CtrlAlzShift

Recovery saunter - with competition.

I find running slow almost as hard as running fast. A bit like a slow bicycle race - but with less falling off. A 4-year old came storming up behind me over the Quays footbridge, and left me trailing. 'Well done', I wheezed as he stood waiting triumphantly for me to stagger past.

1) 1mi - 10:39(10:39/mi) 114/130bpm [1214b/mi] 131cal 276/375W
2) 1mi - 10:05(10:05/mi) 116/131bpm [1169b/mi] 126cal 308/375W
3) 1mi - 10:20(10:20/mi) 108/114bpm [1116b/mi] 118cal 300/449W
4) 0.38mi - 3:57(10:20/mi) 111/113bpm [1146b/mi] 47cal 312/371W
5) 0.16mi - 1:38(9:56/mi) 113/115bpm [1122b/mi] 20cal 302/370W

1) 1mi - 10:20(10:20/mi) 119/130bpm [1230b/mi] 136cal 326/400W
2) 1mi - 8:57(8:57/mi) 121/130bpm [1083b/mi] 122cal 332/414W
3) 1mi - 8:22(8:22/mi) 118/121bpm [988b/mi] 113cal 339/379W
4) 0.48mi - 3:53(8:07/mi) 126/131bpm [1023b/mi] 56cal 361/420W

As much as I could manage

Planned longer but legs said no, so turned back at halfway point. Maybe started a little too fast - I need longer to warm up these days, a couple of miles or so.

1) 1mi - 9:21(9:21/mi) 113/122bpm [1056b/mi] 121cal 316/412W
2) 1mi - 9:14(9:14/mi) 120/124bpm [1109b/mi] 125cal 334/460W
3) 1mi - 9:14(9:14/mi) 121/122bpm [1117b/mi] 125cal 337/380W
4) 1mi - 9:05(9:05/mi) 116/119bpm [1054b/mi] 117cal 319/364W
5) 1mi - 9:51(9:51/mi) 115/120bpm [1134b/mi] 120cal 304/445W
6) 1mi - 9:23(9:23/mi) 118/122bpm [1107b/mi] 119cal 326/427W
7) 0.3mi - 2:39(8:49/mi) 121/124bpm [1067b/mi] 35cal 353/406W

Rainbolt hits Salford

Didn’t scare me into running faster though.

1) 1mi - 9:49(9:49/mi) 114/133bpm [1120b/mi] 124cal 308/364W
2) 1mi - 9:58(9:58/mi) 117/130bpm [1165b/mi] 128cal 307/386W
3) 1mi - 9:40(9:40/mi) 114/123bpm [1102b/mi] 122cal 310/494W
4) 0.6mi - 5:33(9:19/mi) 118/123bpm [1100b/mi] 73cal 324/378W
5) 0.12mi - 1:07(9:23/mi) 116/118bpm [1089b/mi] 14cal 326/336W

Still not ready for short fast reps

The plan was 2 sets of 8 x 200m reps today. I set a target pace that wasn't too ambitious - 50-55 secs, and for the first 4 reps, this felt pretty comfortable. But, even though I was being careful not to overstride, that nagging back problem kicked in again, and I knew if I kept going I was risking injury ... so I changed the plan. At least it was better than last week, but I think if I want to work on speed, I'll need to go with longer reps - 400m or 800, and reduce the target pace a bit.

1) 1mi - 10:17(10:17/mi) 105/112bpm [1080b/mi] 122cal 283/337W
2) 1mi - 9:56(9:56/mi) 112/116bpm [1112b/mi] 124cal 307/416W
3) 0.12mi - 54(7:11/mi) 122/127bpm [876b/mi] 13cal 408/436W
4) 0.12mi - 1:36(12:53/mi) 116/128bpm [1495b/mi] 18cal 236/413W
5) 0.12mi - 54(7:13/mi) 121/128bpm [873b/mi] 13cal 402/425W
6) 0.12mi - 1:41(13:34/mi) 116/136bpm [1573b/mi] 20cal 210/418W
7) 0.12mi - 53(7:09/mi) 121/129bpm [864b/mi] 13cal 395/447W
8) 0.12mi - 1:41(13:36/mi) 115/130bpm [1564b/mi] 19cal 207/442W
9) 0.12mi - 54(7:15/mi) 117/127bpm [849b/mi] 13cal 373/400W
10) 0.12mi - 1:46(14:09/mi) 113/129bpm [1600b/mi] 18cal 183/387W
11) 0.12mi - 1:17(10:16/mi) 111/114bpm [1140b/mi] 15cal 286/427W
12) 0.12mi - 1:14(9:53/mi) 112/113bpm [1108b/mi] 15cal 328/348W
13) 0.12mi - 1:11(9:34/mi) 116/118bpm [1109b/mi] 16cal 340/365W
14) 0.12mi - 1:10(9:23/mi) 114/116bpm [1070b/mi] 15cal 311/330W
15) 0.12mi - 1:03(8:28/mi) 113/116bpm [957b/mi] 13cal 334/369W
16) 0.12mi - 1:10(9:20/mi) 114/116bpm [1064b/mi] 15cal 325/356W
17) 0.12mi - 1:15(10:04/mi) 112/114bpm [1127b/mi] 15cal 308/351W
18) 0.5mi - 4:50(9:44/mi) 118/120bpm [1149b/mi] 64cal 342/368W
19) 0.12mi - 1:10(9:20/mi) 116/117bpm [1084b/mi] 14cal 324/328W
20) 0.12mi - 1:10(9:25/mi) 114/115bpm [1074b/mi] 14cal 321/327W
21) 0.12mi - 1:01(8:12/mi) 117/121bpm [960b/mi] 14cal 354/386W
22) 0.12mi - 1:27(11:42/mi) 118/122bpm [1381b/mi] 18cal 277/396W
23) 0.12mi - 1:04(8:34/mi) 119/121bpm [1019b/mi] 14cal 383/447W
24) 0.06mi - 32(8:22/mi) 121/122bpm [1012b/mi] 7cal 352/359W

Respite run

For over 12 years now we've been battling dementia, and now poor Lena's condition is worsening, with 2 major seizures in the last 24 hours. Running has always been my escape valve, and it was again today. Thanks to our kids, making sure that I had the chance to get headspace for an hour; to St Ann's Hospice who have given such incredible support to enable me to keep Lena at home, and to the ambulance team who helped us make it through the night.

1) 1mi - 10:26(10:26/mi) 125/135bpm [1304b/mi] 134cal 293/385W
2) 1mi - 10:18(10:18/mi) 122/134bpm [1257b/mi] 137cal 330/411W
3) 1mi - 9:05(9:05/mi) 119/124bpm [1081b/mi] 124cal 328/371W
4) 0.9mi - 9:05(10:04/mi) 112/124bpm [1128b/mi] 107cal 269/364W

Effort on the climbs, easy on the rest.

Thankfully, everything's back to normal - our normal - at home.
Today was my quickest on the final 0.3 mile climb segment since my racing days in 2017. Pleased with that.

1) 1mi - 9:48(9:48/mi) 106/114bpm [1038b/mi] 118cal 314/417W
2) 1mi - 9:52(9:52/mi) 110/120bpm [1085b/mi] 123cal 318/388W
3) 1mi - 9:07(9:07/mi) 118/124bpm [1076b/mi] 123cal 343/436W
4) 1mi - 10:01(10:01/mi) 116/132bpm [1163b/mi] 128cal 324/404W
5) 1mi - 8:54(8:54/mi) 121/132bpm [1076b/mi] 118cal 323/403W
6) 0.29mi - 2:29(8:34/mi) 119/122bpm [1020b/mi] 33cal 347/369W

First quality intervals session for ages.

The aim was 2 sets of 4 x 200m @ 7:10/mile, sandwiching 2 x 1 mile runs @ 8:15/mile. Target pace wasn't overly ambitious but that's where I'm at right now, and even then I had to split both 1 mile attempts into two half-miles with 1 min recovery. Only managed 7 of the 8 sprints as well. But all in all, I was pretty pleased with the session, coming pretty close to target pace (averaging 7:16/mile on the sprints and 8:14 on the 'miles'). Still felt comfortable on the 2 mile cooldown too. It all felt like proper training again — although I'm wondering how my legs are going to feel tomorrow.

1) 1mi - 10:06(10:06/mi) 107/116bpm [1082b/mi] 122cal 292/335W
2) 1mi - 9:55(9:55/mi) 111/115bpm [1100b/mi] 123cal 306/432W
3) 0.12mi - 56(7:30/mi) 118/126bpm [884b/mi] 14cal 385/412W
4) 0.12mi - 1:49(14:38/mi) 109/127bpm [1594b/mi] 19cal 200/411W
5) 0.12mi - 54(7:12/mi) 116/124bpm [836b/mi] 13cal 375/402W
6) 0.12mi - 1:46(14:16/mi) 109/125bpm [1555b/mi] 17cal 186/376W
7) 0.12mi - 54(7:12/mi) 117/129bpm [842b/mi] 13cal 369/403W
8) 0.12mi - 1:38(13:12/mi) 117/130bpm [1544b/mi] 18cal 185/387W
9) 0.12mi - 53(7:04/mi) 120/130bpm [848b/mi] 13cal 384/415W
10) 0.12mi - 1:43(13:49/mi) 117/131bpm [1616b/mi] 20cal 216/399W
11) 1mi - 8:23(8:23/mi) 125/131bpm [1048b/mi] 118cal 349/405W
12) 0.13mi - 2:00(15:18/mi) 109/131bpm [1667b/mi] 17cal 165/368W
13) 1mi - 8:05(8:05/mi) 128/134bpm [1034b/mi] 118cal 362/406W
14) 0.11mi - 2:00(17:51/mi) 107/134bpm [1910b/mi] 17cal 150/373W
15) 0.12mi - 1:11(9:28/mi) 113/118bpm [1070b/mi] 17cal 331/372W
16) 0.12mi - 1:14(9:52/mi) 117/118bpm [1155b/mi] 15cal 308/321W
17) 0.12mi - 57(7:35/mi) 122/130bpm [925b/mi] 13cal 364/400W
18) 0.12mi - 1:38(13:06/mi) 114/130bpm [1493b/mi] 17cal 215/391W
19) 0.12mi - 54(7:16/mi) 122/132bpm [886b/mi] 14cal 388/407W
20) 0.12mi - 1:41(13:30/mi) 117/132bpm [1580b/mi] 20cal 226/409W
21) 0.12mi - 53(7:08/mi) 122/132bpm [870b/mi] 13cal 375/403W
22) 1mi - 10:31(10:31/mi) 114/133bpm [1198b/mi] 122cal 288/393W
23) 1mi - 10:31(10:31/mi) 113/121bpm [1187b/mi] 121cal 295/566W
24) 0.01mi - 7(11:14/mi) 117/117bpm [1315b/mi] 1cal 320/323W

Glute issues

Looks like I pushed a bit too hard in that intervals session yesterday. It's probably not too serious — no problem at all walking, only when I start to run or if I lift the left leg. But not worth taking risks and going further.

1) 1mi - 10:28(10:28/mi) 101/114bpm [1057b/mi] 121cal 281/347W
2) 0.14mi - 1:21(9:58/mi) 117/118bpm [1166b/mi] 18cal 299/324W

Cautious

Only a slight trace of yesterday's glute niggle, so that was encouraging, but a bit of a flare-up of that ongoing lower back problem ... I suspect the two issues are related. So not too far and not too fast today. But an improvement on yesterday.

1) 1mi - 10:23(10:23/mi) 123/131bpm [1278b/mi] 132cal 295/331W
2) 1mi - 10:06(10:06/mi) 114/134bpm [1152b/mi] 124cal 320/373W
3) 0.7mi - 6:39(9:30/mi) 104/109bpm [987b/mi] 78cal 307/382W

Relaxed progression

Felt in good form today - except for a slight recurrence of the glute niggle in the final mile, and that means definitely no sprints or intervals this week.

1) 1mi - 9:46(9:46/mi) 106/116bpm [1035b/mi] 121cal 306/353W
2) 1mi - 9:13(9:13/mi) 114/121bpm [1051b/mi] 119cal 322/382W
3) 1mi - 9:09(9:09/mi) 118/126bpm [1080b/mi] 121cal 334/429W
4) 1mi - 8:50(8:50/mi) 120/126bpm [1061b/mi] 120cal 347/393W
5) 0.02mi - 8(8:59/mi) 125/126bpm [1122b/mi] 2cal 392/402W

1) 1mi - 10:10(10:10/mi) 108/125bpm [1099b/mi] 126cal 317/397W
2) 1mi - 9:38(9:38/mi) 108/116bpm [1040b/mi] 118cal 298/375W
3) 1mi - 9:20(9:20/mi) 110/115bpm [1027b/mi] 114cal 318/386W
4) 1mi - 9:31(9:31/mi) 112/117bpm [1066b/mi] 117cal 320/457W
5) 1mi - 9:36(9:36/mi) 119/123bpm [1142b/mi] 129cal 345/450W
6) 0.58mi - 5:11(8:58/mi) 112/116bpm [1005b/mi] 66cal 323/353W

After 2 days rest felt great ... except for ...

... that glute issue. At first I wasn't sure if it was a niggle or the memory of one. But as I went on and led with my left leg when mounting a few kerbs, I knew I wasn't just imagining things. It's much better but still needs a bit more care and rest.

1) 1mi - 9:51(9:51/mi) 109/115bpm [1074b/mi] 122cal 299/367W
2) 1mi - 9:20(9:20/mi) 113/122bpm [1055b/mi] 118cal 314/377W
3) 1mi - 9:01(9:01/mi) 116/126bpm [1046b/mi] 118cal 340/455W
4) 1mi - 8:37(8:37/mi) 122/128bpm [1052b/mi] 120cal 358/396W
5) 0.02mi - 10(9:24/mi) 128/128bpm [1203b/mi] 2cal 387/410W

1) 0.49mi - 5:05(10:16/mi) 111/119bpm [1140b/mi] 65cal 304/436W

No opportunity for weekend runs - but the glute felt better today..

So rest does the trick.

1) 1mi - 9:27(9:27/mi) 141/149bpm [1332b/mi] 135cal 306/353W
2) 1mi - 9:00(9:00/mi) 143/151bpm [1286b/mi] 136cal 326/412W
3) 1mi - 8:46(8:46/mi) 131/148bpm [1149b/mi] 126cal 350/498W
4) 0.2mi - 1:37(7:54/mi) 127/129bpm [1004b/mi] 23cal 392/598W

Comfortable, with a bit of work on the climbs and a few strides at the end.

The strides were to test last week's glute niggle. Not flat out, but it felt OK. Might still avoid interval training this week though.

1) 1mi - 9:45(9:45/mi) 109/116bpm [1063b/mi] 120cal 306/357W
2) 1mi - 9:30(9:30/mi) 117/124bpm [1112b/mi] 122cal 309/371W
3) 1mi - 9:19(9:19/mi) 122/127bpm [1136b/mi] 126cal 333/422W
4) 1mi - 9:48(9:48/mi) 124/134bpm [1214b/mi] 130cal 337/414W
5) 1mi - 8:45(8:45/mi) 124/134bpm [1085b/mi] 116cal 323/400W
6) 0.27mi - 2:17(8:27/mi) 126/129bpm [1064b/mi] 32cal 346/422W

How do dogs do it?

So I'm jogging downhill on my second park circuit when suddenly a dog is unleashed upon me - just a cute little Pekinese, who only wants to have fun and join me in my run. And I'd have been fine with that, if he hadn't made me feel like a tortoise. How can a tiny little thing like that, with 3 inch legs, run faster than me?

In other news, I started a new training plan today. The aim is to get my 10K time down to 45 mins by May next year. From my current state of fitness that looks like a tall order, but I enjoy challenging myself ... and I figure that the dog-food diet plan ought to help.

1) 1mi - 10:13(10:13/mi) 108/128bpm [1104b/mi] 126cal 309/456W
2) 1mi - 9:38(9:38/mi) 120/129bpm [1155b/mi] 124cal 319/444W
3) 1mi - 9:33(9:33/mi) 118/128bpm [1126b/mi] 121cal 334/468W
4) 1mi - 9:37(9:37/mi) 117/129bpm [1126b/mi] 118cal 299/454W
5) 0.76mi - 6:59(9:12/mi) 116/119bpm [1068b/mi] 87cal 314/347W
6) 0.11mi - 1:04(9:22/mi) 118/119bpm [1106b/mi] 13cal 326/352W

Workout: 10 min w/u and c/d - 25 mins threshold @ 8 mins/mile

A brilliant Autumn day for running, balmy, a brilliant blue sky, not a puff of wind. Just right for a challenge. And I could kid myself into believing I did pretty well - averaging 8:08 mins per mile for 25 mins - close to the target. But the stats don't show that I needed 4 little breaks - 2 at the top of climbs, 1 at traffic lights, and 1 a couple of minutes before the end when I just ran out of oomph. But at least I managed a proper workout. And this time I'm just tired, not broken.

1) 1mi - 9:42(9:42/mi) 109/117bpm [1056b/mi] 121cal 314/356W
2) 0.03mi - 18(9:43/mi) 117/117bpm [1137b/mi] 4cal 322/342W
3) 1mi - 8:20(8:20/mi) 122/132bpm [1017b/mi] 116cal 347/401W
4) 1mi - 8:04(8:04/mi) 126/134bpm [1016b/mi] 114cal 346/432W
5) 1mi - 7:58(7:58/mi) 125/137bpm [996b/mi] 112cal 360/459W
6) 0.07mi - 38(8:45/mi) 135/135bpm [1180b/mi] 9cal 358/396W
7) 1mi - 9:39(9:39/mi) 122/134bpm [1177b/mi] 125cal 316/401W
8) 0.04mi - 21(9:12/mi) 123/124bpm [1131b/mi] 5cal 315/321W
9) 0mi - 3(9:25/mi) 123/123bpm [1158b/mi] 1cal 322/323W

Easy, with a bit of work on the ascents.

1) 1mi - 9:54(9:54/mi) 115/127bpm [1139b/mi] 128cal 340/416W
2) 1mi - 9:13(9:13/mi) 115/122bpm [1060b/mi] 117cal 323/383W
3) 1mi - 9:23(9:23/mi) 117/125bpm [1098b/mi] 120cal 330/403W
4) 1mi - 9:13(9:13/mi) 117/122bpm [1078b/mi] 117cal 318/382W
5) 0.92mi - 8:17(9:00/mi) 117/120bpm [1053b/mi] 105cal 323/373W
6) 0.15mi - 1:14(8:32/mi) 120/121bpm [1024b/mi] 16cal 342/369W

Poached over easy

As the weather changed, thought it was time for a full winter today so I burrowed through the drawer looking for base layer, leggings, gloves - the whole works. Felt great to begin with, but halfway through what started as a nice easy session, I felt like I was running in a sauna - and properly poached. Maybe a layer too many! Probably a great pound-shredder though.

1) 1mi - 9:40(9:40/mi) 116/125bpm [1122b/mi] 124cal 299/353W
2) 1mi - 9:32(9:32/mi) 127/133bpm [1211b/mi] 128cal 320/389W
3) 1mi - 9:26(9:26/mi) 119/123bpm [1123b/mi] 122cal 324/375W
4) 1mi - 9:26(9:26/mi) 122/125bpm [1150b/mi] 126cal 339/439W
5) 1mi - 9:13(9:13/mi) 125/127bpm [1153b/mi] 123cal 345/386W
6) 1mi - 9:26(9:26/mi) 125/129bpm [1179b/mi] 125cal 336/534W
7) 1mi - 9:21(9:21/mi) 119/127bpm [1113b/mi] 120cal 316/407W
8) 1mi - 9:17(9:17/mi) 126/132bpm [1169b/mi] 121cal 313/374W
9) 1mi - 9:22(9:22/mi) 127/131bpm [1190b/mi] 124cal 320/405W
10) 0.03mi - 16(8:51/mi) 129/129bpm [1141b/mi] 4cal 324/345W
11) 0.01mi - 6(8:10/mi) 127/128bpm [1038b/mi] 1cal 323/324W

Gentle start to the week

But legs still feeling yesterday’s long run. Running wired up to a 24-hour heart rate monitor today, on the advice of my GP who wants to check my 'abnormally low' resting heart rate (which is exactly the same as it has been - when I am decently fit - since I started wearing a Garmin tracker in 2015).

1) 1mi - 9:52(9:52/mi) 102/107bpm [1006b/mi] 115cal 303/352W
2) 1mi - 9:38(9:38/mi) 108/116bpm [1041b/mi] 116cal 309/369W
3) 1mi - 9:30(9:30/mi) 113/117bpm [1073b/mi] 119cal 321/411W
4) 1mi - 9:34(9:34/mi) 116/126bpm [1110b/mi] 122cal 337/401W
5) 0.82mi - 7:26(9:06/mi) 113/120bpm [1028b/mi] 89cal 311/344W
6) 0.15mi - 1:19(8:52/mi) 116/117bpm [1028b/mi] 17cal 331/366W

Recovery

Following the plan - but why does running slow feel so hard?

1) 1mi - 10:42(10:42/mi) 113/128bpm [1209b/mi] 128cal 270/349W
2) 1mi - 10:37(10:37/mi) 130/136bpm [1380b/mi] 140cal 283/413W
3) 0.85mi - 8:41(10:16/mi) 130/139bpm [1334b/mi] 113cal 300/543W
4) 0.22mi - 2:12(10:03/mi) 130/132bpm [1306b/mi] 30cal 319/348W

Intervals: 7 x 1 min off 3 min jog. Target 6:50 min/mile. Actual average 7:15

Fell apart on the 4th attempt, when I just had to stop after 40 secs. But apart from that, I didn't too badly, managing to get below 7:00 min/mil on a couple of attempts (including the last one). The frightening thing is that if my aim is to complete a 10K in 45 mins by next May, then I'll have to run at today's gut-busting 7:15 pace for the whole distance instead of for just 1 minute.

1) 1mi - 9:55(9:55/mi) 97/107bpm [962b/mi] 111cal 293/391W
2) 0.52mi - 5:05(9:43/mi) 107/111bpm [1040b/mi] 62cal 305/423W
3) 0.14mi - 1:00(7:14/mi) 116/119bpm [838b/mi] 14cal 361/380W
4) 0.25mi - 3:00(12:03/mi) 112/121bpm [1349b/mi] 35cal 248/380W
5) 0.14mi - 1:00(7:08/mi) 114/124bpm [814b/mi] 14cal 401/423W
6) 0.24mi - 3:00(12:21/mi) 114/125bpm [1408b/mi] 35cal 245/420W
7) 0.15mi - 1:00(6:51/mi) 115/123bpm [789b/mi] 14cal 374/403W
8) 0.24mi - 3:00(12:28/mi) 114/124bpm [1421b/mi] 35cal 228/396W
9) 0.12mi - 1:00(8:26/mi) 112/124bpm [944b/mi] 13cal 360/440W
10) 0.25mi - 3:00(11:48/mi) 105/123bpm [1239b/mi] 31cal 250/307W
11) 0.14mi - 1:00(7:10/mi) 118/124bpm [846b/mi] 14cal 361/389W
12) 0.26mi - 3:00(11:24/mi) 108/125bpm [1231b/mi] 32cal 267/377W
13) 0.14mi - 1:00(7:07/mi) 118/125bpm [841b/mi] 14cal 376/424W
14) 0.27mi - 3:00(11:11/mi) 110/126bpm [1230b/mi] 33cal 264/404W
15) 0.14mi - 1:00(6:59/mi) 114/125bpm [796b/mi] 14cal 315/403W
16) 1mi - 9:44(9:44/mi) 115/126bpm [1119b/mi] 118cal 326/640W
17) 0.03mi - 16(9:12/mi) 121/121bpm [1113b/mi] 4cal 366/375W
18) 0.01mi - 3(10:35/mi) 120/121bpm [1270b/mi] 1cal 379/383W