My Run Training

I am starting to see some very positive progression in my running ability. I found it quite difficult to find my running form again, after a 10-week layoff post Ironman Melbourne and being on an overseas holiday. My body was really out of whack with my hips, knees and ankles really feeling the effects of starting my base training. It took the months of June and July before finding some comfort in my running but throughout August, up to the present, I have been able to run consistently and specifically with 3 sessions a week incorporating several different focusses.

In order to get my running fitness back, during June and July, I did the following sessions each week:-

Ø  My first session involved a 10 minute jog warm-up followed by some brief stretches and 10mins of drills – high knees, butt-kicks, side-to-side (karaoke), etc. I then did a series of fast run throughs over the length of a football oval from one end to the other with a jog back to the start. I would do 10 – 15 reps which would take between 15 and 25 minutes. A 5 minute jog cool-down to finish and this session would take approximately 45 minutes or so.

Ø  My second session would be a simple run at a steady pace for 30 – 45 minutes. Nothing too specific in this session. Just turn the legs over below race pace to accumulate some time on the legs.

Ø  Finally, my third run of the week was my long run, below race pace. Lasting between 60 and 90 minutes with 3 to 5 1km above race pace efforts thrown in.

This gave me 2 to 3 hours of running per week and I saw great changes in the feeling and stability around my hips, knees and ankles. Another factor which contributed to this was my weight training. Deadlifts, Single-leg Squats, Stiff-legged deadlifts, Calf Raises and Core work provided the extra strength and power to my running muscles.

When August came around, I was feeling confident about increasing my intensity in similar type sessions and incorporating longer race pace, or above, efforts. I can gladly say this has been achieved. What really helped this to happen was the purchase of a treadmill. It wasn’t a planned purchase which meant I hadn’t intended it to be a part of my training. However, it has been a wonderful addition and proved very effective.

The benefits of doing sessions on a treadmill are:-

Ø  It’s softer to run on – Treadmills have added absorption of the running surface, so it gives a more comfortable ride when doing high intensity work. Your joints will thank you for this.

Ø  Speed control – you can set it to a specific speed which will help you train your legs to run at the speed you desire exactly. Also, training your legs to turn-over at a higher cadence by using above race pace speeds.

Ø  Gradient control – You can now train your legs to maintain a speed when going uphill.

Ø  You can set it to change speed and/or gradient at exact times for a very particular type of interval workout.

Ø  Hello, brick sessions! – Stationary trainer for the bike and treadmill for the run. Perfect brick session scenario and the benefit of being able to set the precise run speed will train your legs perfectly for hitting race pace immediately off the bike.

The most recent run I completed, before beginning my recovery week, was 17km with 7 x 1km efforts at 3:50min/km. I maintained a 4:30min/km pace in between efforts and was running for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes in total. Although, slightly below what I had scheduled for this session in terms of pace, it was what I felt capable of that day and it came off the back of a few nights poor sleep. I was more than happy with this session and shows me that I am well on track for my Shepparton 70.3 preparation.

In my Blog post from August 7^th, I included a copy of my training schedule for the four weeks I am just about to complete. In that post I stated that future 4-week training cycles wouldn’t have increased volume from what that program was showing. However, based on my comments relating to flexibility and constant monitoring of my body’s condition, made in other posts, I have made some changes to future training. In the next two 4-week cycles I have increased my swim, bike and run volume by approximately 10-15%. I feel my body will handle this without trouble and considering I will be very focussed on my diet and supplement intake, I believe I will be doing what is necessary to continue my progression and prevent overtraining.

Specifically, I will now be running about 4 hours a week across 5 sessions. This will include a 15 minute run off the bike twice a week and my long run will increase to about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

I am in a really good place right now. My body feels good and I feel confident in the direction I am going with just 10 weeks before the race.