Since my last post my training has been:
FRIDAY 13 JULY ... 8.5 miles (13.7 km) tempo. The plan was to run at about 6:52 per mile (4:16 per km) but I can't say I was looking forward to it because of the strong winds. Half way through I felt very good - and the wind was proving to be no problem at all - so I just continued at the same pace and finished in 57:23 (6:45 per mile/4:12 per km). Really pleased with that.
SATURDAY 14 JULY ... just an 8 mile (13 km) recovery run.
SUNDAY 15 JULY ... hill reps up (and down) Newall Carr Bank just to the north of Otley. Fourteen times, not excessive but that will increase to twenty by the middle of August.
Today also marks the beginning of proper training again after three weeks recovery from the ULTRArace 100. If you haven't read it yet, my report is here. Only eight weeks now to the World Championships which will be five weeks training and three weeks tapering. The next five weeks (running) training will be:
MONDAY 16 JULY ... long run fartlek (25 miles/41 km)
TUESDAY 17 JULY
WEDNESDAY 17 JULY ... long run (28 miles/45 km)
THURSDAY 19 JULY ... steady (9 miles/15 km)
FRIDAY 20 JULY ... tempo (9 miles/14 km)
SATURDAY 21 JULY ... steady (9 miles/15 km)
SUNDAY 22 JULY
MONDAY 23 JULY ... long run (39 miles/63 km)
TUESDAY 24 JULY
WEDNESDAY 25 JULY
THURSDAY 26 JULY ... tempo (8 miles/13 km)
FRIDAY 27 JULY
SATURDAY 28 JULY ... 200m reps
SUNDAY 29 JULY ... steady (6 miles/10 km)
MONDAY 30 JULY ... long run fartlek (26 miles/42 km)
TUESDAY 31 JULY ... long run (29 miles/46 km)
WEDNESDAY 1 AUGUST
THURSDAY 2 AUGUST ... hill reps
FRIDAY 3 AUGUST ... tempo (7 miles/11 km)
SATURDAY 4 AUGUST ... steady (6 miles/10 km)
SUNDAY 5 AUGUST ... 1 mile/1.6 km reps
MONDAY 6 AUGUST
TUESDAY 7 AUGUST ... long run fartlek (27 miles/43 km)
WEDNESDAY 8 AUGUST ... long run (29 miles/47 km)
THURSDAY 9 AUGUST ... steady (6 miles/9 km)
FRIDAY 10 AUGUST ... hill reps
SATURDAY 11 AUGUST
SUNDAY 12 AUGUST ... steady (5 miles/9 km)
MONDAY 13 AUGUST ... long run fartlek (27 miles/43 km)
TUESDAY 14 AUGUST ... long run (30 miles/48 km)
WEDNESDAY 15 AUGUST
THURSDAY 16 AUGUST ... hill reps
FRIDAY 17 AUGUST ... tempo (6 miles/10 km)
SATURDAY 18 AUGUST
I'll also try to fit in a few of the upcoming club events:
2.9 mile (4.7 km) handicap on Thursday 19 July
Golden Acre Relay on Wednesday 25 July
1 mile (1.6 km) track race on Thursday 26 July
3000m track race on Thursday 16 August
On to other stuff now.
There's a great new e mag put together by Paul Ali called Ultra Tales and the second edition has just been released. See here for all the details and a great read. And then there's the new book from Tim Noakes (Waterlogged) who argues that the human body is quite capable or regulating it's own hydration and electrolyte status - so long as we don't interfere by doing things such as drinking to excess or ignoring thirst. That book is a fascinating read - see what the fuss is all about here.
Finally let me tell about something which happened on today's training run when four cyclists passed by ...
the first cyclist turned to me and said "100 miles today, Chris ?"
"Not today" I replied.
The second cyclist looked at us both in surprise then said "we are"
the third cyclist then piped up "but we're on bikes, you fool"
the fourth cyclist just laughed as they sped off into the distance.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Eight days later
Over a week after the 100 miler and I'm back to normal training ... well, almost. I've got all the ingredients back but not in the same quantity as before. That will come in another week or two.
My last couple of runs have shown that I've recovered well and that I'm all set for the final 12 weeks before this year's big race.
Recently I've been reading 'Mental Training For Runners' by Jeff Galloway which goes some to explaining the workings of Tim Noakes' Central Governor Theory (of which I am a big fan). This book has definitely been helping me over the past few days.
I've also added a couple of things to this page.
My last couple of runs have shown that I've recovered well and that I'm all set for the final 12 weeks before this year's big race.
Recently I've been reading 'Mental Training For Runners' by Jeff Galloway which goes some to explaining the workings of Tim Noakes' Central Governor Theory (of which I am a big fan). This book has definitely been helping me over the past few days.
I've also added a couple of things to this page.
Monday, 18 October 2010
*** RISK OF INJURY - DO NOT COPY ***
I've just spent the weekend mapping out my training for next year's World 24 hr Championships in Brugg, Switzerland - assuming I'll be selected.
There's about 33 weeks to go before the event and lots of hard training to do.
Basically my training is one of four types - cycling, strength, flexibility, running.
The cycling is very straight forward indeed. Hop on the bike and cycle for 45 to 60 minutes speeding up and slowing down (fartlek style) whilst listening to music or the radio or watching TV or a DVD. Easy (sometimes !!!)
Strength work can be broken down into three sub-types: core, upper body and legs.
Upper body work is mainly push ups and exercises for my shoulders which are a particular weakness of mine. I do three sessions of this per week. Core stability exercises take many forms but can include sit ups, crunchies, the plank, etc. Recently I've come across a post on Andy DuBois blog which has changed my understanding of these exercises.
Leg strengthening exercises include lunges, squats, step ups, etc. The composition and frequency of each session varies according to how many weeks there are before the major race.
Flexibility - just a few stretching exercises done almost daily.
Of course, the majority of my training will be running as 'running is the best form of training for running'. My running can be split into one of five types: long run, hill reps, tempo running, speedwork, steady running.
I plan to do two long runs per week, on consecutive days where possible. This week they will be 14 miles in length but will increase to somewhere between 25 and 27 miles in the middle of May. I also make the second of my two weekly long runs considerably harder than the first ... usually fartlek but sometimes much hillier or much faster (or hillier and faster occasionally).
Hill reps - there's a steep hill near where I live and I run up and down it a few times concentrating on form, not speed. I only use a 250m section and this week I'll do 8 reps but progress to 20 by mid to late February.
Tempo - continuous runs of 3 to 9 miles in length at a speed somewhere between 10k and half marathon pace.
Speedwork - intervals, fartlek and shorter races.
The above types of running account for four sessions per week. I run four consecutive days then have a day rest which means I'm running on 5 or 6 days per week and apart from that detailed above the rest is just steady running at about 8 minutes per mile (often with my clubmates from Otley AC).
One vital ingredient in my training plan is rest days. I mentioned earlier that every fifth day is free from running, well every tenth day is free from all forms of training. I feel that my body needs this time to recover from the hard work of the previous few days.
Most of what I've written about has been come about through a mixture of trial and error, listening to other runners, reading books and magazines ... and learning (not copying) from all these sources.
It's probably appropriate here to include a quote I found on (I think) Dean Karnazes website: "listen to everyone; follow no-one. We are each unique, what works for me may not work for you. Seek advice, listen, analyse, experiment and test new things. Then go with what works best for you."
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The running book I'm currently reading is Running Anatomy by Joe Puleo and Dr. Patrick Milroy. It is helping enormously, particularly with strength exercises. It's published by Human Kinetics who have a list of fantastically useful books for athletes.
There's about 33 weeks to go before the event and lots of hard training to do.
Basically my training is one of four types - cycling, strength, flexibility, running.
The cycling is very straight forward indeed. Hop on the bike and cycle for 45 to 60 minutes speeding up and slowing down (fartlek style) whilst listening to music or the radio or watching TV or a DVD. Easy (sometimes !!!)
Strength work can be broken down into three sub-types: core, upper body and legs.
Upper body work is mainly push ups and exercises for my shoulders which are a particular weakness of mine. I do three sessions of this per week. Core stability exercises take many forms but can include sit ups, crunchies, the plank, etc. Recently I've come across a post on Andy DuBois blog which has changed my understanding of these exercises.
Leg strengthening exercises include lunges, squats, step ups, etc. The composition and frequency of each session varies according to how many weeks there are before the major race.
Flexibility - just a few stretching exercises done almost daily.
Of course, the majority of my training will be running as 'running is the best form of training for running'. My running can be split into one of five types: long run, hill reps, tempo running, speedwork, steady running.
I plan to do two long runs per week, on consecutive days where possible. This week they will be 14 miles in length but will increase to somewhere between 25 and 27 miles in the middle of May. I also make the second of my two weekly long runs considerably harder than the first ... usually fartlek but sometimes much hillier or much faster (or hillier and faster occasionally).
Hill reps - there's a steep hill near where I live and I run up and down it a few times concentrating on form, not speed. I only use a 250m section and this week I'll do 8 reps but progress to 20 by mid to late February.
Tempo - continuous runs of 3 to 9 miles in length at a speed somewhere between 10k and half marathon pace.
Speedwork - intervals, fartlek and shorter races.
The above types of running account for four sessions per week. I run four consecutive days then have a day rest which means I'm running on 5 or 6 days per week and apart from that detailed above the rest is just steady running at about 8 minutes per mile (often with my clubmates from Otley AC).
One vital ingredient in my training plan is rest days. I mentioned earlier that every fifth day is free from running, well every tenth day is free from all forms of training. I feel that my body needs this time to recover from the hard work of the previous few days.
Most of what I've written about has been come about through a mixture of trial and error, listening to other runners, reading books and magazines ... and learning (not copying) from all these sources.
It's probably appropriate here to include a quote I found on (I think) Dean Karnazes website: "listen to everyone; follow no-one. We are each unique, what works for me may not work for you. Seek advice, listen, analyse, experiment and test new things. Then go with what works best for you."
.jpg)
The running book I'm currently reading is Running Anatomy by Joe Puleo and Dr. Patrick Milroy. It is helping enormously, particularly with strength exercises. It's published by Human Kinetics who have a list of fantastically useful books for athletes.
Friday, 19 February 2010
a friendly bunch
Thanks for all the kind words from everyone following my last post. Even those from the opposition ...
My son (Keir) was well impressed by those. He said: "I don't think sprinters would congratulate other sprinters from other countries on their selection for the World Championships."
I couldn't possibly comment other than to say that the world of ultra running is a very friendly place to be. I'm pleased I live there.
Also ... I've added the James Jarvis video (Onwards) to this page.
There's a book edited by Kevin Beck called 'Run Strong' which I'm finding very useful at the moment. Lots of stuff about all aspects of running training. Much of the information can easily be adapted to ultra running. More details here.
My son (Keir) was well impressed by those. He said: "I don't think sprinters would congratulate other sprinters from other countries on their selection for the World Championships."
I couldn't possibly comment other than to say that the world of ultra running is a very friendly place to be. I'm pleased I live there.
Also ... I've added the James Jarvis video (Onwards) to this page.
There's a book edited by Kevin Beck called 'Run Strong' which I'm finding very useful at the moment. Lots of stuff about all aspects of running training. Much of the information can easily be adapted to ultra running. More details here.
Friday, 29 February 2008
Stage Three
This morning I began stage three of my rehabilitation ... actually a 35 minute run. Ran slowly and covered 4 miles with no ill effects at all but I did ice my achilles for half an hour before and after.
Lost approx 600g in weight during the run [21 ounces]. At this rate I'll soon have my weight down to a more respectable level - 61.6 kg is far too high for me [9 st 9.8 lb].
Yesterday I passed the North of England 12 stage relay entry form to Zack (Otley AC team captain). Will I be able to run. Probably but don't expect me to gain much speed before April 6.
At the moment I'm reading two books I received as a birthday present (earlier this week) - very good they are too:
(1) Run Strong by Kevin Beck
(2) Performance Nutrition For Runners by Matt Fitzgerald
Nutrition during ultra races is essential to get right for optimal performance.
Also received a pack of chocolate coated coffee beans to try during a long run - as recommended by Dean Karnazes in his book 'Ultramarathon Man'.
Lost approx 600g in weight during the run [21 ounces]. At this rate I'll soon have my weight down to a more respectable level - 61.6 kg is far too high for me [9 st 9.8 lb].
Yesterday I passed the North of England 12 stage relay entry form to Zack (Otley AC team captain). Will I be able to run. Probably but don't expect me to gain much speed before April 6.
At the moment I'm reading two books I received as a birthday present (earlier this week) - very good they are too:
(1) Run Strong by Kevin Beck
(2) Performance Nutrition For Runners by Matt Fitzgerald
Nutrition during ultra races is essential to get right for optimal performance.
Also received a pack of chocolate coated coffee beans to try during a long run - as recommended by Dean Karnazes in his book 'Ultramarathon Man'.
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