The reboot!!!

token56

17/03/2020
1.5 mile warm up

6 x 800m with 90 secs jogging interval
#1 - 03:01
#2 - 03:13
#3 - 03:01
#4 - 03:17
#5 - 03:04
#6 - 03:12

1.5 mile warm down

Total distance 6 miles

These type of sessions are tough on your own! Every second one of these was into a guesting head wind which is the reason for such a difference in the times. It really picked up on #4 but I just did the best I could. My legs didn't feel the strongest on this but I'm happy enough.

18/03/2020
6.36 miles - 57:31 (9:03 pace)

Easy recovery run. Boring enough run with not much to report unfortunately.

I am having an odd issue however, with working from home for the foreseeable future I have started to go for an hours walk in the morning before I start and another half hour at lunch. My left hip is getting quite painful when walking but its absolutely fine when running, I don't feel it at all. I've never really had this before so not sure what it is. Fortunately working from home also means I can sneak in a lot stretching and strengthening exercises so hopefully that might help.

I could just change my morning walks into morning jogs but I'm conscious of increasing the miles I'm doing too quickly or running twice a day which could lead to other issues. Anyway I'm monitor it over the next few days and see how it goes.

In other news I have what I think is a reasonable enough training plan done out for the next few weeks. I'll try get it an a suitable format and stick it up here in the next few days. It is roughly similar to what I am doing at the moment, 5 days a week, an interval session on a Tuesday and what I'm calling Treviso tempo runs on a Thursday starting with a 2 x 3 mile tomorrow to ease into it. I'm also going to try add in some cross training on one of the rest days even if it is just my bike on the turbo trainer. I might adjust as the weeks go on but we'll see how it goes.

token56

19/03/2020

~1 mile warm up

3.22 miles - 22:12 (6:53 pace)

~1 mile recovery - 8:30 pace

3.22 mile - 22:23 (6:56 pace)

Walk recovery

Total distance - 8.6 miles

A good session but I know way too fast and I'm suffering the consequences. On the last mile of the second set my right calf felt like it was going to pop and I couldn't even do the warm down, just had to walk sheepishly home. It's quite sore now but lots of stretching and rolling will hopefully help. I know I keep making the same mistake of pushing too hard on these types of runs but I really felt quite strong and just went with it. But lesson learned, this is what happens.

In saying all this I still think it was a good session, my pace was quite consistent throughout each 3 mile set and the strength and speed in my legs is slowly coming back. I definitely feel like I've taken a step forward in recent weeks. I just need to be sensible.

Hopefully the calf is ok after a days rest tomorrow and I will get in 2 long easy runs at the weekend.

Treviso

Glad to see it's not just me that suffers on those sessions! Nice paces but you may be pushing it a bit too hard as you said yourself - if you get injured then all the recent hard work will be for nothing. No races for a few months so you have plenty of time to improve if you train sensibly. That sub 20 5k will be there at the end of this quarantine.

token56

Thanks Treviso, solid advice as always. It is certainly a time to be sensible.

21/03/2020
10.5 miles - 01:30:52 (8:39 pace)

Easy/recovery run.

My calf is definitely still not 100% but I managed to get through this just about. It was touch and go on the last mile. I was feeling a small bit better this morning and I was considering getting out again, more for something to do than anything else. But I've done a reasonable amount of miles this week already and I do need to be sensible so I think getting the extras day rest is called for and I'll go back at it on Tuesday. In the meantime lots of stretching, rolling and a few strengthening exercises.

Total weekly mileage - 31.46

token56

24/03/2020

1.5 mile warm up

5 x ~1K
#1 - 03:46
#2 - 03:56
#3 - 03:51
#4 - 03:58
#5 - 03:51

2.5 mile warm down

Total distance - 7.25 miles

This was supposed to be 5 x 1K but the distance must have been a bit short based on the times above. At the moment I am measuring it out using maps online, this is the best I can do right now. I ran a bit over what the map said was 1K but it still felt a bit short. I'm not sure how much short it was but probably not a whole lot.

I basically just tried to hold my 800m pace for the extra distance. #2 and #4 were into the wind a bit so the pace was a bit slower. It was tough but I felt relatively ok on it. The calf was feeling good after the extras day rest and treatment and held up well too which was a bonus.

25/03/2020

7.43 miles - 01:04:39 (8:42 pace)

Easy/recovery run. Not much to report on this one. I started off too quick (8 min pace), falling into old habits of running too fast on my recovery runs but I was able to notice it after less than a mile and slowed the pace down.

After this I did a couple of strides up a small bit of a hill just to get the legs moving but nothing too taxing.

26/03/2020

1.5 mile warm up

2.15 miles - 14:29 (6:44 pace)

~1 mile recovery

2.15 miles - 14:35 (6:47 pace)

1.5 mile warm down

Total distance - 8.38 miles

This was supposed to be a 3 x 2 mile session however on the second recovery mile, or what ended up being the warm down, I could feel my calf start to tighten exactly like last week. Normally I would have just pushed through but with being sensible in mind I decided against that and just called the session short. A bit disappointing because I was feeling good apart from that and I think I would have been able to keep pace on the third set. Still I'm happy with the pace of the first two. I know it is fast but I am feeling stronger at the moment and this is the sort of pace I should be doing these sessions in if I want to run sub 20.

token56

So... I'm struggling a bit mentally at the moment with everything that is going on in the world, the new restrictions, the isolation, which I know many other people are too. Today in particular was quite a bad day for me but I did manage to get out for a walk this evening which was something.

Anyway while I enjoy writing up my logs here, as silly it sounds I put this weird pressure on myself to do it which I know is all in my own head, but it's something I would rather do without right now. So for the moment I'm going to take a small break in updating here, hopefully just for a few weeks when things might get back to a bit of normality. I'm going to continue training to the best of my ability but I probably won't be able to stick to my training plan. I'm just going to get out for what I am comfortable and keep things ticking over.

To anyone who is following me, speak to you soon!

token56

It's been 2 weeks and I feel like giving a bit of an update. I’ve switched all my running to the early mornings as there are just too many people out in the evenings. I have been on a bit of a running streak since the last update, running for 14 days in a row which I’m happy with but I’m trying to be careful not to overdo it. I’m also adding some consistent strength and conditioning workouts a couple of times a week.

I’ve started using the strava app on some of my runs which seems to be indicating that I have been overestimating my distance by about 1 – 2 %. I do think it is cutting corners on some routes but I will take it as being correct. A bit disappointing because I am not running quite as quick as I thought but good to know. On a positive note I have treated myself and ordered a Garmin forerunner 245 to allow me to be consistent across all my training in terms of measuring distances/pace etc. I’m really looking forward to testing it out and setting up some nice workouts.

With all that out of the way here is my runs the past two weeks

29/03/2020 – Tempo run
5.28 miles – 38:43 (7:20 pace)

30/03/2020 – Easy run
5.28 miles – 46:16 (8:46 pace)

31/03/2020 – Interval run
6 x ~800m with 90 secs jogging interval
#1 – 03:02
#2 – 03:04
#3 – 03:03
#4 – 03:06
#5 – 03:02
#6 – 03:06

1.5 mile warm up and warm down
Total distance 6 miles

01/04/2020 – Easy run
4 miles – 36:00 (9:00 pace)

02/04/2020 – Tempo run
4.22 miles – 29:58 (7:06 pace)

03/04/2020 – Easy run
4.74 miles – 40:29 (8:32 pace)

04/04/2020 – Long tempo
10.11 miles – 1:16:04 (7:31 pace)

I was quite happy with this run. I was trying to run around what I think my half marathon pace would be if I were to do one. I had to work a bit towards the end of it but felt pretty good.

05/04/2020 – Easy run
AM - 6.2 miles – 55:49 (9:00 pace)
PM – 1 hour turbo trainer

06/04/2020 – Easy run
4.2 miles – 37:31 (8:56 pace)

07/04/2020 – Interval run
6 x ~800m with 90 secs jogging interval
#1 – 03:02
#2 – 03:05
#3 – 03:05
#4 – 03:09
#5 – 03:07
#6 – 03:10
1.5 mile warm up and warm down

I don’t know what I was so much slower on this. Conditions were good but I just felt very tired. Trying to do intervals early in the morning is difficult as it take me a while to get going.

08/04/2020 – Easy run
4.74 miles – 42:07 (8:53 pace)

09/04/2020 2 x 2 mile 5K race pace
8.06 miles – 1:03:01 (7:49 pace)

Including 2 x 2.11 miles at 5K race pace
#1 – 14:15 (6:45 pace)
#2 – 14:10 (6:42 pace)

Even with it being early in the morning I felt good on this. I worked hard to keep the splits as even as I could on the 2 mile intervals which I managed to do quite well. Another good run.

10/04/2020 – Easy run
4.74 miles – 41:25 (8:44 pace)

11/04/2020 – Long tempo run
7.09 miles – 53:28 (7:32 pace)

I had intended to do 10 miles here like last week but I was having some stomach issues so had to finish early. To be honest I felt pretty terrible on this though. I was struggling to keep the pace compared to the same run the week before. Not as good a run.

Plan for the immediate future is to keep the running streak going and just try keep the consistency up until the A/R 5K TT. Based on my session earlier in the week I think I can hold low 6:40 pace which would have me under the 21 mins which I will be happy with.

token56

12/04/2020 - Easy/Recovery Run
AM - 6.2 miles - 52:59 (8:33 pace)
PM - 1 hour turbo trainer (easy/moderate effort)

13/04/2020 - Easy Run
4.72 miles - 41:25 (8:46 pace)

14/04/2020 - Interval run
6 x ~800m with 90 secs jogging interval
#1 – 03:01
#2 – 03:03
#3 – 03:03
#4 – 03:00
#5 – 03:04
#6 – 03:06
1.5 mile warm up and warm down

A better session than the previous weeks. It was still tough but I just felt like I had that bit more strength. Also I'm quite sure now that what I've been running for this session is a bit under 800m, I'm not sure how much but I will find out.

15/04/2020 - Easy Run
4.69 miles - 40:39 (8:40 pace)

My Garmin FR245 came and this was my first run with it. Good times

16/04/2020 - 2 x 2 mile 5K pace 1 mile recovery

2.06 miles - 14:22 (6:58 pace)
2.06 miles - 14:26 (7:00 pace)

Total distance 7.94 miles - 1:02:16 (7:51 pace)

I was really looking forward to doing this session with the new watch to get an accurate measurement of my pace. However looking at the GPS results it definitely feels a bit off in my opinion. I did the same session last week with the Strava app on my phone and there looks to be a sizable enough variance in my opinion. I will take what the watch says though and test some different GPS settings.

As for the run itself I didn't feel great, definitely not the same strength as last week which is clear from the times. I'm finding now that I'm running in the early morning the quality of the nights sleep before a run makes a bigger difference than evening running. Still a good session to get in the legs.

17/04/2020 - Easy run
4.71 miles - 39:29 (8:22 pace)

This was a bit quicker than my normal easy pace but I felt fine and the heart rate was pretty consistent with my other slow runs.

18/04/2020 - Long tempo run
10.01 miles - 1:13:06 (7:18 pace)

Miles: 7:25, 11, 25, 17, 21, 26, 10, 21, 18, 09

I'm very happy with this run, I felt so much better on it than last week. I would have been happy with 7:30 pace again but after the first mile I was at 7:25 pace and felt comfortable and just tried to keep it going. I was working towards the end of it but it didn't feel like racing, comfortably hard I think the phrase is. I guess this is what working on aerobic strength is supposed to feel like. But yeah... a good run I think.


My running streak is up to 21 days in a row now. I want to keep it going but I'm tempted to take the day off before the 5K TT next weekend. I'll see how the week goes.

token56

19/04/2020 - Easy/recovery run
8.54 miles - 1:16:15 (8:56 pace)

An easier long run after the previous days 10 miles. I discovered a different park within my 2km limit that has various pitches so spend a good few miles of this on grass going around them. It was a nice change from all the concrete/tarmac.

20/04/2020 - Easy run
4.71 miles - 39:48 (8:28 pace)

21/04/2020 - Easy run
6.3 miles - 52:14 (8:18 pace)

Two easy runs, I would normally have done an interval session on the Tuesday but with the TT at the weekend I have changed things around slightly.

22/04/2020 - Hard Tempo run
1.6 miles warm up (8:33 pace)

4 miles - 27:16 (6:48 pace)

1.6 miles warm down (8:48 pace)

I planned this as my only hard session for the week and I was doing it on the route I plan to use at the weekend. I felt like it would give me a pretty good indication of where I am.

Going by the laps on garmin my pace was very consistent and I did the first 5K of this in 21:08. I do feel again that the gps might not have been the most accurate here and was in fact working in my favour on this one. It's hard to know though and I will take it at face value.

Overall I felt pretty good on it but definitely a bit more to give for Saturday.

23/04/2020 Easy run
6.27 miles - 53:26 (8:32 pace)

Another easy run. The legs felt a bit tired on this one and I was feeling a small strain in my groin after the previous days run. I did lots of stretching and massaging in the evening to try and help.

24/04/2020 - Easy/recovery run
4.7 miles - 41:17 (8:47 pace)

I wasn't sure whether or not to do this but I just said would start it and if I felt my groin at all or the legs were too tired I would stop. I tried to keep the pace slow and thankfully everything felt ok though.

Now it's just the TT tomorrow. I'm really going to try push it. I feel like if the legs are good and conditions are right I can get close to 20:00 but I'm not sure I can break it just yet. I'll give it everything I have though.

token56

25/04/2020 - 5K TT Race Report

5K - 20:28 (6:35 pace)

Started with an easy warm up and a bit of stretching. I felt pretty good and conditions could not have been more perfect.

The route was roughly 3 and half laps of Father Collins park which is quite nice and fast. No hills of any sort just some very mild undulation. It can get a bit busy with walkers and cyclists but I was out early enough for this not to be a problem.

Lap 1:
I was pretty sure I'm wasn't in sub 20 shape yet but you never know if you don't try so why not go for it. I felt pretty strong starting off and settled into a good rhythm. The end of the laps is the most difficult section with a very mild incline. I powered through it but didn't feel as strong as I would have liked and I was already beginning to doubt a sub 20.

Lap 2:
A small bit into lap and mile 1 ticks off at 6:24 which is pretty perfect pace wise. However, I was already beginning to struggle a bit to keep the pace up but held it for the next few hundred meters and I reckon I was still at sub 20 pace passing by 2K. I knew I was slowing down a bit though and I just tried to hold it all together as best as I could. At the end of this lap I knew I was running too slow but I just couldn't get the legs moving quick enough.

Lap 3:
After slowing down on the drag at the end of lap 2 I tried to pick my pace up as best I could but it was so hard. Mile 2 clocked in at 6:47, I didn't think I had lost this much time but I knew that was the end of any sub 20 hopes and my focus switched to finishing sub 20:30 which was the initial goal anyway. I calculated that meant running the next mile somewhere under 6:40 mile so I just put the head down and suffered through the rest of the lap.

Last 1/2 lap:
I finished lap 3 and was really struggling but this was it, less than half a mile to go, this would be either the making or breaking of the run. I found whatever was at the bottom of the tank and just pumped the legs as best I could. The watch beeped for Mile 3 but I didn't look, it just meant I was close to the end, and I was only focused on keeping the legs moving (Mile 3 ended up being 6:38). It felt like forever but the watch eventually started to beep to tell my 5K was coming up and and it clocked in at 20:28.

I didn't realize you still have to stop the watch after a workout on the Garmin so the time ran on a small bit as a I lay in a heap on the ground before noticing but 20:28 was the 5K time.

Reflecting on it a few hours later and I'm pretty happy. I thought I might be a bit closer to 20:00 but I think it's a good effort for where I am and over 2 minutes of an improvement since my parkrun in January. I still have a lot of hard work to put in to get to sub 20 but I'm progressing and that is good enough right now.


Warm down
6.28 miles - 53:17 (8:28 pace)

After a few minutes walking I started this and just kept going. It was probably too long right after the 5K but I felt ok on it and I will take it relatively easy tomorrow.

token56

26/04/2020
10 miles - 1:12:51 (7:17 pace)

I had planned for a easier day but I was late to learning about the DoItForDan fundraising that was going on back home and my old club were doing a fundraiser and asking people to run on this day for the cause. I could have just jogged it but that wouldn't have been much of a challenge.

I was actually feeling very good for the first 5 miles and going along nicely but the previous day kicked in then and I struggled for the second half. I must say I was pretty wrecked after it but happy to have done it.

This run had me just shy of a 50 mile week, the most I have done so far. I will try stay around this for a few weeks rather than increasing much more. I'm not sure the body could take it.

27/04/2020
5.39 miles - 45:52 (8:30 pace)

An easy but sore run. The muscles were definitely aching after the weekend but I just wanted to get something done to help loosen the body up. This also marked 30 days straight of running.


My body is definitely feeling the effects of the last couple of weeks and the hard running at the weekend so I'm listening to it and I'm taking a rest day today although I might do a bit of easy cycling on the turbo trainer. It does mean I break my running streak but there was never any real goal around that. No point in doing something just for the sake of it.

I think the rest of the week will just be more easy miles, maybe one tempo session later in the week. Back to a bit more structure then next week.

token56

28/04/2020
1 hour turbo trainer

A break from running as planned. A moderate effort on the bike, nothing too taxing.

29/04/2020
8.12 miles - 1:03:58 (7:53 pace)

This was supposed to be an easy run but turned into a bit more of a moderate progression run. I felt very pretty good after the day off so as the run went on I upped the pace and effort gradually. It still very relatively easy overall.

30/04/2020
7.33 miles - 1:02:15 (8:30 pace)

This was an actual easy run. I am probably still running it a bit fast for a true recovery run but the overall effort felt very low.

01/05/2020
9.57 miles - 1:17:52 (8:08 pace)

Another easy...ish run. Not quite true easy pace but nothing too taxing either. Felt pretty strong.

02/05/2020
10.03 miles - 1:12:39 (7:15 pace)

A hard 10 miles. I had set off with 7:15 as my target pace so I'm quite happy I was able to match it. I'm certainly still not all out of these runs but I have to remember I'm doing all of this running on pretty flat ground. Actual races will likely have hills and while I'm feeling a lot stronger recently I'm definitely missing hills from my training.

03/05/2020
13:41 miles - 1:51:34 (8:19 pace)

My first time over the half marathon distance. My focus was just on spending longer on the feet. I think before this my longest run was about 90 mins so a nice increase. Also a new route within the 2km which was quite nice, I'll certainly be making use of it a bit more in the future. The pace was fine if not a bit fast after the previous days session, the legs felt pretty good though.

Total weekly miles - 53.8

All in all things are going pretty well at the moment, I'm feeling a few little niggles while out but nothing major. I'm still doing strength and conditioning focused on my core 3 - 4 times a week and it is definitely helping. I would like to introduce a strength session focused just on my legs once a week but it is difficult to fit everything in without feeling like I'm going to push my body over the edge.

Next week I want to get back to a bit more structure and some faster running. I'm in two minds between focusing on shorter intervals like 400's or longer 1K's. I'll have a bit more of a think tomorrow and come up with a plan.

token56

04/05/2020 - Easy/Recovery
9.25 miles - 1:21:52 (8:51 pace)

A proper slow/recovery run. It was definitely needed after the weekend. The legs were a bit sore on it but loosened up as the run went on. My heart rate also stayed nice a low which was good.

05/05/2020 - 5 x 1K with 90 secs jog recovery
Total distance 7.49 miles - 58:55 (7:52 pace)

Warm up - 1.62 miles

5 x 1K
#1 - 3:59
#2 - 3:56
#3 - 3:56
#4 - 4:01
#5 - 4:04

Warm down - 2 miles

This was a tough session. My target was 4:00 per km pace so I'm pretty pleased with it and I felt strong enough. I'm feeling closer to the sub 20 but not quite there yet I think.

06/05/2020 - Easy
9.24 miles - 1:16:02 (8:14 pace)

This was supposed to an easy run but I lost a bit of self control in the middle and quickened up the pace when passing a few people by. A silly habit I need to get out of. I just need to keep reminding myself, easy runs easy.

07/05/2020 - 3 x 2 mile off ~1.1K recovery
Total distance - 10.11 miles - 1:17:00 (7:37 pace)

Warm up - 1.61 miles

3 x 2 mile (recovery @ 8:30 pace)
#1 - 13:46 (6:53, 6:52)
#2 - 13:37 (6:47, 6:49)
#3 - 13:26 (6:43, 6:42)

Warm down - 1 mile

I am very happy with this session, the strongest I have felt on any run so far. A decent pace for me and I was able to get faster rather than slow down on each interval.

I think the longer miles and consistency is starting to pay dividends.

token56

08/05/2020 - Easy/Recovery
5.41 miles - 47:46 (8:50 pace)

As easy recovery run after the previous days hard session. I must say the legs were pretty stiff on this even at this pace. I did a few strides afterwards to get a bit of life into them.

09/05/2020 - Hard 10 miles
10.34 miles - 1:16:16 (7:23 pace)

Starting off on this and I felt relatively ok. I was tipping along at a nice pace but after 4 miles the legs just got heavier and heavier. I really struggled then for the mile or two before a brief second wind but finished struggling again. Taking this run in isolation I would normally be a bit disappointed but I've had a good week with two other strong workouts not to mention keeping up the increased mileage.


My total mileage for the week is already over 50 miles, my third week around this level. I would normally feel like getting out for an easy long run on a Sunday but I think its best not to push things too far. A 60+ mile week would be a big increase in a short amount of time and I don't want to risk injury when I don't need to. Plus after today I definitely feel like the legs could do with a rest so I think I'll take tomorrow off running, maybe a bit of cycling, then go again next week.

token56

10/05/2020 - Rest Day

Rest day as planned, no cycling either, just a long walk. I felt the legs could do with the day off.

11/05/2020 - Easy

9.6 miles - 1:20:02 (8:20 pace)

An easy run to kick the week off. The legs felt pretty good after the days rest. However after the run I was feeling a slight niggle in my right hip.

12/05/2020 - 12 x 400m off 60 secs

Total distance - 9.14 miles - 1:18:15 (8:34 pace)

Warm up - 1.23 miles - 11:47 (9:33 pace)

12 x 400 off 60s walk recovery

#1 - 1:25 #7 - 1:29
#2 - 1:29 #8 - 1:31
#3 - 1:29 #9 - 1:30
#4 - 1:28 #10 - 1:31
#5 - 1:30 #11 - 1:31
#6 - 1:31 #12 - 1:30

Warm down - 4.38 miles - 35:20 (8:04)

This was an interesting session. I could feel my hip a bit still this morning but I felt ok warming up and continued as planned. To be honest I was hoping to be a bit faster on 400s but I was doing them on grass which was a bit wet this morning and I definitely think it slowed me down a bit. I was relatively happy though that I was able to keep the pace pretty consistent but it was tough. After number 8 I was already thinking of calling it a day but can't be doing that. I knew I would be very p*ssed off with myself if I didn't see the whole session through.

After the 400's were finished I still had a bit of time before I needed to be home to get ready for work so decided I would do a longish "warm" down. It was probably a bit quicker than it needed to be but I think my legs were just full of adrenaline from moving at the quicker pace.

Unfortunately after I finished and the adrenaline wore off my hip was pretty sore and still is. I think it's just a bit strained, I guess from the increase in mileage over the past while. I don't actually feel any pain when I run, just when I do certain movements. I know I could run on it pain free tomorrow but that would be a bit fool hardy and I'm sure will aggravate it afterwards. Time to be sensible again and rest it for a day, maybe two. Disappointing but I've had a good injury free stint for a while now and these things will happen. Hopefully it will recover quick enough.

token56

13/05/2020 - Rest Day
--

14/05/2020 - Rest Day
--

15/05/2020 - Easy/Steady
5.38 miles - 43:57 (8:10 pace)

The hip was feeling much better after the two days of rest. They were definitely needed. It felt absolutely fine on the run and I was able to tip away nicely, the pace was a bit quicker than my normal easy runs but the effort was very low. The hip is a small bit tender after the run but overall feeling pretty good.


Recently with the increase in mileage I've been feeling like I need a bit of advice on getting the most out it. So I've reached out to my old coach back home who is going help me out. They have asked that I do a 2 mile TT and a 1 mile TT over the next week to give them a baseline of where I'm at. We will work out some paces based on these and go from there. I'm going to try get the 2 mile TT done tomorrow if my hip feels ok in the morning then probably the 1 mile TT in the middle of next week. I would like to do a longish run at the weekend too but won't go too crazy over on the mileage next week as I would like to give these TT's a proper go.

I'm really not sure what to expect time wise on them, I don't know if I'm being unrealistic at aiming for 12:30 for the 2 mile and I would like to be going under 6 for the miles. I guess I'll find out over the next few days.

token56

16/05/2020 - 2 mile TT

Warm Up
1.44 miles - 12:27 (8:40 pace)

2 mile TT - 12:38 (6:19 pace)

Cool down
6.49 miles - 53:12 (8:12 pace)

As planned this session was about the 2 mile TT. I wasn't feeling the absolute best on the warm up but just tried to get my legs/body loose. Started off on the 2 mile at a decent pace aiming for 6:15 for the first mile. Went through at 6:16 and was feeling relatively good. But after another half a mile I was struggling particularly as I turned a corner into a bit of a headwind my legs were just sapped of energy. I tried to power home as best I could but lost 6 seconds on the second mile.

Not a bad attempt. I think I could go slightly faster in better conditions, but not much more. I was actually looking back at my very first training log on boards 12 years ago and this is about the same that I could manage back then. I wouldn't have believed that was possible this time last year so I'll certainly take the positives from this.

On a negative note while my hip was fine running afterwards it was feeling a bit worse, not terrible but not great.

17/05/2020 - Half marathon

13.12 miles - 1:38:11 (7:29 pace)

My hip was feeling ok in the morning and I wanted to get out for a decent run. Started out with an easy warm up mile and then picked the pace up a small bit. After 2 miles I picked it up again and put in a decent 7 miles averaging 7:14 pace. I dropped the pace a small bit for mile 10 before trying to finish strong enough for the last 3 miles.

A decent outing and not a bad overall pace. If I could do the same again at this pace I would be very happy but I'm not quite there yet .


Unfortunately my hip is far from good after this run. Again if felt fine on the run but I am obviously aggravating it by running, I'm just not exactly sure what is wrong. As much as I really don't want to, I think I'm going to have to take a bit of a longer break from running to let it rest otherwise I just see this pattern repeating, I'm hoping 5-7 days but who knows. I'll just hope I don't loose too much fitness. I will focus on stretching and see if there are any exercises that help. I'll test out a bit of cycling too, I might be able to do that without aggravating it.

I really wish physios were open right now, maybe I should see about an online session.

OOnegative

From reading your log and following you on Strava, you do far to many of your runs to fast!! Were you on the limit today for the half, honestly?

Regarding the hip issue, I tried running through the same issue 5/6 years ago, ended up tearing the labrum in my left hip(still torn). Ended up not running for 4/5 months and only got back on the road after some fairly intense rehab. If it hurts give it a few weeks rest, your training for nothing at the minute. It’ll stand to you down the road.

token56

I can't really argue with that when I'm getting injured. Yeah I was close enough to the limit today with the way I ran it. I'm confident running at a more even pace I could go a few minutes faster but I get your point.

For sure I will rest it as long as is necessary. I had been wanting to do some leg strengthening exercises for a while so I guess now could be a good time to start if I'm not running. Maybe some daily yoga/pilates to make sure everything is as strong as possible for when I can get back running.

OOnegative

I found a resistance band great help for strengthening the hip back up, still use it today for maintenance to keep the strength up.

skyblue46

OOnegative wrote: »

I found a resistance band great help for strengthening the hip back up, still use it today for maintenance to keep the strength up.

Likewise. It was resistance band work that seemed to play a huge part (along with 2 weeks rest) in me clearing a hip problem that had bugged me for 6 months. The mistake I made was trying to run through the injury. Be careful.

token56

Just a quick update. I've been resting for the week, just a small bit of walking to clear the head. Talking with my old/new coach who is also trained on the physiotherapy side of things they believe I have a lot of tight/overworked muscles around the area, in particular the TFL and gluteus medius so I'm doing lots of work with the spiky ball to work these areas. There is definitely a few tender spots. It's painful work but necessary.

The hip is definitely improved but still not 100& pain free. So the plan for the next week is more of the same, maybe some strengthening exercises with the resistance band if it doesn't aggravate it but I will be careful about this. Hopefully in a weeks time I will be able to get back to some easy jogging.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also donated blood during the week. I figured since I wasn't going to be running for a small bit I might as well. I ended up fainting immediately afterwards which has never happened to me in all the times I've donated previously, pretty embarrassing really. Felt a bit shaky for a day or two afterwards but all ok now.

token56

Another update and good news to report. I rested again this week and most of the week wasn't too bad but the last 3 days there is no pain in the hip. I did a few activation exercises yesterday and jogged 1 mile just to see how it would react. Some areas are a small bit tender but no pain so I'm taking it as a win.

My plan is to go out tomorrow for an easy 5K and I'll see how the week goes based on how I feels after that. I won't be going hard on any runs this week anyway, just easy miles but I would like to slowly increase the distance if I can, I just need to see how the body reacts. I'm sure I will have lost a small bit of fitness and it will take another few weeks to fully recover from the blood donation but I will be delighted just to be doing something for the week.

I'll obviously be keeping up all the stretching/exercises. I know a few trigger points now to watch out for so I'll be keeping a strict eye on them.

Here's hoping for a good week.

token56

01/06/2020

3.22 miles - 25:04 (7:47 pace)

First run back, took the first two miles easy and I did pick up the pace a bit on the third mile just to see how the legs felt. No problems and the hip felt good afterwards.

Even though everything felt good I'm being pretty cautious so I rested the next day with lots of stretching and rolling.

03/06/2020

6.23 miles - 52:02 (8:21 pace)

The plan for this run was to just try keep a relatively steady easy pace for a bit of a longer distance. All worked out quite well. Again the hip was good during the run. I can feel a few muscles around the area but I think this is just all the stretching/rolling I've been doing.

04/06/2020

4.84 miles - 39:26 (8:09 pace)

Not quite as long as the previous day and a small bit quicker but the effort was still quite easy. I also did a few activation exercises and some strides afterwards. Today was just to progress to two days in a row and see how everything felt. Thankfully so far so good but I'm still quite nervous about any potential discomfort I might feel. I just don't want to go backwards.


Overall a pretty good few days and it's great to be back just doing something again. On the runs I don't feel quite as strong as I did before the break and my average heart rate is certainly a few beats faster but this is coming back down. To be expected I guess and the recent blood donation could still be having an effect here too.

I will rest again tomorrow from running, maybe I'll get out for a cycle. Then at the weekend I want to try get a longer run in, something around 8 - 10 miles. Presuming all feels good after that I think maybe a 35ish mile week next week would be good, mostly easy but with one tempo session in there if I can.

token56

06/06/2020 - Easy to Steady

9.27 miles - 1:14:30 (8:02 pace)

07/06/2020 - Easy to Steady

8.86 miles - 1:10:53 (8:00 pace)

09/06/2020 - Easy 10K

6.35 miles - 53:02 (8:21 pace)

11/06/2020 - 2 mile warm up, 4 mile tempo, 2 mile warm down

8.10 miles - 1:03:45 (7:52 pace)

4 mile tempo - 27:54 (6:58 pace)
Miles - 6:39, 7:05, 6:52, 7:18


A few things to talk about I guess. On the longer easy runs I'm feeling very comfortable but I know I'm still running them too fast. I need to slow down at least two of them by 30 secs per mile or more.

I am a bit disappointed with today's session, more in how I felt than the times. I have definitely lost a bit over the past few weeks in terms of strength, but this is my first session with quicker miles in almost 4 weeks so maybe its to be expected. The 4 miles do look a bit of a mess and my pacing wasn't great but every second mile had more undulating hills and into the wind today. Still I can do better on the pacing.

On a positive note thankfully my hip is holding up pretty well. I've no issues while running, it is a bit stiff sometimes in the morning but I'm trying to make sure I'm getting enough rest in between runs and I'm making sure to keep up all the exercises/stretching/rolling.

I'll probably get out for a shorter recovery run tomorrow and then one more longer run at the weekend. I'll hopefully have some company on this which will be nice. Next week I'll see about maybe adding back an interval session but it will all depend on how the body feels.

token56

12/06/2020 - Easy/Recovery

8.6K - 46:24 (5:24/km)

14/06/2020 - Long Steady Run

21.09K - 1:42:56 (4:53/km)


As you might notice I've switched to the metric system. I've been convinced by my soon to be coach to do this. It's a bit weird and going to take a bit of time to get used to but we will be doing everything based on km pace so it makes sense.

Friday was an easy recovery run as planned. This is the first time I just used heart rate to guide a session. My plan was to just keep the heart rate under 140. There was nothing particularly scientific about this number, just based on experience of what my rate heart normally is when I feel like I'm running properly easy. I kept my watch face on heart rate and didn't look at anything else. I think it worked out pretty well and pace didn't vary too much.

I did Sunday's run with an old training partner who is going considerably better than I am at the moment. The pace was a bit faster than I would have liked but he was pushing me along a small bit. I didn't mind and I felt pretty comfortable on it apart from the last 3K or so when my hamstring tightened up and I had to slow a small bit.

Thankfully my hip is feeling good but I'm taking today as a rest day again as a precaution. I did want to get in an interval session this week but my coach is doing a 3K TT at the weekend with a small group of others so I'm going to join this to get a measure of where I am. I'm not expecting to do as well as I did before my break but I hope I won't have lost too much.

This means no interval session just a threshold run midweek I think and easy running apart from that until the TT at the weekend. I'm going to try use the heart rate screen again for my easy runs as I think it will force me to run slow when I might not otherwise.

token56

16/06/2020 - Easy/Recovery Run

8.85K - 47:34 (5:22/km)

Unfortunately a bit of a set back with my hip after this. It is all extremely frustrating to be honest. I was taking it very easy again using my heart rate only as a guide. I had intended on doing a longer run but I could feel my hip tweak a small bit and pulled up as soon as I reasonable could once I felt it. It was sore afterwards, not the worst its been but not great. I could relieve the pain with rolling but once I was static for a while, especially sitting, it would come back.

Thankfully this morning it is feeling quite a bit better and there is very little pain but I still didn't feel comfortable enough to go out for a run. I've booked in a session with a local physio on Friday to see if I can get to root of the issue. I would like to get out for another run before then but if I'm still feeling any sort of pain I wont.

token56

Got to see the physio today and on initial examination things aren't great. The mobility in my right hip is very poor and he believes I might have a hip impingement. Obviously this would need to be confirmed with a MRI but we are not going down that route quite yet.

He treated the surrounding muscles a bit and the mobility was a bit better after. For the moment I have some new exercises to do and I have been told to cut the running right back, 3-5K 3 days a week max for the moment once I feel it is not getting any worse. We will reassess in 2 - 3 weeks and see where things go from there but it sounds like any ramp back up will be very slow.

I'm pretty gutted to be honest. I know I wasn't training for a race and I can still do a very small bit but the thoughts of going so far backwards over the next 2 - 3 months after feeling like I was making so much progress is pretty depressing. Over the past few months running has been so much more than just exercise for me. It has been a huge motivator for me in loosing the weight I did, maintaining this, and getting healthy again. Just as important, mentally the exercise has been such a positive outlet for me. Being able to just go out for an hour or more and getting that head space was fantastic.

Unfortunately there isn't much sense in keeping the log going for the foreseeable future. But as I said in the 2020 Goals thread, my number 1 goal was to not give up and I won't. I'll do what the physio says and I'll make the changes needed to my daily routine to make sure I don't go backwards from a physical and mental health point of view, and I will be back!!!

token56

Time for a small bit of an update. So I've been doing my twice daily exercises from the physio for the past 3 weeks and it has helped to an extent. I'm also still managing to get out and do 3 runs a week. Nothing extremely long but I have pushed the pace on some of them to try and maintain some sort of speed endurance. The hip has felt okish on most of them but there is still something not quite right and I definitely feel it after some runs.

In addition I've been doing some other workouts involving some squats, lunges, mountain climbers etc to keep a bit of strength in the legs. I don't have any issue on any of these with my hip. I've also been doing a bit of cycling on the turbo trainer, again no issues doing this. It only seems to be running which is causing an issue, very frustrating.

I saw the physio again on Friday and we agreed that I should get a scan to at least rule out any sort of impingement or cartilage issues. So I will try organize that this week and I expect it will take a couple of weeks to get an appointment. In the meantime I will continue as I am with the running. I'm obviously not gaining any performance with what I am doing but I think I'm maintaining as best I can. I'm also getting the bike serviced at the moment and I will start going outside for some longer rides and use that to add in some longer aerobic workouts.

For the moment I think I'm doing the best I can with the limitations I have. Hopefully the scan will at least confirm or rule out a few possibilities and I will report back in a few weeks once I know more.

token56

Just a quick update after the weekend. I'm still waiting to get the scan, unfortunately my GP has messed up the referral a small bit which is causing a delay.

However on a positive note I did a 5K race at the weekend, The Fighting Cocks GFC 5K and surprisingly managed a time of 19:31 (official time). Unfortunately this course was not a loop and there was a net downhill so I'm not sure I can count this as a PB or as having broken my target? Regardless I'm still pretty happy given the limited training I've been doing. I would love to try and pick up the training just a small bit to try and push on but I know what I'm doing at the moment is close to the limit of what the hip can take.

I'll take whatever positives I can at the moment.