2 weeks from target 10k...

...local race in 2 weeks time. Hilly enough course but, if I'm at my best, think I can go 39, sub 40 anyway. Want to be the first "local" (life is all about the tiny triumphs!).

However, legs feeling a bit trashed right now. 6 runs in last 7 days, and PBs on parkrun course on Saturday and IMRA route yesterday.

So in the next 2 weeks, should I ease off completely, or stay with the same routine? Planning to give them a rest tonight anyway. After that, should I just pick the last 2 weeks of the McMillan plan and stick with that?

Krusty_Clown

Have you been following the McMillan plan? If not, there is no point in jumping in for the last two weeks. Very counter-productive as it's a progressive plan that builds on what you did the previous week. So if you haven't been following that plan, I'd suggest that you let the legs recover a little and later this week do a good hard 10k-focussed session (potentially on the course itself, if it is indeed local to you). Something like 6 x 1 mile with three minutes rest.

That'll leave you with race week, where the focus really should be on race prep - so no long hard sessions. Early in race week, you could get away with doing 8 x 400 @planned 10k pace + 4 x 200m @5K pace, for a bit of stimulus, or something along those lines.

Response should be different if you have indeed been following the MacMillan plan for the last 6 weeks.

Krusty_Clown

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I'd suggest that you let the legs recover a little and later this week do a good hard 10k-focussed session (potentially on the course itself, if it is indeed local to you). Something like 6 x 1 mile with three minutes rest.

That'll leave you with race week, where the focus really should be on race prep - so no long hard sessions. Early in race week, you could get away with doing 8 x 400 @planned 10k pace + 4 x 200m @5K pace, for a bit of stimulus, or something along those lines.

Great, thanks for that.

Wasn't following any plan except getting out regularly and racking up mileage, usually one hard 12/13km at sub 4.30 min km pace, one long slow mountain or trail run, often a fast 5km parkrun, one slow 10km a week, tough hill repeat session now and again...as you can see, kinda all over the place!

One other question, when you say let legs recover...does that mean a recovery run, or do nothing at all?

TFBubendorfer

Deleted User wrote: »

One other question, when you say let legs recover...does that mean a recovery run, or do nothing at all?

That generally means a recovery run. A genuine recovery run, don't do anything stupid now and hammer your easy days.

Keep your usual running pattern going. If you tend to run 7 times a week, keep doing that for another week. Same if you usually run 6, 5 or 4 times.

Except if you're so cooked that you can't even recover from a recovery run, in which case you wouldn't be able to run a decent race in 2 weeks anyway.

Krusty_Clown

Deleted User wrote: »

One other question, when you say let legs recover...does that mean a recovery run, or do nothing at all?

It really is down to the individual. I run maybe 10-12 times per week, so recovery for me means heading to the local park to run on the grass for 45-50 minutes. If you run 6 days per week, then it means taking a well-deserved day off. You mentioned that you ran a 5K Parkrun PB on Saturday. Was this a 5k PB or simply a course PB? Were you flat out? What was your time?

I'm assuming that the IMRA route on Sunday was not a race and more of a hill/trail/mountain run? If you took is easy, this might have helped with recovery, but it may have added to the stress on your calf muscles, Achilles and shins, so you should be cautious and take an easy day or two (total rest if needed), if you have niggles. Two weeks isn't a lot of time to focus training on a specific race, but 6 x 1 mile on the course will at least give you a decent training stimulus and help with race day planning/familiarity. Then the other shorter/sharper workout is more about maintenance, and getting the legs turning over at a faster pace. You could still do the Parkrun the weekend beforehand, just take it very easy if you follow-it up with a trail/mountain run the next day (perhaps shorten the distance).

Krusty_Clown

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

You mentioned that you ran a 5K Parkrun PB on Saturday. Was this a 5k PB or simply a course PB? Were you flat out? What was your time?

I'm assuming that the IMRA route on Sunday was not a race and more of a hill/trail/mountain run?

A course PB...time was 19.50...but it's a tough route with about 0.5 km of a climb near the end, think the record there is 17.52, and it's held by the guy who recently broke John Treacy's 40 year old 3,000 Irish youth record.

The IMRA race was a flat out race. Claragh, one of the great Munster races. Was a real "can I wring another effort out of the legs" and they came through for me again. But it's a short race, 35 mins.

Thanks for all the tips. As it turned out, everything was a bit thrown out by a small tear in fibres in the quad, so was touch and go as to whether I'd do it. Decided to go for it this morning, and ran a PB of 39.20. Felt thigh in first 200m and then never troubled me again.

And was the first local!

adrian522

Well done, great result!

cjt156

Good for you, congrats!