Overdone it?

Skinny stick with the rehab mate,dont lose heart,youl be back up too scratch in jig time.

All the best pal 

Happy Nw Year Coach!

Just got back from my first 5.3 miles of the year run in a very sensible 46 and a half minutes.

Did 3 of these runs last week and after foam rolling no real pain from knee but its still there so am going to try and take it sensibly and slowly.

Just for my own benefit a summary of 2012

Total Miles 650 (yes only 650 - clearly way too few and mainly all in a fairly intense 5 month period - no wonder I got injured) - a big increase on the 103 in previous year though!

PBs 10k 42:13 (never done one before), HM 1:29:08 (1:35).

Other highlight - Cross Bay Challenge HM into a strong headwind for 11 of 13.5 miles whilst wading waist deep at times.

Targets for 2013

Total Mileage 1000+, sub 1:28:26 HM, a sub 20 5k, a sub 67 10 miler (current PB 73:29) and outside shot a sub 40 10k.

Plan - something like what you prescribed a while ago but need to reflect fact that ITB is still seriously tight. So all easy running I'm going to aim for another week of 4 x 5 - 5.5 mile runs, then increase Sunday and midweek run by a mile a week until they are both 10 milers (around mid Feb) - hold it like that till end of Feb. Then try and build in an extra 5 miler a week and stretch out the Sunday run by a mile a week so I get close to the 40 miles by end of March. Hold it at this level until end of May then if I remain injury free will need some serious input from you.

Races planned - Coniston 14 (14 mile hilly race round Lake) 27th March (but this is for enjoyment not a target race), a park run some time during first 3 months just for something a bit different but then main race aims all back end which gives me time to take the base building and strengthening seriously. Cross Border 10k start of August, Dumfries 10k start of September, Cumbrian Run start of October and Brampton to Carlisle 10 miles in mid November. Plus my 5k sub 20 min atempt squeezed in around end of June probably.

All I'm really looking for from you is a Coachly Grunt of Approval and then I'll just report once a week on my Easy miles achieved as I build back up.

Cheers, Skinny

PS Sorry for long post!

Happy 2013 old pal!

Key for you is going to be an intense daily strengthening/loosening programme, which I'm sure a physio has given you. It's simply those injuries that will stop you beating those pbs comfortably I'm sure.

Sounds sensible with the easy build up. Throw in say 6x75m strides within one of the runs when you're feeling stronger. Gentle faster stuff that won't tax too much, but will prevent you becoming one paced.

Otherwise, hope the running goes uninteruptedly (that's a word), and will monitor from afar

First week - 21 miles (1*5.1, 3 * 5.3) All easy miles. ITB still giving me some aching in my knee but foam rolling and exercises seem to be keeping it at bay and possibly actually slightly improved.  

Week 2 Target 22 miles (2*5, 2*6)

Cheers, Skinny

PS Uninterruptedly is a word, not so sure about uninteruptedly

Week 2 - 23.2 miles (5.3,6.1,5.3,6.5). All easy although ran the 6.5 in 52:25 which is 8:04/mile so right at fast edge of my Easy range. Injury and progress as week 1 - cautiously optimistic.

Week 3 Target 25 miles (5.3, 7, 5.3, 7.4)

Noticed that Carlisle is finally getting a Park Run - first Run next Saturday which is a bit early for me but will aim for a run out on 16th Feb I think - gives me something to work towards.

Finding the Easy miles quite good because you arrive home fresh and therefore easier to go out for the runs too knowing the effort required once out is minimal.

Cheers, Skinny

Week 3 - 26 miles (5.3,7.1, 5.3 and 8.3 made up of 2.6 mile warm up, 3.1 mile Park Run and 2.6 mile warm down).

Couldn't resist the first Carlisle Park Run - could to know the course and that my bar code works for real racing later on.

Today was hoping for inside 23 mins but when the hooter went off I went into full competitive mode and got 21:17 (19th). Splits 6:28, 6:45, 6:48 and 6:50 for the scraps. Pretty happy with that considering I've done no quality training for 3 months and only been training at all for one month.

Also had a migraine attack (visual disturbances) about a minute before the start and nearly didn't run at all but after about half a mile it seemed to go but I've had a banging headache since I got home.

Back to easy miles now for next month then might have another go at a Park Run and see how I get on.

Rest day tomorrow - wife's birthday.

Cheers, Skinny

keep it ticking over pal. The park run was a decent way of doing some quality but in the easier setting of competition around you.

loads of snow down in Bucks...presumably where you are is stacked too?

Running for week 4 finished - 28 miles (5.5, 7.1, 7.1, 8.3)

8.3 was same run as last week except run totally differently - slept in so instead of a warm up 2.6 miles it was 2.6 at 8:30 (mainly uphill too), arrived about 5 mins after start for parkrun so ran it sensibly and passed people as I went - 22:55 (snow last night so treacherous underfoot which slowed everything up a bit) (official time 27:47) - then 2.6 home at 8:55.

 Splits for parkrun were 7:22, 7:16, 7:20 which looking back a few pages is right at top end of my Steady zone so mild quality which is about exactly what I wanted.

With starting late the leaders lapped me - wow - that is some pace you lot run at!

Next week is last week of phase 1 - 6,8,6,10 for 30 miles then will stick at that mileage for 4 weeks till end of February.

Cheers, Skinny

Week 5 - 23.4 miles (6, 7.4 and 10) - missed a run in week and decided just to take it as a miss rather than cram at this stage.

Nest week is a mess as two family birthdays, a Xmas Day for my wife as she was ill on Xmas nd in Finland for 3 days of which two days are travelling. I'll just do my best and think I've got enough running done now that I can get back to 30 week after and stick to that last two weeks of Feb which will keep me on my schedule.

Had a bit of a lurk on your thread - great PB (landmark PB) - well done - keeps me inspired for my much lowlier targets.

Cheers, Skinny

Week 6 - 3.1 miles (only day I could actually run was Saturday and my daughter wanted to do parkrun with me so that rules out running there and back - any way if she gets into running it would be good and probably as a long term investment would help me get more running in.

Back on it this morning with 10.7 before work in 1:27 so should get the 30 in easily by Sunday (was aiming for 10, 5, 5, 10) - obviously first run after a break so legs felt good so was close to top of Easy range speedwise - will slow down for rest of week. 

Another PB for you this weekend -  - its like PB city over on your thread!

Cheers, Skinny

Ta Skinny, it's the consistency that gets you the pbs.

That's where we ened to get you to. Find a way round these niggles, and get the consistency of training sorted, and then add some key sessions on top to peak for key races.

Week 7 - End of Phase 1 - got 30 miles in last week.

10.7, 5.2, 6.1 (including 5 sets of strides), 8.0 - last two runs were my first pain free running since starting back again in December so quite excited, I do seem to be getting on top of the ITB.

Phase 2 is to stop at 30 miles for next two weeks before building up to 40 a week during March.

Entered first race of year too - Coniston 14 at end of March - not aiming to race this but supposed to be one of Britains most picturesque races and hoping it will be the run that takes me to 40 miles in a week for first time.

Cheers, Skinny

painfree is the key phrase there mate. Hope that continues.

Week 8 - 30.7 miles (8.3,4.3,7.1, 11)

Did well as ill on Monday and Tuesday so dragged mysef out for a feverish 8 on Wednesday to give myself a chance of maintaining the 30 mile level for the week and put in a 4 on Thursday. This was first week I've run 3 days consecutively - went okay.

This week target 7,4,7,12 - 30 miles then phase 2 will be done and on to phase 3.

Hopefully soon these weekly updates will start getting a bit more interesting!

Cheers, Skinny

Week 9 - 31.9 miles (7, 6.3, 6.5, 12.1 mile RACE )

Noticed a 12 mile low key club race scheduled for Sunday which only cost £2 to enter and as I was supposed to be doing 12 miles anyhow I thought I would turn up and have some company on what was described as (and was) a very scenic course.

Only 39 runners so I shouldn't really have been surprised when after a steady first mile there were only 10 people ahead of me but unfortunately this got my competitive juices flowing which I managed to fight for another mile before starting to hoover up the people in front of me.

At about 3.5 miles caught up with the lead woman as we started going up a 1.5 mile long hill which was then followed by 3 miles of downhill (unbelievably long time to run downhill for). At about 9 miles she started tiring so I decided to slow down and pace her home as seemed both the gentlemanly and sensible thing to do (I think I did have an outside chance at that point of catching guy in front of me but I reminded myself it was supposed to be an LSR and bigger race days ahead).

Her targets for this year are sub 39:30 10k, sub 66 min 10 miles and sub 1:30 HM so very similar to mine but she is slightly more suited to shorter stuff but I'll probably find myself running with her again and might even look out for her for the 10k attempts.

Anyhow she let me sprint finish ahead of her to avoid me being 'chicked' (like I was bothered - I've been 'chicked' in every other race I've ever done!!) and I finished 5th in 1:27:38 which is about 7:15 miling on average. This equates to about a 1:35 HM which was my old target so bearing in mind I ran within myself this is a pretty pleasing place to be with lots of harder training to come.

Splits 7:48, 7:42, 7:15, 7:31, 6:45, 6:29, 6:34, 6:57, 7:11, 7:45, 7:37, 7:42 + scraps.

The course had 750 feet of ascent whereas the Coniston 14 I'm doing on 23rd March only has 375 feet of ascent so this was definitely a good warm up for that and providing I have no side effects over next few days will probably aim to run that race in a similar way.

It felt good to stretch my legs and compete so overall although I misbehaved think it will have done me more good than harm.

Target for this week - 3, 8, 4, 6, 12 - 33 miles total. So this will be my first week with 5 training sessions which is another step forward.

Well done on your 5k PB - is that 3PBs in 4 weeks? Of course my 12 mile race was also a PB! First of hopefully many this year.

Cheers

Skinny

decent run out, especially not racing it flat out. The rehabbing must be going pretty well. When's the next big flat target, or is that too far ahead?

3 in 5 weeks. Equals last year's pbing by 2nd day of March. And nicely brings all the pbs into line.

Having said that, I do have a 4mile pb since 2008, but how many 4mile races are there! To be honest though, the pace per mile of that pb is slower than my half pb by a good 14/15 secs...so shouldn't be too hard to beat!

Hi Coach (oh small text??) - you've obviously edited your post above after I read so didn't see your question. [4 mile races - hardest bit about getting a PB would be finding a race!]

Plan is to keep all Easy mileage until end of May BUT include one race in each month - so this month is the Coniston 14 which I will run at Steady/MP so as not to set back my training (it's been hard this last week after my 12 mile run out - all the old niggles (Achilles/ITB were reminding me they still exist), then in April and May I will run one parkrun in each month as part of an 8 mile Saturday run looking to see how fast I can go on all easy training - then from 1st June its about adding a quality run a week and June and July a targeted parkrun effort in each month, with target 10ks to follow in August and September, my half in October and a 10 miler in November.

Although my Half was originally my target I have decided that if everything goes to plan all my quality training should be aimed at 10k pace and the increased mileage to 40 miles will look after the HM and 10 miler enough - so 10k in sub 40 mins is my main goal for this year - the other PBs will either come or not come but getting the shorter distances faster is key to getting the longer distances significantly faster.

Last week 35 miles in total - 7, 8, 12.4, 7.6

This week target - 5, 6, 8, REST, 13, REST, 6 - TOTAL 38 miles

Provided I get through this week okay I would like some input from you next week as to my planned schedule as Coniston 14 is on a Saturday which is making a mess of my normal running week.

Cheers, Skinny

Last week 38 miles (5,6,8,11.5,7.5) including unexpected parkrun on Saturday. Normally play golf on a Saturday morning but pals all cancelled so decided I would give my faster twitchers a run out. (rather ironic that the sport I used to think of as my only exercise of the week I now do on one of my two rest days of each week!).

Anyway, the parkrun. Achieved a pb of 20:45 in what was definitely not PB conditions. Half the course is on grass and it was a mudfest so pretty happy with that. Splits were 6:12, 6:33 and 6:32 - despite the conditions I gave it full welly and my breathing last mile was very loud!

Rather amusingly the first corner was exceptionally muddy but I sussed it out before the start and noticed they had moved the course tape inside the normal line. So when everyone else tiptoed round the normal muddy first corner I ran on the inside line so after about 100 yards this left me leading! (for all of about one second). Ran with the first two for about another fifty yards before glancing at my Garmin and seeing 5:34 pace, had a chuckle and then slowed down.

This week I have Coniston 14 on Saturday - due to running last Saturday rather than Sunday I now have no scheduling issues this week.

Target:- 6 (done), 6, 8, rest, 3 miles with strides, 14 race, 3 mile recovery = 40 miles.

I then have a 3 day business trip to Germany which is going to involve travel each day so will have 3 days enforced rest - if you are reading this would appreciate (and follow) your advice as to whether you think with the rest I may as well just race the 14 or stick to the original plan.

Cheers, Skinny

Nice pb chief, and sounds like you're putting a lot of decent regular weeks in now, so let's hope that injury is long gone.

As you sound quite fit, and injury free, I'd just race that 14 to be fair. It'll make it more enjoyable, and that 3 day trip means you might as well use it for recovery!,

You have the magic little run for recovery the day after already scheduled (ive taught you well!), so yeah race it.