Fitter'n'faster
Right, it's about time I started one of these after I said I would months ago. I have to say it does kind of feel like I'm in with the heavyweights here, there's some savage training going on and it's great to be able to read it.
Right so, vitals: 26, 173cm (5'8") and 75kg.
Diet:
At the minute I'm eating pretty clean but it's still pretty much three squares a day. I'd intended to go the more/smaller meal route ages ago, nothing but complacency is holding that off.
Goals:
Running: I'm running regularly for about three years, but it's always been fairly ad-hoc, never with much structure. This year I want to complete a few big runs in good time, so I've set them as targets for building my speed and overall endurance for good distances - up to about the 10 mile mark. I know I'm getting a bit quicker and endurance has improved since this time last year, so I want to push that further, and aim for a consistent 8 minute mile for as long as I can. No idea how achievable this is, but that's the intent.
Running Plan:
Sun: Long, slow
Mon: Rest
Tues: Intervals
Wed: Medium, medium
Thur: Short, fast
Fri: Rest
Sat: Medium, tempo
Cribbing this largely from Hal Higdons' Run Fast. It's not a concrete plan, just something to start with and I'll see how it goes. At the minute long would be about 6 to 8 miles, medium 4 to 6 and short 2 or 3 miles.
Strength: I developed strong legs cycling years ago which still serve me well with the running. In the medium to long term I want to build up a good base of overall strength. At the moment that's just bodyweight stuff at home, and irregularly at that - chin/pull ups, press ups, bench dips, that sort of thing. So to do: find a gym with decent free weights gear and get started with a Starting Strength style workout. Saving that, work out and stick to a home bodyweight routine.
Weight: I've some weight to lose but not terribly worried about it. I figure I'll worry more about fueling my workout plans than trying hard to maintain a calorie deficit, and think about thinning out once I've that in place.
Activity:
Did a slow three miles on saturday, didn't time it. Yesterday completed a charity 10k run in 58 minutes. The heat was oppressive, as was the hangover from the previous out-till-4am night. If I were right for it I'd have hoped to hit around the 50-minute mark.
Tomorrow: intervals on the track. Started this last tuesday but it was cut short. My long suffering runners cut a nice chunk of skin off an ankle in retaliation, and the left leg got very sore - I think the sprinting is showing up an imbalance. It's fine since though, and showed no trouble at the weekend so I'll give it another shot tomorrow and see how it goes.
