Luke Adams Training Blog 2016
Luke Adams Training Diary 2016
2016 Notes
I started 2016 with a trip to Berlin with my girlfriend, Emma. We had a great time exploring for 4 days. No Running but we must have covered some good miles on our walks! It was nice to have a little break though and I came home with lots of motivation and hopes for the year.
At the start of every year, I always buy a new diary. Just a little one that doesn’t take up too much space and I try to write in it every day.
The first page of my diary includes the following…..
Targets for Year
< 4.35 for 1 mile (2.17 for 800metres)
< 15.39 for 5km (5.02 per mile) Achieved 5/3/16 Podium 5k – 15.20
< 32.11 for 10km (5.11 per mile) Achieved 13/3/16 Trafford 10km – 31.20
< 70.57 for Half Marathon (5.20 per mile)
< 16.46 for Yachts Handicap
< 15.57 for South Shields parkrun (Sub 16.16 for reverse route)
Word of the Year
Discipline
I have to credit Sue Barnes with this idea. Choose a word to motivate you and to keep you on track for the year.
Strength Workouts
I credit these with Nick Ridgeon who was my strength coach a few years ago. I took a few of his ideas for these small sessions. I’m not a big fan of strength work, so I do them in small chunks so it’s over and done with.
Strength Workout 1 (S1) – Repeat 4 times per week for 4 weeks
10 Press Ups
1 minute plank mix (20 side/20 front/20 side)
10 squats
10 aleknas
8 single leg raises (each leg)
x 3 sets
(S1+ is 4 sets)
Strength Workout 2 (S2) – Repeat 4 times per week for 4 weeks
12 Press Ups
8 Squat Jumps
8 side plank dips (each side)
12 aleknas
10 mountain climbers
x 3 sets
(S2+ is 4 sets)
Strength Workout 3 (S3) – Repeat 4 times per week for 4 weeks
8 lunges (each leg)
8 back plank leg raises (each leg)
8 Press up burpees
1 minute plank
x 3 sets
(S3+ is 4 sets)
Races Entered (to Date)
Saturday 5th March – Podium 5km
Sunday 13th March – Trafford 10km
Saturday 25th March – Elswick Good Friday Relays 2.2 miles
Sunday 3rd April – Blyth 10km
Sunday 1st May – Sunderland Half Marathon
Thursday 9th June – The Blaydon Race
Wednesday 13th July – Sunderland 5km
Sunday 11th September – Great North Run
+ Local Track Leagues each month
Week 1 – Monday 4th January
Monday – AM 6 miles with Chris on roads PM 2 miles with RES (This is my Run Eat Sleep coaching group). Felt sluggish today. Wet and windy. Strength Session 1 (S1)
Tuesday – AM 7 miles including session with Keith & Chris. Boker Lane to Laburnum Grove in 10.21. 5 x hard laburnum hills on Laburnum Grove. Run back in 9.57. Felt absolutely wrecked running back – nearly had to stop. Wet and windy. (S1)
Wednesday – 7 miles steady on roads. Ran to Tyne Dock, Westoe, Horsley Hill. Wet and windy. PM 2 miles on the ladies run route.
Thursday – AM 8 miles including ‘Bikes route’ session with Keith on his bike. Whenever he put his hand in the air I had to chase after him. This means lots of variety between short, medium and long efforts. It’s challenging mentally as you don’t know when you’re going to be pushing hard again. 28.18 for the 4.4 mile route. Legs very tired today. PM 4 miles very easy with RES
Friday – AM 7 miles roads with Chris. Thighs a bit sore today. Rain has finally stopped. Perfect day to run! PM 4 miles with Chris – felt good! (S1)
Saturday – AM 5 miles including South Shields parkrun. 1st place in 16.41. Wet and lots of puddles – very slippy. PM 5 miles easy run at Beamish with RES. Got lost – nightmare, but good fun!
Sunday – 13 miles with Jonny Evans, Chris Muir, George Bainbridge, David Wakefield & Matthew Wakefield. Dry weather today.
Total – 70 miles. Good start to the year. Feeling good! All 4 strength workouts done.
A few from the RES coaching group
Week 2 – Monday 11th January
Monday – 7 miles with Chris. Felt good but left hip flexor is tight. PM 3.5 miles with RES, including 2 x 800metres with Rich. (S1)
Tuesday – AM 3 miles at Seaburn measuring The Monthly Mile – Seaburn route. PM 5.5 miles including Yachts Handicap South Shields Race. 17.46. Turned up late so had no warm up – I was a bit gutted! (S1)
Wednesday – AM 8 miles. Ran 2 with Ozzy in the morning then another 6 when I took him back. PM 3.5 miles easy with RES. (S1)
Thursday – AM 7 miles with Chris. Sleet, snow and very windy. Awful! Good character building though. Calfs tight. PM 3 miles on roads then another 2 with RES. 5 total
Friday – AM 8 miles including 5 x 1000metres with 3 minutes rest on whiteleas way. Very Icy on the route. Knackered! 3.06, 3.04, 3.03, 3.06, 3.05 PM 3 miles easy. Enjoyed this run. Ice cold outside but very still and sunny. (S1)
Saturday – AM 8 miles including South Shields parkrun. 2nd in 17.33. Legs very tired after Friday but still a good run out. Icy conditions. PM 3 miles very easy with Mal Gates and Anthony Nelson. Good run and enjoyed it.
Sunday – 13 miles with David Wakefield, Matthew Wakefield & George Bainbridge. Felt strong and pushed the pace on the 2nd half. Icy but very still day.
Total – 79 miles. Another solid week. Good work! 4 strength workouts complete.
Week 3 – Monday 18th January
Monday – AM 7 miles with Chris. Legs okay, good little run out past Tyne Dock and Horsley Hill. PM 3 miles easy with RES (S1)
Tuesday – AM 7 miles including 3 x 860metres back to backs with no rest. Jog back across recovery then 2 x 860metres back to backs. First set 8.43 and second set 5.34 (works out 5.09 miling and 5.00 miling). Session was meant to be 1000metre reps but was very icy today. PM 3 miles steady (S1)
Wednesday – AM 9 miles steady run with Chris. Felt good and pushed pace as run went on. PM 3 miles very easy with RES (S1)
Thursday – AM 9 miles including ‘Bikes Route’ with Keith riding bike. Same session as Week 1. 4.4 miles in 26.53. HARD!! Previous best was 28.18. PM 3 miles easy with RES. Legs very tired.
Friday – AM 11 miles steady. Windy and rainy. Ran on my own. 67 minutes for 10 miles. PM 4 miles. Nice night & enjoyed it. (S1)
Saturday – 8 miles including South Shields parkrun. 1st place in 16.47. Legs tired today and hip aching a little.
Sunday – AM 1 mile setting up South Shields Trail Series. Decided to take rest day. Keith said not to risk it with my hip. Had a few beers sunday night at the Dyke.
Total – 69 miles. Great week, especially with no long run on sunday! Thursday’s session was very hard and legs are tired but it was a great session. Keep pushing!
Organising the South Shields Trail Series
Week 4 – Monday 25th January
Monday – AM 7 miles to pick up car from Paul’s. PM 3.5 miles with RES (S1)
Tuesday – AM 2 miles with Ozzy & 5 miles in 35 mins with Doxy. Very windy and awful. 25mph winds. PM 5 miles same route as the morning but 5 minutes quicker. 30 minutes. Felt good. (S1)
Wednesday – AM 10 miles including 6 x 800metres with 2.30 rest. 2.30, 2.19, 2.30, 2.21, 2.26, 2.19. Ran this session on roads with Chris. Very windy again so tried to do the reps with a tailwind. PM 4 miles recovery run with RES (S1)
Thursday – AM 10.5 miles steady. Whitemare Pool route with Chris. Felt good but still windy out there. PM 4 miles easy with RES
Friday – AM 5 miles with Chris and Doxy. Very windy again. 30mph. Couldn’t be bothered. PM 5 miles. Windy. (S1)
Saturday – 7 miles including South Shields parkrun. Very windy. Reversed route from now on. Start at Sanddancer and finish at the Bamburgh. 1st place in 17.23. Very windy.
Sunday – Had a lie in. Ran 16 miles in afternoon. Felt fantastic and didn’t really worry about pace. I was pleased when I got back and read 6.07 miling for the full run. Half marathon in 1.19. Ran through Boldon, Hylton, Sunderland city centre and back through Seaburn.
Total – 84 miles. Brilliant considering the weather this week. Storm Gertrude from U.S.A causing a nuisance. Keep this running up – going well! All 4 strength sessions done.
Finishing South Shields parkrun
Week 5 – Monday 1st February
Monday – 4 miles easy. Ran with Ozzy. Very windy. 30mph. PM 3 miles easy. Very windy. Hip aching a bit. (Start of Strength 2 – S2)
Tuesday – AM 7 miles including Boker Lane to Laburnum 1.8 mile run in 8.30 (4.58 miling) followed by 10 x laburnum hills. Hard up, easy down. Very windy, 25mph. (S2)
Wednesday AM 6.5 miles very easy on trails with Doxy. Enjoyed run as it was a sunny day. PM 5.5 miles with Ozzy on fields and then RES on evening
Thursday – AM 5 miles on roads including 4 x 400metres in 75 seconds with 1 minute rest. Legs tired this morning and didn’t really want to run. I had planned to do 8 x 400 metres but I was struggling to run 75 seconds, which should be comfortable. PM 2 miles with RES. A day of rest is needed. I’m feeling wrecked. I spoke to Keith about it in the afternoon. He said to run easy for the rest of the week and don’t do any sessions next week as I may have overdone the intensity side of things. However, he added I should aim for lots of miles with a target of 90 for the week. This would be a PB for me so I’m keen to give it a try. (S2)
Friday – Rest Day (S2)
Saturday – AM 8 miles including South Shields parkrun. 1st place 16.59. Pleased with the improvement on last week’s time. PM 4 miles with Blair testing out a 5km route.
Sunday – PM 8 miles including 4 steady miles on gypsies green track, 5 x half laps in 27 seconds (4.30 miling) with half lap recoveries then run home. Very windy again.
Total – 54 miles. Dropped mileage this week to recover. Felt tired midweek but started to get better over the weekend.
Week 6 – Monday 8th February – Keith set a target of 90 miles with no sessions
Monday – AM 14 miles with Chris. 1 hour 34 minutes (6.42 miling). Felt good this morning. Ran to Boldon, Wessington Way, Southwick, Fulwell and back PM 4 miles with RES. (S2)
Tuesday – AM 11 miles. Ran 2.5 miles with Ozzy and then 8.5 miles with Doxy. All on trails and grass. A little tired towards the end but feeling pretty good. PM Yachts Handicap 3.3 mile race. Legs feeling tired but I’ve done every race so far so didn’t want to miss it. Decided to run a steady first mile, then a hard mile and finish with a steady mile. 6.15, 5.20, 6.15. (S2)
Wednesday – AM 10 miles. Ran to David Morrow’s and then along seafront & along the river with David and Simon Johnson, then ran home. Struggled at miles 6-8. Feeling tired. PM 5.5 miles easy with RES.
I was a little ahead of schedule at this point so decided to aim for 100 miles for the week. Why not?
Thursday – AM 11 miles with Chris on trails. East Boldon, Fulwell Quarry and Cleadon hills. Very sunny day. Really enjoyed it. PM 4 miles in afternoon on grass & 3 miles headtorch run with RES. (S2)
Friday – AM 12.5 miles. Did 2 miles with Ozzy in morning. Legs a bit stiff. Then another 10.5 over cleadon hills, Whitburn and to East Boldon. Good pace but legs feeling it. PM 2 miles very easy. Went out with all of my runners on the night for a few beers – had too many!
Saturday – AM 5.5 miles including South Shields parkrun. 1st place in 18.55. Very hungover & head was pounding. Struggling in 4th place, but pulled myself round in the last half mile and managed to nick 1st place. Felt bad for doing it (haha)
Sunday – 11 miles with David Morrow, David Wakefield, Mark Hodgson and Simon Johnson. 6.42 miling. Nice sunny morning and felt good. (S2)
Total – 101 miles. Feeling great, motivated and pleased with a new PB mileage week.
Week 7 – Monday 15th February
Monday – No run today. On Sunday night I went to bed with a bad stomach and I vomited throughout the night and felt delirious. I’m not sure if I picked up a bug or food poisoning. Either way I took the day off and stayed in bed – I hardly ate a thing & I felt absolutely exhausted.
Tuesday – No run today. Felt tired most of the day but no sickness. Organised The Monthly Mile in Seaburn on the night. Felt wrecked when I got home.
Wednesday – 3 miles very easy with RES. Much better today.
Thursday – AM 5 miles easy. 35 minutes. PM 4 miles with RES along the river route. Feeling much better.
Friday – AM 4 miles with Ozzy. Another dog joined in our run for half a mile and I had to take him back to his owner. Heading to the lakes with Emma today so quickly got the run in before setting off.
Saturday – AM 4 miles with Emma. Did a few efforts on my own to get a bit of a workout. Heavy rain and winds. Not the most fun.
Sunday – Drove back from Bowness, got changed and headed out for a run. After feeling rubbish all week and not doing as much running, I was keen to do something to build my confidence a little. Did 1.5 mile warm up then 2 miles hard in 9.53. Mile splits were 5.00 and 4.53. Ran 4 miles easy miles back. Really pleased with this session and it was just what I needed.
Total – 28 miles. Training not so good this week due to illness and lakes trip. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise to have a bit of a rest. No strength sessions this week as I just didn’t feel up to it and couldn’t be arsed.
Week 8 – Monday 22nd February
Monday – AM 9 miles. Ran 2 miles with Ozzy on Temple park then another 7 with David Morrow. Felt tired towards the end. Quite windy down the coast. PM 3.5 miles with RES coaching group. Nice and relaxed. (S2)
Tuesday – AM Woke up with stiff legs so decided to loosen off walking with the dog. 9 miles including session with Keith. 2 miles in 10.31 (5.14, 5.17), 1 mile in 4.51, then 2 x 800m in 2.22, 2.28. The first 2 miles were set at target 10k pace (5.10 pace), 1 mile at 5k pace (5.00), then 2 x 800 at slightly faster than 5k pace (2.25 target). Wind was quite strong on the first 2 mile effort which probably knocked my times a little so I wasn’t too worried. Overall I was really pleased with the session. Keith rode alongside on his bike giving encouragement – it helped a lot. Feeling strong. PM 3 miles with Doxy very easy round Temple Park.
Wednesday – AM 8 miles on fields with Chris. Tinman running – had to be easy as legs were so stiff. Really sunny day, excellent! PM 3 miles with RES including hills (S2)
Thursday – AM 8 miles including hard run from Boker to Laburnum. 1.7 miles in 8.57 (5.14 miling) then 10 hills in 8.05. Previous best 8.27 in November 2015. Good session. Chris and Doxy joined in. PM 3.5 miles very easy with RES. Trail headtorch run – perfect recovery for my legs. 10 minute miling.
Friday – AM 10 miles with Chris. Run over to Hylton Dene and back past Fulwell Quarry. Pleased to get this run in. PM 3 miles easy with Doxy on the Friday Night 5k route. (S2)
Saturday – AM 7 miles including South Shields parkrun. 1st place 16.30. With some main races coming up I was conscious of not pushing myself too hard after a good week of training. It’s very easy to push yourself too hard when you’re feeling good, so I aimed to run at a steady pace and finish feeling comfortable. Fortunately I felt great this morning and I finished knowing I could have gave loads more. Feeling really strong at the moment.
Sunday – AM 3.5 miles. Went out for drinks Saturday night so planned an easier day.
Total – 75 miles. Really pleased with how this week went. 4 sessions in 7 days and I felt like I could have done more. Feeling good for the next few weeks of racing.
South Shields parkrun
Headtorch run on thursday night
Week 9 – Monday 29th February
Monday – AM 4 miles with Ozzy. 27 minutes PM 7 miles with Chris on Lizard Lane route. Felt great on this run. Started steady and picked up the pace as the run went on + 2 miles with RES on the evening. (Start of S3)
Tuesday – AM 4.5 miles. Woke up with a dull ache in my right backside/hip area. Same area as after Great North Run last year. Had planned to meet Keith for a session so ran to meet him but pulled out straight away. I’m wondering whether the new strength session may have caused it with doing lunges? Disappointing but need to stay positive (Still did S3)
Wednesday – AM 2 miles very easy then 5 miles with a steady 5.13 mile in the middle of the run, to test my hip. The ache is a lot better today which is a good sign. PM 2 miles very easy with RES
Thursday – AM 4 miles easy with Ozzy and Doxy PM 3 miles easy with RES. (S3)
Friday – AM 4.5 miles very easy with 6 x 10 second strides to finish. Bloody sick of easy running now. I guess it’s a good sign going into tomorrow’s race.
Saturday – AM 4 miles easy including South Shields parkrun. 15th place 22.08. PM Drove down to Barrowford for Podium 5km. 11th place in 15.20. Felt brilliant and pleased to run a 19 second personal best. Worked my way from around 16th place to 11th in the final mile. Mile splits were 4.49, 4.59, 4.55. Full results available HERE. 6 miles total.
Sunday – AM 10.5 miles. Legs tired today, particularly my right hamstring/calf. Ran with Chris, David Wakefield and George Bainbridge. (S3)
Total – 60 miles. Absolutely buzzing with my new 5km PB and a great start to racing in 2016.
Week 10 – Monday 7th March
Aimed to do very similar training as last week as it worked well. This consists of steady running and mileage at the start of the week, then 3 days before my race doing a comfortable run with a good paced mile in the middle. Then ease off for final 2 days before race. Review how I feel after Sunday’s race and look at this as a regular race week routine.
Monday – AM Easy 10 miles with Chris. Ran over cleadon hills into whitburn and looped back. Mostly on grass & trails. Legs very tired. 71 minutes. PM 2 miles easy with RES. (S3)
Tuesday – AM 8 miles roads. 6.29 miling. No motivation at all this morning. Planned to just get out the door, do a mile and see how I felt. Pleased I got it done. Legs still a bit tired but just about recovered from the weekend PM 1 mile very easy watching the yachts race down seafront. Hamstring tendon quite sore this afternoon/evening. (S3)
Wednesday – AM 4.5 miles very easy. Woke up and hamstring was still a bit tender. Ran slow during a coaching session.
Thursday – AM 7 miles easy with Chris & Doxy including a good paced 1 mile in the middle from West Boldon post office down to boker lane and to traffic lights at the bottom. 1 mile in 4.55. Felt great! PM 5 miles easy with RES (S3)
Friday – AM 1 mile to drop mam’s car off for her. PM 4 miles easy down the seafront. Enjoyed it as it was a really sunny day. Went out for an early birthday meal with Emma on the evening and had a beer and a cocktail. Lush!
Saturday – AM Volunteered at parkrun. Gentle few miles walking. PM 3 miles + 5 x 10 seconds at a quick pace. Drove down to Trafford with Ian Ritchie and stayed overnight. Not a great night’s sleep. Hotel wasn’t great – heating was ridiculous in the room and I could hear next door’s television. Didn’t get to sleep until around midnight and kept waking up.
Sunday – AM 11-12 miles including Trafford 10km. 31.20. 68th position. New personal best by 50 seconds. Ecstatic!
Mile splits 4.53, 5.06, 5.15, 5.02, 5.10, 5.06. Sunny morning with a light breeze. Perfect conditions and a fantastic field of runners. Felt like I was working hard to 3km so eased the pace slightly to 5km then aimed to stick in. Focused on keeping my form and pushing the pace as best I could. Ran 1 mile at 6am to wake my legs up. 1 mile warm up before the race + 3.5 cool down after the run.
Total – 59 miles. What a fantastic race to add to last week’s 5km personal best. Confidence is sky high!
Trafford 10km. 31.20
Week 11 – Monday 14th March (Recovery week after Trafford 10km)
Monday – AM 10 miles. 2 miles run to mams and 8 miles with Chris on trails. Tinman running today – calfs very stiff. Enjoyed the run though – lovely sunny day. PM 3 miles with Ozzy & 1.5 miles with RES. Felt more relaxed this afternoon.
Tuesday – AM 6 miles roads. Helping out at the launch of the Durham City Run today. Great to meet running legend, Steve Cram, and have a quick chat with him. PM 5 miles run home from Sunderland. Strong headwind all the way back but glad I got the extra miles in.
Wednesday – AM 5 miles on trails very easy as part of a coaching session + 7.5 miles with Chris on roads straight afterwards. PM 2 miles with Dunny before RES session. Went out to watch football and had a few beers.
Thursday – AM 8.5 miles steady with David Morrow. Run to whitburn over lizard lane and back along coast. Feeling tired all day today PM 3.5 miles with RES (S3)
Friday – PM Achilles has been acting up a little bit this week. Decided to see how it was in the afternoon. Ran 10 miles on fields @6.24 minute miling.
Saturday – AM 7 miles including South Shields parkrun (Amar Sudan’s 100th parkrun) 1st place in 16.20. Mile splits were 5.18, 5.13, 5.20. Pleased with this run as the wind was strong in the final mile. I think on a good day, I will run sub 16 on the reverse course.
Sunday – AM Organising Trail Series. Ran 3 miles at 6 minute miling before the Sunderland v Newcastle Derby. Went out for beers and food to celebrate my birthday.
Total – 73 miles. Another good week of miles. I’m looking forward to some sessions on the week ahead and racing at Good Friday Relays. Only 1 strength session this week, must improve this and tick them off.
Meeting Steve Cram at the launch of the Durham City Run
South Shields parkrun start
Great video from whatmovesrunners.com
Week 12 – Monday 20th March
Monday – AM 8 miles on grass and trails. (2 miles with Ozzy then 6 to pick up my car) PM 2 miles before RES coaching session. (S3)
Tuesday – AM 10 miles including session with Keith on his bike. 2 x 1km, 1 mile on hills (10 x 17 seconds with jog down recovery), 2 x 1km, 1 mile on hills, 2 x 1km. Times for the 1km runs were 3.06, 3.07, 3.11, 3.07, 3.09, 3.07. Recoveries were a jog back to start point, between 2.30-3 minutes. Very tough session, struggled after 3rd kilometre and wanted to stop. Seemed to be running into the wind for the majority of it, which would explain why it was so hard to hit the target times of 3.00 for the kilometers. I think I would have called it a day if Keith wasn’t there giving encouragement and pushing me on. A good character building session and really pleased to come through it. PM 3.5 miles easy along seafront.
Wednesday – AM 6 miles on fields. Legs like bricks. PM 8 miles very easy during evening coaching sessions. (S3)
Thursday – AM 6 miles easy. Legs still quite tired from Tuesday. PM 4 miles easy with RES.
Friday – AM 7 miles including Elswick Good Friday Relays. 3rd place on first leg. 10.40 for 2.2 miles (4.49 miling). 8th fastest of the day and 14th team South Shields Harriers. 1st place Dan Johnson 10.33, 2nd place Sam Hancox 10.37. Chris Parr fastest of the day 10.07. Really pleased with 3rd place. I struggled in the last half mile against Dan and Sam who were starting to pick up the pace. Maybe my lack of shorter, faster reps showed towards the end. I’m still pleased with my performance and also that I’m running consistently well in races. Looking forward to Blyth 10km next week.
Saturday – AM 7 miles including South Shields parkrun. 1st place in 17.33. Legs tired from yesterday’s race and wind very strong for first 2 miles. (S3)
Sunday – AM 13 miles @6.38 miling. Very strong winds for first half of the run up to Roker but then great coming back with a tailwind.
Total – 79 miles. Great week of training.
Elswick Relays
Week 13 – Monday 28th March
Monday – Went out on Easter Sunday for drinks so had a rest in the morning. PM 8 miles easy on trails. 5 miles before RES session and another 3 with the group.
Tuesday – AM 8 miles including 3 x 1 miles with 5 minute jog recovery. 4.57, 4.55, 4.57. Ran from Cleadon to Whitburn and along the coast road. Aim was to run 4.50-5.00 pace. Working hard but pleased with consistent times. PM 3.5 miles easy (S1+)
Wednesday – AM 8 miles easy. Met up with Richard Harrison who was doing 2 x 1 mile at 6 min miling. Joined in but felt tired so ran closer to 6.10-6.15 pace. PM 2.5 miles easy with RES (S1+)
Thursday – AM 6 miles including 1 mile steady in 5.07 (target was 5.00-5.10) Ran from water tower down to cleadon village. PM 4 miles trails with RES. Great sunset views – really enjoyed it.
Friday – AM 5 miles with Jonny Evans. Ran to the nook then to marsden quarry and back. (S1+)
Saturday – AM 5 miles including South Shields parkrun. 13th place 20.58. Easy run out before sunday.
Sunday – AM Blyth 10km. 3rd place 32.25. Mile splits 5.04, 5.07, 5.18, 5.17, 5.17, 5.19. Found it tough today and had heavy legs from 2 miles in, as seen by my mile splits. Disappointed not to win but not too worried, I just felt a little flat today and maybe it wasn’t my day. A good training session if nothing else. 1st place 31.49, 2nd place 32.19.
Total – 62 miles. Disappointed with the race but another consistent week. Onto the next training phase now.
Blyth 10km – 3rd place
Week 14 – Monday 4th April (Recovery Week & Barcelona Trip)
Monday – AM 2 miles from Emma’s. PM 5.5 miles easy. Legs tired. Not feeling great.
Tuesday – AM 14 miles roads @6.26 miling. Woke up feeling wrecked and didn’t fancy running. Had breakfast and forced myself out. Good discipline. Missed my long run last week with racing so pleased to get one in.
Wednesday – PM 1 mile with RES during coaching session. Feeling exhausted. Struggling to wake up the past few mornings and needing a sleep later in the day. Definitely need a rest.
Thursday – Rest. Feeling better today but making the decision to rest. Emma booked a weekend trip to Barcelona which was probably a perfect time for a break. Flew on the evening and found a nice restaurant for tea.
Friday – Rest. Visited Guell Park in Barcelona. Walked round and enjoyed the afternoon and it rained as we were admitted into the main part of the park. Bloody typical haha! Had chicken paella and a few beers on evening. Great!
Saturday – Rest. Visiting Barcelona. Visited the port and walked along the beach. Sat and had a few beers in the sun while Emma sunbathed. Not bad this rest lark! Lovely day and had pizza and sangria on the evening. I did the traditional ‘brits abroad’ thing of getting sunburn on my face, neck, arms and legs. Got to be done 🙁 Haha.
Sunday – Walked to Placa de Catalunya down La Rambla & along the port. I knew about a big race on the Sunday (65,000 runners) but decided not to race it and just enjoy my time off. Feeling motivated for returning to running. A rest was just what was needed.
Total – 23 miles. 5 days rest after feeling burned out and enjoyed my trip. Feeling ready to start training again.
Week 15 – Monday 11th April
Monday – AM 8 miles steady. Ran over to my mam’s in morning and then onto the trails PM 2 miles easy (S1+)
Tuesday – AM 8.25 miles hard. County Run route 46.14 (5.36 miling). I was hoping to run 5.30 miling or quicker on this run but it was very wet and windy which made it tough. Keith rode alongside on the bike, which helped, but I must admit I hate this route! Very hilly & lots of road crossings. Start at Whiteleas Way, Tyne Dock, County Pub, Cleadon Village, Grey Horse Pub and back to Whiteleas. It is a really tough session as you can never get into a rhythm. I am pleased it’s over! I think more of these runs will be beneficial to me but I will be doing a different route for sure!
Wednesday – AM 8 miles on trails. Very muddy today. Ran over cleadon hills, to Souter Lighthouse and back. Had a stitch for first 3 miles. Legs a bit tired but nothing to worry about. Wet and miserable all day. PM 2 miles easy with RES. (S1+)
Thursday – AM 5.5 miles including 4 x 1km with 3 minute rest. 3.09, 3.07, 3.10, 3.04. I had planned to do 8 but felt my calf go into a sharp cramp towards the end of my 5th run. Disappointed with having to stop but made the right decision. The weather was wet and windy again, and maybe the slippy ground was causing my calfs to work harder to grip. PM 3 miles with RES easy
Friday – Woke up with no motivation today after stopping in yesterday’s session. PM 5.5 miles. Ran round junior fun run route in the afternoon to do a course inspection and then did another 4 miles with Ozzy across the fields. Really enjoyed it!
Saturday – PM Still no motivation so decided to head out and run how I felt. 11 miles including 1 mile 5.10, 2 miles 10.33, 1 mile 5.13, 2 x 800metres 2.42, 2.33. After each effort I ran the same distance at an easy pace as a recovery. Very windy today, especially the last mile and 800’s! Strong headwind.
Sunday – PM 13.1 miles 1 hour 21 minutes (6.07 miling) Feeling good after my run yesterday, I decided to get a long run in to boost my mileage for the week. Ran to Emma’s and she cycled alongside. This really helped keep me going having her there. Very windy from Whitburn through to East Boldon – Tough! Legs starting to feel tired and close to cramping up in final mile – just a little fatigued from yesterday I think.
Total – 70 miles. Lots of quality running this week. Keith recommended having a week of easy running this coming week with 1 session/race in build up to Sunderland Half Marathon in a fortnight’s time.
Week 16 – Monday 18th April
Easy week of running after last week’s training. After last year’s disappointment at the Great North Run, Keith said I was probably burned out going into the race. The aim this week was to recover from the previous week’s training but still get some miles in the legs and get ready for Sunderland Half Marathon.
Monday – AM 6 miles with with RES, mostly on trails/grass. Legs tired after the weekend (S1+)
Tuesday – AM 6 miles easy (6.56 miling) Ran early morning down the seafront as I was woke up by a neighbour’s dog. Legs tired but enjoyed the run. PM 4 miles (6.33 miling). Very sunny today – great!
Wednesday – AM 6 miles (6.50 miling) over to Souter lighthouse, shields golf course and down to cleadon village. PM 5 miles with RES. Very sunny again today – enjoyed both runs.
Thursday – AM 8 miles on trails with Chris (6.46 miling) Sun shining again – very enjoyable week! PM 5.5 miles steady running with RES (S1+)
Friday – AM 5.5 miles (6.50 miling) PM 4.5 miles very easy coaching session and then 2 miles (7 min miling). Both calfs and Achilles are tight today.
Saturday – Rest day. Spent the day with Emma and chilled out. Planned to run but was enjoying the day and didn’t really want to run.
Sunday – 11.5 miles (7.02 miling). Practice of South Shields 10 mile race route. Mix of easy and steady running.
Total – 62 miles. Feeling fresh for next week! Probably not the best preparation a week before a race, but I went out for drinks on a night out with Emma on Friday, at Boy Jumps Ship album launch in Newcastle on Saturday, and also the pub with the lads on Sunday. Really enjoyed going out with friends and relaxing.
South Shields 10 Mile Practice Run
Week 17 – Monday 25th April
Monday – AM 3 miles with Ozzy on grass (6.53 miling) then 4.5 miles to pick up my car from Pauls (6.21 miling). PM 3.5 miles easy with RES (8.15 miling). Very windy today and not particularly fun. A mixture of sun, rain, hailstone, wind and cold!
Tuesday – AM 6 miles including Temple Park 4 roundabouts time trial. 2.6 miles approximately. Previous best was 13.56, set in 2012. Very windy today and ran alongside Keith on his bike. Really pleased to run 13.42 in tough weather. Mile splits were 5.13, 5.16). Really pleased with this run – great for confidence! Slight sore throat today.
Wednesday – PM 2.5 miles easy with RES. Woke up with a sore throat and feeling bunged up. Nightmare!
Thursday – PM 3.5 miles easy with RES. Feeling bunged up, lethargic and coughing. Worse than yesterday.
Friday – Full of cold. Coughing up phlegm and blocked nose. Rest day.
Saturday – PM 2.5 miles with a steady 800metres in 2.51. Woke up feeling a little better. Still coughing and blocked nose.
Sunday – Sunderland Half Marathon. 3rd place in 72.50. Very strong winds and rain. Really pleased with my run despite not feeling 100%. I knew the weather would stop us from running PB’s today so I was keen to focus on top 3 positions. Very hard race against two of my good friends, Conrad and Kevin. We took turns into the wind and helped each other as much as possible in the tough conditions. Two or three times I found myself off the back of them and struggling to keep up. At one point I think I was 20-30 metres off the pace. After the 8 mile mark I started to feel good and caught both lads up and knew I was in a good position. I was keen to settle into the pace and save myself for the later stages of the race. I seemed to go through lots of good and bad patches but I knew I wouldn’t be able to break away with not feeling my best. I was just pleased to come out in the podium positions. The last 2 miles were really tough into a strong headwind! Mile splits….. 5.20, 5.12, 5.35, 5.27, 5.28, 5.33, 5.40, 5.41, 5.17, 5.43, 5.50, 5.43, 5.52.
1st place – Tedele Geremew 70.21
2nd place – Conrad Franks 72.32
3rd place – Luke Adams 72.50
4th place – Kevin Jeffress 73.30
Total Miles – 39 miles
Thanks for reading! If you’ve been inspired and would like to improve your running times and fitness with me, check out my coaching pages and get in touch.
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