Tales from the Glue Factory

Swashbuckler

Monday - Easy 14M - 1hr51. 7.56min/mile avg.
Tuesday - Easy 6.6M. 8.11min/mile avg.
Wednesday - Easy with strides. 7.4M. 8.10min/mile avg.
Thursday - 4x(3/2/1 mins off 60s) 3 min between sets. 5.55min/mile pace.
Friday - Easy 6.5M. 8.07min/mile avg.
Saturday - Easy plus strides. 7.5M. 8.25min/mile avg.
Sunday - WU/2M @ 6.20/3min Jog/10x45s Hills off 90s jog back

Was a little bit more tired this week. Crappy sleep on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Still feeling strong, just needed to manage the tiredness a bit with sensible recoveries. Work stress was better this week to that was a plus.

Took Monday off work and gave the missus a bit of a break from things so I waited until the kids were in bed to get out for the Long run. Every now and then its nice to head out later in the evening. Headed to the outskirts of my 5k radius for this. Felt good.

Tuesday and Wednesday were standard runs (as usual!) . Was a little tired on the Wednesday run. The strides put a nice jolt back in the legs and was feeling fresher for it.

Wednesday - 4x(3/2/1 mins off 60s) 3 min between sets. 5.55min/mile pace
Nothing too daunting about this one on paper. Got the Zoomfly Flyknits out for this as I hadnt worn them in a while. Felt strong as an ox on this one. In fairness the reps are short enough that its not overly taxing. Didnt really feel the "bite" in the legs until the last set. Could have managed more. Form was good throughout this. Running within myself. 10.75 miles all in.
Some of the splits were a little quick. All reps within 5.45-5.55 range.

Friday/Saturday - by this stage I was starting to come round after a couple of better nights sleep. Body was starting to be happy with me again. Mental space was better coming into the weekend this week when compared with last week although the monotony is a pain. Had a couple of nice 5k loop drives with the little girl while we listened to some tunes and she gets her "treat" from the shop. Took a few walks and fed the ducks/swans/seagulls ......................again.........................

Sunday - WU/2M @ 6.20/3min Jog/10x45s Hills off 90s jog back
Late in the evening again by the time I got out for this. Would have liked to get out earlier but didnt work out. Threw on the Pegasus Turbo for this. I really didnt like them that much after my first wear but they really have grown on me. I felt like they really came into their own at he 6.20 pace. They've grown on me. I dont think they're worth the full price tag though (i got them with a discount).
The 2 miles at 6.20 felt good. Felt like I was zipping along and reached two in just the right spot to have a three minute jog to my hill.
The Hill reps went great. Didnt feel too leggy from the 2 miles so there was more pop in the legs than expected. Dont get me wrong though - those hill reps aint easy. Definitely feeling it in the legs by the end. Stood around for a minute at the end as a mini reward for a good session. Just over 10 miles all in. Was happy to get home and relax on the couch and a lovely restful sleep followed.

Total mileage for the week: 62.8 miles (over 100km again - happy days)
Total time on feet: 8hrs 12mins
Consecutive days running: 58 days (a new record for me)
Total mileage for the year to date: 455 miles

Happy with the week. Two good sessions, a good long run, some nice easy runs and two sets of strides.

healy1835

Swashbuckler wrote: »

And good 10k's can be run off a monster session three days prior :D:D

That wasn't by design to be fair :rolleyes:

Swashbuckler

healy1835 wrote: »

That wasn't by design to be fair :rolleyes:

Pure accidental genius.

Swashbuckler

The sunshine today really was a tonic....not to last sadly but for a brief two hour period today the sun was out, the music was turned off and a thoroughly enjoyable long run was had.

Swashbuckler

Another rinse and repeat incoming!

Monday - Easy 14M - 1hr51. 7.57min/mile avg.
Tuesday - Easy 6.5M. 8.25min/mile avg.
Wednesday - Easy with strides. 7.2M. 8.16min/mile avg.
Thursday - 5x1200m* off 3mins. 5.55min/mile pace.
Friday - Easy 6.6M. 7.59min/mile avg.
Saturday - Easy plus strides. 7.3M. 8.13min/mile avg.
Sunday - WU/2M @ 6.20/3min Jog/6x45s Hills off 90s/3min Jog/1M @ 6.20/CD

A turn in the weather makes such a difference. On the Monday 14M the sun was out, fresh day. Turned off the music a couple of miles in and never turned it back on again. Just one of those days. Legs started out a bit tired but felt great as the run progressed.

Tuesday - didnt get out until the evening and on a stomach full of lasagne...ugh.....didnt enjoy this one..

Wednesday was feeling much better and less well fed. Running and food dont go well together for me. God help me if I ever have to fuel in a marathon. 8x20s strides at the end of this. plenty in the legs.

Thursday - 5x1200m* off 3mins. 5.55min/mile pace
Only afterwards did I realise this was meant to be 1200m and not 1300m.
Zoomfly flyknits made an appearance again. Took my usual loop for these types of sessions. Again everything about this was controlled. Could feel it a little in the legs towards the end of the last rep. Probably the extra unplanned 100m in each rep! This session was similar to most sessions. First rep wakes you up a bit, then I settle into the middle reps and by the end i'm usually fatigued but running within myself. Enjoyed this one. Nice to get a little volume in the legs at that pace but plenty of recovery between. Incl WU and CD it was 10.2 miles all in. Reps were 5.52/5.53/5.53/5.54/5.56.

Friday - no after effects from the session. Felt really good on Friday - took a half day from work, got my run in and enjoyed family time. Few bottles of beer that night. A good day.
Saturday - a little groggy and didnt get out until the evening. No biggie though as this was grand. Not a huge fan of waiting til the evening to get out.

Sunday - WU/2M @ 6.20/3min Jog/6x45s Hills off 90s/3min Jog/1M @ 6.20/CD
What a beaut of a day today was. Another one where I didnt get out early. Gave the missus the morning off from the kids and had plenty of family fun time today. Go the nod to head out around 4pm. Pegasus Turbo 2 again. They seem to be my go to shoe for this type of session. Cant bare the thoughts of wasting any of my top shoes on hill reps! This was similar to last week but a slight twist with less hill reps and an extra mile at 6.20 at the end. Felt comfortable on the first two miles. Bang on the money at around 12.33 total for the two miles. The hill reps were grand - maybe a little more leggy than last week. 6 reps isnt many though so its over before it really starts. All reps were around 5.15/5.20 pace. One outlier (5.37) due to a pedestrian with an extra long dog leash. Legs were nice and fatigues for the extra mile at 6.20. Found it hard to settle down to the pace - was a little on the fast side coming in at 6.10. Had a decent cooldown so 10.3 miles all in.

Another good week down. Enjoyed my running this week. Enjoyed the sunshine even more. Long may it continue. Really sooths the soul.

Total mileage for the week: 62.1 miles (99.9km!)
Total time on feet: 8hrs 6mins
Total days running in 2021: 59
Run streak: 65 days
Total mileage for the year to date: 517 miles

Not a bad Feb. 28 days running. Total 250 miles.

Murph_D

Excellent week. And yes, what a difference the weather can make. Just wearing the short sleeves makes you feel a bit faster!

Swashbuckler

Murph_D wrote: »

Excellent week. And yes, what a difference the weather can make. Just wearing the short sleeves makes you feel a bit faster!

And no tights! :pac:

skyblue46

Murph_D wrote: »

Excellent week. And yes, what a difference the weather can make. Just wearing the short sleeves makes you feel a bit faster!

It was 2 degrees this morning...no short sleeves for me but no tights either :pac:

Swashbuckler

skyblue46 wrote: »

It was 2 degrees this morning...no short sleeves for me but no tights either :pac:

Saving them for a special occasion yeah?

Swashbuckler

Monday - Easy 14M - 1hr52. 8.00min/mile avg.
Tuesday - Easy 6.7M. 8.17min/mile avg.
Wednesday - Easy with strides. 7.5M. 8.11min/mile avg.
Thursday - 12x90s off 60s/3min Jog/4x30s Hard. 5.55min/mile pace.
Friday - Easy 6.5M. 8.00min/mile avg.
Saturday - Easy plus strides. 7.4M. 8.10min/mile avg.
Sunday - WU/8x1k at 6.15 pace off 90s/CD

Felt it a bit more this week. Had a half day off work on Monday so had a fun morning with the family. Went into work in the afternoon and it was literally a bombardment. Made the mistake of getting some dinner into me when I finished which led to a very unenjoyable 14 miles of terrible indigestion and acid reflux. Did not enjoy the run atall.

Didnt have a great sleep Monday night (was 9.30 before settling down after the 14 miles).

Mood wasnt great Tuesday or Wednesday. I guess I was due another dip. Still got out for my runs but cant say they were all that enjoyable.

By Thursday I was coming round a bit. A conversation with a fellow Boardsie prompted me to take the Adios Pro for a test drive. Not something I generally like doing (taking the supershoes out on training runs) but I thought feck it why not.
Its funny. Every time I throw on the carbon plated shoes I forget that you still actually have to do the work. I get this silly idea that I'll somehow float on air. That being said, I have to say the effort levels were lower than they should be. It's hard to describe really. And hard to point to what specifically is making the difference. Either way the session wasnt half as hard as it should be. At a few stages I found myself easing back a bit when I was seeing some silly paces on the watch. All splits were 5.41-5.53. Could have managed more and could have managed faster. The shoes are amazing. Maybe a little bit loose for me in terms of size, I could probably do with half a size down. Back in the box for now. Well worth an investment for anyone tempted. For me, I dont think they would be a marathon shoe but anything from 5k to HM definitely.

Friday and Saturday were good runs. Was in great form again by Friday so the slump didnt last.

Sundays session was a lovely 8x1k. Unusual to see two "traditional" sessions in my weeks plan. The session earlier in the week was ~10k turnover. This one was more strength based.
For the week that was in it I wore the Endorphin Pro for this to get a direct comparison to the Adios Pro.
Same story - far easier than it should be. The effort felt more like steady effort and legs were in ok shape at the end. Over 11 miles all in.
The Endorphin Pro , for me, are probably more suited to HM/Marathon distance. Love them though.
All splits were 6.07-6.15 pace.

Total mileage for the week: 63.4 miles (102km)
Total time on feet: 8hrs 11mins
Total days running in 2021: 66
Run streak: 72 days
Total mileage for the year to date: 580 miles

Considering how it started it wasnt a bad week although helped by the shoes. Gonna keep those two in particular for racing.

shotgunmcos

How are the legs from the Sunday workout into Monday long run? I did very similar at the weekend 8k Tempo Sat and 14m LR Sun and felt wrecked. Pretty fatigued on a gentle 7k today

Laineyfrecks

Ok so if you Mrs Swashbuckler said one of those pair of shoes has to go...which would it be:p

Swashbuckler

Yeah I'm not gonna lie. I was tired today. That was going to feed into next week's update. Haha.

But yeah I felt it from mile 10 onwards today. Legs were very tired and was happy to hear the beep on the watch. Effort level and heart rate were good though. Average HR was mid 130's I think.

I'd usually not read much into that unless I don't recover Tuesday and Wednesday.

Swashbuckler

Laineyfrecks wrote: »

Ok so if you Mrs Swashbuckler said one of those pair of shoes has to go...which would it be:p

Haha the Adidas.... But purely because I have the 4% for 10k and what I really want is marathon shoe.

If my target race over the next couple of years was 10k I'd get rid of the Endorphin. But if target was marathon I'd get rid of the Adidas....

ariana`

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Haha the Adidas.... But purely because I have the 4% for 10k and what I really want is marathon shoe.

If my target race over the next couple of years was 10k I'd get rid of the Endorphin. But if target was marathon I'd get rid of the Adidas....

Love reading more and more references to the marathon on your log P.

How do the endorphin pro compare to the speed?

healy1835

ariana` wrote: »

Love reading more and more references to the marathon on your log P.

How do the endorphin pro compare to the speed?

It might surprise you given his full-on sales pitch for the Speeds over the last couple of months, but he doesn't actually own a pair!

ariana`

healy1835 wrote: »

It might surprise you given his full-on sales pitch for the Speeds over the last couple of months, but he doesn't actually own a pair!

:eek::eek::eek:

Only the best for P ;)

Swashbuckler

Yeah I'm sad to say I have no Speeds iny collection but judging on almost 100% positive reviews I felt I could safely recommend. Haha. The Pro are 220 and are definitely a shoe I'd be saving for racing. Seems like a lot of people are training in the speeds so it depends whether you're looking for a trainer or racer.

Swashbuckler

Monday - Easy 14M - 1hr51. 7.54min/mile avg.
Tuesday - Easy 6.6M. 8.09min/mile avg.
Wednesday - Easy with strides. 7.5M. 8.11min/mile avg.
Thursday - 20x1min On/Off at 5.55min/mile pace.
Friday - Easy 6.3M. 8.05min/mile avg.
Saturday - Easy plus strides. 7.4M. 8.12min/mile avg.
Sunday - WU/4M at 6.30 pace/3min Jog/4x800m at 5.55 pace/CD

A better week. Energy levels were better. Stress still relatively high but manageable.

Really enjoyed the 14 miler this week. Nothing of note really. I can't remember much about it apart from the fact I was in good form!

Legs were in grand shape the day after. The weather had taken a turn at this stage so was managing a stiff wind. Just a run of the mill easy run though so was manageable. Same on Wednesday. Run of the mill easy run with strides. Legs were ok and were better after the strides.

Thursdays 20 x 1min on/off session was just a bit of turnover work at ~10k effort. Again, the weather conditions werent ideal but I found a reasonably sheltered stretch where I had more of a crosswind than anything else so kept going back and forth on that stretch. Turnover was good. A couple of the initial reps were hit by the wind before finding my sheltered spot. Felt the pinch around rep 16 or 17 but nothing bad. Still up on the toes and turning over nicely. Recoveries didnt feel too short which is a good sign. Just over 10 miles all in. All reps were in the 5.40-5.55 range apart from a couple around 6.15 into the headwind. Didnt fight them and just let the effort drive the pace. Couple of reps were on the quick side - difficult to judge the pace for such short reps but no biggie - just wanted the legs turning over for this one in or around 10k effort.

Recovery on Friday and Saturday was good. Could feel it a small bit in the legs on Friday but felt better after the run.

Sundays session was 4M at tempo effort and then some more turnover work around 5.55 pace. Had to get out early in the morning for this one. Wanted to give the missus a full day off and do all the breakfasts/nappies/naps/lunches/dinners/wiping up puke etc. Was reluctant getting out of bed for this one. The first time in a long time that my alarm was set for a morning run. Once I was dressed and out the door (ninja style) it was ok. Nice bright morning so the form was good.
The session itself went great. Felt like I could have run that pace all day. Was all very controlled. In a nice rhythm. All four miles were in the 6.27-6.30 range. I like these sessions. The legs are nicely fatigued and then pushed to get some turnover going. No bother with the 800m reps either. All between 5.54-6.02. The 6.02 was probably lack of concentration really. Running at the same effort level as the previous ones but obviously with the legs getting more tired the effort should creep up a little. Should have checked the watch! Just over 10.8 miles all in.

Solid week.

Total mileage for the week: 62.7 miles (101km)
Total time on feet: 8hrs 10mins
Total days running in 2021: 73
Run streak: 79 days
Total mileage for the year to date: 643 miles

ReeReeG

Are you still base building at the moment? Is the intention to stay in that mode and work on general fitness until the day comes when races get announced again and then switch to training for specific distances?

Swashbuckler

ReeReeG wrote: »

Are you still base building at the moment? Is the intention to stay in that mode and work on general fitness until the day comes when races get announced again and then switch to training for specific distances?

That's my basic understanding anyway!

All joking aside I started being coached by Luke again early last year , in or around the time I was struggling with injury and as the pandemic started. As the subsequent few months evolved it became clear that there was no real racing on the horizon. I had made my goals clear with Luke when he started coaching me again - long term, consistency and sustainable training , balancing work/life/running.

All the above factors just contributed to there being no race specific stuff but building the base so that when I do hit a specific "phase" again it will be with a much more solid foundation.

Right now I think im not far off the best shape ive been in and thats without any specific block.

So yeah, the plan going forward is week on week, month on month consistent training, mostly manageable weeks where I dont feel too stretched with the odd stretch session thrown in to keep me on my toes. Most of my sessions right now rank as maybe 7 on the difficulty scale. Most midweek sessions involve CV/10k pace stuff with the odd faster paced, turnover style session too. Most Sundays are "strength" based - hills, threshold, marathon/half marathon based (chunkier sessions with more volume). Everything else is easy. Stringing together 60+ mile weeks and seven days a week - something I could never manage in the past few years.

Sorry for the ramble

ReeReeG

Swashbuckler wrote:

All the above factors just contributed to there being no race specific stuff but building the base so that when I do hit a specific "phase" again it will be with a much more solid foundation.

Yeah it's just interesting how well you stay motivated without the target of a certain time for a distance etc, but I suppose when you look at it alongside all the other life things you mention it makes more sense. Fair play. You'll be cruising when races are back anyway

Swashbuckler

ReeReeG wrote: »

Yeah it's just interesting how well you stay motivated without the target of a certain time for a distance etc, but I suppose when you look at it alongside all the other life things you mention it makes more sense. Fair play. You'll be cruising when races are back anyway

It's funny. I think I'm that type of person - think long term goals rather than short term. I've been through phases where I raced a lot and I just dont think it really suited me. I'm enjoying my running much more now than when I was racing PB's.

The life factors are definitely a contributing factor too though. When running becomes your one thing that you have to yourself (away from work stress, pandemics, being a parent) its easy to stay motivated. Its probably one of the few things I draw on for relief and where I dont have anyone but myself relying on me.

Swashbuckler

Monday - Easy 14M - 1hr51. 7.54min/mile avg.
Tuesday - Easy 6.25M. 8.11min/mile avg.
Wednesday - Easy with strides. 7.6M. 8.18min/mile avg.
Thursday - 4x(1200m/1min recovery/400m/3min recovery) Targeting ~5.55 for the 1200m and 5k effort for the 400m.
Friday - Easy 6.66M. 7.52min/mile avg.
Saturday - Easy plus strides. 7.51M. 8.11min/mile avg.
Sunday - 7x1km off 2.30 steady

This is the first week in a good while that I felt a little stretched.

Mondays 14M was a little leggy from the session the day before.
Tuesday - was very tired. As tired as i have been due to running in quite a while.
Wednesday - better (but didnt have much pop in the strides)

Thursday - legs had come round a bit - had considered a different session but went with this one - 4x(1200m/1min recovery/400m/3min recovery) Targeting ~5.55 for the 1200m and 5k effort for the 400m.
Threw on the Fuelcell TC for this. I absolute love those shoes. As much as an all rounder as I have seen - I'd happily wear them for any training style and any race distance. Don't take that as a recommendation - just my preference, but if you put any of my shoes in front of me and said pick one i'd struggle not to pick the Fuelcells.

Session itself went very well. It's a tough session. The 1200m reps are ok at the controlled pace. The 400m are faster and on tired legs. By the time you get to the fourth rep you can definitely feel it. Happy to see the form hold up and certainly wasnt puffing.
The 1200m were all in the 5.55-5.59 range.
The 400m were all in the 5.28-5.48. Cant recall what the cause was for the 5.48 outlier - wind? who knows....
10 miles all in.

Recovered well enough on Friday and Saturday - started to feel myself again come Sunday.

Sunday - 7x1km at 5.50 off 2.30 steady.
Fuelcell TC again - what can I say - I'm in love.
Got out early which made me happy - didnt have it looming over me all day.
First two had a bit of a bite to them - was very pleasantly surprised to see the steady recovery was well under 7min/mile for some of these.
As the session wore on the 1km reps felt like less of a step up from the steady pace and the steady pace felt "slow".
This session gave me a lot of confidence.
All 1km reps were in the 5.49-5.53 range.
All recoveries were in the 6.50-6.57 range.
Just over 11 miles all in - very happy and felt ok after - leggy but fine.

Pretty happy with the weeks training. Probably a step back week this week in terms of volume. 5k TT planned for Easter weekend,
Weather was fantastic.
Some over indulgence pre, during and post Paddy's Day certainly didnt help but we all have to live I guess.

Total mileage for the week: 63.2 miles (102km)
Total time on feet: 8hrs 07mins
Total days running in 2021: 80
Run streak: 86 days
Total mileage for the year to date: 706 miles

Well done to Boardsies on some super TT's over the weekend. Was delighted to see them coming in on Strava.

Swashbuckler

Monday - Easy 11M - 1hr26. 7.54min/mile avg.
Tuesday - Easy 7.2M. 7.54min/mile avg.
Wednesday - 3x(800/600/400 off 2min) . 4min between sets.
Thursday - Easy 7M. 8.02min/mile avg
Friday - Easy plus strides. 7.4M. 8.07min/mile avg.
Saturday - 2x2M at 6.10/4min Jog/4x2min Hard.
Sunday - Easy 7M. 8.02min/mile avg

Bit late catching up here. Much better week last week and was feeling more refreshed by the end. All that despite a small dose of the sniffles. The joys of the little one being back in playschool - literally week 1 of being back and something (not Covid!) was brought home.

Due to the sniffles (and wanting to get some freshness back in the legs) I cut the long run a little short. Once I was out I would have happily done the 14M but kept it sensible with half an eye on the following week's TT.

Needed to slightly shuffle things around to link up with the following weeks training so the Sessions were pulled back to Wednesday and Saturday.

3x(800/600/400) session was a nice one to get the legs turning over and tune up a little for the 5k on Easter Friday. Was pleasantly surprised with the pace I was getting for the effort levels. Was not overly fatigued, could have gone faster and could have managed another set...
Set 1 2.44/2.03/1.20 (5.30/5.30/5.23min/mile pace)
Set 2 2.41/2.06/1.22 (5.25/5.39/5.29min/mile pace)
Set 3 2.48/2.06/1.22 (5.39/5.29/5.38min/mile pace)
Happy with that. We'll see how it all holds together in the TT.

Recovered well and nothing to report out of the easy days.

Saturdays session - 2x2M at 6.10/4min Jog/4x2min Hard
Was surprised again at the effort level for the 6.10. It didnt feel like too much of an effort. Fitness? Shoes? who knows.
Ran smoothly and well within myself. Had plenty of pep for the 2mins intervals.
The 2M intervals were pretty much bang on. The 2min splits were 5.32/5.40/6/5.39 - dealing with headwind for some of these so didnt force it.

Total mileage for the week: 60.2 miles
Total time on feet: 7hrs 40mins
Total days running in 2021: 87
Run streak: 93 days
Total mileage for the year to date: 766 miles

5k TT on Friday. Same route (and shoes) and the Boards 5k TT last year. 18.02 then (i think).
We'll see............................

sorry a little rushed this week.

Laineyfrecks

Best of luck with the TT on Friday P

Murph_D

Looks like you're in good shape for it. Run well.

skyblue46

Looking forward to this one...your training and long term attitude have been brilliant.

PS. Is it not Good Friday?

OOnegative

Obviously walked that fcukin TT in tights I’d say!!! Run well P!!

Swashbuckler

Cheers folks! No idea what shape I'm in but planning on taking the high risk approach and see where I end up. Probably in the ditch but we'll see.

Sure is S... I'm running for Jesus....