Race Week -6 - Volume going up!

This is my first full week officially following a training program. I spent a little bit of time transferring the program into my Polar Personal Trainer so that the sessions could be uploaded to the RCX5 ready for me to hit the roads.


Despite a long training week last week, and a busy day on my feet I still felt ready for the sessions that this week was lining up for me.



Monday
Started out right. In from work, small bite to eat, kids to bed, changed and out the door for 8:30. Mistake I made was picking the wrong tool for the job. Normally I use my X-Trail headlamp but for some (still unknown reason) I grabbed my Silva Ninox as I went out the door.

Silva Ninox - 70lumen, not to be sniffed at.

I think what happened was in the planning I had picked a running route that would feature some hilly bits and I also knew it would be better lit than my normal route, having houses along the road, and that I could sacrifice the weight of the X-Trail battery pack for this session.

Wrong!!

I'd no sooner started into the session and had reached the first of the houses than I realised that the amount of light 'leaking' from the houses, lit driveways, passing cars meant that I was effectively 'blinded' by the passing light. As I had previously used the Ninox in the woods where there was Zero environmental light (or light pollution as I now consider it ) the lamp was perfectly suited. Just not for damp busy roads, where you need to be able to see the surface properly.

Anyway, hit the session which called for a warmup and then x5 hill runs keeping steady pace and recovery back down again. The section I found near the house was reasonably rolling with a kick up of 6m over the last 500m.

I made a hash of the first phase, but got the repeats spot on, so each one started and finished in the same place each time. I put an extra dig into the last 'work' effort too.

Monday: 13.13km, 01:05:52, AHR 147bpm, MxHR 174bpm, APace 5:00/km

Monday 17/09/12 - Training File

Tuesday

Silva X-Trail your only man!

Still Tempo Tuesday.

I keep using the same stretch of the road as a feature of my tempo runs and I think it's going to be the backbone of my winter FTP testing. Roughly 12k total for out and back and easily to add a bit on either end to make up distance.

Didn't make any mistake this evening and made sure I had the Silva X-Trail with me. The lamp part is not heavy, its just the awkwardness of the battery pack on the waist strap that can annoy me when running with effort.

Plan was 10 mins warmup, 60 mins at 4:45 / km followed by 10 mins at 4:30 / km with 5 mins cooldown. no Zonal training going on hear anymore. Its all about time on feet at pace.

Seemed to pace it close getting an APace of 4:43 /km and 4:33/km for the two work phases again on a windy wet night.

Tuesday: 17.65km, 01:25:22, AHR 152bpm, MxHR 167bpm, APace 4:50/km

Tuesday 18/09/12 - Training File

Similar to last week I didn't get to run Wednesday, had planned a 9k easy run. Absolutely no consideration of a double day on Thursday as it was going to be tough!

Thursday

Its like Groundhog week here. Again a rubbish night of sleep meant I was getting up knackered, late but knackered.

I'd time for a quick pancake with peanut butter before dropping my daughter off at school. Can't even remember if I'd a coffee, that's how bad it was this morning.  Dropped her off, back home for a swift change and out the door for an interval session.

There's my mistake, its an elementary mistake, but I made it none-the-less. No breakfast of any description before going to do a hard session. Didn't even bring a gel or anything to drink!

15mins warmup and then x6 (work phases of 9mins at tempo pace with 2 mins recovery) followed by 1km at 3:45 and 5mins cool-down.

Thurday Torture - intervals with a struggle

As you can see I was aiming for 4:30 on the intervals but struggled in vain. The recovery just got slower and slower. Within 5k I was going home. I couldn't loosen up (no stretching or Griding done this week) and had nothing in the tank to feel lively.

In the end I didn't make much of the 3:45km or the 5mins cool-down and rambled home for a wee lie-down

Thursday: 17.51km, 01:26:10, AHR 153bpm, APace 4:55/km

Thursday 20th September - Training File

 I'm learning my lessons this week!! Hopefully there'll be a better second half, starting tomorrow.