The last couple of weeks since my return from Malaysia have gone well. I am back up to sixty plus miles a week. However, I need to do something about strengthening my quadriceps and hamstrings. This is crucial if I am to handle the hills of Boston. My quads will be especially susceptible to damage and fatigue on the downhill sections. My hamstrings are prone to cramping in the last 10km of marathon, which I am sure is a consequence of muscle inflexibility and weakness rather than electrolyte imbalances.
In addition to helping deal with the hills, cramps and potential for injury, I am hoping the strength training and stretching will make me faster by respectively increasing the muscles' force generation and stride length. I have made a decent start to doing this in the last week. Eleven weeks to Boston should be enough time to see not inconsiderable progress if I am consistent.
Mileage w/c 18 January:65 (New weekly high)
Mileage w/c 11 January:15
Mileage w/c 4 January:36
Friday 29 January 2010
Sunday 17 January 2010
Disruption
The last two weeks' training have taken a battering from long distance travel and illness. I left for Malaysia on Friday 8 January arriving the following evening Kuala Lumpur time. The following morning I knocked out fourteen miles on the treadmill, bringing me a weekly total of thirty-six miles. The ice was partially to blame for not reaching the weekly schedule of fifty-five miles but does not excuse falling twenty miles short.
The week commencing 11 January started well with a ten mile run with five at tempo on Tuesday. This and the following day's run were on the hotel treadmill. I am sick of the treadmill. The last outdoor run was 3 January. Tuesday's workout felt really hard. I did not enjoy the food in Malaysia and found it difficult to find a meal with the requisite calories for my training. This, the significant number of miles walked around Kuala Lumpur that day, and the heat and humidity, made Tuesday's workout really draining and felt more like 5K or 10k effort than half-marathon.
Since my return to Ireland on Thursday morning I have had the inevitable jet-lag, but I also seem to have picked up a bug. Seems I might have contracted 'Delhi Belly'. Hopefully next week will see a return to the normal routine.
The week commencing 11 January started well with a ten mile run with five at tempo on Tuesday. This and the following day's run were on the hotel treadmill. I am sick of the treadmill. The last outdoor run was 3 January. Tuesday's workout felt really hard. I did not enjoy the food in Malaysia and found it difficult to find a meal with the requisite calories for my training. This, the significant number of miles walked around Kuala Lumpur that day, and the heat and humidity, made Tuesday's workout really draining and felt more like 5K or 10k effort than half-marathon.
Since my return to Ireland on Thursday morning I have had the inevitable jet-lag, but I also seem to have picked up a bug. Seems I might have contracted 'Delhi Belly'. Hopefully next week will see a return to the normal routine.
Wednesday 6 January 2010
Ice ice baby!
Yesterday the treacherous road conditions forced me indoors to a city council gym to register my mileage. Surprisingly the treadmill was not as excruciatingly boring as I thought it would be.
Today I had twelve miles at aerobic pace scheduled and the even worse state of the roads dictated that I would be hitting the treadmill again. However, the worsening conditions meant that many workplaces closed early to allow people to crawl home before the roads became impassable. Unfortunately this meant the gym was also closed when I got there, not there was any sign or other form of communication stating that this was a consequence of the weather. Between the weather, or rather Dublin City and other councils' complete unpreparedness to deal with not especially extreme weather, and travelling overseas at the weekend for work, I will be lucky to register twenty-five to thirty miles this week!
Mileage w/c 28 December: 64. A new weekly high.
Today I had twelve miles at aerobic pace scheduled and the even worse state of the roads dictated that I would be hitting the treadmill again. However, the worsening conditions meant that many workplaces closed early to allow people to crawl home before the roads became impassable. Unfortunately this meant the gym was also closed when I got there, not there was any sign or other form of communication stating that this was a consequence of the weather. Between the weather, or rather Dublin City and other councils' complete unpreparedness to deal with not especially extreme weather, and travelling overseas at the weekend for work, I will be lucky to register twenty-five to thirty miles this week!
Mileage w/c 28 December: 64. A new weekly high.
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