Training plans

Some quick thoughts on training over next few months. Not cast in stone but.......

I am reckoning on getting into shape fairly quickly for running so will really try and get into some sort of shape re hills and distance over next couple of months and then tick along for a couple of months whilst getting cycling to acceptable fitness. Kayaking will take priority as long as not too cold over next few months and perhaps right the way through to the event in Feb.

May - get as much kayaking in as possible interspersed with a few runs and a cycle a week

June - pretty much focus on running (with some core stability exercises) as back in UK and can't take bike or kayak with me!

July and August - Cold months here so probably still try and do quite a few kayak technique sessions and some good runs (as well as a couple of races in both disciplines). Cycling will rather suffer I imagine so will have to use turbo trainer more

September - Start cycling more and get some moving water in for kayaking.

Training (18th April- 24th April)

Good training week for kayaking!

Press-ups still happening (apart from some kayaking days) sit-ups not!

Saturday Zip all. Mags on call so no training opportunity

Sunday- 1:10 hilly run (see here for further run report)

Monday - New kayak arrived so hour or so on Avon concentrating on technique and trying different paddles out

Tuesday - Zip all. Really tired after yesterday

Wednesday - Kayaking on Avon concentrating on technique. (Rolled the thing under controlled conditions - mind you, failed on first attempt!

Thursday - Zip all. Really tired after yesterday

Friday - Kayak for 1:10 concentrating hard on technique (Avon)

Distance versus climbing

Had another good run today in Port hills. The link here gives a little bit of the route just to give a taster of what these hills are like. If you can't be bothered to follow link then terrain is a bit of a mix of running some of the moors in West Yorkshire, some of the route of Seven Sister's marathon etc etc. Thus, there is quite a climb to get on to summit road then all the paths round there are fairly hilly but with shorter sharper sections.

This photo gives an of idea of the sort of terrain along the tops (actually the track to the left is the easier track that comes up from where I started to the same point at summit). Summit Rd is the road running left to right and is where all paths from base of hills come out.

Photo borrowed from this guy (who I hope doesn't mind!)

For the Surrey boys, this terrain is much harder than any of our terrain on our Sunday runs but for Jock, this is more similar to the hills running behind your house (only the climbs are possibly a bit longer). For the Coventry boys and Bham contingent; forget about it! The only terrain anything like this would be Malvern Hills but with smaller and more rock strewn paths.

Only did about 10km in total in about 1:10hrs but with about 330m (1000ft) climbing in first 2.4 km on small track with lots of twists and turns plus rocks, and a further couple of climbs that took ascent in total to about 450m (about 1400ft) it was pretty tough for me.

Anyway, pretty tired after hour or so and got to thinking what a hilly run like this was equivalent to on the flat. Obviously hour on the flat would be easier but would definitely have run faster on flat. Fell runners reckon that running on hard fells is equivalent to running twice that distance on roads. This run wasn't 'hard fells' but certainly would have fallen into a fell running event category if the route was ever raced (and in UK of course!).

So, what do people think? Is an hour or so on hard and hilly terrain equal to 2hrs on roads/flattish terrain (about 14-15miles/22-24km) or impossible to tell? Partially wondering as not sure that I could run strongly over 2hrs even on road at moment but could plod my way round 1:30 on hilly terrain without killing myself

This weeks training (11th-17th April)

Another mediocre training week

Press-ups and sit-ups still happening

Saturday Zip all. Although had lovely day floating around in hot springs!

Sunday - 3 hr trail walk (wasn't going to include this in training report but legs hurt next morning so ......!

Monday - Turbo trainer session pushing hard on bigger gears

Tuesday - Zip all

Wednesday - 1:20 kayaking on the Avon. Really concentrating on technique (had further 10 mins coaching from club president). Tired at end

Thursday - 1:45 cycle. Felt pretty awful but tried a few smaller hills and got better as time went on

Friday - Zip all

This weeks training (4th-10th April)

Writing this a week after I did all this so hard to remember! Mediocre training week

Picked up press-ups and sit-ups again

Saturday 1:45 cycling with Glenn. Blinkin' cold first thing (5degrees!)

Sunday Rest

Monday - 1:30 mins running on hilly course. (further report on run here)

Tuesday - Cycle training on turbo trainer. 1 hr including some hard pushing on big gears to try and get used to pushing bigger gear

Wednesday - Zip all. Tired after last couple of days

Thursday - 1:30 mins mountain biking in forest followed by 8km run at decent pace

Friday - Zip all

Keep it Real

In my last training week post (here), my mate Chris asked when the 'real training' would start. When I read this comment I knew exactly what Chris meant and responded. However, over the last couple of days I mulled this question over and I am not so sure anymore. Thus, this muse constitutes some thoughts around what constitutes real training. (I have no idea what "keep it real" means by the way. Just seemed like something I wouldn't say to anyone unless they had trainers on 2 sizes too big, a baseball cap on sideways and a hoodie. Even then, I would only say it under torture.) I'd get a coffee now if you are going to attempt to read this inane post.

So, working on the principle that Chris (whom I'm not having a dig at by the way!) didn't mean that I was doing pretend training at the moment what else could real training be?

Lots of people I know (Jock for example) use running plans for their next marathon and as much as possible follow the plan (or at least Jock used to do this!). So they have their long slow days, their hill repeat days, their fartlek days etc etc. Does this constitute real training ? For some I suppose it does but for others it may not. For example, take Runner A who follows the plan to the letter never missing a session. S/he runs a PB by 5%. Take Runner B who tries to follow the plan but for one reason or another can't and misses quite a few sessions over a period of a few weeks. If Runner B also improves his/her PB by 5% who has done the real training?

Perhaps, real training constitutes specific training for the event that is to be attempted. In running terms this would mean only running and in multisport terms e.g. the coast to coast that I am trying to prepare for it would mean only doing road cycling, moving water kayaking and mountain running. For most people this would be impossible as they live geographically too far away from moving water and the mountains. So, if they chose to run on the roads have they stopped real training? Today, I went mountain biking. That is not an event in the coast to coast so if real means specific then I wasn't doing real training.

Perhaps real refers to quantity or quality. Well I have tried both these approaches when marathon training. When I do quantity I get faster and stronger but also more chance of getting ill. When I do quality I get quite a lot faster but don't get the same endurance and die at the end of the race. Thus, in my case, neither quantity or quality constitutes real training. There is a chance that a mix of quantity and quality constitutes real training but if I train 5 times a week doing a mix of the pair or 7 days a week doing purely quantity which one constitutes real training?

The trouble with considering real training in purely physical terms is that it doesn't take into account the mental side of things. Both Jock and Chris have witnessed times when I have been physically strong enough to continue at a certain pace in a marathon but mentally haven't got it. Does real training include mental training ? I am yet to see a training plan that gives any decent and consistent advice on real mental training (if you discount the constant drivel in articles that say things like says "visualise the 20mile point and see yourself bursting through it full of energy". Noone says how to do this and achieve this state of 20mile super strength, just that we should do it)

The trouble I have with thinking about real training is that I usually end up being a slave to training and not really enjoying myself. I am already thinking about how I fit in skiing into my daily training rather than adjusting my thoughts and calling this part of real training. When I was at college (19-23yrs old) I was really fit. I trained hard in kayaking/canoe slalom, climbed regularly and did some running on the fells. I never planned much of this (apart from canoe sessions when we started to get quite good) but I was fit and enjoyed training. I also ran everywhere (to lunch, between lectures etc etc) and got fit like that but that would never be considered real training in any sports magazine I've read.

OK, so here's my take on real training:

• It involves training at an effort that means that you feel pain/discomfort fairly regularly.
• It involves spending lots of time doing specific training for the event that you want to complete but doing other stuff (even lots of other stuff) is ok.
• It involves doing what fits in with your life and lifestyle so if a detailed plan works for you then great - it doesn't for me.
• It involves getting better at something - not necessarily faster (age doesn't always allow this) just more experienced.
• Doing reading and mental preparation is involved also (whether this be " I'm a winner, go go go" or "I'll survive the pain, it'll be ok").

Thus, my training has started already. However, as the months go by I should be doing a lot more training. At which point I start real training I don't know but I may have already started and then again I may never achieve it!

And finally (hate starting sentences with 'And'!), in this blog I am bound to use the term real training at some point or other to mean something different!

Coast to coast course video

Can't work out how to embed this video on sidebar so have to be here. Gives a flyover of the course as well as live vids from previous races

To hell with feeling unwell!

For a week or so I've felt like I've had a cold brewing. Tired all the time and lacking any energy. Today I got sick and tired of waiting for it to come out so decided 'to hell with it' and went out for a run in the hills. If that doesn't bring the cold out then I can forget about it and get on with training!

To those who know me they'll tell you that I don't run for enjoyment with a happy smile on my face but more because I enjoy the feeling of having completed something. Thus, only about 1 in 20 runs do I actually enjoy and only 1:50 do I feel that I am really floating along. Today's run was definitely a 1 in 20 run and would have crept into the 1 in 50 runs if I had been fitter.

Sometimes I have a really good run just before I am ill and today I was slightly concerned that this was one of them (post script, not feeling bad the day after).

Started off at Sign of the Taheke which is cafe a good way up Dyers Pass but still with 100m or more of ascent. It's really easy running actually and now understand why those I see at the top of the path where it comes out at the summit of the pass usually look ok. I then moved on past Sign of the Kiwi and kept going along Crater Rim Walkway. This is all off road and although follows a well trodden path there are enough twist and turns, hard ascents and roughish descents to make it interesting all the way. Ran to the Sign of the Bellbird which was about 45mins of fairly slow running before coming back the same way.

Legs definitely feel stronger with some of the cycling I've been doing as was climbing the steep sections OK without quads crying out.

Anway, all this inane rambling is to simply say that sometimes you have to say "to hell with it" and go out there whether feeling grot or not!

This week's training (28th March - 3rd April)

Not a great week for training!

Missed press ups and situps on quite a few days although blame this mostly on not feeling too well (Mags and Alistair got bad colds and doing their best to pass on to me)

Saturday - Rest

Sunday - Raced 12km and followed this with 13km run home (tired legs at end), Race and run report here

Monday - Half hour spinning on turbo trainer

Tuesday - zip all

Wednesday - 32km on bike (flat). Averaged 26.4kmh. Winy on way home and legs still feel very tired

Thursday - Zip all

Friday - Zip all

When I'm 51yrs old

Apparently it takes 6 yrs of training to build up the kind of strength to cycle strongly at the end of the race and to kayak that far. My running legs should be ok thankfully as after all those years of stumbling around the roads, hills and mud I can get myself into decent shape for long distance stuff (not PB shape of course) in a matter of a few months. Trouble is, all that running has done for me is to help lose 2 inches off chest and the (even if I do say myself) toned lats, pecs, deltoids, etc etc. All that living in Surrey and Leicestershire has reduced my leg strength to zilch.

I'm not giving up hope though as (according to the above theory) when I reach 51yrs I should be well prepared and strong enough for doing this type of endurance race (45 at moment). What sort of shape my body (joints etc) will be in by then is rather questionable of course!