I tried to run four road miles fast today in the club Christmas handicap and found that I was over 2 minutes slower than 3 years ago and my place in the club pecking order has drastically changed. It comes as no surprise as I know this has been a poor year for running (injuries, new job, baby!) but it has provided a kick up the arse.
If I am going to get fit enough to do a PBR, never mind a solo one, I have stop trying to do things better and concentrate on doing better things.
Better things like eating well, sleeping well, training well (not merely frequently) and resting well (i.e. stretching on rest days, not just doing nothing) and throwing in some cross training (bike, weights, swimming).
Currently, I eat too much crap, have too many late nights, train very one-dimensionally and do no stretching or cross training at all. It's no wonder I'm nowhere near as strong as I'd like to be.
It would be easy to do more steady fell runs and count the climbing, satisfied in an easily won 10,000 feet ascended per week. But that is not enough. Instead, my training is going to include:
- Speedwork - Once every week
- Hill intervals - short and fast on road - Once every week
- Hill intervals - medium on fell, 300'-500' - Once every week
- Short, sharp road runs - Every other week, alternate with long intervals
- Long and fast intervals (1m, 1.5m) - Every other week, alternate with short, sharp road runs
- Hill intervals - long 1000'+ - Every other week, alternate with hill runs
- Hill runs - 1.5 - 3 hours - Every other week, alternate with hill intervals
- Big days - 4 hours/5,000' + - Every other week, alternate with really big days
- Really big days - 8 hours/10,000'+ - Every other week, alternate with big days
- Consecutive really big days - Once a month, probably with nothing else that week
- Rest - Once every week
- Stretching - yoga each morning + quad/calves/hamstrings after each run
- Strength - weights (low weights, high reps) every evening before bed, one gym session each week doing whole body efforts
Given that one day is a rest day, that six days to train. The above requires 6 sessions per week in addition to the weights and stretching. Time will tell if this is a) possible and b) effective
As for food, just cutting out crap will be a good start!
And so it feel like i'm getting started. The good thing, the one good thing that came from today's run is that the calf held. A fast road outing does test old injuries and now I hope that I can train with confidence and determination.
Week summary:
Mon - Moel Famau from Loggerheads, 4M, 1300'
Tues - Busy, so nothing
Weds - Bowland Hills run, Clougha Pike and Grit Fell, 1300', 5M
Thurs - Moel Famau with Tim - 1500', 5M
Fri and Sat - Rest/busy
Sun - Club handicap 4M
4100', 18M - not much but ticking over for now
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