What I log about when I log about running

ReeReeG wrote: »

Stalking your base building... Do you do the recommended 10/15 mins warm-up before the very easy runs??

I never got a notification of this post.

Emmmmm. No, no warm up for the very easy runs, but I will be adding 15-20 minutes to each of these runs to allow for the runmute and also because my mileage will be pretty pathetic otherwise. I don't get very far in an hour :P

I will do 15 minutes either side of the Wednesday and Saturday runs, I think.

Maybe one of the grads plan grads could advise on what they did.

skyblue46 wrote: »

Hahahahahahahahahaha...you're having a laugh?

God loves a trier.

ReeReeG wrote: »

I'm really turning into your stalker... was wondering how you manage the progression runs and looked at your Strava.. hope you weren't injured, noticed a few days with no running..?

Saves me stalking you to find out if you'd gotten this yet: https://runfasteatslow.com/blogs/news/5-recipes-from-run-fast-cook-fast-eat-slow

I wasn't injured but I was ill. I was even off work, so no running for the week. It seems to have had the sole benefit of resolving the foot issue, though - every cloud.

So, I did one progression run, and I set it up as follows:

1. warm up -15ish mins
2. 20 minutes@very easy paces
3. 20 minutes@easy paces
4. 20 minutes@ MP
5. cooldown

I kind of made a hack of it when I ran it as the pace was fastest around the middle section. The effort was definitely progressive, though, so could've been worse.

It's a different approach to what was recommended on the Novices thread, though. I have set up the next one per the recommendations there but I might change it to something closer to the above. I'll see how brave I'm feeling on the day :P

ReeReeG wrote: »

Ah gosh, hope you are feeling better.

Thanks wasn't sure whether to progress in minutes or miles.. but the plan is minutes based so that seems smarter. I'm sure I'll make a hack of it now anyway myself, but it's all about learning right?!

Looks like you got it spot on to me.

eyrie wrote: »

Ah sorry to hear you are/were sick. How are you feeling now?
Fantastic to hear the rest sorted out the foot though, yay!

The rest/drugs sorted the foot, I think! Much better now - thanks

Kellygirl wrote: »

I’d say you’ll start feeling comfortable and fit within a couple of weeks again. Your body is probably just sluggish at the moment. A good week though.

I'm just aerobically very unfit at the moment. But hopefully you're right.

eyrie wrote: »

After running, buying cookbooks and not using them is probably my next main hobby :rolleyes:

The base building is a good idea I think, plus it's nice in that it can feel a bit less pressured and a bit more just enjoyable, which is no harm for a while.

You should see the spreadsheet now, C!

The book has been dispatched. Exciting times.



Day |Plan|Actual |Avg Pace| HR|Comments|
Monday, 19 November |20 minutes very easy/OFF|Off| - | - | This will be my last Monday off. It’s much easier to run Mondays and take a different day off during the week. |
Tuesday, 20 November |60 minutes very easy| 60 very easy | 7:27/km | 142(152) | An exhilarating run in the wind and, at times, torrential rain. A broken boiler means I was off the runmute for the week - keeping my runs to around the office, so I could shower there after. I ran out to the Merrion Gates. It felt easy breezy and I thought the worst of the weather had passed. Once I turned onto the Strand Road on the routine leg, I was running straight into a head wind. I realised why the first half had seemed so easy. I just concentrated on keeping the effort easy, despite pushing into the wind. And then the rain started - a big squally torrential downpour. It was hard to see and I probably looked like I’d lost my marbles. Despite the weather, I enjoyed the run, maybe, potentially starting to feel some fitness come back. |
Wednesday, 21 November |70 minute threshold progression run|-| - | - | As fun as last night’s run was, I’d no interest in heading out into a similar night’s weather. I’d the start of a sore throat all day, so I decided to hit the treadmill. Unfortunately, the gym was occupied so that plan went out the window. Instead, I spent a joyful 45 minutes waiting for the bus, making me feel even worse for skipping the run. |
Thursday, 22 November | 50 minutes easy + 4x200m @ 5k effort | per plan | 200m intervals: .57; .56; .59; and .58 | 158(175) |I was really dreading the 70-minute progression run, so I decided to move it to Saturday and combine it with a parkun. Lol at that in hindsight. Another enjoyable run, even if I ran the 50 minutes very easy rather than easy. I’m an awful dope really. I started the first 200m repeat beside a line of traffic, which was kind of embarrassing when I took the notion to lift my legs as high as I could. It was good to get the legs turning over at a quicker pace but I’d no idea how to gauge 5k effort, hence the mishmash of paces. |
Friday, 23 November | Very easy 60 minutes or off | 60 minutes very easy |7:19/km | 148(161) |Another run squeezed in at lunchtime. I was exhausted before this and it actually perked me up, so perhaps my bosses should encourage a longer lunch.|
Saturday, 24 November | 70 minutes threshold progression |15 mins wup + 63 minute threshold progression +10 minute cooldown | 7:02; 6:55; 6:46; 6:37; 6:19; 6:16; 5:57; 5:52; 5:45; 5:37; and 5:38 | 168(197) | I was terrified of this session. Properly terrified. I’d planned to try and combine it with parkrun to help me through the last two pace increases but a late night put the kybosh on that idea. I’d the brainwave to ask my live-in pacer to help me out as I knew it would broadly fit with his run plan. I don’t like relying on being paced for sessions, but I really wanted to give it my best shot. The benefit was that I pushed myself harder and for longer than I would have on my own. The disadvantage being that I didn’t ease off on pace on some of the bigger inclines meaning I hit a new max HR by seven beats and had to pull the plug at 63 minutes or risk blowing a gasket (at least that’s what it felt like!). I did a 15-minute warm up on my own and circled back to D. Quick watch swap as the session was set up on my watch, and off we went. The first 14 minute section felt so easy, easier than the warm up. The second felt okay but there was some elevation gain and then the third was probably the hardest. I remarked at one point that I’d run all my HMM tempos at that pace - some of which were ten miles long, crazy how quickly we lose it. I nearly blew up on the climb out of Kilternan and had to stop for a few seconds to catch my breath. I realised afterwards that I hit a new max HR here. Good thing I couldn’t see what my HR was doing or I might have stopped altogether. I ran down to the county border feeling much better, turned and felt okay on most of the reverse journey. I was definitely working hard but it was a good feeling. Then we upped the pace for the final section - I’m pretty sure this pace range is probably my 10k pace - and felt okay until the climb into Stepaside which finished me off. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t try and recover on the downhill into the village but I was spent. Mixed feelings about it now. I felt great after, nicely buzzed but I’m kicking myself for not finishing it out. Did a 10-minute cooldown to bring the day to 90 minutes of running - long enough to be considered a long run. |
Sunday, 25 November | 1.45 minutes easy | 60 minutes easy |7:06/km | 148(169) | I thought it would be foolhardy to run long after yesterday, so I decided to do 10k, talked myself down to 8k midrun and back to 9k once I’d 8k done. |

I’m feeling a bit better running this week, like my fitness is coming back, albeit slowly. I need to be mindful, though, that all of my weekday runs were on the relative flat and unencumbered with a backpack, so of course they’re feeling easier. I’m enjoying doing some new sessions. The touch of a sore throat has been a bit of a nuisance; my immune system is just a bit battered. My glands are visibly swollen, so while I don’t feel sick, sick, I am very tired this week, which I think is a sign that I’m fighting something off. I’ll stick to five days’ running next week and increase to six the following week.