Training Log Archive: Bashman

There's a curse set on me for this day every year. Every year since 2011, on the day of the british schools champs, I always get a leg trauma injury. On the last two events, I hit my knee off a rock and a log and it cost me the win as I had to limp the rest of my course. Today I thought I was safe because I wasn't going to the event but I still completely shinned my sofa, opening a bit of a gash but also hitting that part of the shin which causes you to almost pass out when struck. Not nice. Need to watch out next year.

Left it pretty late today but rest day means s+c work. Still focussing a lot on injury prevention. Stuck in 15 mins of strength and various plyo stuff too. Someone commented that "it's bad for your knees when they come too far over your toe". Wonder if that's what gave me sore knees earlier this week... At least I know what to correct now but I still need a proper check for my squats which I'll hopefully get at the TDS weekend.

Big K day is done. A very hard week with every training aspect that I wanted in it is done. Plus, 2nd 100km week is done. Ready to start an easy week next week with an easy day tomorrow. Conscious of possible inury/illness so have to periodise better than I have done before. Need to train smart.

WU/D with Dad. 2.7km run in along the south of Loch Kinord and back out again. Slowed down a bit for him but it was a good leg loosener both times.

Trail Tempo.
4 mins out and back - although it was 7s slower on the way back, probably due to the uphill. The path was pretty technical and awful compared to road so slower than normal, but the effort was up there and that's all that mattered.

Muir of Dinnet Test - 5.9km - 1st
Really exited for this all week. A new area and it was really quite unique. So I decided to take it at a reasonable pace, but not race it. My legs were knotted and tight before I had even started but I was loosening off slowly during the warm up.
Started too fast, probably because of the tempo run just before. Focused a bit, relocated and hit number 1 well. Fine to 2, navigating well on some beautiful terrain. Going to 3 my mind was elsewhere and I began hunting too early. Realised soon enough and hit it no problem. Crossing the road to 4 to the forest near the Burn O'Vat and that carried on to join Cambus - major contrast. Suddenly a huge slope of pine trees rather than heathery bumps with widely spaced trees. Decided to stick to the track climbing to 4, and only left it when I was closest to the control. Hit it bang on. Going up to 5 I wasn't too sure whether I had passed the junction or not, so cut in. Passed the junction, knew where I was, but overshot the control probably by metres. Relocated and back down to find it.
Flowed through 5 without really planning, and made a 60 degree error, with parallel errors there too. Awfully far left but I soon relocated and found it. Hardly had to look at my map to 7. Slowly down the slope through my attackpoint to 4 and hit it well to see my dad exiting. The chase was on. I stuck a bit lower than him, planning to come off the rides (long leg). I got away quite fast, although I had to almost walk the hills by now. Walked a lot of the last 20m of climb, hill legs are shattered. Really loved running back down to 9. Amazing forest, didn't even take a bearing but kept finding myself bang on the line. Came off the ruin and into the control to find Roger leaving the control. Chased him down and dropped him to 10.
Across the road and back into the heathery bumpy technical stuff. Happy with my navigation to 10, but I just couldn't spot it when I got there. Eventually did and off to 11 without really planning either. Half way there I realised I had no idea how far I had gone. Slowed down to relocate, I did, and there it was - huge time loss avoided. Shorter leg to 12, straightforward. Then caught Doug Guy to 13, he chose a confusing route. I decided not to follow and I overtook him by sticking to my plan. Along some lovely paths and into 14. Paths to 15 and in. Finish.
All in all I think my direction and picturing were both really good today. Glad about that as without good direction today I would have been screwed - like on number 6 although the parallel error sent me the wrong way. Knew what I was looking for most of the time too but my planning was pretty poor and cost me in total maybe 2.5 mins to 5 and 6 combined. Really enjoyed the contrast today but a bit unhappy at how knackered I was - perhaps this week has been too hard. Although I guess the area was pretty physically demanding (and technically).

Easy with Aflie
....And there's more. Anti-clockwise around Loch Kinord with Alfie on some unknown trails to me. They were lovely, lots of ups and downs but never any significant climbs. Alfie behaved but I struggled to enjoy it as I was pretty drained, tight and sore from the week. Almost got annoyed at myself for doing this last bit (My excuse was that Alfie needed a run). I wasn't even intending on doing a full lap but when I was about to turn around, I realised I was only a few hundred metres from half way and there was no point going back the same way I had come. I did however find a few shortcuts to take an apparent 500m off.

Well I had to didn't I - to get to the 100km week starting last Sunday. Plus we "needed" bread, so I was sent to the shops with Alfie.

Big stretch

Steady/Recovery
With Robbie, very similar to last week. Up to Corsee and along to the abandoned golf course. A large loop in the amazing tussocky grass, which was great on the legs too since I had a load of knots from last night. Talking the whole way so the pace was never too fast. Finished by going down to Banchory golf course and through the park and up to the school. Happy about how much we stayed off the road and that my legs felt much better after the run. Another weird timing occurrence, 50 minutes on the dot.

Easy on the cycling machine in the gym

Rowing - a bit tougher

A bit of strength, core exercises, and then some shrugs to finish off with. Would have done more but I wanted to catch a bus. Will have to do a big sesh on sunday instead.

Warm up/Shake out to Corsee and back, everything feeling good! Out at lunch, first time doing so and it felt odd.

10 mins of squats, only went to 35kg today to avoid destroying my knee again. Then stretching and a rush lunch before heading back to class. Did however get given a free sausage roll!

To the bus stop, very cold.

Tempo/Steady
Bus was around 20 mins late to the stop so tempo'd it to Seaton from the Uni. Never again am I taking that bus.

AAAC at Seaton - 5 Continuous Hills (1.27km, 40m climb each, no stops)
A right killer of a session. At the start I had an aim of doing it progressively, and I sort of did, although it wasn't in splits. Started off going at what I though was very easy but it ended up being my average pace for the entire session. As the session progressed, the amount of effort I put in did too, so it was in a way a progressive session. Splits are slightly slower than before EYOC but I only did 3 then, and I remember being dead by the end. By the end of this I was prepared to do more. A nice pace for in essence a tempo run too. So lots of positives to take.

4:50, 4:50, 4:52, 4:55, 4:42

Strangely doing the initial up hill only at 1:05 when it takes me 50s to descend. Either my climbing is good or my descending is shameful...

WD

10 minutes on the bike in the gym, hopefully loosening my knee. Built up a huge sweat.

Seeing how my knee was, felt fine, hopefully good to go with Robbie after school.

Focusing on knee strengthening.

Steady
With Robbie. Half an hour less than last week but I think we were both happy with that. Worried about my knee, and was ready to drop out and run back at any point. Thankfully never had to, and it was my re-ingrowing toe nail that gave me the most problems running down the hill. Down and up through Scolty car park, up one of the mountain bike paths that I haven't been up before, only down. Felt really good on this climb, and kept a good conversation flowing. Quick stop at the top and back down to the saddle, down to the half way path and back up for a second half-climb. This one killed me, and I think it's because it's steeper. Silence as we went up and nearly died by the time the tower came into view, somehow felt under pressure to keep running and not break out into a walk. Here's were I regretted not taking a headtorch - mine are either too dim or pointless to take with a backpack if it's not needed the whole time - as it was pretty dark by now. Had to use Robbie's high tech torch to avoid falling on the dark southern descent, but after that it was just track running back to the school. Good run, really happy that my knee held up fine, iced it anyway too. Weirdly bang on the hour.

Warm up/Shake out
Tight back probably due to tight hips. It was at it's worst last night but with regular stretching it's loosening off quite well. Up to the top of Dalmuinzie Road through the trails, and back through Bieldside and the RL. Knee was annoying me during this run but after about 15 mins something happened and the pain vanished. Felt much better after the run than before.

Tried to stay off the properly destroying exercises today, also though about injury prevention quite a lot so did a lot of calf raises, clams, and stuff for the hips. 20 minutes of these and the rest was a brief stretch before having to go into school, grrr.. Felt awesome by the end though.

WU - 4 laps of the field feeling great, then 1 lap with the group doing some dynamic stretches hence the drop in pace. Knee worrying me by then end.

Cosmics Intervals - 10*400m with 150m jog recovery, usually ~1:15 recovery. On rugby pitches like usual.
Pretty happy with that. Started at what I thought was too quick but managed to maintain it very well until the last rep where I smashed the average. Only worrying thing was my knee. I wouldn't call it pain, but there's a niggle in the tendon somewhere underneath the cap. I couldn't feel it during the reps but as soon as we slowed to recover it came back. By the end it weirdly disappeared, but re-appeared during WD. Anyway, leading with another guy most of the way, he always started a touch faster so it was a really good push for me. Garmin reckons it was more like 390m but it could be error due to sharp cornering. Happy with the splits nevertheless, I was hardly doing them any faster back in summer when we had just under 4 mins of recovery and got to do them on track too.
Splits: 70, 71, 69, 69, 69, 69, 70, 70, 70, 66 - times are rounded up

WD - knee is scaring me now. So cold, hot, cold, hot when I got home, and iced it for a good while too. Can't feel anything now, will see tomorrow morning.

Recovery 1 - Cycle
Trying not too push very much on the big hill. Began up to Contlaw road then down to the hill above Culter. Had some fun off road, although it was pretty muddy from last night's rain, and back home at a good speed.

Recovery 2
From Banchory Sports Centre to Crathes after a gym induction. Had a go at all the different machines but nothing worth logging. Completely dark once I got out, brought a small headtorch but it hardly helped at all. Initially it was very muddy and not very enjoyable as I couldn't really make out what was muddy and what wasn't especially under the leaves. But at about half way, the path became much better and I could finally settle into a rhythm. Did 4*100m(100m) at the end, basically just strides, felt very fast in the dark.