Sub-40min 10k

[TheEd]

do still be cautious, so as to avoid it flaring up again

certainly looking good

TheEd

[Daniel]

Hi TheEd,

I've been enjoying my running and taking it very carefully.

The long run was 1:25:40 for 16.24km (5:17/km), probably the slowest average pace I've done in a year. I did stop 4-5 times to massage the calves and make sure they didn't get tight as that probably contributed to the achilles problem but apart from that just cruised along happily.

Did the 30min easy very gently as well. I might have had a GPS failure as it recorded average pace 4:38 for 6.57km which seems much faster than I was running.

Unfortunately I had to skip the 10km easy run, it was blowing a gale and snowing most of the day (unusual for Australia) so I just couldn't get out.

The weather improved but still very nasty this morning for the 5x1km session, below 0 degrees with 30km/h winds and sleety rain. I guess these conditions are fairly normal for some places but a challenge for me! I worked hard and though the times are quite slow I put a lot of that down to the conditions and feel I gained a lot from the session.

Rep1: 4:03
Rep2: 4:13
Rep3: 4:08
Rep4: 4:12
Rep5: 4:04
Rep6: 4:01

Average: 4:07

Looking ahead to the paced run on Saturday, I will be travelling so it may be difficult to find a good route but I'll see if I can find a parkrun in the area I'll be staying. Any suggestions on target pace for that session?

[TheEd]

wow . snow in OZ

good on you going through the session, couldn't have been

for the 5k paced, look at running @ 4.15 per k and see if you have any sparkle to accelerate over the last 1k

enjoy

TheEd

[Daniel]

Thanks for that, I'll take that pacing strategy and see how it goes.

While snow is unusual here I live at about 1000m elevation so we usually get snow once or twice a year. It's more the combination of strong wind and freezing temperatures that make things hard for me!

Just wanted to mention that during the 30min easy run this morning I felt some discomfort in the achilles. It was not pain, just a slight discomfort. I was already halfway through the run so no point turning back, I stopped for a bit to check on it then kept jogging along slowly. It didn't get worse, and after about 1km disappeared completely. It is now several hours since I ran and there is still no further symptoms and no obvious signs of inflammation. Maybe it was a phantom pain? I sure hope so...

For the record ran 7.06km in 34:25mins average pace 4:53 average HR 131

[TheEd]

keep treating the achilles

read this for some assistance: Achilles Tendonitis

http://www.time-to-run.com/injuries/theb...hilles.htm

good luck

TheEd

[Daniel]

Hi TheEd,

So far so good with the achilles, I'm still working on recovery though.

The 1 hour easy was good, 12.1km in 58:20 (avg pace 4:49) and avg HR 142.

Had a great 5km paced run this morning. Was lucky enough to get access to a synthetic track, first time I've run on a surface like that. I started a little too hard then pulled myself back for a few km. While I was running hard it wasn't a 100% effort until the last km when I pushed myself a bit hard.

Finished in 19:42 which is great as I wasn't expecting to go sub-20. I used my phone for timing which recorded 5.22km so didn't get accurate splits. Average HR was 163.

Thanks again,
Daniel

[Daniel]

Due to travel I wasn't able to run on Sunday, and just did 30min easy after getting home on Monday (30:23, 6.39km, avg pace 4:45, avg HR 148).

Did the 10x400m session this morning. Took it quite easy, maybe a bit too easy as I didn't feel any fatigue until rep 8. Made sure I was controlled and focused on form throughout. Even the last rep where I went hard I didn't sprint, just worked on leg speed to pick up pace.

Rep 1: 1:33.9
Rep 2: 1:33.7
Rep 3: 1:33.3
Rep 4: 1:32.87
Rep 5: 1:29.02
Rep 6: 1:33.31
Rep 7: 1:29.18
Rep 8: 1:30.18
Rep 9: 1:29.34
Rep 10: 1:22.62

There are no races nearby on the weekend so I'm planning to have another go at the parkrun and see what I can do over 5km.

[TheEd]

looking forward to seeing how the Parkrun goes

TheEd

[Daniel]

Bit of a setback this morning. After I put my shoes on this morning I felt a little irritation at the back of the right heel, just where the achilles joins the heel. Nothing serious, and for the first few km there was no problem but then it gradually got worse so I cut the run short. It definitely isn't a return of my last achilles problem as that was further up the achilles and a different feeling though it is on the same side. It seems to be aggravated by the heel counter of the shoe as I feel some relief when I take my shoes off.

Hopefully it isn't anything serious. My plan from here is to skip tomorrow's run (30min easy + 6x1min fast/slow) to give me 2 rest days then see how it's feeling with some heel lifts Friday afternoon / Saturday morning before deciding whether to do the parkrun on Saturday.

It would be a shame to miss my first hit-out since restarting the cycle but better than prolonging the injury. I'll work on it with ice and massage in the meantime.

[TheEd]

do check to see that the shoes are not aggravating the achilles more

TheEd