Treadmill Pyramid Intervals

A while ago Triathlete Europe tweeted about how to make the most out of your treadmill workout. One workout they suggested was a form of pyramid intervals, in the format of 1-2-3-2-1-1-2-3-2-1 with equal rest inbetween, and that's the workout I decided to do today.

I started with a 6 minute long warm up and then I kicked off my intervals. The article suggested the pace should be 'hard' so I cranked the speed up to 14.5 kilometres per hour, or 4.07 minutes per kilometre. The first minute was fine ('Is it already over?! Oh!') and during the first rest I did question if the rest really should be as long as the previous interval but during the 3rd interval at a, for me, high speed I definitely started to agreee with the length of the rest.The first five intervals felt pretty good and the last five weren't too bad either (at least not in restrospect....) but I had to work to complete the session and focus on a good technique towards the end of the intervals. I finished off the session with a few progressive kilometres and by the time I was done I was suitably tired and sweaty.

After my running I did 3x200metres front crawl, focusing on technique, and although swimming still isn't my forte I did notice that I have become a better swimmer in the last few months (even if it doesn't feel like it!). Maybe there is hope, after all...

Sunday Boot Camp

CrossFit inspired Boot Camp. Burpees. Push Ups. Box Jumps. Sprints. Coach Karl guided/pushed us through a tough and intense but varied session, and despite it being blistering cold it felt great to be outdoors. Great to have some lactic acid flowing through my muscles, to taste blood and to have someone encourage you to give that little bit extra. Coack K kept tweaking our technique - reminding us to engage our core muscles, keep our posture, push our hips forward when sprinting and not rush through any of the exercises (even when we did them on time).

After the boot camp ended I ran home from Southwark but despite running across Tower Bridge home, which I absolutely love, I didn't really enjoy my run. I felt cold and had a strong head wind the whole way. Running wise it was alright, but I can't say it was pleasurable or memorable.

Training wise this week has been a bit so and so.  Mediocre. One of those weeks that you aren't really happy with but are oh so important in your marathon training.

Someone Who is Busier Than You is Running Right Now

Earlier today I read about Jeanna being in a rush so she decided to do run time effective hill interval session. Hill intervals are not only time effective, they're also give great results. Another very time effective interval session is 'Björgen intervals',  as favoured by amazing skier Marit Björgen. The format is simple, 4x4 minutes, but don't let that fool you - these babies are hard! You see, they're V02 max intervals meaning that you'll spend four minutes running at roughly 90-95% of your max pulse. But for time efficiency, they're great! With a five minute wam up, three two minute active rests between the intervals and a three minute cool down you can have the session done in 30 minutes - is that time effective or what?! Some people will advocate a three minute rest inbetween the intervals, but that's up to you. If you really do manage to push your heart rate up to 95% you might need the three minute rest.

After my Body Pump class today I ran that exact interval session, except that I added on 4x2 minute intervals in a little bit higher pace but even with cool down I was still done within 45 minutes. The legs felt pretty good, my breathing was easy and I probably could have pushed myself a little bit harder than I did...but in the same way it was  nice to run a good hard session and still feel strong. Did I feel like I hit 95% of my maximum heart rate? No, but I probably was hovering around 90%.  A heart rate monitor is definitely on the top of my 'to buy'-list!

Sometimes V02 max intervals can be a bit tricky, as it's about finding a pace which you can hold for four minutes yet you should be proper tired by the end of each interval and that balance can be hard to find. Some people will run with a heart rate monitor (the absolute best way to do it, but then you also need to know your max pulse) but if you don't you'll just have to go on feel and percieved exertion. It's a great workout regardless, and no matter how busy you are you should be able to fit in a 30 minute run!

Race Pace

My goal for the Greater Manchester Marathon is to do another marathon in less than 4 hours. This means running every one of the 42.2 kilometres at a pace of 5 minutes and 37 seconds - or preferably a little bit faster than that. My ideal race pace for this race is 5 minutes and 25-30 seconds per kilometre, as it would give me some leeway...unlike the Edinburgh marathon last year, when I finished on 3 hours, 59 minutes aaaaaaand....54 seconds!

Today I went out for a long run. The sun was just coming out from behind the clouds as I set off and the weather was pretty lovely.The plan was to go along the River Lea up past Walthamstow marshes and beyond (which basically means running until I see the big IKEA in Edmonton...and then see how I feel). The first 10k's I clocked off at a pretty steady 5.25 pace but as my legs grew a bit tired the pace came down to 5.30-5.35 pace up to the 22k mark. The last 5k's I was pretty tired and the pace was only around 5.45 per kilometre.  All in all it wasn't the greatest long run I've ever produced but considering this weeks training with, among other things, a 2 hour spincycling class, an interval session on the treadmill and one on the spin bike and some good weight sessions I give my legs top marks for holding up the way they did. Race pace didn't feel all that tiring in general, and with less tired legs I think the whole run could've been pretty grand. I ended up doing 27 kilometres, which was what my training plan said, so I can't fault the distance either. And yes, during those last gruelling kilometres I did think 'this is rubbish, why am I doing this??!' but I know that when I'm standing on the starting line in Manchester I'll be thanking myself for not stopping when I'm tired, but stopping when I'm done.

The best part of today's run? The weather. Thank you London for a sunny day, I really needed it. Spring is indeed in the air!

Long Intervals

3 - 1 - 3 - 1. Those were the magic numbers, in today's long interval running session. In marathon training long intervals can be of great help to increase speed and stamina. Often people talk about 1 kilometer intervals as the intervals to do when training for a marathon but seeing that the race you're training for in actually 42.2 kilometer you will benefit greatly from even longer intervals (2-3 kilometers). Today I had set my mind to do two 3 kilometer long intervals and two 1 kilometer long intervals. The long intervals I ran at a pace of 12.5k/h and the shorter at 13k/h, with a 0.5k rest in between them. It was a fairly tough session, my legs felt a bit heavy after the Body Pump session I'd done earlier and my calves were still a bit stiff after Friday's session but I executed the run quite well - and the feeling after a punishing interval session is amazing!

Marathon Training in Full Swing

Two blisters. Sore calves. One toe nail about to come off. Yeah, marathon training seem to be in full swing!

Bounce Back In Style

After yesterday's slightly disappointing session I wanted to do something hard today, to bounce back in style. The preparation for today's training was a world of difference from yesterday - as I'm on a day off today I had a good lie in, a good breakfast and then I got on my bike to cycle to the West End to do a treadmill run with progressive pace increase. I could have gone to a gym in the East End, but I find the 35-40 minute cycle to be the perfect warm up before a run, not to mention that the sun was out and I wanted to catch some vitamin D.

Once at the gym I got on a secluded treadmill and got going. The plan was to do a one kilometer warm up and then increase the pace every third kilometer until I had done 15 kilometers. The first 10 k's were easy, with the pace only going up to 11.5k/hour. When I hit the 10k mark I increased the pace to 12k/h which isn't very fast even for a Captain Slow like myself but as I'd already done 10k my calves were struggling just a little bit. The two last kilometers, from 13 to 15 k, I ran in 12.5k/hour pace and they were actually a bit painful. I didn't feel like I was dying of tiredness in the way you sometimes do when you do a really tough interval session, but the accumulated distance and the ever increasing pace had taken its toll - even if the speed wasn't great towards the end, it had progressively increased for a fair few kilometers.  I felt tired when I was done but very happy with both the distance and my execution of the session...I did leave it all on the field (treadmill) today!

Testing testing!

Got these beautiful tights in the mail today, from Swedish brand Craft, to test and review. Stay tuned....

Just Run.

Having been priviliged enough to have company on my last two long slow distance runs I didn't feel all that inspired to go out and run alone this morning. Not to mention that it was 3C, windy and overcast and you can guess how (un)inspired I was. To psyche me up I put on my favourite tights from Craft, plugged in my iPod and set off aiming for at least 15k (my training programme said 8 miles). The first few kilometres I was waiting for the legs to feel tired and heavy, as it's been a while since I've had a rest day (bad, I know) but it just...never happened! Before I knew it I'd done 8k and since I wasn't the least bit tired or cold I decide to carry on. At 11k I still felt fine and perky but I decided to turn around anyway, and not overdo it. The run home was a delight, shuffle kept playing tunes and the legs just did their own thing...and for every step my smile got a bit wider. 2 hours and 7 minutes after I set out I was back home, heaps happier than before my run and 22.6 kilometres richer.  I also realized that this is why I love running - it makes me so god d*mn happy!

If Your Legs Feel Tired...

...wear one of your marathon finisher t-shirts. 6am hill intervals on the treadmill always feel easier in a finisher t-shirt!

Racing Season is (Almost) Here!

I'm not a very fast runner, so racing wont bring me much glory but what I love about running a race is that it make me try my very hardest. It gives me a clear goal to focus on and challenge me to up my game. Last year my goal for the Edinburgh Marathon was to get under 4 hours, which I did with 6 seconds to spare but I don't think I'd have been able to push myself as I did if it wasn't because I was racing. This year I'm - so far - planning on running the Orion 15 (best cross country race in London!), the Greater Manchester Marathon (another sub 4h effort is the goal) and  Jämtland på Fötter Half Marathon (a fairly local half marathon when I'm home visiting the parents this July). Are you doing any races this year?

 

#trackofthetreadmill

On my twitter (@emmajosefine07) I sometimes add a 'Track of the Treadmill', a song that pushed me a little bit extra during my run. Today this is that song, enjoy!