On Track?

I made it to the track last night - phew. After feeling so crappy for days I doubted I would go. By crappy I mean the legs were just sore all the time. It’s like I wasn’t recovering properly. A day out in Bristol to see CJ didn’t help as we walked for miles and my shoes were not suited to walking at all. My calves were tight as a tight thing afterwards! Too old to walk around now 😖. 

The track session was 1 mile TT flat out. Then 10 x 200 focusing on form and relaxed speed - definitely not sprints! 

Once warmed up I didn’t feel too bad. I’d targeted the Mike effort as sub-5:40. I managed a 5:29. Happy with that but it’s way off what I used to be able to do. Age sucks. But now I’m wondering what this time equates to for a 5k effort. Could I run a sub-18 minute 5k?  My logic says it’s possible but maybe a stretch target. If I make some more small gains and the spring weather brings warmer conditions I may stand a chance on the right course and say. So the plan is hatched! Let’s go for it at the local Parkrun The Wammy. 

More to come on this!

Super Shoes

A while back I blogged the purchase of a pair of Nike Alphafly 2 super shoes. This purchase was after finding a deal for a pair of Tempo Next%, which are basically the training version of the Alphafly. 

I raced in the Alphaflys at the recent Congleton 10k and the Cheadle 5 mile event. I really like these shoes. They are fast and springy yet cushioned too. But there is also a lot of hype surrounding the Nike Vaporfly. These are meant to be lighter and less clumpy but just as fast. 

So now I’ve managed to bag a bargain deal for a pair of the Vaporfly 2s. Today I did a run/bike/run session with the runs as 10 x acceleration strides. I switched between the 2 shoes for batches of 2 strides to compare the feel. My legs are pretty shot from conditioning yesterday so perhaps this test needs to be repeated. Overall the Alphaflys were just more snappy and cushioned better. But as I said I need to properly test the Vaporflys with fresh legs. 

I’m thinking of doing a park run next Saturday as a run TT. I’ll see how the track session goes on Wednesday! 

Next Race - Nantwich 10k

 A week on from the Cheadle 5 mile race that went ok really I’ve decided not to race the Shrewsbury Duathlon in a couple of weeks. It’s an afternoon race and a bit too short with both runs of 2.5k. But instead I’ve entered the Nantwich 10k in 2 April. So only 3 weeks away and the chance to build some more solid sessions. Last week has gone well and I’ve packed in some conditioning, long run, long bike, fartleck bike/run brick. I’m aiming for a decent track session on Wednesday so I’ll take a couple of easy days to make best use of the intensity of this session. 

I’ve done some leg openers running drills and strides today off the turbo session done as tempo with above threshold efforts in the segments and sprints. 

That felt good, even after the long run Friday and long ride Saturday - both done with some fatigue in the legs from conditioning. 

Overall, I’m very pleased with the form at the moment. As for the 10k I think I have the form to go close to 38 min. Obviously conditions etc come into play but if the course is indeed fast, my Cheadle 5 pace equates to 38 min. So let’s have that as a stretch target ✊

Cheadle 5 Pics

 A couple more pics from the Cheadle 5 yesterday 

Presentation from Paul Stoddart, as the main sponsor. I know Paul from my time at TSW Stafford when I lived in Whiston. I used to take e the Tean 10 mile TT back in 2012. Paul raced for Stone Wheelers. 

The second pic is taken with about half a mile to go to the finish. I thought I’d be out sprinted by the chap behind me but turns out he was as pooped as me. Quite a tough drag to the finish for the last mile. 

Next race should have been tbe Shrewsbury Duathlon on 19 March but it’s a bit short at 2.5/10/2.5 and a Go Tri event. I’ll rethink about when I can get a duathlon race scheduled. I could do with one on April. 

Race - Cheadle 5 Mile Road Run

 My last blog explained the week build up I’d had, with a strange hip niggle that appeared and then clears up! So essentially had a taper for this race that was meant to be a training event. Thankfully, I felt fresh and not stale. 

Result: 7th overall. 1st AG. Time: 30:42. 

I’m happy enough with that. In my head, I want sub-30 min to still clock sub-6 min miles but those days are behind me now I reckon. Got to just focus on being the best I can be. The course is lumpy so no idea if there could be faster races in me on the right course. But I felt strong and lives the Nike Alphaflys. My legs were roast in the last 800m though, which I suppose is how it should be. 

Next race is a sprint duathlon in Shrewsbury. Looking forward to this but the Met Office forecasting ice and snow to come. I’ll not race if it’s bad. Hoping for an early spring sunny day! 

Eeeek! Injury?

 So the last post was all good. A week to go until the Cheadle 5 mile road run race. The week was meant to be recover from Sunday conditioning with run strides incorporated session. Then bag a 15k easy long run on Wednesday. Finally get a hard(ish) bike session before a couple of easy endurance days. All that went wrong when I started to feel some hip pain on Tuesday. This pain came from nowhere. I was literally struggling to walk properly and get up stairs without clinging onto the banister. We’d essay felt a bit easier and I attempted some jog and strides instead of the planned LSR. But the pain was pretty bad still. Throughout Wednesday the pain eased. By Thursday it was virtually gone. I did a short bike easy spin and strides afterwards. Pain almost gone. Friday I played it safe and just bike 50 min with the pacer bot easy. Today (Saturday) I thought there is no point in completing a hard session; I’ll just warm up and call it a day to be fresh for the race tomorrow. 

So oddly, I’ve just tapered - unplanned. I’m having all the normal taper feelings of ‘I’ve lost all fitness’. Or ‘I’ve missed key hard sessions’. But we’ll see how the race goes. I’ll either be fresh and run well; or stale and heavy legged. I do have a worry that this hip pain will reappear. So must be sensible and not push through any real pain. 

Looking longer term, it’s now March and the key race for me on 28 May at Darley Moor Duathlon seems a lot closer. I want to make March a decent incremental month of training, seeing as this week has been a taper period. Any races in March must be training races with no ease down prior. First potential race is the Shrewsbury Sprint Duathlon on 19 March. If the weather holds I’ll enter. 

Talking of the weather, the forecast for tomorrow is high chance of rain and 3 degrees 🫣. For a sun lover like me this is nit good. Plus I’m aware that the Nike Alphafly shoes I have are not meant to be good in the wet. I’ll need to be careful of slipping on sharp corners - nit sure I’ll be running fast enough to cause any slippage though 🤓. 

Race time target? Well I clicked 31:10 at the Alsager 5 back in 2020. I felt awful in that race and got slower as the race progressed, even considering dropping out at one point. But looking back, the average pace of 3:50 per k wasn’t too bad; I just started too fast. Not sure how fast the Cheadle course will be but I’d like to go sub-31 min. If the track session the other week is a guide to go by I think I’m capable of this time but there are a few lumps and bumps on this course. 

Check back for race report tomorrow then!