Training Log Archive: Kris

Feeling much better today and was close to going running but decided to take a rest, bank the training and make double sure that I've kicked the cold.

6.30 train down to Liverpool. Slightly better than yesterday but hard to tell.

C • worth the train trip 12

Cross challenge at Sefton Park - 15th

Early start but feeling a bit better on the whole and cold still confined to the head. I was really looking forward to a proper XC race but if it wasn't for the team competition I probably would have pulled out. I wouldn't have been comfortable with pulling out at such short notice as it was. Anyway, my cold wasn't that bad and I didn't know how I would feel until I ran hard.

The original plan was to push it hard at the start and try and get a good place in the group. I tried this but was way back in 50-60th feeling like I didn't want to go any faster. The split for the first km was 2.56. That explained it. My plan changed to work through the fast staters as best I could..

By the end of the first lap I'd worked up to about 25th and could see that the race had split apart into 5 or 6 leaders and then a bit of a chasing pack. I worked well in the second lap, never catching the chasing pack, and although the km splits were definitely slowing I gained some more places..

Going into the last lap Alex Teuton (?) came past (the first person I noticed passing me the whole race) and I got on the back of him for a bit. We were steadily gaining on the group in front which included Jonny Hay running for AFD (one of our rivals in the team competition). I pushed on to try and get on the back of this pack but I couldn't quite do it.

With a km left it was clear I wasn't going to make it, Alex came back past and I now had no answer. In the finishing straight I was passed by Patrick Dever but I was spent by this point and couldn't muster much of a sprint.

Strava reckons 9.02, 9.06, 9.15 for the three laps (minus the start and finish straights).

Happy with the run. Had top 20 in my head before the start and that was a number plucked without considering the strength of the field this year. I don't think the cold affected me much but can't ever know, I'm happy all the same. I just hope that I can kick it quickly and this hasn't made it worse.

Had a tickly throat all week, today it blew up into full blown cold.

Inc. 8 x 5 lamppost strides

1 mile steady (3 mins)
10 x 800 (60s)

4.56
2.23, 22, 23, 22, 22, 21, 21, 20, 22, 23

Felt OK, just ticking them off.. Reigned it in on the last couple. Had a bit of a hr strap fail when it came off during the 2nd 8 and I tried to replace it during the rest. This meant I was baps out in the freezing cold when it came to start the third one and so ended up having 90s here so I could get dressed again.