Unseasonably Warm

The warm February weather in the UK has brought out hoards of cyclists venturing out of their training pain caves. So I joined them yesterday for a very enjoyable spin out on the open roads riding my Evo2max Nebula R9. After many sessions on the rollers in the garage riding my Holdsworth (lower spec bla bla) bike, it felt really good to have a blast on this speed machine. Judging by the way my legs feel today I may have ridden too hard. Averaging over 20mph - including junctions, hills, roundabouts etc - is reasonable speedy I suppose. This weekend may see another Parkrun outing to see if I can take the age group record lower. But this depends on how the legs recover. I felt strong yesterday but the accumulated fatigue from the race on Sunday is showing now. You never know, if I recover maybe some super-adaptation will occur!

Manchester Airport Duathlon

Today I completed my first race of 2019, the Manchester Airport Duathlon. This is a GoTri event aimed at introducing people to mulrisport racing. Hence the set up was pretty low key, which was quite enjoyable. Although a short event at 2.5k/17k/2.5k, the intensity level made it a hard effort! The result was 4th place overall. Quite happy with this result; not because of the position (it was a low key event) but more because I felt strong throughout. A couple of aspects to note, however, are worth considering. My glute/hamstring issue in my left leg tightened up quite significantly. Also, although I felt strong on the second run, I kind of hit terminal velocity without maxing out on my aerobic capacity. So when I crossed the finish line I felt as though I could have continued but not increase the pace. Is this lack of speed work or just age! Not sure. At 54 years old I am going to be more suited to longer distance races. Finding the balance between speed and endurance is key. But it is vital to maintain short hard efforts as I age. Next race? Not sure! I'll look at what's on but the National Middle Distance champs is tempting..... 2 June.... Mmmmmm

Parkrun Outing

It's been a good few years since I have participated in a Parkrun 5k. So today I am going to venture out to the local venue, called The Wammy Parkrun. It's close enough to run to the start as a warm up but I will get on the rollers for 30 mins to lubricate the old joints. No idea how I will go to be honest. I have had some decent runs in training but I still struggle with tight hamstrings. Plus I never run well in the mornings! The course is a straight out and back on a narrow path. With over 300 runners regularly attending, it could be a tight fit! I'll be please with a time that starts with 18:XX. My last Parkrun was 2016 and I clocked 18:16. I am older and significantly more creaky now but sub-19 mins is doable. The above was written as I supped my morning coffee. After suffering for 5k that took me an official 18:29 (18:21 by my garmin) I'm quite happy. I didn't feel great because of my pesky tight glutes and hamstrings. But I do feel that some races and sensible speed work would help me get sub-18 min on this course. My pacing was quite constant, though there is a slight rise just before the turn point that really stings when running hard. An average pace of 3:40 per k is ok and my aim is to bring this down to 3:35 pace. So the best way to do this is by completing some 500m reps at 3:30 pace. The plan is hatched! Turns out that my run equalled the age group record for The Wammy. Best I find a few more seconds to 'unequal' this! Best I find 30+ seconds to attack the next age group record, which is significantly faster!

Early Season Race Tester?

Training has remained consistent, along with some speed sharpening sessions. However, a cold snap bringing snow and ice has interrupted some planned training. As usual, I've been holed up in the garage on the rollers and throwing some kettlebells around too. I've also been trying out the Roodol light weight mobile rollers that I plan to use when working away from the pain cave garage at home. I really like these rollers. Not only are they very practical to take anywhere, but the smaller diameter of the rollers means more resistance than my elite standard rollers. They are also quieter. I've seen a short duathlon race on 24 Feb nearby. The runs are only 2.5k and the bike 17k. The plan is to use my Evo road bike and just have an enjoyable race blast.