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Lucozade Sport Super Six: keep going lass
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I know what you mean about the heavy legs Tracy my schedule called for a 14 mile easy run last weekend which I did on Saturday in the pouring rain and it was great and felt fine after it. When it came to do my speed session yesterday my legs felt heavy and I couldn't keep up the pace 10 x 800m and it does get frustrating with the watch beeping at you to get in zone.
Felt I could walk on water on Saturday after the 14 miler as that was my longest run to date, I only have one more week until my HM so getting close now.
Running with heavy legs is apparently good because it gets your body used to working hard whilst it's tired. Make sure you get plenty of rest this week - you've done the distance so there is surely no benefit in doing it again until the day when you will hopefully have fresh legs! I look forward to you posting how you have got on!
You'll walk it Richard ...... (figuratively speaking of course, not literally!)
with the summer we've had, walking/running on water is almost compulsory.
While training is in some way beneficial to run on slightly tired legs to build up endurance and resistance, there is a thin line easy to cross, where if legs are too tired, you get injured, ill or plod so much the benefits are minimal.
However as long as you feel you aren't doing yourself physical damage, it is best to run a slightly slower speed session on slightly tired legs than to not do the session at all.
I'm glad you said that Steve as that is exactly what I did tonight on my easy run.My legs were feeling better today but still a little heavy and a late night followed by a busy day at work added to the challenge!
I chose a traditional road route which incorporated some steady inclines and declines and a few bridges to give some reasonably short sharp hills to climb, something that has been lacking recently as I have favoured off road nature trails and canal tow paths. I've done this route in reverse once when I ran with my trainer about two weeks before Steve's schedule, so even though I was tired, it would be a useful measure of my progress since then. At that time I ran it in just a little over an hour but at the time that was a fast pace for me and I found it hard work.
The first mile was deliberately slow and gentle to warm my legs up. At the end of 2 miles, I stopped for a short while to do some stretches which had an instant effect, putting a bit more of a spring in my step and naturally increasing my pace.
The fading aches from Sunday and the new aches from last night were exagerated, with new ones surfacing as I bimbled along, but all character building! Itt took 40 minutes and into mile 4 before I started to feel fully oiled.
Most of the last 2 miles were a gentle down hill gradient which gave me a natural pace increase and Ideliberately slowed down for the last 200 metres, arriving back at my front door 64:48 minutes and 6 miles later, feeling much better than when I went out.
My pace overall was towards the bottom end of the suggested range and slower but I remember Steve advising that it is better that the Wednesday run is run slower and used for recovery rather than forcing a faster effort and undermining performance on Thursday which needs to be quicker so on balance I am quite happy with tonight's run and I ran it slightly slower than I did the last time but from an endurance and fitness point of view, even though I was tired, I could feel the improvement as it took far less effort.
Recent experience has shown me that in any case, the numbers are usually better than you expect them to be if you are feeling tired, so don't beat yourself up about it - I am where I am and I can go forward. Here they are - next post.......
Mile 1 - 11:31
150
Mile 2 - 10:54
156
Mile 3 - 10:22
159
Mile 4 - 10:43
164
Mile 5 - 10:24
159
Mile 6 - 10:30
162
Average HR overall - 158
20:55 within the 10:00 - 10:30 range
5:05 above it
38:48 below the range
Where I live that means something else entirely
Thanks for asking Ros - my legs feel surprisingly looser today, I expected them to be quite stiff so the recovery run last night must have done the trick. Hip was a bit achy this morning but no worse than it has been so I banged the ice pack on it and popped a couple of pills whilst I was getting ready for work and it seems fine now so I think it's just an occupational hazard! Hopefully the Osteopath will do some more magic next Saturday as it has certainly improved overall since I saw him.
I am looking forward to tonight's run as it's a bit different and more attuned to my natural style, ie starting slowly and speed up as I warm up - out and back,11 minute miles out and then back faster than that (9 mm I think). I just need to decide on a fairly straight route and make sure I am well hydrated and fed over the course of the day......
This week is going well so far in as much as I am getting back into the routine as I feel as though I have lost 3 weeks somewhere along the line, and I am quite looking forward to today's run. Also, I have the away day on the train to London on Saturday for the race preparation seminar with Steve and Liz Yelling so I am expecting to come away from that fully motivated and raring to go into the last .....3 (eeeeekkk
is it only 3??) weeks.
No pressure there then Steve??
My sessions are not going as well as I can’t get out at the moment due to having pulled a muscle in my back, it came on yesterday after being hunched over my laptop all day. Hoping it will clear up quickly as I have my HM next weekend.
Does anyone know any treatments for backs?
Yes - I suffered with two slipped discs, probably about 10 years ago - here's the advice I was given::::
no ironing, no bedmaking, no hoovering, no baths - take a shower instead, bend from the knees and not the spine, use your arms to get yourself upright to get out of bed, roll up a towel or something similar and place it in the small of your back when seated to encourage and support good posture..................don't sit in one position for more than 20 minutes - keep moving!
Seriously though, a hot water bottle will warm the muscle and ease the discomfort which may allow you to gently stretch it to get it moving again, but to be honest, if you've done it by hunching over your laptop, rather than it being a specific injury, it's probably not a pulled muscle, just feels like one, in which case I can fully recommend an Osteopath having seen one last week on Coach Steve's advice, who will bend and stretch you to release any blockages, (that's the Osteopath, not Steve!) particularly if you have a short deadline with your event next week! Will cost you an arm and a leg though!!
Incidentally, Bryan the Snail is training with a history and current experience of back pain so it might be worth a visit to his thread? Good luck!
Enjoy your run. I'm not really part of the seminar itself as think everything was in place and i was only remembred as an an afterthought, and i'm more of an observor, but hoping to get to speak to everyone individually over the day.
I think you effectively lost a week's training and I think with a good next 7-10 days, you will be back where you were before the problems and holiday.
Now there lies the challenge ..... <makes a mental note of the date in 10 days time> Back to where I was before is a minimum requirement - I'm sure I can do better than that if I put my mind to it, but I won't speak too soon!
How could they forget you Steve?? and it's the observing I'm worried about!!
Have you any comment on my run last night? Or is there another gremelin in the system which has deleted it ..... seems to be happening a lot lately with my posts.... and just when I get to the end of it aswell!
Tonight's run..... 50 minutes out and back route - out at 11 mm pace, back at 9 mm pace. Chose a fairly even route with similar gradients in both directions......
I was looking forward to a gentle 11 mm bimble, it seem ages since I was asked to run that slowly but I had real trouble with pacing and my calves don't like running at that speed at all. Consequently I had to stop 3 times to stretch them out. My ankles were also hurting but I suspect that was because my laces were too tight as I am getting used to my new Nike shoes.
The return leg however was completely different. As soon as I picked up the speed, the discomfort in my legs completely disappeared.
I enjoyed the simplicity of tonight's run though and having done it once, I will be able to improve it next week by changing the settings on my watch - I had set the pace range too close, only allowing 5 seconds leeway each side and I would have done better to set the lap length at either 2.5 miles or 0.5 miles, but here are the numbers I have:
Total Time 53:36, 5.18 miles covered, Avge HR - 157
Outward - Total time - 30:28, 23 minutes at or above 11 mm pace, 7:28 below.
Back - total time 23:08 - on target overall for this leg, 12:41 minutes at or above 9 mm pace, 10:27 below, max pace 7:25 (fluke or downhill!) -
Mile 1 - 12:06, avge hr 146,
Mile 2 - 11:13 avge hr 152
Mile 3 - 10:02 avge hr 157 (running 8:53 pace at the end of this mile)
Mile 4 - 8:55 avge hr 167
Mile 5 - 9:23 avge hr 170 (running 8:53 pace at the end of this mile)
last 180 metres - 1:53, avge hr 171 (average pace 8:45, pace at end 8:26)
The lesson learned tonight is that 9mm miles, although still challenging for me on short distances, are not as fast as I imagine them to be in my head.
I think I need to establish a suitable warm up routine that doesn't include running so that I can settle into the shorter runs more quickly. By the time my legs have thawed out, the run is nearly over! I think next week I'll cycle around the block before running and see if that makes any difference and perhaps it's time for another sports massage.......
Great run tonight following a good steady run the day before.
It does seem that sometimes running slowly seems hard in a different way and uncomfortable. Speedy G had the same problem. It might just be that that 11 min mile pace is too slow now and your slow pace should be 10s.
I managed to get an appointment with my Osteopath today. It seems that one of my ribs had popped out which he put back in without too much pain (just a few grunts). It already feels better although tender as inflamed. Hopefully I will be fit for my HM next week!
I know what you mean about the slow running Tracy, I had the same experience the other week.
What a fantastic day we have had .......... and for me just at the right time..... Liz Yelling and her husband Martin are truly not only inspirational professionals, but also really nice, friendly, down to earth people.
As usual, the lucozade team looked after us with style, coach steve was there to give us direct feedback and insight into his approach and receving coaching and encouragement from Liz and Martin was surreal.
I've come away from the race preparation seminar, inspired, motivated, having learned loads and feeling confident that if I had to run this race tomorrow, I could do it. I can achieve this massive goal I have set myself and do it well.........
I am chomping at the bit to get out on my long run tomorrow, feeling relaxed and assured that my focus and determination over the last few weeks have paid off and I still have time to improve.......
I'll post the details tomorrow but for now, I think I'll open a bottle of wine .....
Well, here we go - one of the most memorable experiences of my life so far -
I met up with Sue and Cath at Liverpool Street Station and we made our way by train to Ponders End which was about 15 minutes walk from the stadium ..... well it would have been if we had gone the right way! We were so busy gassing, we walked along aimlessly for 10 minutes until we realised it didn't look right and having asked for directions we had to go back to the station and back in the opposite direction, arriving 1 minute before the 11.30 start .........
The boys had arrived 20 odd minutes before us, having started the journey by car two and a half hours north of where I live ..... the joys of public transport!
The session started with Liz telling us about her Bejing experience - how she prepared for it in Florida, how she had made effective use of the support around her and how she felt ready and in the best shape in her life. She described the race itself and her strategy for running it and the impact that her trip had.
It was a very poignant moment - the room was silent and everyone was completely gripped - I could see that although controlled, recalling and relayed her disappointment was still very emotional for her as she identified that event were out of her control and something she couldn't plan for.
Moving on..... she talked about her preparation more, in terms of hydration, nutrition, routine and gave us some advice on how to make sure we are ready and focused on the day itself by dealing with the practical matters well in advance and having our bag packed for our post race recovery.
Liz's husband Martin, provided the structure to the session by drawing each of the areas together, summarising them and applying Liz's words to our own situations, reminding us that whilst we may aspire to Liz's achievements, thousands of people will be aspiring to ours .......... a scary thought indeed!
Next, the training session......
First off, the warm up - 2 laps around the inside of the track, followed by a line up whilst Liz demonstrated and we practiced none stretching warm up routines. This was particularly useful for me as when I started the running itself, I had none of my usual aches and pains around my ankles and calves.
Next the running itself. The objective of the session was to know what our race pace feels like. We were to run for three minutes around the track at a steady comfortable pace that we felt we could sustain. At the whilst, we would turn around and run in the other direction at a minute per mile faster and then take threee minutes recovery to make our way back to the start.
At the sound of the first whilst, everyone scootled off with me sweeping up the rear but I was determined not to worry about being at the back and not keeping up with others as the gap widened. I was running at what I thought was comfortable but my watch seemed to be playing tricks on my, showing in some places, well below 8 minute miles - "that can't be right" I thought........ Half way round the track Steve called out that I was running too fast - slow it down...... oh
it must be right - so I slowed down.
When the whilstle sounded I turned round and picked up the now slower speed again. I heard Brian behind me call "you're winning!', shortly followed by Steve - "they'll never catch you now!" Sensible enough to realise it was because I was so far back in the first leg but nevertheless, it was good to be way in front for once!
Second lap more controlled and I started to "feel" my race pace with feedback at halfway from Steve that I was running at around 9 minute mile - still faster than the 10 mm I had planned. On this lap, Brian was running just behind me - such a gent - didn't want to leave me running on my own and provided commentary on how I was doing, fast or slow and when the whiste was about to go. At the turn, he speeded up and overtook me.............. another recovery.
Lap 3, and things improved further - I maintained a steady 9 minute mile or therabouts and lots of encouragement from Liz that I looked relaxed, smiling with a good metrononic pace. Well, she could have been referring to Brian who was still running with me....... On the turn, into the routine now and knowing there was only one to do, I accelearated to try and get a little further by the time the whilste went. Call out from Brian "I'm not going to catch you this time' followed by Steve - 'that's because she's got stamina'.......
Lap 4 - don't remember much about lap four - but my watch showed that when the final whistle went, I was running at 7 minute miles.
I had felt good through the session until I tripped over the metal thing around the track - "is that for the rabbit?' I asked. From then on I had cramp in my "tripping foot' but luckily it was stretching techniques to follow......
Next the media bit ........ during the whole session so far, the camera was never far away. I recall on one of the speed intervals, seeing the photographer about 10 metres in front of me standing in the lane taking my picture and then stepping sideways for me to go past him..... surreal - is this the kind of attention that Liz has to deal with every day??
Group photos followed with Liz in front of the Lucozade banner, followed by a request for a picture with just the 6 of us ..... "move over Liz", I said, causing much amusement........ I can't believe I said that!!
The video diaries, oh no........
Guy gave a very heart rendering account of his experience of the day and recent weeks and how it had inspired him to do a triathlon next....... heart wrenching stuff - "what are we going to do without the super six?" asked a couple of the lucozade team.........
When asked what I had found most useful during the day, I said the 'warm up' - (?????) Why did I say that??!!!! True indeed but a lack of reflection time and awareness of the camera in my face had a 'first thing that comes into my head' effect. Oh well, I never wanted to be a movie star anyway! I'll leave that to Jason and Guy......
Time for a shower and change and a chat over lunch .... and a very nice lunch it was too - forgot to mention that there were jelly beans, kids sweets, mars bars, fruit, dried fruit and nut on the tables for the morning session and copious lucozade.
Tommy from Lucozade took us through the sports science aspect of hydration and nutrition for race day preparation followed by a question and answer session with the team of experts.
The day finished off with another goody bag from Lucozade, photographs on our own cameras with Liz , who must surely get fed up of cameras pointing at her all the time and having to put her arm around complete strangers. Each of us were given a copy of Liz's book personalised with a signed message inside the front cover.
The train home was reflection time .... .what a fabulous day I had and just at the right time, when my confidence has dropped a little and I am getting frustrated because although I am meeting the targets again now, I haven't felt great whilst doing it with doubts about whether I can do this creeping in.....
As I recalled the experience, listening to some of my running songs, I felt quite overwhelming as I realised how far I have actually come, not only in the last 8 weeks, but also in the last year when I got that email saying I had achieved a place.
The countdown is on now ..... just three weeks to go, but I feel relaxed and confident as I can be that I have done and am doing everything in my control to make it happen...............
Training in an hour......followed by my long run .... better get moving ....