The Zone Two Experiment Continues...

There was no long run last weekend, blame Bert. Instead, I got out for shorter 9k blast Friday. Not quite a PB but I guess my legs weren't totally fresh - it was meant to be an easier week, but I can't help myself. Around the harder efforts it's been much ado about zone two. The other higher intensity session for last week was Tuesday's Zwift hill climb. The 14km 780m Trollstigen - and a PB.

This week, I started with a shorter Zwift hill climb Tuesday but full gas nevertheless, and, yes, another PB with some decent power, evenly laid down for once, as opposed to my normal go too hard and fade.

Zone 2 Wednesday ahead of the old down and up ladder intervals on the treadmill Thursday. I'm almost on the cusp of admitting that there might actually be something to all this zone 2 malarky. The ladder intervals felt easier than normal, to the point I increased the speeds on the way back up just get my heart rate somewhere near 160.

Today I headed out for a solid 10k tempo effort, focusing on steady efforts on the climbs. I followed that with a thirty-minute warm down on the Zwift. Up tomorrow is.... I wonder?

Up and Over in One

It has been a long time since I've run up and over May Hill starting from the A40 at Barrel Lane all the way to the top - without stopping for a walk. Oft it's only been a brief walk here and there, to recharge the legs and lower the heart rate, but there has unequivocally always been a bit of walking action. By my records it's been over eight years since I last scaled the south face of the Eiger - or May Hill as it is otherwise referred - without stopping to walk. Eight long, arduous years and the ravages of time have taken their toll. In truth, it's not the highest hill nor the longest route, but its 210m of ascent spread over 3.5km still holds a challenge, especially when 170m of the ascent is condensed into the last 2.2km. Not exactly a fell climb, it is nonetheless, a challenge I did not think I would defeat again. (The run was 11km total).

With the battle unexpectedly won, my thoughts turn to winning the war. I was, after all, only 60s shy of my 2016 best. There is life in the old dog yet...

Away from today, it's been the usual mix of zone 2 and targeted sessions. A fifty-minute, threshold, hill climb on the bike Wednesday and a threshold run Thursday. I'll finished with some more zone 2 tomorrow and then a rest day Monday.

Finally Set a New PR on the A4136 Climb Segment

It's been steady progress on the training front. More of the Zone 2 - obviously. Intermingled with some good interval sessions on the treadmill. Although I've been a bit slack on the Zwift bike sessions, only completing zone 2 training and no interval workouts. I need to put that right in the coming weeks. Overall, it's been a solid couple of weeks.

The highlight was today's PR - or PB in normal, non-Strava, speak - on the A4136 Climb segment. I've been threatening it and finally nailed it, at the back end of today's 14k run. Mission accomplished - although I do expect to push it further on future attempts...