Week 3, Session 3 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)
Session 4 - Long Run (12.5 Miles)
As usual, my Saturday morning was spent on the sidelines watching my 2 football mad boys at the soccer development center. This week they both had training on the astro turf, which was just as well, beacuse all the pitches were frozen solid and if Ben was scheduled to have a match he would've been disappointed because there was no way it would be played. Despite the cold, the boys were keen to get outside and play in it because they got what they've been asking for since Christams Eve . . . SNOW !!!
Unfortunately the snow was turning to sleat by the time I went out for my recovery run later on Saturday afternoon and the wind had picked up as well, which was whipping the sleat into my eyes. Conditions under foot were also a bit tricky in places because the snow that had settled on the pavements during the morning was turning into slush. By the end of the run I was soaked, but I was only out for 29 minutes, so it wasn't too bad really.
Sunday was time for the long run . . . I like to make sure that at least half of my long runs during training are run at a similar time of day to that of the race I'm training for. This ensures the body is ready for it come race day and it also gives me chance to practice my pre-race fueling strategy. So, I gave up my Sunday morning lie in for an early breakfast and had an hour playing with the kids before going out. Conditions were fantastic . . . blue skies and sunshine and much milder than the previous few days. I took a couple of gels out with me for this one because I'd be out for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, but I was gutted to find that I'd lost one on route when I went take my first one out. That meant I had to adjust my refueling and wait another 20 minutes as I was going to need my remaining gel later in the run. After about 7 miles my route took me up a tough hill up into the woods, but I'm glad to say that all the Kenyan Hill sessions that I've been doing over the last few weeks appear to be paying dividends, because I was able to cruise up it without any problems. I really enjoyed the run and I feel that I'm getting stronger all the time. I'm not getting the aches in my hips that I tend to get when the distances start to increase and my knee is holding up pretty well. I could only feel a slight niggle in it after about 10 miles, but nothing that makes me feel I should worry about it. I ended up running 12.5 miles in 1 hour 46 minutes, which was just about the pace I was aiming for.
All in all, it's been a great week of training. I performed much better than expected during my threshold intervals, I'm begining to really enjoy the Kenyan Hill workouts and I'm seeing the benefits of both these sessions in my long runs.
Next week is scheduled to be an "Easy Week" in my training program. "Easy" seems a bit of a strange word to use to describe a week when I still have to fit 23 miles into 4 runs. Surely it should be called " A Slightly Easier Week". Either way, I'm sure the legs will be appreciative of the reduction in miles.
Week 3 Summary - 29 miles : 3hrs 57 mins
Session 1 - 4 x 6 Mins Threshold Intervals - 7 Miles
Session 2 - 2 x 10 Mins Kenyan Hills - 6 Miles
Session 3 - Recovery Run - 3.5 Miles
Session 4 - Long Run - 12.5 Miles
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