More Treadmill Intervals

Constant speed with varied elevation this time. It was a bit of an experiment, using the program function. It worked out as six one and a half minute reps with the same length recovery. I'm going to tweak it next time so the warm up and cool down are outside of the program. Then I can run two sets of four reps at 4, 6, 8 and 10% elevation. Over time I can extend the rep time and creep the elevations up.

A bike session and core brought down the curtain on week six. Hopefully I will be able to follow the 'slightly ambitious' schedule in week seven...

Zero Leg Power

It was the 2k row and bike today. The only problem - I say the only problem, in life there is never just one problem. The only problem relating to today's session was that I had bugger all leg power. My legs felt okay. Not tight but just lacked any power once I was under way. I really didn't want to stray back over 7:50 for the 2000m but I wasn't sure where the strength was going to come from to prevent it.

As I went through the first 1000m the panel was predicting 7:54... I was not happy with that but still couldn't summon any more. As I hit 1250m I just went for it. I wasn't sure I could sustain the pace I needed - but I went for it anyway. I was absolutely dying in the last 200m but at that point it turns into a 1 minute interval. It was worth it for 7:47.7, keeping things the right side of 7:50. I finished with an hour on the bike.

If I manage another 40 days of this my thoughts will need to starting turning towards selection of the comeback race....

Back On It For Day 40

I think I made the right call yesterday. I felt much more ready for today's interval session. Building on from my first session, I set the elevation to 1% and added an extra rep. Seven 2 minute reps paced at 4:15, 4:00, 3:45, 3:45, 3:45, 4:00, 4:00 min/km. I did consider running the middle one at 3:38 but I'm glad I didn't because the fifth was tough enough as it was. The beauty of the treadmill is that there is nowhere to hide and despite my form getting ragged in the last thirty seconds of that rep, I made it. By the end session my calf muscles where tight once again.

I finished today's training with ninety minutes on the bike - although I forgot to start the bloomin' watch again, only spotting it wasn't ticking up after thirty minutes had already passed. Oh, and mustn't forget the ab-crunches, pull-ups and push-ups. I'm now up to 4x30 crunches, 12 or 13 pull-ups and 2x20 push-ups.

I really need to dig out my old books now though, in order to work out the appropriate pace for different length/type sessions. Random isn't going to cut it. It's time to send in the science - as opposed to the clowns....

Change Of Plan...

Feeling tired and little dehydrated. I realised I didn't drink enough today. The course was interesting but I'm glad I don't have to travel to Reading any more. With that in mind, what's left of the day, is going to be rest. I'll get me a good nights sleep tonight and I'll be fresh for a quality session tomorrow. It's all about training effectively and efficiently. Training tired is not a sensible option.

Longish Day At Work But Still I Continue...

Day 38 and still there are no thoughts of letting things slide. Tonight it was the row interval session. Ten reps at 1:52 followed by 40 minutes on the bike. I must quickly add that I forgot to start the watch so missed the first ten minutes. No lie.

Tomorrow is going to be another long day to Reading and back and I want to be rested for tomorrow's training. By Friday I will have been at it - ooh er matron - for forty days and forty nights.....

First Of The Interval Treadmill Sessions...

It was far from spectacular but I need to start small and build up slowly. As it was my calf muscles were beginning to tighten by the end. I ran 6 reps of 2 minutes with a 1 minute recovery. The first two at 4:15min/km pace, the next two at 3:45 pace and back to 4:15 for the final two. From a tiny monkey nut doth a mighty peanut plant grow...

I finished with 45 minutes on the bike and some ab-crunches. The next two days are going to be a bit of struggle as I'm commuting to reading and back on a course which is going to mean 4-5hrs travel a day depending on the traffic - but at least I'll clock up the time for a flexi-day.

Day 37 and the warm up is over. The hard work starts from here...

I Did Today What I Have Never Done Before....

So I didn't pull a rest day after all. In fact, I achieved a first. Never in the field of my training has this lazy git ever completed a run before going to work! I got up at 6am and hit the treadmill for 5k before heading to work - after a quick shower I hasten to add.

Despite the shoulders still aching I couldn't put off the start of phase two. So the day began with the aforementioned run and then a decent 7:46.2 2000m row, 45 minutes on the bike and core work when I got home. Day 36 complete.

When I Started The Comeback...

I didn't think it was going to be my neck and shoulders holding me back - I guess that's what comes with age. It has been nigh on ten years since I had some good fitness and was reasonable at running. Trying to get back there inside six months is probably way beyond optimistic. Despite the advance of old father time, I refuse to be interdicted from the goal.

That said, I need to face the fact I may need to take a few days off. I have gone at it these past thirty five days. Hopefully a few days off will see me good and I'll be back with a vengeance. Now I'm rekindling the desire again, missing a few days is going to make me feel guilty but sometimes I guess you need to take a couple of steps back in order to march four or five forward...

I just put in an easy bike session and no core. My shoulders are still aching but I think less so than yesterday. Going to take it day by day.

Might Need A Bit Of A Tweak...

So I've been working on the training schedule. Based on my initial draft I could conceivably expire if I try it for more than a couple of weeks. Needs a little work...

Anyway, I took another tentative few steps - or should that be treads - on the treadmill followed by a bike session and core. It was meant to be a 2k row as well but the shoulders are still aching.

So as day 34 draws to an end I'm still feeling motivated and driven - well I did drive to the recycle centre to get rid of all the polystyrene and cardboard packaging. Going to start on some easy intervals on the treadmill from next week and build from there.

Operation Treadmill...

...Very similar to operation Treadstone but without the superhuman assassins... Okay, it's nothing like that.

As you might have guessed, the treadmill has finally arrived - but not without a slight hiccup. The delivery lorry was too big for the lane - doh. The driver phoned to say he couldn't get up the lane and joked about whether I had a spare van knocking around. Luckily for me I did as we'd have been scuppered without it as the treadmill is bastard heavy. So heavy I've strained my back slightly putting it all together and heaving it around.

Anyway, I couldn't wait to have a go and plodded to a very slow 4.5km while trying to calibrate my garmin footpod so I can capture the training more accurately. After that I finished with a short bike session but no ab-crunches as it put too much strain on my aching back.

Tomorrow I'm going to put together a more structured training plan...

Month Two, Day 32...

And I have trained on all but three of those days - and, I add very quickly, they were planned rest days rather than "I can't be arsed days". I've trained the last 16 days straight and not feeling as fatigued now I've balanced out the routine a little. It is almost time to man up and venture outside into the big bad world.... but not today. Bike interval session and core tonight.

It's A Ten...

Ten intervals on the rower - and I died in the last thirty seconds of the tenth interval. I managed the nine on 1:51 - I'll claim 1:51 rather than 1:51/52 as I managed most of them on 1:51 pace... Bloody hard graft but also a bloody good feeling to complete them.

I didn't think I'd feel like this when I struggled to complete five intervals just 18 days ago. To be honest, after dozens of false dawns during the last five or six years, I didn't really have much belief in myself to get this far. While we're talking of good feelings, it's been an energising time as a few weeks turns into a month. I finished with forty five on the bike.

There's no stopping me now as I head into month two of the comeback...

Coming Along Nicely...

Work on my six pack is well under way but I can see the fat is going to take a while to shift. I'm not sure my love-handles have shrunk much in this, the first month of the comeback but I'm confident the spare tyre has sprung a slow leak - and I'll not be looking to patch it!

The body stats are certainly starting to show improvement. Inaccurate as they may be they are, at least, trending in the right direction. I still have many months of hard work ahead but by god, by the summer I will be ready to return to the fell of conflict, fighting fit and ready for the battle - did you see what I did there, eh? Be afraid. You have been warned....

PS, Oops, I forgot to mention it was bike and core session tonight - wouldn't want you to think I slacked on day 30!

Destroyed It...

Where a few short weeks ago I would have let a frustrating day at work and nightmare drive home quell my desire to train. Tonight I turned that frustration, ju-jitsu style, into a force for good, to destroy my 2000m row time. Okay, destroy is a strong word I hear you say, but knocking 4.4s off my previous best* is, at the very least, a sound thrashing.

I got home from work, having taken almost an extra half hour to get through Gloucester, and headed straight into the gym and onto the rower. I went at it from the start, pulling the first 500m in 1:55. From there I held the pace around the 1:56/57 mark. With 750m to go I was struggling but I could see the time ticking down and just kept on going. Pulling the last 500m in 1:54s for 7:43.1. Felt damn good.

Finished with the ubiquitous bike and some ab-crunches. On the treadmill front I'm hoping to get the nod it will arrive in the next couple of days, RRRrrrrh, bring it on....

* I should say, when I refer to PB, I am referring to age related personal best, since my actual mark was set back before I became a veteran... I am now within 18 seconds of that mark and closing in...