, here I come...

200-400-400
Recovery swim, nice to be in the water, move the muscles without legs complaining with every step. Plus sauna afterwards. Awesome!

Nice empty pool at Penn- 50m, but chopped in 2. Was enjoying swimming, but right shoulder was feeling a bit wierd, so only did 10 min.

Slow running on the treadmill, but knee didn't feel awful, so that's good. Will do the flat 3k tomorrow, I think. No use reinjuring myself just before varsity orienteering!

Gosh, glad I have swimming as a back up!
200 warm up
2 x 400
2 x (50 x 4)
150 cool down

Then off in the bus to Penn for the rest of the day.

Bah. My knee hurts. Felt it at the end of yesterday's session. I've had this pain before- right lower than the knee cap, between knee and tibia? Likely some tendon/ligament there that's strained. Will go see the Cornell trainer and probably aquajog/swim for the next few days.... hopefully will be fine to steeplechase on Sat still!

Some aquajogging at the beginning, but even that was hurting my knee. So tried 50 of kick, also hurt. So swam. Just kept going, didn't feel like counting laps. I couldn't even tumble-turn push off with the unhappy knee. Please let this not be a problem for Sat....

Yay for universities which take care of their athletes! Got to see the track and field trainer just now about my knee- says it's patellar tendonitis, which makes sense. So rest, ice and quad stretching for me. Will have to see if it clears up enough for Sat. Unsure.

C • steeplechase 2

Warm up around the track with Ian K. joined by Charlotte Roach who was complaining up a storm. It's not like it's so bad here. Ok, so the coaches don't coach us. But do they ever at Oxford or Cambridge? Maybe it's a bit extra disorganized because we're a bit helpless to organize ourselves in a totally foreign place. Still...

Warm down with more long-mid distance folks.

Some hurdle drills after a good long stretch.

Bam! And time for some speedwork!

4 x 400 w/ 1 min rest:
72
74 (w/ 4 hurdles)
74
77 (w/ hurdles)

4 x 400 w/ 1 min rest:
75
80 (w/ hurdles)
78
81 (w/ hurdles)

Final 400: 78

Woo! Getting quicker. Although I clearly faded through the session. Hurdles coach had some good recommendations: 1) I need to not stutter before the hurdles, which I think I can avoid if I work on my off-side more 2) stay on the toes!! I land heavily smack on my heel, this pretty much stops me and make it hard to keep going. So when I land from the hurdle, need to be on the ball of my foot, then should carry through more naturally. 3) Be confident really landing on one foot. I tend to slap my trail leg down as soon as possible to help with the next stride. But this actually just cuts the next stride way short.

Things to work on! Should drill lead-leg only and trail leg only both sides.

Lovely. Just waltzed into the Cornell pool, no one checked any ID or anything, although I think we're allowed to use the pool anyways...

200 warm up
400
2 x 50-100-200-100-50
50 warm down

Two people sharing the lane, but not that bad. One was training for his lifeguard test, the other for a 400m-swim triathlon. Americans are chatty! Never had anyone at Oxford I've shared a lane with actually even say hi...

First time in the pool other than the Iffley one in a loong time. It was colder water and flip turns were off at the beginning.

Right... this was supposed to be an easy 'jog'. But pretty much everyone I went on this 'jog' with can run under 16 minute 5ks. So they're idea of jog was just a bit faster than mine... Not quite a tempo pace, but hard for an easy one for sure!

Monday = circuits!

So circuited, by the track, watching people go by. Didn't want to do jumpy stuff as my quad is sore and want to have a good session tomorrow.