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! 

Another Run Race Inbound

 A week to go until the next ‘training’ run race. This time it’s the Cheadle 5 miler. Not done this race before but having lives in Cheadle previously I know the route well. It’s potentially a fast course but by no means flat. But I’m looking forward to it as the running continues to feel good and definitely on an upward trend if the track session last Wednesday is anything to go by. 

The session was 15 x 400 with just 30 sec recovery. This was a real test of pacing and good to judge where the 5k run form could be. I’d figured if an 18 min 5k was around 1:27 per 400m that would be a good target. This equates to around 3:37 per k pace. As normal I held back the first couple of reps to get in the groove. This works for me and it’s the same in races; start easier and increase the pace. The next 13 reps were very consistent around 1:24. So well above 18 min 5k pace. I felt good entire session which is great to feel. I now wonder could I actually break 18 min for 5k? 🤔. That would be as fast as I’ve ran for 10 years. Well let’s see how thanks go. I’ll aim for a parkrun blast around April I think. But the 5 mile race next week should be a good indicator if form. 

I’m still trying to maintain the conditioning sessions but finding it hard now I’m upping the bike/run intensity. But I must hit the gym at least once a week to keep the strength I think I’ve built over the least 6 months. 

Onwards and upwards. . . 

Boalloy Bypass 10k Pics

 A few more pics from the race last Sunday. 

Boalloy Bypass 10k

 Well it’s the day after yesterday’s Blog post and the Boalloy Bypass 10k is done. Quite content with the result really. Stats:

11th overall 

1st Age Cat (55-59)

Time: 39:24 (Strava GPS 39:10)

Finish film clip: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxO7kpaG3mt4MF1HpKzNACNYF60-C9O1kw?si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

Not sure if that link will work years from now 🫣

So key takeaways: lumpy course and I was strong on the hills - mainly due to decent pacing. Perception is this is not a fast course.  Felt ok at speed and would hope to improve this time on a faster course. Definite faster second 5k split for me. No niggles following the hard effort. Official first 5k was 20:16. So a decent negative split. Had to reel in the fast ladies!

Great to see NTC folks doing well, with Lloyd taking 2nd overall and Didier taking 3rd. 

Early Race Tester

 So tomorrow 12 Feb 23 I will pin a number on for the first time in ages. This time it’s a pure run race over 10k in the Congleton Baollay Bypass 10K. The indications had been good (I think) after a couple of track sessions and that good few months conditioning focus. I still hope for a sub-40 min time but at the back of my mind I’m concerned that the past week has been rather chaotic. Training volume and intensity has been low but I’m not feeling fresh because I’ve e travelled with work and out in some 10 hour days that have been mixed with late nights. Not ideal and the head is already playing tricks KN me making me feel I’m in bad shape and all the building form has been derailed 🫣. I’ve had this time and time again over the years I’ve been competing but it never seems to feel any different. 

Let’s see how it goes tomorrow. First race of the year should be no expectations but I still want to back up the feelings I’ve had that the conditioning has given me a great edge to perform well this year. 

Race report tomorrow then. . . 

Into Feb - More Track Work

 Into Feb 23 and the increased intensity continues, with the second track session of my return to the 400m fast stuff. Te session on Wednesday was 20 x 200m with 200m jog RI. 

Just the type of session I need to bring the run form into the space I need - well that’s the theory. The risk with this session is always going to be the unfamiliar fast speed that actually doesn’t feel too fast over the short distance. I eased back but as I write this 4 days after the session I’m thinking I should have backed off more. 

I was happy with the session but I must have over-cooked it. I wanted to get my higher intensity turbo set in too. This was completed on the Friday with sore legs. It was a bit of a struggle - harder than it should have and served to add more fatigue that I still feel now. With the Congleton 10k a week away I just need to have an easy week with strides really. 

I’m conscious that I need to maintain the conditioning that I’ve built up over the last 6 months. So I’ll squeeze a reduced intensity weights set tomorrow. I’m away with work Wed and Thursday so I need to accept this easy week and focus on not being weary from travelling. 

Game on. . .