Workouts - Week Commencing 25 April 2011

I'm a bit late with this week's workouts. The family came down to visit us for the day (on Sunday) and I was too tired to get this posted after they had left. Anyway, only 24 hours later than planned...

Monday:

• Run - 7.2km ( summary / map ).
  
• Foam Rolling / Pigeon Pose.

Tuesday:

• Weights - Chest / Triceps / Core (plus a few pull-ups, for funzies).
• Foam Rolling / Pigeon Pose.
  

Wednesday:

• Interval Run (Treadmill) - 6km ( summary )
• - - Fast interval at 15.2 kmph, which is 3.56 minutes per km pace.
• - - Recovery at 12ish kmph, approx 5 minutes per km pace.
• Foam Rolling and pigeon pose sessions (gym/home).
  

Thursday:

• Run - 5.54km ( summary / map ) Note: My GPS cut out as I entered Green Park and reconnected as I left Green Park so I had to re-calculate the distance, map only shows 3.75km. Maybe this has something to do with the satellite dishes that have been installed in Green Park for the press to cover the Royal Wedding on Friday.
  

Friday:

• Rest Day. Just did a foam rolling and stretching session. We were supposed to go on a 12km hike from Tonbridge to Sevenoaks but as we were all feeling quite groggy we postponed.
  

Saturday:

I almost managed to do my first ParkRun but still felt groggy first thing in the morning and gave it a miss - Next week maybe?? I felt a little better by lunch time so I squeezed in a little run.

• Run - 4.13km ( summary / map )
  
• Foam Roller / Pigeon Pose.
  

Sunday:

• Run - 8.55km ( summary / map )
• Foam Roller / Pigeon Pose
• 100 Push-ups (10x10)
  

Very happy with the running this week. No IT band pain, but I will continue to stick to the foam rolling/pigeon pose routine as it seems to be making a difference. I've taken my eye off of the weight training, so it has suffered over the last few weeks. I hope to at least manage to work each body part once during the week in future. To be honest, I'm enjoying running a lot more than I enjoy lifting weights at the moment and have more goals that relate to running so I'm investing more time on that side, makes sense to me. Still, I need to maintain some kind of balance so I'll work on that.

It was the first week ever that I managed to break to the 30km mark, I hope to make that my base level for all of the weeks in May in the hope of finally passing the 100km month mark that has so far proved elusive!

Now that April has come to an end it's worth noting that I managed to clock up 91.7km, at one point I thought I would have trouble reaching 50km, so I'm really happy with it. I'm still on track to meet my goal of 1000km in 2011.

Due to the IT band problem I started to run more often but shorter distances, that's how I made up the mileage even though I took a whole week off running earlier in the month.

All the best,
7t.

Workouts - Week Commencing 4 April 2011

• Monday: DB Workout - Shoulders/Back/Arms
• Tuesday: Chest and Triceps ( Push-ups feet on ball / Machine Flyes / DB Chest Press )
• Wednesday: Back, Biceps, Shoulders (Home with DB) and some Foam Rolling.
  
• Thursday: Bodyweight Leg Workout
  
• Friday: Chest, Back, Core, Legs and Foam Rolling in the gym. Plus more foam rolling in the evening.
  
• Saturday: 4.79km Run - ( summary / map ) - IT band is slightly sore. Foam rolling throughout the day.
  
• Sunday: 5.1km Run - ( summary / map ) - IT Band still tender. Foam Rolling before run, after run and throughout the day.

I had full week break from running in an attempt to give my right IT band a break.

I started foam rolling this week (my foam roller was delivered on Wednesday), I like it. It seems to help quite a bit after I have run but I'll talk about this more in my next it band update.


7t.

Workouts - Week Commencing 28 March 2011

• Monday: Legs bodyweight (focus on hips)
  
• Tuesday: 5km treadmill run (Right IT Band sore after 3.5km) ( summary )
  
• Wednesday: Chest and Triceps
• Thursday: Legs bodyweight (morning / lunch / evening)
  
• Friday: Back and Biceps / Bodyweight legs (lunch) / Legs with ankle weights (evening)
  
• Saturday: 3.9km run (IT band ok) ( summary / map )
  
• Sunday: 8km country walk (knee/it band felt strange, with a slight wave of pain every now and then) ( summary / map )
  

Due to the IT band issue I reduced my mileage this week. At the end of the week it didn't really feel any better so I'm taking a complete break from running until at least next weekend.

7t

Workouts - w/c 21 March, plus new IT band Issue.

I was sick for the first half of the week, and although I still managed to run 22km in total I didn't get to the gym at all.

• Mon - Sick
• Tue - Sick
• Wed - Sick
• Thurs - 10.5k (right knee/IT band really sore)
• Fri - Rest (right knee still in pain)
  
• Sat - 5.5k (mild knee/IT band pain)
• Sun - 6.5k (mild knee/IT band pain)

The worst thing is that my right knee/IT band has flared up. I'm having trouble with anything over 4km. This is really frustrating especially as the trouble I've always had with the IT band has previously been in my left leg/knee. I don't know if this is caused by the surfaces I run on, shoes, weak/imbalanced muscles, or something else.

So for the next few weeks I'm going to cut back the length of my runs (after an initial rest I'll start with a 3km limit and build slowly from there) and focus on a combination of resting, strength training (especially the hips) and stretching.

I'm working towards a 10km race in May, so it would be brilliant to have this under control by then. The thing is I have no idea exactly what I did to 'fix' the left leg - It just stopped hurting towards the end of last year and has been fine ever since.

7t.

Workouts - Week Commencing 14 March 2011

Monday

A combination of my train running late and a sore knee from the previous day's race turned this into a rest day.


Tuesday

Chest, Triceps, Shoulders and Legs

• Push ups
• Machine Flyes
• Machine Chest Press
• Machine Shoulder Press
• Machine Leg Press (single legs and calf raises)

Wednesday

Interval Run (7.3km) on treadmill ( summary / no map )

1km Warm up
1 Minute Intervals
1km cool down

• Fast at 3.45 - 4.00 min per km.
• Recovery at 5.00 - 6.00 min per km.

• Crunches (with 5kg Ball)

Thursday

Back, Biceps and Legs

• Machine Rows
• Machine Pull Downs (both grips)
• Barbell Curls
• Machine Leg Press (Single Leg)
• Machine Calf Raises
• Crunches with 5kg Ball
  

Friday

Easy Run (5.4km) on treadmill ( summary / no map )


Saturday

I had planned to take part in my first ParkRun but my daughter came down with gastroenteritis so we stayed in bed with her all day at my parents' house.


Sunday

We were still away from home but as I had some of my gym clothes with me I thought I'd do 10k or so along the Thames. Sadly I screwed it up. Below is the list of things that either I did wrong or went wrong along the way.

- too fast at start (without a warm up jog) first two km splits were 3.45 / 4.10
- was too cold (only had my short shorts and short sleeved tech top)
- hurt right knee - IT Band, I think. (probably due to first point)
- uncomfortable holding phone in my hand (couldn't get a good arm swing going)
- earphones kept falling out
- accidentally turned off my GPS just after the 2km mark.
- was dizzy after run. Had swirly / fuzzy lines etc..

Hopefully I've learned some lessons. from that.

Anyway, I did approx 5.7km on the Thames Boomerang route. ( summary / map )

Music: Radiohead - The King of Limbs.

------------

Overall, the week was good until I reached the weekend and screwed up the Sunday run. For the last few weeks my right IT band has been giving me grief. The left leg was originally the one with that problem, I have no idea what's going on. I'll keep the leg strengthening exercises going, make sure I stretch daily and always make sure I warm up PROPERLY for my runs. Then we'll see if things get any better.

7t.

Workouts - Week Commencing 7 March 2011

Monday

Back and Biceps

2km on the treadmill - I was testing the possibility of starting recovery runs on Mondays after my long Sunday run. 2km is really long enough to bother. For now I'll probably stick with Monday being devoted to some kind of strength training.


Tuesday

I had a sudden urge to curl up into a ball just before my planned gym session - So I did just that. But then I had another urge to do something so did some bodyweight squats, walking lunges, pushups and a few things with my dumb-bells - Triceps and shoulders.

Wednesday

Interval Training on the treadmill

7km in total - This week I did intervals of 1 minute (with a couple of 2 minutes thrown in for variation) using 5 min per km as my recovery pace and 4 min per km as my fast pace.


Thursday

Rest Day

Friday

5.1km treadmill run at fairly easy-moderate pace.

Then some strength work

• Dumb-bell chest press
• Skull Crushers

Saturday

Rest Day - Although we did go for a walk, approx 6km. Also played a little bit of football with my niece and nephew.


Sunday

Knole Park 10km Race - Details here


7t

Race: Sevenoaks - Knole Park 10km

This was my first 10km race. Before I get into the race details I'd like to say a big thank you to my wife (who blogs here - A Lime Less Ordinary ), firstly for supporting me with my running (especially the training, which often has me out of bed before sunrise). And secondly for taking lots of photos of the race.

the ladies

Firstly, the course, in Knole Park, was brilliant. It is a beautiful 1000 acre Deer Park, in Sevenoaks, Kent. We had some rain the night before which left parts of the course a little muddy, but overall it was fine. My wife heard someone complaining that a section of the course was too slippery, and therefore unsafe. I don't really have the same opinion - as far as I'm concerned it was a park/trail race, that was the attraction.

warming up

Anyway, the course was two laps of the same 5km loop with a little extra tail to accommodate the start/finish funnel..

the course map from the official race website

I started from somewhere near the back of the pack - I should know not to by now. So, yet again, I got caught up with people running much slower than my intended pace. 1st km was at 5.45 per km pace, and the 2nd km was at 6.12 per km pace - I can't even run that slow when doing 'slow' training runs! The sheer numbers of people (505) made it virtually impossible to pass smoothly so I spent a good deal of time on the verges running through the higher grass!

towards the end of the first 5k loop

Something unexpected happened at around 4km and 8.5km - My right shoelace came undone. Both times I had to swerve off the path to tie it up again. This may have had something to do with the timing chip, which was attached to my right shoelace, but more likely was my shoelace-tying style - in the future I will always use double knots.

it's all downhill from here!

I ran the first 5km in 26:14 - Well off my intended pace. There were two factors in the slow time. First was getting caught up for the first 2km with the slower runners. Second was the fact that the course has undulations, plus a very steep incline that has to be negotiated twice.

The second 5km I ran in 24:19 (if my maths are correct) - Much closer to my intended pace, but I hadn't taken into account the undulations when I was thinking about my target time.

So, according to my GPS timings, my total time was 50:33. I had been hoping for somewhere around 45 minutes, but considering the undulations and the slow start I'm pretty happy with it. On a flat, tarmac course I might have been around the target time. All good lessons for the future!

having my timing chip removed

A big positive for me: When I compare my split times for each km section (1st and 6th / 2nd and 7th, and so on) my second lap was faster than the first on each of the five pairs of timings.

the medal shot

My GPS data is on RunningAhead, as always!

Summary (including split times)

Map (check out the elevation profile.. 90 metres of height gain over 0-2km and again between 5-7km)

And one last positive, my fastest km was the very last of the race - I managed to knock out a 4.09. (In the three races I have entered so far, that has been my fastest km split)


7t.

Workouts - Week Commencing 28 February 2011

Monday 28 Feb

- Chest and Triceps (and core)

• Push-ups (10/10/10/10/10)
• Chest Flye Machine
• Chest Press Machine
• Tricep Dumbell Extensions
• Tricep Barbell Extensions
• Skull Crushers
• Crunches (10 x 4 with a 5kg Ball)

Tuesday 1 March

- Back, Biceps and Shoulders.

• Pullups
• Machine Rows
• Machine Pulldowns (various grips)
• Dumbell Hammer Curl and Press
• Barbell Curls (Various grips)
• Bent Over Reverse Flyes

Just as I reached the end of my session the fire alarm went off, so we were all ushered out onto the pavement. I dived into the changing room to collect my belongings to avoid being late for work. Luckily I had an alternative place to shower.


Wednesday 2 March

- Interval Run on Treadmill (6.5km / 34.02) ( Summary )

• 1km Warm up
• 0.5km at 5.00 min per km (12kmph)
• 0.5km at 4.17 min per km (14kmph)
• 0.5km at 5.00 min per km
• 0.5km at 4.17 min per km
• 0.5km at 5.15 min per km
• 0.5km at 4.00 min per km (15kmph)
• 0.5km at 5.15 min per km
• 1km at 3.56 min per km (15.1kmph)
• 1km Cool Down

The recovery intervals may not be completely accurate, but the speed intervals are correct - I had to try to remember everything between fininshing the workout and typing this post.

Music: Gym background music.


Thursday 3 March

- Rest Day

Unintended - Didn't get to bed in time the night before so spent an extra hour in bed.


Friday 4 March

- Easy Run on Treadmill - 6.46km ( Summary )

• overall pace 5.26 min per km

Saturday 5 March

- Rest (Planned)


Sunday 6 March

- Long Run: 12.15km ( Summary / Map )

Music: None (I fancied a silent run)

Headed for the trail again but I left home too late and there were too many dogs out. I'm a bit paranoid about being chased or attacked so I cut the trail part short and continued on the roads. The good news is that my trail shoes feel great so I am happy to wear them for next Sunday's 10km race in Knole Park.

-------

7t

February 2011

Running

Total Running Mileage: 97.1 Kilometres (60.3 Miles)

A good month for me. I've consistently put in three runs per week, I'd like to knock it up to four runs soon. I'm thinking about adding in a Monday evening or Tuesday morning run - Maybe that'll happen in March, maybe not.

I had my trail shoes delivered just before my last run this month, so I'm looking forward to hitting the trails as often as I can.

Yet again, I didn't manage to make it to a ParkRun. Could March be the month that it happens?

I was tempted to stick in an extra 3km run on the last day of February just to cross the magic 100km mark, but it seemed like I'd be cheating myself. So I'll just make 100km the goal for March.


Weights / Strength Training

Not much has changed over the last month. I'm still doing a pull day, a push day and a leg day in the gym. I'm happy-ish with that, although I am starting to feel that a change would be nice. Maybe something outside of the gym involving pull-ups using the branch of a tree and chest press with a log from the forest. I'll think about it and if I make it into a forest to strength train I'll ask the wife to take some photos and put them into a post.

My favourite exercise this month has been the walking lunges.


Here is a graph showing daily activity for the month:

• 12 Days containing Running Activity
• 12 Days containing Weights or Strength Training
• 5 Days of rest

7t.

First Trail Run (Adidas Kanadia TR3)

Today I woke up at 6am, put on my running kit and my new trail shoes, and went for my first trail run.



I picked up the trail at the end of Tonbridge Racecourse Park.

I'd gone maybe 10 metres along the trail before a rabbit crossed my path. We often see rabbits from the train around here but I'd never managed to be this close to one without it running away. To be fair, I did start the run at 6.30am, so the rabbits are probably used to having the place to themselves at this time on a Sunday!

Anyway, on with the trail. The first part of the trail was fairly dry and compact earth with just a few puddles. The trail follows the path of the river Medway, heading West out of Tonbridge.

At the next section there was a choice between a couple of hundred metres of tarmac or a bike trail... I took the bike trail.

I went past the ominously named 'Lucifer Bridge'. Here the trail got a little wetter and muddier, nice!

So I carried on, passing along the edge of a couple of fields on muddy, grass trails, until I reached the next real trail section. It was at this point that I heard a woodpecker tapping away on one of the trees, I looked around but I couldn't see the little fella.

Here the trail was about 80% waterlogged, and the remaining areas were reduced to thick mud... Trail Heaven! I almost had to walk most of this section as I quickly realised that the mud was on the lookout for a nice new pair of trail shoes to swallow! Note to self: Tie the laces tighter next time and/or wear thicker socks.

I made it through and entered another field, then crossed a bridge (no name on this one) to head back along the opposite bank of the river Medway. This side was much less muddy and after a couple of wrong turns in the forest I came out in Haysden Country Park to be greeted by the most awesome sunrise reflecting off the water of Haysden Lake. I ran along next to the water until deciding to jump into the forest to my left, over a few tree stumps and branches, and then back onto path.

I ran past some sleeping fishermen with a Tarahumara-like lightness so as not to wake them. Then as I reached the end of the lake, I once again jumped into the forest and followed a path. It brought me back out next to 'Lucifer Bridge' - This time I had to cross it.

I'm happy to say that nothing untoward happened on the crossing!

From here I headed back along the first sections of trail and as I was just about to leave the trail I came across three more rabbits. They didn't seem to be bothered by my presence, but I slowed down to almost a walk so as not to startle them.

I had arrived back at Tonbridge Racecourse Park having completed my first trail run and feeling on top of the world.



Running on the trail made running feel like it did when I was a child - It was fun and exciting. The puddles and mud were not there to be avoided, there was no need to worry about getting my road shoes muddy - As far as I'm concerned, trail shoes are supposed to be covered in mud, and although mine are yet to be completely covered, they have made a start!

Summary (with split times etc) / Map (with GPS data)

7t.

Workouts - Week Commencing 21 February 2011

Monday 21 Feb:

- Chest and Triceps

• Push-ups (warm up) (10/10)
• Machine Flyes
• Machine Press
• Machine Pull-downs (triceps)
• Barbell Extensions (triceps)

Tuesday 22 Feb:

- Back and Biceps

• Pull-ups/Chin-ups
• Machine Row
• Machine Pull-down
• Dumbell Curls
• Barbell Curls

Wednesday 23 Feb:

- Interval Run (6.1km) - Summary

• 1km - 6.00 mins per km pace
• 1km - 5.00 mins per km pace
• 1km - 4.17 mins per km pace
• 1km - 4.17 mins per km pace
• 0.3km - 5.00 mins per km pace
• 0.7km - 4.17 mins per km pace
• 1.1km - Gradual cool down - 5.00 / 6.00 / walk

Was supposed to be a pyramid but didn't quite work out as planned. I wanted to keep running fast.


Thursday 24 Feb:

Missing my train by a few seconds actually meant that I arrived in London over 20 minutes later than planned. I had to scrap my gym session and squeeze in some body-weight leg workouts throughout the day.

• Squats
• Walking Lunges
• Leg lifts (Backwards / Sidewards etc)

I am loving the walking lunges!


Friday 25 Feb:

- Easy Run ( 6.8km ) - Summary / Map

Music: Radiohead - The King of Limbs


Saturday 26 Feb:

- Quick body-weight session (but overall it's a rest day)

• Push-ups
• Crunches

Sunday 27 Feb:

- Long Run (Split into two halves so I could test my new trail shoes)

• Trail Run - 6.28km ( Summary / Map ) - Also see my 'First Trail Run' post.
  

Changed into my road running shoes and continued....

• (Long) Run - 7.19km ( Summary / Map )

Music: Radiohead - The King of Limbs

-------

The highlight of the week was the trail run. Also, all three weight sessions resulted in some nice DOMS.. - I love having DOMS!

I guess next week will be roughly the same, give or take.


7t.

Workouts - Week Commencing 14 February 2011

Monday 14 February:

- 101 Push-ups

• Work commitments left no time for the gym. I was only able to squeeze in these push-ups when I got home.

Tuesday 15 February:

- Side Raises
- Shoulder Press
- Leaning Chest Press
- Arm Curls
- Tricep Extensions

• Again, no time to get to the gym. Equipment used was two 6kg dumb-bells, which I keep at home.

Wednesday 16 February:

- 6.6km Fartlek Run ( Summary / Map )

• Music: Empire of The Sun - Walking on a Dream

Thursday 17 February

- Rest (unless you count hoovering, I did break a sweat!)


Friday 18 February:

- Run - 5.66km ( Summary / Map )

• Music: Muse - The Resistance (Only got through half of the album)

Saturday 19 February:

- Rest


Sunday 20 February:

- Run - 12.69km ( Summary / Map )

• Quite a difficult run, my route took me round in two separate loops. The first was fine, but the mental strain of knowing I was running away from home while over half-way through the second loop was tough - I definitely think it's good to develop some mental strength, especially if I am to successfully complete a half-marathon. (Don't mention a full marathon... yet!)
• Music: Radiohead - The King of Limbs (I had my music player on repeat, so I listened to it 1.5 times)

- Push-ups (about 40 in total, 3 sets - I wasn't really counting)


A bit of a strange week, had some time off work, so the gym sessions suffered. But did manage to maintain my running mileage.

After the long run I had a strange feeling in/on/around my left knee, it feels like my clothes were rubbing against the inside of my knee, it's a mild burning type of sensation, the weird thing is that I wore exactly the same tights and shorts as I have worn for every (outdoor) run for the last three months or so. In addition to that it just feels odd, I can't put my finger on it (not literally). I have iced the knee (bag of frozen sweetcorn), I'll just have to sleep on it and see what tomorrow brings.

Until I know what the knee is up to I'll resist making plans for next week's workouts, obviously upper body should be fine, as long as the knee doesn't prevent me from walking.

7t.

Workouts - Week Commencing 7 Feb 2011

Monday 7 February:

- Chest and Triceps


Tuesday 8 February:

- Back and Arms


Wednesday 9 February:

- Interval Run

• One minute Intervals - Fast at 15.1kmph (3.56 per km pace) / Slow at 11.9kmph (5.02 per km pace)

Thursday 10 February:

- 5.47km Run - Summary / Map


Friday 11 February:

- Legs + Chest and Back

• Chest and back was all body-weight, alternating between pull-ups and push-ups. Generally it was 5 pull-ups, then 10 push-ups each set, but on some sets I could only manage 4 pull-ups.

Saturday 12 February:

- Rest


Sunday 13 February:

- 12.06km Run - Summary / Map

• The outside of my right knee was a bit sore for most of the early stages of the run but somehow it felt better after 9km, so I did the full 12km.

--------------

The main concern this week has been the pain on the outside of my right knee, feels like the ITBS pain that I was having in the left knee until recently. The difference is that I seem to be able to run-it-off eventually, which was never possible on the other side.

Next week's plan will be slightly different as I have a few days annual leave (so no access to the gym, which is at work, from Wednesday).

7t

Workouts - Week Commencing 31 January 2011

Monday 31 January 2011: Chest and Triceps

- Push-ups (15/15/10/10)
- Machine Flyes
- Machine Press
- Tricep Cable Pull Down
- Lying Tricep Extensions with Barbell
- Push-ups (10/10)


Tuesday 1 February 2011: Back, Biceps and Core

- Pull-ups (8/7/6)
- Machine Row
- Machine Pull Down (both grips)
- Barbell Curls
- Crunches (with medicine ball)


Wednesday 2 February 2011: Running

- Interval Run on the Treadmill (5.4km). 8 Intervals in total (as below) Summary

• Warmup
  
• Fast for 1 minute at 3.50-4.00 minutes per km pace (15kmph)
• Recover for 1 minute at 5.30-6.00 minutes per km pace (10-11kmph)
• Last fast interval for 2minutes
• Cool down

- Crunches with 5kg medicine ball (15/10/10)


Thursday 3 February 2011: Legs

- Machine Leg Push
- Machine Leg Push (1 leg)
- Machine Calf Raises
- Extensions
- Curls


Friday 4 February 2011: Running

- Easy Run (5.2km at 5:31 pace) Summary / Map


Saturday 5 February 2011: REST

- Rest


Sunday 6 February 2011: Long Run

- Long Run (12.2km at 5.22 minutes per km pace) Summary / Map

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Overall I had a good training week, I was glad that I ran intervals on Wednesday; they are really enjoyable! Using the treadmill makes it so easy to get the timings and paces spot on.

Next week:

Weights: I'll probably keep the same body parts on the same days but maybe increase the weights to put me in the 5-8 rep zone.

Running: I'll stick to the same running formula, I might have time to take part in a ParkRun race on Saturday. If I do I might make some adjustments to the schedule.

January 2011

We're already at the end of January, where did it go?

I thought it was make sense to review January's training and make a vague plan for February.

January was all about getting back into my routine after it was disrupted towards the end of 2010 by a totally unexpected, and painful, bout of shingles. That was followed by an equally painful infection under my wisdom tooth, and then topped off with a few days of flu over Christmas (that's proper flu by the way, the kind that leaves you flat on your back with every part of your body aching). I didn't manage to fit in a single gym session in December and only did half the running mileage of the previous month.

Here is my monthly mileage chart, as you can see my mileage is still very low in comparison to other (real?) runners but I'm generally moving in the right direction. My focus has mainly been on consistency, at first it was one run per week, then two, now it's three - This is outlined in more detail in the 'distance per week' graph further down the page. All considered this is the right place for me to be right now and I can see it staying this way until the evenings are lighter and I can implement my other plan.

In January I didn't really get started until the 9th, when I was back at work after the Christmas break and had a proper routine (and access to the gym) again.

Each day I have around 25 minutes in the gym before work - It's not long but I am trying to make it work. I could get up earlier and have a full 1 hour in the gym but I already have to set my alarm at 5.30am, I'm not quite ready to get up any earlier than that yet - I wouldn't rule it out once we the mornings are lighter and warmer.

Where was I??? Oh yeah, January..

It's been pretty full-on. I've had my best month's mileage (70.2km / 43.5miles) since starting to focus on running rather than just using it as a warm-up in the gym. I've gradually been increasing my weekly mileage and for the past three weeks have broken the 20km mark. I'm happy to report that I have no injuries and that my IT band is coping well - I'm using some specific stretches to try to keep it happy and, although January wasn't great for leg workouts, I am getting in regular leg strength training. Check out my graph for weekly mileage (which goes back to last July) below:

Since reading 'The Competitive Runner's Handbook' I'm starting to understand more about different training speeds and drills, I still have trouble keeping my easy runs within the timings suggested by the McMillan calculator (my training times), I find it easy to drift into the space between 'easy' and 'steady-state' runs. This is something I'll keep working on, I actually managed to keep my run on 30 Jan to within 9 seconds of the suggested pace, so I am making progress.

I still haven't found the time on a Saturday morning to take part in a ParkRun - See my previous post: Here

On my strength training days I feel like I'm playing catch-up. During January I have been getting back into the weight sessions slowly, but I'm happy with how they're going. I'm getting DOMS a day or so after my weights sessions so I know I'm hitting the muscles. I really like the push day / pull day / leg day split, so I am going to stick with it for now. I'd love to do a few whole-body compound workout days, but I'll need a longer session for that.

So here is my daily overview of what January looked like:

So, for February..

- Keep weekly running mileage somewhere in the 20-25km range.
- Have one regular interval or fartlek run per week.
- Take part in a ParkRun 5km race.
- Add in some extra body-weight sessions (lunch break / weekends)
- Stick to sensible weights and try to see some progression.
- Stay healthy and injury free (I guess that goes without saying)


7t

Workouts - Week Commencing 24 Jan 2011

Monday 24 Jan 2011: Chest, Triceps and Shoulders

- Machine Press
- Machine Flyes
- Push Ups
- Tricep Extensions
- Rear Deltoid Machine

Ran out of time in the gym so continued the workout at home with my dumbbells.

- Side Raises (DB)
- Shoulder Press (DB)

Tuesday 25 Jan 2011: Back and Biceps

- Pull Ups
- Machine Row
- Machine Pull Down (underhand)
- Barbell Curls
- Dumbbell Curls


Wednesday 26 Jan 2011: Cardio

- Treadmill Run, 6km (at 4.55 minutes per km pace) - Summary


Thursday 27 Jan 2011: Legs

Today my train to London was delayed so I had to scrap the planned gym workout, but I still managed to squeeze in a body weight session before starting work.

- Squats
- Walking Lunges
- Standing Hamstring Curls
- Leg Extensions
- Inside, Outside and Rear Leg Raises (names may be incorrect)


Friday 28 Jan 2011: Cardio+

I took an earlier train *yawn* to work today, which meant that I had a tiny amount of spare time to throw in a few push ups and pull ups.

- 5km Treadmill Run - Summary
- 50 Push Ups (15/15/10/10)
- 20 Pull Ups (6/4/3/4/3)


Saturday 29 Jan 2011: PLANNED REST

REST


Sunday 30 Jan 2011: Long Run

- 12.4km Run (at 5.10 minutes per km pace) - Summary / Map
- Leg Lifts (core)
- Leg upside-down pendulum things, I don't know the name! (core)

---------

Next week I think I'll stick with a similar plan to this week. I'll fit the core workout in somewhere.

Monday - Push Day: Chest, Triceps and Shoulders (front and side)
Tuesday - Pull Day: Back, Biceps and Shoulders (Rear)
Wednesday - Short Treadmill Run (interval training - 25-30 minutes)
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Short Treadmill Run (approx 6km)
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Long Run (1 hour - approx 10-12km)

7t

Workouts - Week Commencing 17 Jan 2011

Monday 17 Jan 2011: UNPLANNED REST DAY

After being caught in heavy rain on the way to work I had to spend my gym time drying my socks for work. Did a few reps with some dumbbells but not a full workout.


Tuesday 18 Jan 2011: Chest and Triceps

Machine Flyes
Press-ups
Machine Press
Tricep Extensions
Tricep Pull Downs


Wednesday 19 Jan 2011: Back and Biceps

This was supposed to be a 5km treadmill run day but all five treadmills were in use so I had to change the workout - Not happy! Anyway, I dropped the weight for the back exercises because I had trouble hitting the muscle properly last week, it worked a treat.

Pull-ups
Seated Row
Underhand Machine Pull Downs
Barbell Curls
Dumbbell Curls


Thursday 20 Jan 2011: UNPLANNED REST DAY

I took the opportunity to spend some extra time with my wife and daughter.


Friday 21 Jan 2011:

5km Treadmill Run (at 5 min per km pace)


Saturday 22 Jan 2011:

6.25km Run - Summary / Map


Sunday 23 Jan 2011:

10.1km Run - Summary / Map


-----

Overall I'm disappointed that I didn't plan my runs better this week, and I also dropped my weight session for legs completely. All I can do is try to get back on track next week. I might even write down the weights and reps that I do (probably a good idea).

The plan for next week is:

Mon - Chest, Triceps and Shoulders
Tues - Back and Biceps
Wed - 5km on Treadmill
Thurs - Legs and Core
Fri - 5km on Treadmill
Sat - REST
Sun - 10km

Workouts - Week Commencing 10 January 2011

Monday 10 Jan: Chest and Triceps

Push Ups: 4 sets
Machine Flyes: 3 sets
Machine Press: 3 sets
Smith Machine Press: 3 sets
Tricep Extension (lying down): 3 sets
Tricep Pull downs: 3 sets


Tuesday 11 Jan: Back, Biceps and Shoulders

Pull Ups: 3 sets
Chin Ups: 3 sets
Seated Row: 3 sets
Cable Pull Downs: 3 sets
Dumbbell Curl-Press: 3 sets
Shoulder Press: 3 sets


Wednesday 12 Jan: Legs and Core

One Legged Machine Press: 3 sets
Calf Raises: 3 sets
Leg Curls: 3 sets
Leg Extension: 3 sets
Crunches: 3 sets


Thursday 13 Jan:

5km Treadmill Run (4.42 per km pace)


Friday 14 Jan:

5km Treadmill Run (5.02 per km pace)


Saturday 15 Jan:

REST DAY


Sunday 16 Jan:

10.39km Run (5.02 pace) Split Times - Map

I was aiming to run this at my 'easy' pace (5.19 - 5.38 per km) but I find it difficult to stay at that pace. I actually thought I was running a lot slower than my splits suggest.

--------

A bit of tweaking needed here and there; move the weekday runs to non-consecutive days, the core workout was pretty poor, etc etc..


c7t

One run, two countries - in the snow

I'm posting from Germany, which just 48 hours ago I never would have thought possible (snow + eurostar = chaos), anyway, it turns out that having a 4 month old baby gets you fast-tracked when arriving to chaotic scenes at St. Pancras Station - Thanks Matilda.

There was a moment when I considered leaving my running gear at home - I am glad I pushed that silly thought out of my head.

My first run - An 'easy' run through a combination of cleared pavements (apparently the law says you must clear a path through the snow on the pavement outside your house in Germany), ice, deep snow, slushy snow, roads with no pavements where I had to jump into even deeper snow in order to avoid the traffic, and so on.....

As far as the weather goes, it must have been a degree or two above freezing but with no wind - It was amazing!

I've never been to this small town on the outskirts of Aachen before so I decided to head west along the main road that leads into Belgium. I knew that the border was only 1km from my start point, after 23 minutes or so I checked my GPS and I had done 4km - I was well inside Belgium. At this point I thought I'd turn back and retrace my steps and round off with a nice 8km run. As I was nearing my finish point I decided that I could easily squeeze in another 2km so I took a detour and managed to finish with a distance of 10.3km, the total time was 1 hour and 1 minute.

It was my first ever run in the snow, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and intend to do it again as soon as possible. In a few days we'll be moving on to the town of Mücka (on the other side of Germany), I hope to do some runs over there. There is no way of me connecting to the internet once I am there so I'll post an update when the opportunity presents itself.

The photo above was taken by my wife, of me running along the road outside her Mum's house - Thanks bby.

My 5k Races so far.. No.2 Battersea Park 21 November 2010

My second 5k race was at the Battersea Park Movember 5k. I got caught up behind the masses at the beginning so I missed out on my target time of around 21:30 and crossed the finish line with a time of 22:07.

7t.