Training Log Archive: slow-twitch

Hagley Park sprint course set for the Easter lockdown series (I think the only map for the 4 proposed events that got released before the club thought better). Didn't feel right doing it then, but that means I could do it as a fresh course now. On a recycled map so picking out the blue biro course markings added to the challenge. Easy course but successfully made it harder by: not checking exit direction from 6; miscounted path junctions into 15 so overran it; coming into 18 hadn't really read the detail in the garden beds until I was in there, so no misdirection as such but had to stop to figure out why there was more going on than what I'd prepared for.

The things that can pop unexpectedly into a head and then get stuck there during a run... "Fitter, faster, happier / More productive..." (hmm, not sure about that last one)

Not sure if anyone here will actually pick the reference though...

C • Hope your running is not... 2

Similar to last weekend's run only I thought I would have added some distance both in Hagley Park and the homeward stretch. But apparently either not much or I must have been going a bit quicker, because I thought that would more than compensate for the lack of a walking break. Speaking of which, without having any target in mind, included what would have been over an hour of continuous running had it not been for one pause for traffic early on. While I still haven't ticked off anything else on this weekend's to-do list, much better than yesterday's lazy day!

Thought this was going to be a bit of a fail as I had a serious case of the don'twannas when I first got started. But only goal was a 2nd weekday session so I suppose just getting out would have been a win. Rather than yet another Hagley variant, struck out for Riccarton Bush to see if it had reopened (nope), then cut through Mona Vale and a short stretch up the railway before extending the run with what I'm going to call some completely intentional exploring (as opposed to have been living in the area for well over a year now and still learning how some of the streets do and don't link up) and all in all was feeling like a nice run by the end. Sorry, don'twannas, better luck next time.

C • Onemanfanclub is back 2

Once again the warm-up was probably a bit on the quick side to really be an appropriate warm-up, but I think I didn't really decide I was doing the 5k test until I was already in the park.

5km (well a bit short really, I did the 3 laps that make up the Hagley 5k but any added distance would definitely have been less than the detour into the finish that they add) (which makes the time even less impressive). I think that was as fast as I could: while I was often consciously pulling the pace back a bit, I needed to to go the distance and avoid outbreaks of walkitis. We'll call this a line in the sand and hopefully will improve over future efforts.

Junk mileage around Hagley just to get my numbers for the week up on the previous! Lovely day but definitely in-sun or in-shade makes a big difference!

Goal - 1 hour plus in total, including a continuous 30 minute stretch.
Reality - 1:10 almost comfortably (funny how in these comeback periods there always seems to be a bit of a mini-wall AS SOON as you hit the time of the previous longest run, so promptly at 1:05 this time but almost home by then anyway); first stretch after warm-up was close to 35 minutes, then just the one walk break so would have been close to another 30 non stop were it not for 1 or 2 traffic stops.
Either I'm an overachiever or my goals need work.
Warm-up through N Hagley, lap of S Hagley then cut back through North; Mona Vale; Rail path to Wairakei Rd, then reasonably direct home from there.

Run to and from the 'event centre' from home. The 'there' probably a bit quick for a warm-up, the 'back' a bit slower I think.

Reminding myself what it's all for. Ran the 2019 summer sprint Hagley course (I had walked it at the time as part of yet another injury comeback & have been meaning ever since to do it again at pace). Fudged #18 slightly as there was enough activity around the golf club house I figured going 'near' the control was close enough, and not 100% sure I got all the various 'one of several trees' controls exactly right. But only mistake as such that I'm aware of was to 5, probably the paths are close enough to the straight line I would have been quicker staying on them than cutting across more directly. Route choices to 16 and 20 are interesting - in both cases I went with momentum (and more paving for 16) rather than turning back - I suspect the distances are similar enough that that's a good a reason as any to make the decision on.

Took a while to get up to pace which I think was more physical than rusty technique, especially given that there wasn't much need to navigate to the first control. Definitely more fun than just another run anyway!

Was thinking of doing a bit of terrain play in Little Hagley, but apparent almost from the start my ankle was feeling a bit weaker than yesterday (and I probably would have quickly felt a bit self conscious doing multiple laps in such a small area anyway...) so turned it into a fast partial lap of North Hagley, basically non-stop. Exact time recorded in case I turn this into a time trial - as if I'd ever be able to replicate the off-track bits with any precision!

15+20+15 minutes with 2 minute walk breaks + warm-up & down. Workrate and pace definitely picked up over the first 15 which was a nice surprise, and while I was then careful to pull the pace back for the other two run stretches they weren't as hard work as I was expecting. Also nicely surprised that when I first realised that it was going to all add up to over an hour (just so for total 'running' time) I didn't instantly bail and come up with a revised formula ;-)

2 x 16 minutes with 2 minute walks, + jogged warm-up and warm-down. 3 x 15 would have been good but I was short on time and not sure if I would have had the enthusiasm for a third one by the end of the second. Thighs seemed to be the body part most in shock from the sudden return to running...

Have been doing a lot of walking but nothing else really. But a several-weeks intent to get the running shoes back on finally became reality today. Not as bad as I was expecting. 4 x 10+ minute running with no more than 2 minute walking breaks between plus a bit of warm-up and -down jogging between home & Hagley-proper. Only the last 10 was a real battle (but right from the start). Caught out a bit by the conditions - temperature wasn't a surprise but the humidity was. Felt like some of those summer time runs back in Hamilton, even though no doubt both actual and perceived temp would have easily been 5-10 degrees lower...