Training Log Archive: Mal

Roll on tomorrow!

ITW wiggled through Sefton, Princes and then LMJU. Made up a bit of distance at the office. Dark now the entire way in!

Morning Sefton plus an extra lap of the cricket club. Feeling brilliant in the legs, just a bit groggy despite an early night

Lap of the cricket club, feeling ok but lost a bit of drive around 1km in.

HFW along the prom, feeling ok and able to pick it up when I fancied.

Got jealous of Ba-ba over the weekend so had to go reclaim Ingleborough. Up from the quarry to the top then down the PPP path before heading down to Gaping Gill and back up Ingleborough via Little Ingleborough. Pretty tired first climb but had warmed up a little by the second. Claggy and cold up top so didn't hang around.

ITW avec rucsack. Slept rubbish so quite steady, feeling tired.

Staying at Jack's, so a cheeky midweek foray up to Kirkstone Pass and around leg 3 with Jack and Tom. Hit some cracking lines! Bumped in to a couple of lost Helm Hill spies.

Steady around Sefton. Dying a bit, tired legs today

Same as Wednesday last week. Surprised to have shaken off the tiredness during the day! Felt ok once I'd sorted the backpack out as it was stopping my breathing.

Hodgsons Leg 4 with Corny following (at some distance) unbeknown to me.
Legs felt ok, and able to tap out a decent rhythm. Up in 39mins (37 in the race last year) and around in 1:26 pretty comfortably.
Run to Hartsop Hall from Hartsop.
Run from Patterdale to Hartsop

Loads of faces out and about again!

Hodgsons Leg 2 with Scott.
Suffered from the get go! Ran up the track passing Astrid and Michelle before hitting the fell line and immediately bonking....hard. Felt light headed and dizzy so had my emergency gel (after 10mins of running). Regrouped and was able to run around the back of the Dodd and all the way up High Street, passing Mark Roberts and Anna Lupton, then felt ok contouring around Thornthwaite Beacon and down in to Threshthwaite Mouth before bonking a bit on the pull back up out the other side. Missed the trod in to the tarn checkpoint but straight in. Re-traced our steps along the trod back up to the wall before following it down to Hartsop Dodd. There was still time for another bonk though were I completely ground to a halt on a flat/downhill section before being resuscitated by one of Scott's gels.
Good day out in the hills but absolutely buggered!

Jog up the hill to watch the women's race and back then up to the start with Jack
Slow jog with Pete and Jack afterwards would have jogged back to the car but got chatting to Kieran Hodgson

Great Whernside English Champs FR 36th
Tried to keep it steady at the start but by the top of the second ramp I was in a world of pain and lactic was consuming my body. Watched Jack, Ben and Nic run away from me here. After the house halfway Mark Roberts came past but nipped back ahead of him and Nic on the steeper section. Had just about recovered at this point and started working my way back to Jack, Ben and surprisingly a fading Will Neill. Got back past Jack on the last climb and put a bit of a gap between us but not far enough.
Turned at the top in ~40th and chased on to a guy overtaking him eventually but then went up to my waist in a marsh and lost all my momentum. Jack closed and came back past, I nearly wiped him out by accident but he spurred me on to get motoring again. Set off hard after Pete Hodges (who I'd had my eyes on overtaking at the top) and eventually got him coming in to the finiship fields. Managed to get a bonus Mark Roberts just at the end too.
Lungs were not prepared for this, maybe I do need to do more speed work? Got beat by Winskill despite not seeing him all race? But only 1min behind Pete, I'll take that.
Best chanps short race finish and just off my best placing full stop. Strong field out today!

ITW. Sefton and Princes then dropping down through the centre. Took a while to feel good.

Tired

ITW.
Hoping this good feeling lasts!

HFW. Up to Everton Park then across to Princes and Sefton Parks

ITW. Chilly and misty

Spent the evening punishing my hamstrings, glutes and back which seems to have worked quite well.

HFW.
Lime Street, Uni, Botanic, Mystery, Greenbank, Sefton
Seemed to be 'uphill' most of the way!
Body is starting to get used to running at this pace I feel. Took a wrong turn in Wavertree by accident.

Lap of Sefton.
Kept getting awoken during the night so not the best sleep. Legs very achey but turning over nicely.

HFW.
Despite being so stiff I could barely walk all day this felt remarkably easy

Made it up to Fell runner central to get some reccying done. Bumped in to Sam Watson and a few others. The Elk was in the area too.

Crashed and burned after some initial exuberance

A loop with Pete and Jack beforehand

3 Shires FR Win!

Pete and Jack tempted me in to running this a week or two ago when I wasn't that keen but felt I needed another good run to get in to the team for the relays (especially given an exciting new recruit!). On the drive up Pete and I were looking forward to it but noticed the field wasn't quite so strong bar Pete, Chris Arthur and Vic Wilkinson so tried to give him the lowdown of the lines

At the start I went off hard (as per) and expected Pete to come with me but as in previous year I just hung off the front about 50m ahead for the first mile and a bit before being gradually reeled in by Pete with Messrs Wright and Simpson in close attendance. A proper Ambleside peloton! Hit the climb and found a decent route but Pete was really strong and got a gap of about 30-40m which never extended or closed. Knew I was feeling ok when I started to push on from Pez and summited Wetherlam about 20-30s down. Closed a bit on the descent to Prison Band. Before climbing at a similar pace to Pete again up to Swirl How. Got some much needed water on this bit and words of encouragement from Matt. We were clear! And my legs felt awesome!

Contouring round Great Carrs next, picked up the trod but was a bit too cautious and scoffed at Pete dropping down before hitting the path too high . Caught back up a bit as he faffed with his map and celebrated finding the cairn. Switched off again and initially followed him down before remembering the race trod and contouring in to it. Popped out on the path just in front of him and led him in to Wrynose summit to an ecstatic Dan Duxberry. Got a bit of a gap on the descent which I needed as he reeled me back in comfortably on the first part of Blisco. Had a quick check backwards and saw Pez was still losing time to us. My legs felt pretty good and I was able to tap out a decent pace on the flatter bit and switching down to a walk on the steeper. Luckily Pete was the same, out-wurzelled him on one bit by accident climbing past a turn in the trod before dropping back on to it. Still climbing well but let him go slightly on the top plateau to take a short easy period before the descent.

Caught back up as it steepened and hit the trod pretty well was close to pulling out a gap at one point but never too far ahead. Managed to not fuck up the bottom bit this year and got down to the wall crossing bang on. Pulled out a bit on the shitty section of the descent despite nearly stacking it then lower down I did stack it just before the woods. Was running a bit gingerly through the woods and Pete closed up before latching back on up the incline to the road (this hurt a bit).

Turned off the road to a still ecstatic Duxberry and spied Matt up the hill. It became tactical here as Pete know he needed to drop me, whilst I knew if I was with him at the top I'd be in with a chance providing I could hold him off on the flat fields at the bottom. Started making a pace and Pete closed, and closed and crept past. Stuck in behind him and made it up to Matt as a twosome. Quick check back and the gap was still pretty big. Passed a few tourists and the hill levelled, I knew last year I was dying at this point but I felt really strong still. Hit a small downhill section and went back to the front. Putting in a bit of a dig up the bottom of the last pull. Got a few cheers up here "Go on Jack!". Got to the top just as my legs began to tire. 1:48...was sub-2 on?

Knew the descent line well so just went for it. Knew Pete wouldn't come past up on the fell so tried to get a bit of a gap. Strangely the last little uphill didn't hurt as much this year got on to the zig-zags and couldn't see Pete anymore. Came out on to the road and had a quick glance, did I have enough? In to the fields and another glance, still not sure. Through the annoying gate and in to the last field, I'm clear! Glance at the watch 1:59:50.....shit missed it. Big push in to make sure I was sub 2:03:24 (it's an important time, isn't it Jack ;) ).

Chuffed!

For reference:
Wetherlam 37:30
Swirl How 55:40
Three Shires 62:30
Pike O'Blisco 79:00
Blea Tarn 95:30
Lingmoor 108:30
Finish 121:50

Reckon I could have been maybe 90s quicker if I'd been a bit more bang on the lines and attacked the Blisco descent a bit more. To be sub-2 reckon it would be about 1min quicker by Blisco, 90s by Blea Tarn and 30s quicker up Lingmoor. It is possible!

C • Good man! 6

Big showdown tomorrow

Lap of Sefton then ITW.
Downpours to begin with, wished I had taken gloves.

ITW.
Slept atrociously but thought I may as well suffer later. Prepared for full storm conditions.....it was slightly gusty on the Strand. Disappointing.
Feeling ok once I got going.

HFW.
Via Everton, Princes and Sefton in the sun!

ITW. Managed to avoid the rainstorm just as I left the house but locked the door and my keys behind me.
Ok plod but ground to a halt a bit on the inclines.

HFW.
Long day, had planned to go to the Harriers tonight but finished work too late so just ran home. Felt alright for the first 5miles or so then stomach decided to complain so hobbled home.

Lap of Sefton. Legs feeling pants again

HFW along the prom
Felt better than this morning but not great, don't think I'm eating enough at the moment for a reasonable amount of training.

To the Tyne Bridge to watch the GNR, then down across the swing bridge and up the Tyne to Scotswood. Back up the hill, slowly. Legs not feeling as bouncy as yesterday so some slower miles.

Lap of Chopwell with Scott before heading back. Feeling better than AM and nice to have some company.

To and from Gibside

Gibside Park run. 1st.
Couldn't face driving over to Gosforth for Park run so went to Gibside instead. Didn't expect it to be busy with the GNR tomorrow.
Was running solo after about 200m and finished 90s clear. Tough course with two big climbs. Got a bit of a stitch on the last flat 500m which meant I could push as must as I'd like to have and gotten closer to 18. Fastest time for nearly a year though on the course.

Unsure how I'd feel after this morning but got out for a run along the Tyne and Derwent. Feeling great and floaty. Feel in half decent shape.

Went to the harriers but found it was the monthly 5km thing which I didn't feel up for doing after feeling off all day.
So went to the wall for a change. Lost a lot of the strength I had last year and tired very quickly but managed to knock off a lot of the blue problems before ripping my little finger open and deciding to call it a day so I didn't tear even more off. Good fun.

Had a massage and got a drive back later. Thinking its goingto be fairly sedate today.

C • Rest up 2

Good ol' stretch. Hamstrings very tight, need to work of flexibility at the moment I feel

Watergate loop. Feeling OK but a tight left hip

Initial plans to go to Devon fell through so ventured home, decided to have a pop at the Mcwilliams round, a new-ish long distance round in the Cheviots. Thought I may as well have a pop at the record I went off hard. Made it from Wooler to Kirk Yeholm on the St Cuthberts Way happy enough in about 100mins, before turning south towards Cheviot along the Pennine Way. Ran the first 2hours solidly before having my drink climbi g up towards the Shill. Slowed quite a bit here but was still through 30km in under 3hours. Started to feel very dehydrated here but made it on to the Chevy route at adecent pace still sat in the river for a few minutes drinking as much as I could and never really gotgoing again. Crawled my way up Hedgehope amd resigned myself to just finishing it but once on the way down everything went very tight, my shoulders, hips amd lower back, hamstrings and calves to the point were I could only walk a few minutes at a time between lying down. It was weird, the legs and body weren't tired or crampy just really sore. Managed to get signal and arrange a lift to bail out 10miles short. I will be back!

Would normally have trudged on through it but didn't want to ruin myself ahead of the relays

Jog to the start beforehand.
Shuffle of the hill at the end

Out to South Parkway, around to Penny Lane and back. Felt good.