Training : Bywell

Sunny Running by the Tyne

I've said before that running on the flat is harder than uphill and way more than downhill (my favorite) but this morning's training down by the Tyne at Bywell was glorious. The sun shining, the birds singing, dogs barking... You get the picture. When the weather is like this, cold mind you, the running seems all that easier even though the effort isn't. We were trying to get the speed up and doing 2.5 mile stretches at 10k race pace inter-spersed with steady sub 9 min miles and the odd sprint. It still seems we're catching up after the extended Christmas break. Yes I know it's nearly March already but the break, the weather and just lately the job just hasn't let me find the consistency I need.

Training : New Year

Kielder Greys Summit Race

View Kielder Greys Summit Race in a larger map

It's next weekend and the training hasn't been enough and there's something about this aerial photo that looks dark and gloomy and foreboding. Friend said at the weekend 'Oh you'll be OK just do it anyway!'. It's alright for you to say you aren't operating these legs or carrying that extra weight from Christmas excess, or feeling your age! Actually training last week wasn't too bad, yes it hurt but I wasn't comatose at the end. However this weekend hasn't been productive at all. Time spent with daughter before her leaving for two month trip to Ecuador rather than training. Just time for a last minute blast tomorrow evening then legitimate rest for the remainder.

Oh and news fromn the organiser just to cheer me up "Be prepared for calf deep snow on top of three pikes across to grey's pike, a few inches most other places, and some ice! Will make for an interesting race. Clockwise. Route will be marked and dare say there will be tracks in the snow to follow unless you're at the front. See you on Sunday Cheers Will"

Training : Hill Starts

Hill starts, false starts

Just another training evening in Hexham. Short 'efforts' uphill interspersed with longer runs. Everyone complaining to one degree or another that Christmas has done them some damage and that ther're feeling dreadfully unfit. Time is running out so to speak. Two weeks to the Kielder Grey's.

Training : Fartlek

And Now in Pairs

I thought a trip to the local builders merchants come DIY store would be just that. How wrong can I be?

As it turns out very wrong. Running in pairs so called 'efforts' about 500m a minutes worth, at first anyway, out and back to your 'partner'. Switch roles, they run you rest, they come back you run and so on. There is two things to note about this. The first point is you only get as much interval rest as your partner takes to run the loop. Secondly if you or your partner are at all competitive with either each other or the any of the other pairs the tendency is to self destruct.

We blew up around loop 8 or so and eventually came in second or third. Not that it was a competiton you understand! Thanks Pip, "Good Effort" indeed. The reference to the builder's merchants, it was their lorry park we were running in, Dove's for the record..

Training : Around and Up and Up and Down

Intervals, again

I think I live in a Escher Like world where even if there are some downs there are definitely more ups than downs. This does appear to be contrary to my friend's experience where Tyneside's East End appears only to have scrap heaps.

Tonight's training run appeared to consist of semi-circular routes around the trading/industrial estate at the back of Hexham followed by a never ending flight of steps. It is the succession of short manic bursts of 'efforts' done at as high a speed as possible followed by very much shorter 'rest' (a euphemism for slightly less effort) periods that make up these 'intervals'. Bryan seems to think they are key to fitness at our age, all I know is I'm bloody knackered.