Saturday speedwork

Had a spare 30 minutes this morning while I waited for the family to sort themselves out, so I decided to go for a run. Set my Garmin 110 to 0.25 mile auto-lap and alternated slow/fast laps. It's a good way to do speedwork without having to map out distances or run up a hill.

Slow sections were run between 9:10 and 9:30 min/mile, fast sections were between 7:20 and 7:35 min/mile. Really pleased to achieve 6 reps of 400 m intervals and cover 5K in 26:40.

Felt really comfortable during the run, I was pleased I could maintain 7:30s and the recoveries helped keep tiredness at bay. Could probably have run a bit faster but I'd just had breakfast so didn't want to push too hard...

The fast 5K time has made me wonder whether to approach my next 10K race with a similar strategy, perhaps I'll try 0.5 mile intervals next week.

Prerace nerves

It's the Duck N Dash on Sunday, I'm starting to get very nervous. 400m swim (I don't like swimming) and a 6K run. Who would enter a multi-event race that involves an event they neither like nor are very able at? Only a crazy person, that's who. Or perhaps someone who likes to push herself outside her comfort zone? Slightly competitive? Loves a challenge? OK, those last ideas sound better.

When I signed up, there was a space on the form for "estimated swim time". The Ts & Cs said this time should be for a 50m swim. Getting mightily confused with distances (I usually swim in a 25m pool and I timed myself in a 50m pool), I submitted my 100m time (2:15). Then today I read on twitter that the times submitted should have been the full race distance time. Hasty email dispatched to race admin. I'm now "happily" residing in the 9:45 group. Phew. 

I'm panicking about the swim not because I can't swim (I can, I just don't enjoy it), it's the thought of possibly having to pass someone, or someone passing me. Or getting kicked in the face by someone swimming breaststroke. Or swallowing loads of water and struggling to catch my breath. 

Transition should be amusing more than anything. I'll be relieved because the swim is over. I'll be raring to get out running. I'll probably be in hysterics because I can't get my shoes on. Or I'll forget to put my shorts on. Like I did last time I practised transition. 

The run should be a piece of cake. I've run the course before. I can run 6K no problem. And I have no pressure to set a PB because I've never done this before. Whoop de woo!

Suddenly not that nervous anymore. 

Summer holiday training

My last training post was written in the middle of July, at the beginning of the school summer holidays, and this one is written at the end of August, when they are almost over. I find training in the summer holidays quite tricky. My children are home with me, so I can't run in the morning anymore (unless I get up at silly o'clock!), and my evening routine goes out of the window when we are away on our camping trips.

I've managed to continue to attend my weekly Pilates class, which has been a great help with healing my leg injury. I also continued to attend circuits, cycle, and swim whenever I could.

I restarted running in August with a training day for the Duck N Dash organised by Freedom Tri. We had an hour of swim training at 7:30 am, then we ran the First Saturday of the Month 5K around Norton Common. It was a good opportunity to see how it feels to do a dual event. I found the swimming really difficult, but the running went well, possibly because I didn't strictly race the event, I took the first mile "easy" and then began to speed up towards the end (26:27).

Because I've been away a lot over the summer, when I do get chance to run I've been trying to make it count. I've maintained my long run distance by running at least 10K once a week. On the other run day (I usually only managed two runs a week) I was focusing on speedwork, either hill sprints or intervals. It's been good to attempt speedwork on my own because I usually leave run club to organise my fast runs! On my last run (5.5 miles) I concentrated on maintaining a faster pace than usual (I aimed at 9 min/mile vs settling into a 10.5 min/mile plod). I also aimed to run fast up all the hills. It was a good run, despite the faster pace I felt comfortable (and wondered to myself why I'd never pushed myself before this day!). It's definitely given me some confidence that I've not lost too much fitness and I can get back something from this year (aim is still to achieve 10K and half PBs).

This week I'm taking charge of run club. My plans aren't too complicated because I'm not very confident on my own! Tuesday will be about negative splits, taking the beginners to Arlesey and back to see if they can make the return journey faster, and intermediates will be attempting to run a progressive 5 miles. Thursday will be speedwork for the beginners at the Norton Rd underpass, and intermediates will be running 4-6 miles depending on who comes (we might race the distances).

I don't really want to risk injury on Thursday, because Sunday is the Duck N Dash. I can't believe it's less than a week away. I need to concentrate on my diet this week, I need to lose some weight but I also need to keep my energy levels up. I'll be blogging about my diet on soggous.blogspot.co.uk.

Thanks for reading!