Medicine

Over to Eaton Park for a fartlek run (that's what the training plan calls it - to me a fartlek is more ad-hoc, but never mind). Warm up by running out to and around the park for 16 minutes, then 6x 30s sprint + 90s recovery, and 8 minutes cool down/return to base.

It's a tougher session than it sounds (and/or I've lost more fitness than I thought)... the recoveries were definitely getting more and more important (and laboured) as the reps went on. I'm not quite sure how I'll do with 8x next week, but I know effort sessions do me good so I sort of look forward to them in a perverse way. Like cod liver oil, maybe - not pleasant at the time, but repeated regularly you really do see the benefits, so you just have to hold your nose, screw up your face to let the world know you're not bonkers enough to actually enjoy this, and get it done.

The drizzle decided to up its game as the session went on, leaving us to squelch back to the office, but to be honest it felt lovely and cool on my beetroot face so I didn't care. Training buddy Alice had enough energy to go back quicker than me - she hadn't done the sprints, but I still say she's darn good for a beginner. Keeps me on my toes, anyway. First back, first in the shower :)

What I learned today: the pool is going to re-open on Thursday at the earliest :(

Photo: Red Potion by A3sthetix, on Flickr

New blood

No, not mine! I'm still in one piece...

I've convinced my swim buddy, new colleague Alice, to do the Waveney tri as well (it didn't take much convincing to be honest :), which will be her first ever triathlon, and so today she came out for her first run since school. I was down for a fartlek session of 30 mins including six 30-second sprints, so I fitted that in by running ahead and then back to her as needed. Not that it was needed much - I think she'll be beating me before too long - but it was good to have company! And boy oh boy those sprints felt foreign... wobbly legs ahoy.

What I learned today: I can't run my watch's interval timer and stopwatch at the same time. If I'm doing intervals, it's not counting up my total run time. Boo.

Fartlek

A bit of short, sharp fun out with Lorraine and Anita at lunchtime, taking it in turns to nominate efforts. 4.8 miles in 44 minutes (including efforts and recoveries), so 9:16/mile average but including some real full-on sprints as well as walk breaks.

Warm up to Eaton Park, then:
NE corner past speedway track to first crossroads
SW corner to exit by yacht pond
alley between Buckingham Rd and Unthank Rd (short hard sprint)
along Sunningdale from Wentworth Green to bollards (sustained effort)
along Greenways from Atmere Close to Cranleigh rise (short hard sprint)
up Ebbisham Drive from Greenways to first corner and down again (Kenyan hill)
Waitrose car park entrance to far end of Eaton bridge
Newmarket Rd from Newmarket Close to Colney Lane (hill)
Colney Lane from Cringleford Chase to Newfound Drive (sustained) then to next telephone pole (sprint)
Then cool down via the woods, metal bridge and across the field to Chemistry arch.
Full route.

Really good fun - exhausting, and we've all got wobbly legs now, but definitely good fun!

Speedplay

Schedule: 4mi, inc 2 mi fartlek, 43 mins, RPI 7/10

Actual: 4.6mi, inc 0.4mi slow run/walk and 2mi fartlek, 41 mins (exc. the 0.4), RPI 7/10

A lovley, enjoyable run with Hannah, we left the main Conac pack at the end of Bluebell and went off on our own via Unthank and Christchurch. We were perhqaps a bit generous with the intervals in between the speed bursts, but we itted in about 7 of varying lengths (especially where there turned out to be a deficiency of lampposts as we were running to the 5th one on our side) I had to detour to the Farmhouse for a loo stop, but ran really well after that, including the last mile (after the efforts) at a good solid pace which felt great.