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Displaying All Posts with the Tag 'training'
Paul Whittakerendurance athlete with olympic ambitionstraining, coaching and advice about all things running
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- 29Jan2012
South of England Cross Country Championships Brighton 15k
South of England Cross Country Championships Brighton 15k
After having good results in my last few races I had only one tactic that was going to play a big part in how I was going to race the southerns which was to get high up into the top 3 places early on in the race.
As the race was 15k over cross country I knew this kind of distance would suit me seeing as long term I am most probably suited to this type of distance. As the race started I went straight up into the lead alongside my old club mate Adam Hickey from Southend Ac, we both was together on the first small lap around the hill on the first section of this course. I settled back into the top 6 runners in the front pack and decided to ‘stay there and relax’ for as long as I could over the next 12-14k.
I did my best to hang on to the leaders throughout the entire race and overall I finished a respectable 8th place.
I found as like most cross country races the lead pack are not necessarily running much faster than the pack of runners behind its more of a case that the front group tend to start harder and faster up to the front and hang on. This is what I have believed in for a long while, eventually I will be able to get up to the front pack and relax and be able to kick on off a fast pace… watch this space!Be the First to Comment and rate this post - 08Nov2011
Places to run..
Sorry for the long delay since my last blog on recovery which was almost a month ago?
I’m back into full training now and I’m progressing quite nicely, this winter for me is a big building block for spring/summer next year where I can hopefully run some big PBs over my favourite distances:)
The one thing I like in the winter/off season phase of training is the consistency of good workouts and long runs which I find really important (rather than racing every week in the winter.) Many times over the last few years I have competed in all cross country races in the winter and found that by easing off every week and recovering after each race means I can’t put together a string of important training for the big improvement next year.
Many people would disagree and feel that cross country is the foundation for distance runners in the winter and by racing over tough courses this gives you strength.. I agree.. but doing a simple 10mile tempo run at close to 5min per mile suits me better:)
Just realised.. my title for this blog today was about places to run! lol after building up my training so I am running around 12-13 times per week varying the route you run becomes really important, and more interesting! I now spend most of my weekends running in Eastbourne (visiting my girlfriend) which is great and the different routes are definitely better for me rather than the same old routes back home. If anyone ever wants to go for a weekend away and likes HILLY training runs Eastbourne is the place to go:) last Sunday I did a 2hour run, the first 60mins was on my own on the seafront at Eastbourne then I looped back round and ran with Holly (GF) for the next 60mins... she took me around a route which some runners would say is undulating (I would say very very hilly;) regardless of the route it as a good 2hour run and did me good:)
One more quick note.. Wayne Lyle and John Green are two of the athletes I am coaching at the moment and they training very hard for next year:) keep it up!Be the First to Comment and rate this post - 14Oct2011
Recovery After Hard Training and Racing
Recovery especially after hard races and training sessions are one of the key components in running performance that is regularly overlooked when it comes to distance runners.
The big question after training that comes across an athlete's mind is 'how long will it take for me to recover before i can run another hard session'.
Personally it all comes down to general fitness and how many hard sessions you incorporate in a typical training week.
What I have found is that a good principle to work from is the hard/easy method, this means that you alternate hard training days with a recovery day the next and then repeat as you lead up to the weekend. For example if you have set plan for your training week with hard sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday always listen to your body.
Let's say you did not recover Wednesday after Monday's session and you feel slightly heavy legged and sore RUN EASY THAT DAY!
It's always better to take an extra day easy than push through a hard training day when you don't feel recovered.
Races- Usually it's always best to ease down and taper before a race, maybe having one day off the day before the race. If you are racing on a Sunday (most road races are on Sundays) I would go by something along this outline for recovery:
5k- 2 days easy running after the race, 10k- 3 days easy running after the race, 10miles-half marathon- 4 days easy running after the race and a marathon 2-3 weeks.
Easy running= A pace which is 2-3mins slower than current 10k paceBe the First to Comment and rate this post - 13Oct2011
Season breaks
I am in the 2nd week of a 3 week break after the track season. Things have gone pretty well this year with a few PBs over the shorter distances (3000m-5000m) and I'm already itching to get back out running!
Winter training for me starts in November and I will have a gradual build up to my peak mileage which I will hold until the end of April 2012.
After a good winter last year of a maximum mileage of 125 miles per week, this year i am hoping to reach around 130-140miles per week. This includes long runs, hard fast sessions and good recovery workouts so I can make a big jump in performance for next year's track season.Be the First to Comment and rate this post
