JANUARY 2005 - Back in Action

[Sweder]

Time: 19:30 Hrs
Conditions: Dry, COLD

Circuit: (tonights' times in brackets)
Warm up (2 x 400 metres, gentle jog untimed)
2 x 200 metres (00:40, 00:40)
1 x 1000 metres (04:33)
6 x 200 metres (00:40, 00:41, 00:40, 00:41, 00:41, 00:39)
1 x 1000 metres (04:55)
2 x 300 metres (01:11, 01:12)
1 x mile (4 laps) (07:33)

That was a very cold session.
I tried out my new gloves (lovely!) and the X-Socks (very nice) tonight. I don't know the temperature but the track was icing up through the session. The first 200's were fine, but I noticed on the first kilometre lane one on the bends was getting slippery. By half way through the 6 x 200's most of the back straight was deadly, with everyone wheel-spinning as they tried to accelerate.

Happily no-one took a tumble, although the split times on the short runs suffered. Eventually we got to grips (sorry ) with the conditions and I was very pleased with my 2 x 300's. One of the guys I run with on Sunday was at the session. He missed Sundays' mud-fest through 'flu and was madder than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He was worried that missing a long run would set him back. I assured him this was not the case - in fact I found my illness over Christmas enforced a break from training and I actually came back feeling pretty good. Besides, you can't train hard when your body's not happy, so you may as well rest up.

When it came to the mile he came up to me.
'What's your PB for the mile in these sessions?'
I mumbled incoherently into my Chris Brasher 10K Memorial Run vest, now nicely damp and starting to freeze in the bitter night air.
'What? Seven-forty-something? Well, we're going to beat that tonight!'
I could cheerfully have kicked his backside at least half that distance, but part of me thought 'what the heck?'

My problem on these sessions is changing my breathing patterns to suit the distances. I'm fine on the short bursts - there is no discernable pattern, just a frantic sucking of air - but have trouble adjusting for full laps. I decided to ignore the breathing issue and concentrate on staying with some of the more comfortable milers. This worked for a lap and a half, by which time I felt as though I'd taken one long inward breath and held it. I started huffing and puffing, maintaining this ludicrously swift (for me) pace, until around 2 and a half laps when my heart stopped trying to bail out through my throat and my lungs appeared to have found some sort of rythmn.

7:33 was better than I had hoped for, and to be honest I felt just as knackered after that as I did last week after my + 8 minute shuffle. I had a little daydream as the colour returned to my face and limbs and I attempted to stretch the knots out of my calves. 07:33 x 26.2 miles divided by 60 minutes . . . about 3 hours 20. OK, so it won't happen, but it is interesting to know what 03:20 pace feels like on reasonably knackered legs, albeit for just the one mile.

A good solid session. I left, best wishes for the weekend race ringing in my ears (I had of course told everyone about the RC team visit to the Almeira Half Marathon, and especially about the projected 16 degrees C and the money-back-guaranteed sunshine). At least I won't have to worry about Almeira icing up