Racing and Training 2018

pm 5000 metres time trial on the track in blustery conditions. Fortunately there were a couple of taller runners in the race who I was boxed in behind. Hence I missed much of the breeziness. 23:24 is consistent (ish) with a couple of recent parkruns (23:13 and 23:14). So that's all quite tidy really. Great performances from everybody in the conditions and thanks to all the volunteers who seemed to be enjoying themselves too. Great vocal support was given.

am What I said to Mel! Dave Proffitt   I missed your post too Mel  Shipton . I went with Geraint's 8 am crew. It was a bit quick for me but critically for me the Saturday afternoon beer was no help at all.  🙄  As Geraint suggests there will be more pace choices soon. I'll be there again next Sunday morning, hopefully in better shape. What I said in the group... Went with Geraint's 8 am crew for an LSR. The Lliswerry 8 plus a bit more. I've done a couple of weeks hard training so I was weary, I engineered a short cut and called it a day at 11 miles. Two rest days now. Which to quote a wise man "will be nice".

am I ran to the Riverfront. I did the parkrun .. very easily as a recovery run. I jog and walked home I am fatigued after two high mileage weeks. Looking forward I will have two days rest (Monday & Tuesday). I may try a quick parkrun on saturday which would mean missing Six * Six on Friday.

pm I did Six @ Six. There were 7 of us. Roni was suffering with Asthma this evening. Also running were Me, Louise, Carl, Sam, Richard Talbot & Steve Crowther. We did the "Original Route". From the Newport Centre along Chepstow road to the Cross Hands. Down Somerton Road to Traston Road. Along Transton Road 7 Corpy Road. Over the SDR bridge and then join up with the Riverfront footpath at the parkrun turning point and head back to the City Campus on the riverfront path. For some reason they ran at a very quick pace this evening. Too quick for me!

I did a set of short reps on the SDR next to the Velodrome.before Ruth's S&C class 3 * 3 * 200 with 30 seconds recovery & 5 minutes between sets. Didn't really have time for a full warm up and cool down. So it wasn't the greatest session I've ever done. It was pretty chilly on the SDR too. Splits went like this... warm up 5:04 set 1 1:00; 0:30; 1:00; 0:30; 1:01; 5:00 set 2 0:50; 0:30; 0:56; 0:30; 0:54; 5:00 set 3 0:52; 0:30; 1:00; 0:30; 0:54; cool down 6:30

pm I did a track session with Lliswerry group 5. dynamic warm up then 8 * 300 (in lane 6) with 100 metres walk recovery

pm NEWT / Lliwerry track session after an S & C warm up with Richard (NEWT coach) we did a pyramid session. Continuous running for 12 mins, 10 mins, 8 mins, 6 mins with 3 mins recovery. Thebrief was to run 100m at 10K pace, 100m at 5K pace and 100 m at 3K pace followed by 100m jog/rec. Then straight into the next lap. After that Richard led us on an active cool down with stretches etc.

am I stepped up a gear today. I did the Sunday morning LSR with Geraint's group. Advertised as the Bishton loop - 11 miles at 9 mm pace. I thought I might struggle. In fact it was 12.36 miles at 9 mm pace accotding to Garmin. I was tired at the very end but the rest of it was OK, even the hill up to Llanwern Village. So, I made the right choice. We were Lucasz Plonka, Geraint Heath, Chris Davies, Nick Rees, Keith James and Me.  

am I ran to the Riverfront. I did a tempo parkrun timed at 23:14. It was as fast as I could run TBH. I was a bit baulked at the start but didn't want to start on the front row (obvs). I ran back towards home with JK, who was running back to Langstone. I hung a left and walked up through Beechwood Park to home. Facebook update... Six at Six last night - Waterloo Sunset route with 14 chums. . ... and today ran to the Riverfront, did a tempo parkrun timed at 23:14. It was as fast as I could run TBH. Was a bit baulked at the start which cost me a vital 2 seconds 😁 ...but didn't want to start on the front row (obvs). Ran back towards home in the company of JK, who was running back to Langstone. I hung a left way before then and mostly walked up through Beechwood Park to home.

we did Six @ Six. Waterloo Sunset route. There were 15 of us Roni, Louise, Sam, Jon Kendall, Mike Pobjoy, Liz Kenward, John xxx, Me, Carl Elliott, Maria English, Karen Berry, Richard Talbot, Stuart Howison. Steve Crowther plus one who I don't know.. 

week 3 of S & C with Ruth at the velodrome

pm I did the interval session from the NISV with group 5. Group 5 was led by Rachel Avon & Steve Crowther. We did 3 sets of three half bridge intervals. We were on the South Side of the bridge at the Discount Tyre end. We ran from the pedestrain lights to the centre of the bridge and jogged back down. Immediate turn and repeat twice. Then a max of three minutes recovery. It was a cold night. We did three sets. On the final rep of the third set we ran all the way across the bridge at pace. Met Ellie the blonde girl again and Tom ... her husband who I knew from Monday on the track.

pm I did the Caerleon Canter short route to the St Julian's pub as a recovery run. with Group 5. I tail ran so to speak  with Maria David & Ann Westley  

pm Track session with NEWT / Lliswerry. We were doing 400 metre reps. I started with the sub 24 minute group who had the instruction to do their 400s in 3 minute blocks with a lap jog recovery after a set of 4. The timing was all over the shop. We were supposed to be doing the 400s in 1:48 with 1:12 recovery. That was not happening... so when one of the recoveries was only 47 seconds I gave up the ghost and dropped down a group to enjoy reliable pace making by Mr 5K. description Splits  Time Cumulative Time warm up part 1 1 27:41:00 27:41:00 warm up part 2 2 08:23.3 36:05:00 set 1 / 1 3 01:48.5 37:53:00 standing recovery 4 01:00.7 38:54:00 set 1 / 2 5 01:37.9 40:32:00 standing recovery 6 01:05.1 41:37:00 set 1 / 3 7 01:46.5 43:23:00 standing recovery 8 00:56.2 44:20:00  set 1 / 4 9 01:43.9 46:04:00 reco...

am I did a 10 mile LSR with Melanie Shipton & Ceri Jenkins. We exited the NISV via Traston Road and did the Lliswerry 8 course. We went wrong by not turning right at the the point where the lane carried on to the sea wall. We nearly got to the tea rooms. I think if we had gone to the team rooms and then turned back and got back on to the Lliswerry 8 course we would have pretty much done 10 miles. As it was we were nearly a couple of 100 metres short. My original plan was to do an extra mile by going round the Leeway estate. With the wrong turn that would have turned it into 11 miles which might be a good idea for the future.

am Ran to the Riverfront. Did the parkrun. Jog walk home. Had a bit of a dodgy tummy and had two poos before leaving the house. I also had one after the parkrun. I had to make my way swiftly to the Loo in the Riverfront theatre complex. It was wet and hence a little bit colder today. My journey home was more walk than jog!

pm Massage with Jo (Josie) Adams

pm S & C session at the Velodrome led by Ruth King

Track Session (Group 4) 10 * 300 (100 jog recovery) + 1 * 600. Split times thus ... ably led by Nick Davies 01:24.7; 01:30.7; 01:29.3; 01:27.7; 01:27.8; 01:25.9; 01:28.4; 01:27.7; 01:26.1; 01:27.8 02:51.7

afternoon I did a "recovery run". I had an extra baby sitting (child minding) session this evening  so I went out in the afternoon and did a gentle lap of St Julian's woods. Much of it was jog / walk. I had a bit of a sore knee from those band exercises that were introduced in S & C on Monday and I continued with at home on Tuesday