Things will come to those who wait...

KielyUnusual

I agree. The eyeballs out first lap and hanging on in there strategy doesn't appeal to me either. Maybe at the end of the summer . I'm afraid I'm leaning towards the 3k at this stage. Might need a few more 200 sessions before I feel ready to have a go at the 800. I'll see you out there anyway. I'm a bit fickle at the moment so I could well end up running the 2 laps either.

dna_leri

Hi PConn

Good session - those 200's show you are in good shape - you should aim for 2:10 next week.
Start with a 31s first 200m then settle into a steady 33s (per 200m) - hard but not at the limit.
On a good day you break 2:10, on a bad day you finish with a 35s and a great PB.
Good luck.

pconn062

dna_leri wrote: »

Hi PConn

Good session - those 200's show you are in good shape - you should aim for 2:10 next week.
Start with a 31s first 200m then settle into a steady 33s (per 200m) - hard but not at the limit.
On a good day you break 2:10, on a bad day you finish with a 35s and a great PB.
Good luck.

That's great, thanks for the advice. The 800m is even very different from the 1500m so it is hard to know how to attack it. Will try your plan and see how it goes, looking forward to it. Will you make the trek up for any of the meets? Or is there a similar setup in your side of the country?

dna_leri

pconn062 wrote: »

That's great, thanks for the advice. The 800m is even very different from the 1500m so it is hard to know how to attack it. Will try your plan and see how it goes, looking forward to it. Will you make the trek up for any of the meets? Or is there a similar setup in your side of the country?

I'll have to head up for some of the later ones as there is nothing similar around here - just county champs - Galway one is usually competitive. I hate the journey up and down - 5 hrs in the car for a 2:0x min race.

BTW - I fully endorse KielyU's pre-race session. 8-10 x100m at race pace with walk back recovery is my favourite for the day or two before a 800m race. Gives you a chance to feel the difference between +/- 1 sec off race pace too.

BeepBeep67

dna_leri wrote: »

BTW - I fully endorse KielyU's pre-race session. 8-10 x100m at race pace with walk back recovery is my favourite for the day or two before a 800m race. Gives you a chance to feel the difference between +/- 1 sec off race pace too.

Curious as to how this is timed, someone timing for you or holding a stopwatch, as over short distances the hand across to the watch would be too inaccurate I would imagine when trying to hit +/- 1sec off 15 seconds or so.

dna_leri

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Curious as to how this is timed, someone timing for you or holding a stopwatch, as over short distances the hand across to the watch would be too inaccurate I would imagine when trying to hit +/- 1sec off 15 seconds or so.

I'd hold a watch but even on your wrist you are only a few tenths out.

pconn062

2.11 high/2:12 low for the 800m I think tonight? I'm leaning towards the 2:12 high. Happy with that, had splits of 65/66 so kept the pace steady. Perhaps the first lap could have been a little quicker but I couldn't have gone any quicker on the 2nd lap so maybe it was better to be a little cautious for this first race. Thought 2:10 might be there but I'm lacking a bit of speed as I've only done one real speed session this year and I had to no kick for the finishing straight.

My coach was there and gave out to me after the race for two things:

1: Wearing a watch in an 800m race
2: Looking at said watch too many time (3 in total I was informed), including once in the last 100m which he says cost me half a second. Lesson learned.

Onwards and upwards from here, I have a mile race next week so I hope to run well if the conditions are good. I hope to try and get that 800m time down to 2:06 ish by the end of the summer. In the words of Iarnroid Eireann, lots done, more to do!

drquirky

Great running PConn- looking good for this track season!

pconn062

So a goods weeks training since the 800m race last Wednesday, I won't post all the details but the key runs were a 20 minute tempo on Saturday in pretty bad conditions, not sure of the pace but the effort felt about right. Then on Sunday I did a good 11.5 mile run at a steady 7.28 pace on a hilly, grass route with my brother. Tired by the end but a nice way to end the week.

Off Monday, then 50 mins steady on Tuesday brought me up to tonight mile time trial. Myself and my brother organised this to mark the anniversary of Roger Bannister's sub 4 minute mile 60 years ago. It was a low key affair just for the runners iin our club at our weekly training, had a bout 15 running in total. I was looking forward to it but my enthusiasms were dampened slightly by the howling gales all day. Still I decided to give it a good bash and even put the spikes on for the occasion.

I knew one guy would be a fair bit ahead and then it would be between me and the bro, and maybe one other guy. The wind was down the back straight and made it tough. At the start I was in 2nd place with my brother right behind me, I took the first lap going through in 74. My bro then took a lap, which helped me but maybe overcooked him a little. Still he took us through 809m in 2.30 on the dot. He very soon dropped away leaving me to battle the wind on my own. The third lap is usually the make or break lap in a mile race and I tried to keep the pace steady, fighting the wind on my own. My coach called 3:44 at 1209m so I needed another 75 to get me home. I was working hard but not red-lining so with 200m to go I really tried to kick and came home in 4:58:39.

Very happy with the effort and nice to break 5 for the first time. The wind was tough and my coach reckons it was worth about a second a lap. I think on a a calmer night with some competition I could get down to the low end of the 4:50's.

I will miss the 1500m at the graded meets next week unfortunately but there is a mile race at the following one in Irishtown so hopefully I can improve on tonight's time then. I hope to be able to keep training as consistently as I have been for the last few weeks. With track work there is always a fine line with injury, even now my calves are tight after the spikes. Trying to find the right balance is the key as always!

AuldManKing

Wow, congrats on the sub 5. Great achievement.

pconn062

AuldManKing wrote: »

Wow, congrats on the sub 5. Great achievement.

Thanks AMK, nice to tick it off the list anyway. With all those speed sessions you are doing now you could easily bag that this summer if you wanted.

career_move

Super stuff P. Congrats

tang1

Great stuff on the sub 5, superb running.

Cleanman

Great stuff pconn - that should convert to a sub 4:30 1500 for you. Not too shabby!:D

Lock

Well done PConn, you looked smooth in your 800m in Santry. If you want one thing on the track it's to be smooth, so you have that part down! Well done on the sub 5

pconn062

Cleanman wrote: »

Great stuff pconn - that should convert to a sub 4:30 1500 for you. Not too shabby!:D

Thanks a lot man, yeah happy enough but it's early in the season and I hope to get down to sub 4:25 by July, here's hoping anyway!

How are you getting on yourself? Any improvement?

Lock wrote: »

Well done PConn, you looked smooth in your 800m in Santry. If you want one thing on the track it's to be smooth, so you have that part down! Well done on the sub 5

Thanks Lock, didn't run great that night but happy to be back running! Didn't even see you at the Meets, how are you getting on yourself? Haven't seen you at a race in a while, were you out?

RandyMann

Just catching up on your log PC, congrats and great running, keep it going!

pconn062

Another update is due. Training has been going well, since the last update I have done two sessions. Last Saturday week we did 3x500m, 5x300m at 1500m pace. Averaged 73 second per lap pace for the 500's and 72 pace for the 300's. Was happy with this and was the first 1500m pace session I've done all year so much improvement to be had hopefully. Then I ran every day since Tuesday this week. On Friday we did 10x400m @ 3k pace, averaging 79 second pace off short recovery. This was a comfortable session, meant to do 12-14 reps but I was called up at the last minute to run at the National League today so cut the session a little short.

And that's brings me up to the National League first round today. Our top runner was out at the last minute with a virus so I was asked to step in and run an 800m or 1500m for the Louth team. I went with the 1500m as I missed the Graded Meet during the week and fancied a bash at my first 1500m since February.
Got down to Sligo at about twelve, feeling a bit stiff after the 2 and 3/4 hour drive. The weather was nice when I arrived but in typical Irish track season fashion the rain started about ten minutes later and never ceased for the rest of the day. After watching a few of the guys run I started warming up about half an hour before the race. The legs were tired on the jog and I was slightly nervous before the start. Few strides and I tried to suss out the slow guys in the race, before realising all the guys were looking at me thinking "he's the slow guy". Damn! It's not often I feel like the old guy in a race but I knew this was going to painful. Both races were run together so quite a big field, about 15 or so.
Off we went and after a bit of shoving I fell to the back of the pack, the pace wasn't fast for the guys at the front but was right at my limit. Hit the first lap in 69 and I was a few meters adrift. Just decided to run my own race, I missed the 800m split but I'd say it was around 2.26. I started closing in on one guy (from Bros Pearse Ray) and by the bell I was level with him. I was really hurting now and made a mistake with 200m to go, by pushing for the line. I got a few metres on him but will 60m to go I could hear him coming and couldn't respond when he went by me. So I finished in last place but was happy with a new PB of 4.30 high/4.31 low (have to wait for official results). Felt quite nauseous after the race, I really did push hard. Did a slow and painful cool down and had a chat with thirstywork who had the unenviable task of a 3k steeple to come, after already doing to 3k walk!

I don't know what it is about the 1500m but it always attracts the fastest field. Any other of the races today (maybe apart from the steeple) I would have been further up the field but the fast young guys love the 1500m. Still, I'm glad that I managed to stay in contact and finished just behind a big group.

So the next race is a mile at the Graded Meets on Wednesday week, and then a 1500m at the Leinsters on the following Sunday where I'm hoping to sneak under the 4.30 mark. Need a more even field to have a group to work with during the race, rather than hanging off the back. Happy with my time today, it equates to a 4.53 mile which I'd say I could pull off on a good day. Legs are fecked now after the long drive home!

Will try and update this a little more often now over the coming weeks.

Stazza

Well done on the pb!

pconn062

Stazza wrote: »

Well done on the pb!

Thanks Stazza, it's hard work when you're doing all the chasing!

tang1

Well done on the PB P, ye track boys have serious balls.

pconn062

tang1 wrote: »

Well done on the PB P, ye track boys have serious balls.

Thanks tang, well done on your race today too, that's a great comeback for you.

dna_leri

Well done on the PB - that's a decent time.
Sorry I did not get in to stand in the rain and watch ye.
I had heard ye did not have a team - good work in getting everyone there - that's what National League is all about.
I competed in National League 30 years ago - glad I did not get the call this year - it should be left to you young lads.

AuldManKing

Fair play Pconn, hats off to you for doing that and putting yourself out there.
Major kudos right there.

pconn062

dna_leri wrote: »

Well done on the PB - that's a decent time.
Sorry I did not get in to stand in the rain and watch ye.
I had heard ye did not have a team - good work in getting everyone there - that's what National League is all about.
I competed in National League 30 years ago - glad I did not get the call this year - it should be left to you young lads.

Thanks DL, I didn't feel too young today! Yeah we had a last minute scramble to try and find guys to fill the slots, glad we could field an (almost) full team. Miserable weather for spectating today, although it was first time in Sligo and it's a beautiful part of the country. The views on the road from Manorhamilton to Sligo town would take some beating.

AuldManKing wrote: »

Fair play Pconn, hats off to you for doing that and putting yourself out there.
Major kudos right there.

Thanks AMK, you can't beat the track, it's so addictive (even if you are coming last on occasion!). Well done on your run today, more time to come off that. A relative of mine ran the race, said it was a great one.

RayCun

Good run today. Most of our team was pulled together where we could find them (I'd have been in the 5 if it wasn't for the marathon) but Conor is a good runner, and he's been training for the 1500 for a few months. I might see you out at round two?

pconn062

RayCun wrote: »

Good run today. Most of our team was pulled together where we could find them (I'd have been in the 5 if it wasn't for the marathon) but Conor is a good runner, and he's been training for the 1500 for a few months. I might see you out at round two?

He was tough alright, died a little after about 1000 metres but had a good kick when he needed it at the end. Not sure about round two yet, I was there yesterday as our main 1500m runner was sick. Hopefully for round two he will be available (he's a 3.50 runner so a fair bit ahead of me!), and I won't have to come last again! In fact for round two we should have a choice of a few low 4/sub 4 runners. Your 5,000 runner looked very young but held on well in a tough race!

RayCun

He was thrown in at the deep end all right!

pconn062

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 47 mins easy

Felt very good on this run, tipping along at 7.15 pace on the hilly route without much effort. My left calf has been tight and sore since the 1500m on Sunday and I spent some time trying to loosen it out with a foam roller and tennis ball.

Today: Session 4 (mins), 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4 off 1 min easy

Into the track tonight for a vo2 max session. I was slightly cautious of my calf as it was still tight. The plan was to do the 4 and 3 minute sections at 5k pace (84 secs per lap) and then to run slightly faster for the 1 and 2 minute sections (about 80 secs per lap). Was very warm at the track, not that I'm complaining! Pretty much went as planned, apart from a slightly longer unplanned break before the last 4 minute rep due to stomach issues. Calf was a little sore during the run, it's not injured but more like bad DOMS after wearing the spikes on Sunday. Hopefully a few more days of rolling will help.

Plan now is for a few easy days running before attempting another track session on Saturday if the calf is feeling better. The body can really take a beating from these hard track sessions and it's a careful balance to avoid over reaching and getting injured.

dna_leri

pconn062 wrote: »

Calf was a little sore during the run, it's not injured but more like bad DOMS after wearing the spikes on Sunday. Hopefully a few more days of rolling will help.

Plan now is for a few easy days running before attempting another track session on Saturday if the calf is feeling better. The body can really take a beating from these hard track sessions and it's a careful balance to avoid over reaching and getting injured.

100% agree. I did my first speedwork session on Tuesday (400m pace in spikes) and am still feeling the effects. Will wait and see how I feel when I get to the track today before deciding what to do. Avoiding injury is the first priority.

pconn062

dna_leri wrote: »

100% agree. I did my first speedwork session on Tuesday (400m pace in spikes) and am still feeling the effects. Will wait and see how I feel when I get to the track today before deciding what to do. Avoiding injury is the first priority.

Glad to hear you're back training DL.

pa4

Just catching up with your log now, savage run the other day well done! Your flying at the minute It's still early in the season, plenty more to come

pconn062

pa4 wrote: »

Just catching up with your log now, savage run the other day well done! Your flying at the minute It's still early in the season, plenty more to come

Thanks pa, hopefully there is plenty is more to come! Good to see you back, good luck with your race!

pconn062

Thursday: 47 mins recovery

Nice easy run, felt good on this although possibly a little too far and fast for a recovery run.

Friday: 49 mins easy

Another good run, I'm feeling really good on these easy runs which is a good sign that the fitness is improving. Calf still a little tight but better than previous days.

Saturday: 3x(200m, 200m, 300m) with 45 secs between reps, 3.30 rec between sets.

Splits: (33, 33, 51), (33, 33, 50), (33, 34, 49)

I was satisfied enough with how the calf felt on Saturday morning and went ahead with my planned session. The plan was for some 800m pace work, and I managed to rope my brother in for a bit of company. It was pretty bleak at the track, windy and cold and we were a little pessimistic during the warm up. Did a lot of warm up, strides, drills to make sure the legs were loose. We managed to keep the pace as even as we could, all the while fighting the wind. Just one slip on the last 200m, a concentration issue more than anything. The last 300m rep was very hard work but I held my form well and was happy with a 49. Good session and happy with the splits, the wind was probably worth a second on each rep.

Sunday: 76 mins easy

Long run with my bro and a friend in Oldbridge this morning, meant to do more but I noticed a bit of soreness in the front of my left quad muscle, right in the middle. At first I thought it was just cramp but it kept up for most of the run so called it a day a little early. it wasn't sore per se, but a little uncomfortable. Really hope it's nothing, I feel like I'm going well at the moment and don't want to have to take time off. Will try and roll it out a bit and keep a bit of ice on it and hopefully it will be fine. Have a day off tomorrow planned anyway which I hope will help. Leinster 1500m next Sunday, hoping to run well if the quad is OK.

NiallG4

I seen your post on FB last night. That was RAW that put up that session. Good to see you are back doing your 33 sec reps. Good luck in the 1500M

pconn062

NiallG4 wrote: »

I seen your post on FB last night. That was RAW that put up that session. Good to see you are back doing your 33 sec reps. Good luck in the 1500M

Ah now Niall, you can admit that the NER's are turning into track fairies, 1 mile time trials?! It will be hurdles, sunglasses and spandex next! :pac:

NiallG4

pconn062 wrote: »

Ah now Niall, you can admit that the NER's are turning into track fairies, 1 mile time trials?! It will be hurdles, sunglasses and spandex next! :pac:

and pink spikes which come packaged with a tight calf. I might cross swords with you in the Louth t & F for the craic. It will be on the back of zero track sessions and will be with the assistance of nike Pegasus runners. After that, all roads lead to either Frankfurt or Dublin in October for a nice long jog before the rematch in Oldbridge.

pconn062

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 34 mins easy

Only a short run today to test my quad, felt fine during the run although my achilles tendon was a little tender since Sunday, but again, fine during the run.

Wednesday: 3x(300m, 400m, 500m) at 1500m pace, 1 min between reps, 3.30 between sets

Splits: (54, 71, 1.30), (54, 71, 1.33), (53, 73, 1.31)

Decided to go ahead with my session as planned as the legs were feeling OK. Myself and the brother were doing this one. I was aiming to run 73 second laps but ended up a little faster than averaging 71/72. A tough session overall, no matter what I did I kept going through 200m in 35 seconds even though I felt like I was slowing, and had to keep putting on the breaks. The slower 1.33 on the second set was deliberate as the first was a touch too fast. The 73 on the last set wasn't and was more a case of the legs starting to tie up, manged to hold on for a good last 500 though. Happy with the session and would like to think I can hold 72's in a mile race soon.

Thursday: 45 mins recovery

Very easy run, got a massage done as well, physio says the issue was not with the achilles tendon but rather that calf muscle behind the tendon. Nothing too serious and he gave it a good rub out.

Friday: 49 mins easy

Saturday: 45 mins easy

So that brings me up to the Leinsters tomorrow in Tullamore, I'm down to run the 1500m. I'm hoping for a good run and a PB and a sub 4.30 would be nice but I will have to see what the conditions are like and what type of race it is. I'd actually rather a slightly more tactical race so I don't get blown out of it but will have to see what happens. It's giving a bit of a wet day but if the wind stays calm then that shouldn't affect too much. I feel like training is going really well but I'm constantly on that fine line between being healthy and injured. Just need to balance it for another six weeks or so!

ThePiedPiper

Best of luck with the racing tomorrow pconn.

dna_leri

pconn062 wrote: »

Wednesday: 3x(300m, 400m, 500m) at 1500m pace, 1 min between reps, 3.30 between sets

Splits: (54, 71, 1.30), (54, 71, 1.33), (53, 73, 1.31)

Decided to go ahead with my session as planned as the legs were feeling OK. Myself and the brother were doing this one. I was aiming to run 73 second laps but ended up a little faster than averaging 71/72. A tough session overall, no matter what I did I kept going through 200m in 35 seconds even though I felt like I was slowing, and had to keep putting on the breaks. The slower 1.33 on the second set was deliberate as the first was a touch too fast. The 73 on the last set wasn't and was more a case of the legs starting to tie up, manged to hold on for a good last 500 though. Happy with the session and would like to think I can hold 72's in a mile race soon.

Great session, signs are good for Tullamore

pconn062

4.27 for the 1500m at the leinsters today, 7th out of ten I think and a 4 second PB. Felt great during the race and it actually felt slower, I thought a PB was gone so the time was a nice surprise. Will do a longer report tomorrow maybe.

tang1

Very well done on the PB, your flying lately.

pconn062

Monday: 39 mins recovery

Very easy recovery run, felt good on this although the calf was tight as it usually is after wearing the spikes.

Tuesday: 47 mins easy

Another easy run, calf still a bit tight on this and I spent a good while afterwards trying to iron it out on the foam roller. Felt good on the run, I've abandoned my Garmin but I know where the mile markers roughly are and easy pace seems to be about 7.20 a mile at the moment.

Wednesday: 6 miles w/3x1 mile off 90 secs rec

5.56, 5.55, 5.58

I have half an eye on a 1500m time trial tomorrow night so didn't want to do anything too severe tonight. The lads were doing 3x1 mile/1x2 mile so I said I would jump in on the first three reps to get a bit of endurance work done. Although the splits weren't overly fast I felt like I was working hard, particularly one the last one. Although I've been training well recently I've definitely sacrificed a bit of endurance doing this 1500m stuff. I'm not particularly worried as I have no plans to race anything longer than a 3k in the next while, but it is something that will become a factor later in the summer.

Will see how to body feels tomorrow before deciding on the time trial in Drogheda. It is possible to say that it might be too much after the race on Sunday and the light session tonight but I'm away at a wedding in the west on Friday and Saturday so there will be no training which will give the body some time to recover. Also with the shorter distances it is possible to get away with racing a little more often (within reason). Will see what the day brings!

pconn062

Thursday: 4.5 miles with 1500m

Ran 4.34 for the 1500m tonight. A very different race than Sunday and the field of 15 or so went out very slow with me in the unusual position of leading the field out with another guy. The pace was very slow and we hit 400m in 76 and 800m in 2.32 with me still in the lead. I felt like I was jogging at this stage and made a bit of a tactical error. I wanted to push on and run away from the field but I was too scared and instead sat with the group. With 400m to go one guy went flying by me and I tried to go with him, but after 200m the legs were tying up and he got away. I lost another place with 100m to go and had to settle for third. Seven seconds of my new PB but not a bad time of such a slow start and I finished with a 65 second last lap.

I don't like races like this that come down to who can run the best last lap, I prefer a good honest pace throughout but it was good fun racing the guys and I learnt a few tactical lessons. The legs were tired after Sunday and the session last night. Luckily I am away at a wedding for the weekend so I'm going to take a few days off and treat the rest of the week as a down week.(translation: drink lots of beer! :pac:)

pconn062

Better update this before I forget!

Friday/Saturday: Off

Over in the west for a wedding so took a few days off and did some light drinking and some fairly heavy eating!

Sunday: 44 mins easy

An easy run after the long drive home to punish myself for the excesses of the weekend. Felt pretty good.

Monday: Off

Wanted to get back into the normal routine so took this day off as I usually do.

Tuesday: 49 mins steady

Covered about 7 miles on this, starting off at what felt like 7.30 pace and finishing around 6.50. Got caught in the unholiest of thunderstorms halfway through this run, I've never run in rain like it. Raindrops the size of golf balls and I was like a drowned rat when I got home.

Wednesday: Session 12x400m @ 3k pace off 60 rec

Some 3k pace stuff was on the cards tonight. I like sessions like this as the reps are reasonably manageable and the recovery is short enough to make it a little challenging. Gorgeous evening at the track and was great to have a company for the session. We took turns taking two reps each and hit a good few 80's, a few 79's and finished with a 77. It's amazing how easy this pace feels when you get used to banging out 71/72's. This would indicate about 9.50/55 pace for a 3k which may seem a little soft for my 4.27 1500m PB but I am definitely at the speed end of the spectrum as opposed to endurance so I will always fair better in shorter races. Nice easy cool down to take us over 6 miles for the session.

So training is going well at the moment I feel. The only issue is a niggle I've been carrying for a few weeks now. I have some pain in my lower calf muscle (soleus), on the inside. It has been on and off for the last few weeks and while it's never bad enough that I can't run on, it has flared up now and again and has been a bit more tender than usual since yesterday. Will need to monitor it, at the moment I am just icing and trying to keep it loose but if it continues like this I might have to look at taking time off to let it heal. Hope it doesn't come to that!

dna_leri

pconn062 wrote: »

So training is going well at the moment I feel. The only issue is a niggle I've been carrying for a few weeks now. I have some pain in my lower calf muscle (soleus), on the inside. It has been on and off for the last few weeks and while it's never bad enough that I can't run on, it has flared up now and again and has been a bit more tender than usual since yesterday. Will need to monitor it, at the moment I am just icing and trying to keep it loose but if it continues like this I might have to look at taking time off to let it heal. Hope it doesn't come to that!

Do you get a regular sports massage?

It's not something I have done before this year but would especially recommend it for anyone doing faster stuff to manage the niggles.

pconn062

dna_leri wrote: »

Do you get a regular sports massage?

It's not something I have done before this year but would especially recommend it for anyone doing faster stuff to manage the niggles.

Hi DL, yeah I get a massage about once every two weeks. It does help but I think I would need one a week but would need to rob a bank to afford it! Have one booked for next Monday. Well done on the 400m last night.

Chivito550

I remember you saying awhile back that you were introducing strength work into your training routine. Just wondering have you kept this up? Just not noticing any mention of it in your log, though maybe you don't log it.

It really is of utmost importance if you want to get a long run clan bill of health. Strong legs are needed for consistent hard sessions. Otherwise you'll continue to be battling niggles and injuries, and all the frustrations that go with that.

A lot of middle to long distance runners at our type of level think of this stuff as not important, inconvenient, not real training. The mindset of a sprinter would help when it comes to this thing IMO. Strength work is just as important as logging miles.

pconn062

Chivito550 wrote: »

I remember you saying awhile back that you were introducing strength work into your training routine. Just wondering have you kept this up? Just not noticing any mention of it in your log, though maybe you don't log it.

It really is of utmost importance if you want to get a long run clan bill of health. Strong legs are needed for consistent hard sessions. Otherwise you'll continue to be battling niggles and injuries, and all the frustrations that go with that.

A lot of middle to long distance runners at our type of level think of this stuff as not important, inconvenient, not real training. The mindset of a sprinter would help when it comes to this thing IMO. Strength work is just as important as logging miles.

Yeah I agree with your post. I am doing strength training, several times a week, I just don't log it here as it makes for incredibly boring reading! I have a lower leg programme with particular emphasis on balance and strength. Not sure if it's helping the niggles though!

pconn062

Hmmm, better update this before I forget all these runs!

Thursday: 49 mins very easy

A member of our club was getting married so a big group of us met at the clubrooms at 8am to give him a send off, his last run as a single man! Pace was very easy and perfect to ease the legs out from the night before. Left shin sore throughout the run though.

Friday: 47 mins easy

Can't remember anything about this.

Saturday: 6.5 miles with tempo

It was time for another tempo run and I did this on my own as I think it is beneficial for me to do runs like this solo to help strengthen the mind. Did this on grass in one of my regular haunts, the lap is slightly over a kilometer long so I was aiming for 5 laps which would hopefully give me over twenty minutes of "work". I had no Garmin but I knew where the kilometer marks where and I was knocking out 3.54/55 kilometers, and hit 5k in 19.30 or so. Finished the five laps with 20.30 on the clock, so a good workout. I'm happy with the pace on this considering I was running on grass, alone, in the hottest part of the day, and it was hot! Would hope to be hitting 3.50 k's if I was doing this on the track.

Sunday: 78 mins easy in Oldbridge

Long run with my brother. This was a tough slog and it took us until towards the end of the run to figure out why. We were running 7.20 a mile, which would be fine on the road but on a very warm morning on a hilly, cross country course it was a bit too much like hard work. Ran the route of the new Oldbridge 5k which is starting on Saturday, going to a lovely but slightly tough run. Mostly on grass and will make good cross country training in a few months. Shin was a little tender on both of these runs.

Monday: Off/Massage

Tuesday: 48 mins easy

Absolutely bloody roasting out there, and I headed back up to the grass again where at least I could get some shade from the trees that surround the path/trail. Felt good despite the heat and no problems from the shin.

Session planned for tomorrow and then possibly a mile race on Saturday. Also I think there is a 1500m at the Graded Meet next Wednesday si that will be on the cards too all going well.