The Middle Ground

Stevie G - is your HMP much different from your tempo pace?

Been trying to improve flexibilty and did my first core and lower body strengthening session of comeback v2.  I have been doing two flexibility sessions a day - one is my usual routine and another is following the stretches in advanced marathoning.

I was wondering how have people created their own flexibility and core sessions?
My own are basically taken from PE back in school! But I have added more over time to adress various niggles and just left them in.  I was wondering should I be doing my own or do what is prescribed in running books?
 

Simon and Duck - Only about 4 or 5 pages...and indeed I think it would take me a hell of a long time to go through 1,000 odd pages! Good to dip in and out of though! So a summary Curly sounds very useful indeed!  

Josh, there's a range for both zones.

From my recent 10mile pb, the tempo becomes 5.42-5.47, and the half is 5.50-5.55

In regards to your other question, my regime basically revolves around the stuff the mix of 2 physios and an Osteo showed me I needed to do to rid some aches. I then fuse some classic textbook stuff in on top. We're talking 20mins or so 3 times a day, so time is becoming longer!

I obviously need something to target the hamstring/glute tightness though. I do a range of stretches for both, but doesn't seem to loosen it. That's why i'm hoping a sports massage will clear things, and then i'll have the plan to keep loose in future!

Stevie, it basically means I start a 1k interval every 5 minutes. So a 4 min K would give me 60s recovery, 3'45 would give me 75 seconds, etc etc. 

It's not really that difficult a session to complete at this stage (I tend to start off just outside 5k intensity and finish around 3k), mostly due to the longer recoveries. Over time the overall volume and recoveries will decrease. 

Josh, I got some of my stretches from a link Ratzer sent me a good while ago, some from someone local who does yoga, and the rest are reasonably commonly known. 

Speaking of core, I'm up to 5'30 on the regular plank now. The worst part is the shoulders start to really hurt after about 4 minutes!

Josh, my stretching routine is pretty much what you'll find in Noakes. As for core, there are so many exercises you can do. I just keep a bit of variety in there.

SG, nice session. McD's was only allowed on a PB night. There was a period where I think I got 4 PBs in 10 days and had to miss a couple

Duck, 5'30? You nutter. I doubt my weedy arms could handle that even if I got the core strength up.

Cheers Curly, some names there I recall being favourites of my philosophy evening class teacher, particularly Ricouer and Gadamer. Once I've got through my current reading list of David Miller and Gore Vidal I might set myself up for more mental gymnastics.

Duck - planktastic.  I got up to 4 mins when I was doing it regularly but tend to do more dynamic stuff for my regular core routine at the moment, including some bendy side-plank thingies that really get the love-handle bits going.

My shortest run of the year this evening, 1.19 miles.  Dodgy neck, which has been getting stiffer all day, thought I'd be OK but running felt a little uncomfortable so given that I'm in taper mode anyway, gave it up as a bad job.  A decent sleep normally sorts it out, but it's an original ailment to add to my excuses list for the year. 

5.30 plank? goodness.

i could probably force a minute out if needs be.

bad luck Tom, hope it's just one of those day or 2 jobs, rather than anything bad.

At the moment I'm lucky to be able to do the quality sessions in the daylight, but I don't fancy the idea of fast running in the dark on potentially icy/hazard ridden roads.

Oh well, it's only this dark early for another.....4months

Sorry to hear that Tom. As you say, let's hope it's short lived. I've sent you a message btw

Kelly – Are you marshalling on Sunday? Do you know if the route is the same as last year?

YD – Looks like I can’t make Albert park on Saturday. I’ll have to leave beating you for another day

Stevie – How often do you do your regime? Not everyday??

Duck – Nice plank work. I usually get bored after about a minute.

Mr Viper,  3 times a day when it's a double day, otherwise say twice a day on a rest day/long run only day.

Morning, and after each run generally.

A lot of the moves originate after hip/back and glute niggles, so I fear them coming back if I don't keep it topped up.  An Oesteo told me to do his stretches twice a day, but admitted if I did them more it would strengthen quicker, so I did! It's a bit of a balancing act I guess, whereas in the past i'd strengthen the weak area until it felt fine, then scale it back down.

Certainly keeps me ticking over in good form though, but I could do with feeling "ideal" again

I remember hearing some fitness trainer saying he stretched for hours each day once. I thought that was mental at the time, but for intense sports where pure flexibility is needed i can believe it now. I doubt many of us on here are too flexible, not many runners are.

Duck - impressive planking my best is just under 4 minutes I think.
Perhaps we should get a league table going?  Could provide a bit of motivation to improve corework.

Stevie G - nice comitment to stretching I only stretch twice a day and that is because I run twice a day (keeping the stretching going until I can run again though)

Josh, no league table for the plank please mate, by the time you lot have insisted on the WAVA being applied, i'll be at the bottom by an absolute mile

hope you're well on the comeback road Josh after your health scares out of the blue!

on a half day today, so off to a local scenic town for one of my fave runs, a 9miler along a river, mostly offroad, that ends with a few sharp inclines. Lovely run, and should spice it up, when often the medium long run the day after a hard session can feel a bit after the lord major's show

How about an hour and 24 minute plank anyone?

http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/community/video-man-beats-the-plank-record-1-4296046

Not much else to do in Aylesbury!

Stevie – I guess if it keeps you running you’ve got to do it. Think of all the extra miles you could be running in that 7 or so hours a week though

Kelly – Thanks for the info. Yeah I’m not expecting a fast time! Wind, mud, lack of race fitness and according to what I put on fetch last year 6.34 for the distance ( though I guess that might partly be due to all the tight turns). Surprised its sold out in advance, thankfully I did pre enter. Will you be running the 5 miler in Gosforth?

My best plank is 9 minutes - do I go top of the plank league

Bus, who said you were allowed out of the other thread!

Mr V, in fairness i do the stretching watching tv, so it's not wasted time by any means.

Have fun at the 10k Mr V and Kelly I hope its not as cold marshalling as the TM - at least it wont be for so long.  I almost entered but then I got a better offer so I'm off up to Murrayfield to see the All Blacks hammer Scotland.

Kelly - I was thinking about your running after we chatted at TM.  You seem to still have a high weekly mileage but are still struggling with really fast stuff, and you said you preferred the longer distance running.  So, why don't you enter a marathon next spring and make that your focus instead of worrying about getting up to speed with 10 or 5ks?  It would be good to have something to focus on and I'm sure you'd get a good pb.  I know that's what I'd be doing!  Whenever I feel low about my running I do a marathon and it restores my faith!