Training recap
Just shy of 40km this week in training, 4 training sessions comprised of a tempo run, hill repeats, 400+600 repeats and a 14k long run early on Saturday morning.
The two hard sessions this week really ate into my reserve energy. The hill repeats was really interesting, I need to get this regularly ahead of my attempt at the Warriors Run in Sligo in August which has a 1070ft climb, but it should also stand to me for other races as it pushes your body.
The location has three different variations on a hill, one sharp rise, one long steady rise, and the final is a very long steady rise with a turn into a sharper rise. We repeat each section three times with a three minute rest window. Each hill section was around 150-200m in total compared to our usual 400m sprint repeats.
Rest
Since I started with the group in February I had been putting in an extra run myself because I felt I was behind everyone else. I know I have a 22-23 minute 5k in me with minimal training and the A group is Sub 24 minutes, but I could tell I wasn't remotely close to the really strong runners in the group and I forget my age, my experience and just have this desire to get closer to the top and I know that meant putting in the hours.
Unfortunately with forgetting my age and experience the extra running had negative side effects on my shins, calves and hamstrings, with tenderness and pain kicking in from time to time early in a run and usually in the evenings after training. When our coach brought me on the long run this Saturday he told me no long run on Sunday, and for the first time in a long time I accepted advice, and rested.
Late Sunday evening I did take out the yoga mat and foam roller. After a warm up I moved onto some long stretching and deep muscle work with the roller and felt a lot better with myself heading into bed.
Age
As I started running late at 39 and I'm currently 44 writing this I have found it a little easy to slip into that rut of "I'm getting old" and let myself off easily at times, but the reality is I have been a little stupid from time to time, like over training, increasing my mileage too quickly, not stretching enough.
I am not in fact that old, and if anything age should have brought the wisdom to listen to my body, and the experts on how to train. This really is the benefit of running with a group in my opinion. I can be a fool alone or have someone watching my back in a group.
The biggest change as I get old really is that my warm up and cool down times have changed since when I was younger and my fitness can drop off quicker if I've missed time running with work, family, illness or weather.
At the same time my mental strength has grown and I know more of what I'm capable of and how to keep pushing, so I guess it can balance out.
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