Journey to sub 33k...

[skeldol]

Thanks, I'll incorporate that into the training

[TheEd]

let us know how it goes and as you develop we can consider introducing light weights

onwards

TheEd

[skeldol]

Quick update from me. I've been injury free for about 10 days now

The bad news is my 5k time is not reducing (~18:55 & holding). I guess this is because I'm only running 3 times a week?

I was wondering if it made sense to continue on 3 days a week but run the easy runs @ the high end of aerboic instead of the low end (so ~160 instead of 140) to try to encourage some improvement in my legs.

The 6*1k went well this week, average 3:43. Felt strong throughout & my sprint finish saw my HR hit 190. I've struggled to get it over 185 so far this year.

[skeldol]

A postive week for me.

Two weeks injury free.

I ran the 60 minute run closer to 160BPM.

I reduced my pace from 3:53 to 3:51 on the 5*2k, aiming for 3:53 initially. Not only that but the whole thing felt really in control & I barely got to 88% of HRR.

I ran the long run as a fell run. Conditions were terrible & I really regretted it when I was on top soaking wet & howling wind. But my times & avHR compare favourably to previous goes at this route.

Added in a 4th run on Monday. Just a 3k recovery run to bring my weekly total to 40k. I'm going to try to stick to 40k a week. Usually I can do this on 3 runs but every now & then I rekon I'll need a short 4th.

Thanks

[TheEd]

you are getting stronger and the main focus is on staying injury free

slowly but surely hopefully you can move to the next level and then build on that avoiding problems

TheEd
ps. nice to see things are going well

[skeldol]

An awesome week!

Tuesday's 6*1k averaged 3:37, that's a six second improvement on two weeks ago with a slightly lower HR to boot. I felt in control until the last 200m of the last interval when I gave it everything(03:39,03:37,03:38,03:37,03:38,03:35).

Thursday I reccy'd a fell race I intend to do at the end of June. It was meant to be a steady run but I got carried away & ended-up running it as a tempo. Looking at previous years stats on Strava what I noticed is that on the initial climbs I'd be leading the pack of runners I'd like to finish with but they then leave me for dead on the flat & down hill, I think this is my poor technique on rough terrain.

Saturday I did a parkrun & got a new PB of 18:19, this compares to my previous attempt a month ago of 18:58. I lead the field for the first 200m before settling back to follow someone doing a 3:38 pace. Often I blindly follow people thinking they will keep the pace until the end. Inavariably they slow, I don't realize they are slowing & before I know it I've lost time. This time I kept an eye on my watch & when I saw the pace drop to below 3:40 I made my own way. From 3k I was blowing but the thought I could equal my previous PB & get back to my form last September kept me going.

Earlier in the year I set myself a goal of doing a 18:27 5k by mid July, which 3 weeks ago I was thinking was never going to happen, so its nice to get it in the bag with 6 weeks & 8 seconds to spare . At the same time I gave myself a target of a 17:50 5k by mid November (seems unlikely but you have to dream) which would hopefully bring me in at around 37 for my November 10k.

I did a fourth run today, a long slow run through the hills to keep my weekly average around 40k.

I'm three weeks injury free now but I've noticed an occasional, ever so slight tightness, in my other knee. Nothing I can put my finger on, it doesn't hurt & I cannot make it hurt & I never feel it whilst running. I'll keep an eye on it, if it becomes something I can put my finger on I'll drop the bike rides & be sure to only do 3 runs a week.

Cheers!

[TheEd]

Nice going, make sure to maintain the body after a hard run, be very aware of any tightening or niggle, as this is a sign the body is trying to warn you that it needs assistance

be very cautious not to get too excited and reach for more

less is better

bit by bit you should get to a level where you more in command of your body and running.

from the 5k effort, you showing you becoming a more experienced runner, and once you start to master pace and effort in races, lots of old times should tumble

congrats

TheEd

[skeldol]

My day 1 run has been dropping to <60 minutes recently so I did a new route on Tuesday. Upped the km from 11.8 to 13.2 & increased the climbing to 320m. It took me 72 minutes so a reasonably good choice.

Day 3 5*2k pace was 3:48, down from 3:51 two weeks ago. The last two 5*2k sessions have felt much better than they used to. I'm aiming to achieve less in them (i.e. I aim for the previous sessions pace & if I feel good bring it in a little rather than targeting a faster pace than last time) & this is shown by the avHR on the last 2 sessions being ~168 whilst it used to be ~173. I'm finishing fast (03:47, 03:48, 03:49, 03:49, 03:45) instead of dieing from interval 3 onwards.

My long run run has been dropping below 90 minutes so I added in an extra 3k to bring it in at 100 minutes (only 18k but with 580m of climbing). Think I will focus on the long run for the next month, slowly increasing it towards the 2 hour mark. Given I am only running 3 times a week I think I need to make the most of those runs. Having said that I am wondering if next week I should go for 4 runs, doing both the 5k paced & long(ish) at the weekend. what do you think?

I ran 42km this week which represents about a 4k increase on last month.

All in all another good week.

[TheEd]

it certainly looks like you taking charge of your running

this is nice and good to read

on we go

TheEd
ps.. the look of exciting times to come

[skeldol]

Thanks TheEd

This week I improved my 6*1k from 3:37 to 3:34. I felt like I was putting in more effort compared to last time but my average HR across the 6 intervals is the same so I guess it was just the heat.

Added a 4th run in this week, a paced 5k on Saturday. I aimed for 3:47 as this is what the McMillan calculator gives me based on my last 5k. I finished the run with a 3:48 average with a max HR of 181, this is a little high compared to previous 10k HRs @ 5km so am wondering if I am more 5k fit than 10k fit at the moment. I think going forwards I will continue to do the 4 runs on week 2.

One thing I've noticed over the last 2 months is my 10k race pace & my 5*2k pace seem to be the same. Is this correct?

Upped the long run from 18k to 20k which takes my weekly mileage from 43k to 45k. I'll try & keep these constant for a while now as I'm worried if I keep progressing week in week out I'll just end-up injured.