6.6 miles tempo

The club's Thursday training session was a tempo run out through the top gate, along Temple Road and back along the canal as far as Great Western Road. The tempo section was to begin at the canal and end on Bearsden Road at Fulton Street. I didn't push as hard as in previous weeks after Tuesday's timed run and with the national relays on Sunday. After reaching Fulton Street we jogged back to Garscube Estate. Had left hip problems later on.

5.46 miles in 35:37, average pace 6:31/mile, HR 153
Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:42 (129), 6:46 (143), 6:04 (164), 6:04 (167), 6:06 (165), 6:21 (165)
HR zones: 2.2%, 27.1%, 16.2%, 54.0%, 0.4%

1.10 miles in 9:09, average pace 8:19/mile, HR 135
Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:10 (136), 9:43 (126)
HR zones: 9.7%, 42.4%, 47.9%, 0%, 0%

5 miles steady

Ran a loop of Garrioch Road, Winton Drive, Great Western Road and Garrioch Road again at a steady pace. 5.04 miles in 36:04, average pace 7:09/mile, HR 144.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:28 (134), 6:54 (143), 7:21 (146), 7:08 (147), 6:54 (149)
HR zones: 1.6%, 16.7%, 81.7%, 0%, 0%

5K hard

My left hip was giving me some problems during the day but seemed OK again by the evening. I misunderstood the club's planned session and discovered on the night that the timed run was actually a straight 5K rather than an out-and-back. Coming off a 60-mile week and with a dubious hip (not to mention a race coming up at the weekend) I could have done without it but thought I would give it a go, perhaps not at maximum effort. After a 0.61-mile warm-up we assembled behind the pavilion. The route took us down to the Kelvin, out through the top gate, along Temple Road and Dalsholm Road and back in through the main gate and clockwise around the warm-up trail. Alistair stayed right on my shoulder all the way around before pulling away on the warm-up trail while I coasted in, picking it up slightly near the end to finish inside 18 minutes. Afterwards we ran a 0.58-mile warm-down. My time for the 5K was 17:56 for a 5:46/mile average, HR 174.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 5:48 (165), 5:41 (182), 5:51 (176), 5:46 (173)
HR zones: 2.0%, 0.7%, 0.6%, 78.7%, 18.0%

2.5 miles slow, 5.3 miles steady

Went out before breakfast for the Queen Margaret Drive loop, 2.49 miles in 19:49 for a 17:58/mile average, HR 121.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:14 (120), 7:47 (122), 7:50 (125)
HR zones: 29.3%, 70.7%, 0%, 0%, 0%

In the evening I ran my usual route from Bearsden Asda, feeling fit enough to consciously hold back. For once I found myself picking it up on the long slow climb up Craigton Road. 5.34 miles in 38:20, average pace 7:11/mile, HR 140.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:45 (127), 7:17 (140), 7:04 (146), 6:54 (141), 6:58 (143), 6:57 (151)
HR zones: 3.2%, 31.0%, 65.8%, 0%, 0%

6.4 miles slow, 12 miles steady

In the morning I went out with Natasha for a run along Great Western Road, down Crow Road to Dumbarton Road, along the river behind the Art Gallery and home through Kelvingrove Park. 6.39 miles in 52:47, average pace 8:16/mile, HR 124.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:23 (119), 8:23 (122), 8:08 (124), 8:01 (127), 7:52 (128), 8:39 (125), 8:32 (127)
HR zones: 15.3%, 84.7%, 0%, 0%, 0%

Later in the afternoon I headed along Great Western Road once again, this time as far as Drumry Roundabout, and ran back home via Drumry Road East, Canniesburn Road and Maryhill Road, finishing via Grovepark Street to try to make the distance up to 12 miles. Felt short of energy, probably due to having run 6 miles just a few hours earlier. The hills were hard work but between 7 and 8 miles I was starting to pick it up slightly. 12 miles exactly in 1:25:56, average pace 7:10/mile, HR 144.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:38 (131), 7:10 (136), 7:03 (144), 6:58 (151), 6:58 (151), 7:32 (146), 7:23 (142), 7:15 (147), 7:04 (144), 7:08 (148), 6:58 (146), 6:51 (146)
HR zones: 1.2%, 18.4%, 80.4%, 0%, 0%
Weekly total: 60 miles

4.6 miles slow, 5.1 miles easy

Went out in the morning for a few easy miles via Shakespeare Street, Winton Drive and Shakespeare Street again. 4.64 miles in 36:46, average pace 7:55/mile, HR 133.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:20 (122), 7:52 (129), 7:57 (138), 7:41 (143), 7:42 (136)
HR zones: 6.7%, 66.6%, 26.7%, 0%, 0%

In the afternoon I ran down Great Western Road and Hyndland Road for four hill reps on Gardner Street before heading home via University Avenue and Bank Street. 5.13 miles in 39:17, average pace 7:40/mile, HR 143. Max HR on the hill reps was 175.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:30 (131), 7:05 (141), 8:10 (147), 7:52 (152), 7:34 (144), 8:38 (146)
HR zones: 1.8%, 28.9%, 60.0%, 9.2%, 0%

2.5 miles slow

Ran a recovery loop of Queen Margaret Drive before breakfast. 2.47 miles in 19:32, average pace 7:55/mile, HR 131.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:15 (126), 7:39 (133), 7:46 (137)
HR zones: 5.1%, 92.0%, 2.9%, 0%, 0%

8.5 miles tempo

The club training session was a 4-mile tempo with a 3-mile warm-up on the same route through Drumchapel, Knightswood and Jordanhill that we ran on January 20th. The pace gradually increased through the third mile, which was mainly my fault as I was running at the front of the pack for the most part, although the warm-up was on the long side anyway. The fast pack gradually split up along Alderman Road until it was just Joe, Euan G and me, and I managed to stay on the pace all the way to the finish at the top bus stop on Crow Road, exactly at 7 miles. We lost a few seconds in the final mile on account of traffic on Southbrae Drive. Had some trouble with the HR monitor strap so the readings may not be accurate.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:27 (137), 7:04 (165), 6:42 (165), 6:02 (181), 5:53 (183), 5:51 (178), 5:54 (180)
HR zones: 1.0%, 7.5%, 15.2%, 49.9%, 26.4%

After stopping for a couple of minutes to regroup, we ran back to the pavilion in Garscube Estate. 1.46 miles in 11:36, average pace 7:58/mile, HR 153.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:05 (154), 7:41 (150)
HR zones: 0%, 8.8%, 62.4%, 28.9%, 0%

2.5 miles easy, 7 miles slow

Went out before breakfast for the Queen Margaret Drive loop. The Garmin was dead (although I fixed it later with a soft reset) so I made do with the repaired Nike Triax. 2.47 miles in 18:44, average pace 7:35/mile.

In the evening I ran up Maryhill Road towards Bearsden Asda to meet up with Natasha on her way back down the road. Got as far as Macfarlane Road. 6.98 miles in 56:51, average pace 8:09/mile, HR 136.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:25 (137), 6:55 (153), 6:56 (152), 8:06 (141), 9:24 (128), 9:13 (125), 9:04 (125)
HR zones: 2.1%, 59.2%, 36.5%, 2.2%, 0%

16x300m

The club's Tuesday session was at Scotstoun. After 400m warm-up we were divided into groups to run two sets of 8x300m with a 100m walk/jog between reps and a full lap between sets. There wasn't a fast pack so I was on my own and set off when the group in front reached the end of the back straight. I ran the first couple faster than I had expected or intended but tried to keep it up and stayed fairly consistent throughout the session, helped by a fairly long recovery between reps. I was wearing spikes and began to feel the strain on my calves early in the second set. Jogged a couple of laps afterwards to warm down. Didn't use the Garmin, so no HR readings. 50s, 49s, 50s, 49s, 50s, 50s, 50s, 50s, 51s, 52s, 51s, 51s, 51s, 51s, 51s, 50s

2.5 miles slow, 5.3 miles steady

Went out before breakfast for a recovery loop of Queen Margaret Drive. 2.47 miles in 19:31, average pace 7:55/mile, HR 128.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:12 (125), 7:42 (131), 7:47 (130)
HR zones: 4.6%, 94.7%, 0.7%, 0%, 0%

In the evening I ran my usual route from Bearsden Asda. 5.33 miles in 37:41, average pace 7:04/mile, HR 163. Took it fairly easy so HR readings look highly dubious.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:35 (154), 7:15 (165), 7:05 (166), 6:46 (170), 6:45 (162), 6:49 (165)
HR zones: 1.1%, 1.5%, 38.6%, 46.7%, 12.0%

14 miles steady

In the afternoon I ran through Kelvingrove Park and Yorkhill, along the cycle path to Clydebank and back home via the canal as far as the fire station. Took it fairly easy at the start and settled into a comfortable pace before picking it up in Clydebank in order to reach the canal inside 50 minutes. I managed to maintain a faster pace on the way back and finished the 14.01 miles in 1:36:45 for a 6:54/mile average, HR 150. I think my Newton Distance S are just about finished.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:25 (129), 7:10 (145), 6:57 (146), 7:01 (148), 6:58 (151), 6:58 (150), 6:47 (151), 6:52 (159), 6:59 (150), 6:53 (153), 6:44 (153), 6:49 (155), 6:38 (155), 6:31 (155)
HR zones: 0.7%, 9.6%, 85.8%, 3.9%, 0%
Weekly total: 47 miles

Dunky Wright 5K, 1.9 miles slow, 3.5 miles easy

As I was getting my racing things together in the morning I discovered the battery in my Nike Triax sports watch had died. It took a couple of days to have it replaced last time so I popped out to buy a battery so I could try changing it myself. After half an hour, with the watch still in bits, I gave up and took the Garmin with me instead, although I didn't bother with the chest strap. Wore the Asics Piranha for the race and made sure I tied them tightly. I felt vaguely nauseous before registering but improved as I jogged over to the Business Park where there was a small Garscube contingent. I lined up near the front and was about 30 places back after 500m, when I noticed from the Garmin that we were running faster than 5:00/mile. I eased off very slightly but held my position. On the second lap of the Business Park I was just about hanging onto the chasing pack, and there was enough of a gap behind me for a car to turn out of a side road. There was a headwind as we headed westwards out of the Business Park and I could tell my pace was suffering slightly, but I began to pick up the odd place here and there, going past Claire Gibson at about 3K and gradually making up ground on Paul Thompson. I overtook Paul inside the last half mile or so as we headed along the canal to the finish, but only managed to hold him off for a few hundred metres. On account of the fast start I couldn't muster any kind of sprint finish and was also overtaken by Claire Gibson, although as she ran in the Commonwealth Games I wasn't unduly concerned. I finished 22nd overall (first Garscube finisher) and 3rd M40 although there wasn't a prize for this. Time was 16:43 which was 3 seconds up on the Bella 5K last August and my fastest 5K as an M40. The GPS trace came out at 3.08 miles but I managed to make it up to 3.11 later on by restoring the corners and curves where the Garmin had cut them. Afterwards I jogged along the canal for a warm-down with Lindsay. The Asics Piranha were just about OK for the distance but if the race had been any longer I would probably have sustained some blisters.

3.11 miles in 16:43, average pace 5:23/mile
Pace splits: 5:16, 5:32, 5:22, 5:16

1.94 miles in 17:13, average pace 8:52/mile
Pace splits: 8:48, 8:58

After getting home I went out for a longer recovery loop of Garrioch Road and Napiershall Street. Later on in the evening I managed to get the Nike watch working again.

3.54 miles in 27:15, average pace 7:41/mile, HR 148
Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:58 (139), 7:36 (149), 7:35 (152), 7:32 (155)
HR zones: 1.4%, 10.9%, 85.6%, 2.1%, 0%

7.4 miles tempo

Went along to the club's tempo session with the intention of taking it relatively easy. The session consisted of 2x2m around Anniesland Road and Southbrae Drive. I was sure I had charged my Garmin the previous night but it kept shutting itself down, so I left it in the car and ran the session untimed. However, approaching the first mile marker on the first rep, I had an inkling that I was pushing 6:00/mile, so I eased off immediately, and this was repeated on the second lap although the rest of the fast pack picked it up even more along Southbrae. It would have been nice to have HR readings and splits for what was only a moderate effort but felt quite fast nonetheless. Total distance including warm-up and warm-down was 7.38 miles.

5.1 miles slow

Went out in the evening with Natasha, meeting Meggan at Kelvinbridge and running our usual loop of Hyndland Road, Sauchiehall Street and Woodlands Road. 5.07 miles in 46:19, average pace 9:08/mile, HR 124.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:56 (127), 9:03 (129), 9:08 (123), 9:15 (122), 9:13 (120)
HR zones: 20.7%, 77.6%, 1.7%, 0%, 0%

6.6 miles fartlek

Led a depleted fast pack in a fartlek round half of the old club 5-mile championship route and up past the ski club. There were 8 fast bursts of which 3 were uphill, 2 were downhill and 3 were on the flat. Felt quite fast in places in the adiZero Tempo once I had warmed up. Distance was 6.57 miles, max HR for the session was 186.

HR zones: 2.5%, 42.3%, 37.5%, 16.3%, 1.5%

5.3 miles steady

Ran my usual Monday route from Bearsden Asda, easing off slightly during the first mile to stay around 7:00/mile. 5.34 miles in 37:06, average pace 6:57/mile, HR 151.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:02 (147), 7:04 (149), 7:04 (151), 6:43 (155), 6:51 (150), 6:58 (152)
HR zones: 0.2%, 3.6%, 91.1%, 5.2%, 0%

6.9 miles moderate

Ran my 7-mile route via Garscube Estate in the afternoon. Gave the Newton Distance S another chance and I didn't have any blister problems afterwards. Felt slow all the way round although my splits from the third mile onwards weren't too bad. 6.92 miles in 45:43, average pace 6:36/mile, HR 152.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:24 (133), 7:00 (140), 6:33 (151), 6:32 (157), 6:18 (162), 6:17 (162), 6:07 (166)
HR zones: 1.2%, 20.4%, 38.6%, 39.8%, 0%
Weekly total: 36 miles

3.6 miles slow, 7.3 miles steady

Went out before lunch with Natasha for a run via Garrioch Road and Napiershall Street. 3.57 miles in 29:57, average pace 8:24/mile, HR 136. HR seemed on the high side in mile 3.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:48 (127), 8:14 (134), 8:11 (145), 8:19 (141)
HR zones: 4.3%, 66.0%, 27.1%, 2.6%, 0%

In the afternoon I ran decreasing loops of Shakespeare Street, Queen Margaret Drive and North Woodside Road with St George's Cross as the opposite point of the loop, starting via Maryhill Road. Picked it up in the last couple of miles to get my average pace below 7:00/mile. 7.25 miles in 50:39, average pace 6:59/mile, HR 151.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:39 (133), 7:03 (142), 6:55 (149), 7:04 (155), 6:48 (158), 6:52 (158), 6:45 (162), 6:12 (167)
HR zones: 1.6%, 9.0%, 65.5%, 23.9%, 0%

2.5 miles moderate

Went out in the evening for a quick loop of Queen Margaret Drive and North Woodside Road. 2.48 miles in 16:18, average pace 6:34/mile, HR 147.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 6:55 (134), 6:22 (154), 6:14 (162)
HR zones: 3.2%, 20.1%, 58.3%, 18.4%, 0%

6.4 miles tempo

I felt fit enough to brave the weather and turn up for the club's 6-mile tempo session. The rain and snow went off as I was driving up the road, but I wore my rain jacket for the run as I was sure it would come back on, as it did after a few minutes. For the warm-up we headed out through the top gate, down to Anniesland Cross, along Great Western Road, down Fifth Avenue and onto Crow Road. The tempo section started after Southbrae Drive and we gradually picked up speed along Victoria Park Drive North. I fell off the pace slightly after Scotstoun and thought about easing off completely on account of some left leg tightness, but overall it wasn't going too badly and there wasn't far to go. The tempo section finished at Knightswood Road, where I restarted the Garmin, and a faster-than-usual warm-down took us along Fulton Street and back in through the top gate.

4.23 miles in 27:46, average pace 6:34/mile, HR 154
Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:22 (135), 7:00 (145), 6:09 (162), 5:53 (174), 6:02 (179)
HR zones: 2.0%, 17.2%, 43.9%, 36.9%, 0%

2.14 miles in 15:25 (7:12/158), average pace 7:12/mile, HR 158
Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:00 (162), 7:17 (157), 8:02 (144)
HR zones: 0%, 5.0%, 37.8%, 57.2%, 0%

5.1 miles slow

Felt qutie fatigued overall but thought I could manage a slow run in the evening with Natasha. We met Meggan at Kelvinbridge and ran our loop of Woodlands Road and Hyndland Road in reverse. 5.1 miles in 46:56, average pace 9:21/mile, HR 120. The weather was terrible, particularly as we headed along Dumbarton Road into the wind and rain. No real problems with the blister.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 9:51 (115), 9:09 (120), 9:20 (123), 8:35 (126), 9:05 (118), 9:13 (125)
HR zones: 29.7%, 70.3%, 0%, 0%, 0%

3.9 miles slow

I was able to walk without pain from the blister by lunchtime on Tuesday and thought I'd have a go at the club training session which was advertised as medium reps. After a very slow warm-up of 0.46 miles we were divided into packs at the Acre Road roundabout to run 10 loops through the Todd Campus with a 1:30 recovery. I set off with Marco but discovered I couldn't turn corners without aggravating the blister, and at one point I almost lost my footing due to right calf tightness (caused by limping for a couple of days), so I bailed out after the first rep and left Marco to it. I went back to the warm-up trail to run a few slow laps which came out at 3.4 miles.

4.3 miles slow, 17.6 miles easy

Ran a loop on the North side with Natasha before lunch, up Possil Road and Keppochhill Road before turning onto Carlisle Street and heading back via Hawthorn Street and Bilsland Drive. 4.33 miles in 36:21, average pace 8:24/mile, HR 124.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:40 (123), 8:24 (124), 8:23 (123), 8:13 (123), 8:10 (129)
HR zones: 18.2%, 80.8%, 1.1%, 0%, 0%

In the afternoon I ran up the canal to the centre of Kirkintilloch for a loop of the towpath and Luggiebank Road before heading back. Wore earphones to listen to a few podcasts which was OK, but I felt pretty slow, possibly because I'd already been out for a few miles in the morning, or because the blister was starting to play up, but I can't rule out the distraction of the earphones either. Wearing the Newton Distance S probably didn't help. Blister was much worse later on and I may have to miss a couple of days. Distance was 17.63 miles, time 2:08:53, average pace 7:19/mile, HR 142.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:41 (132), 7:20 (138), 7:16 (139), 7:16 (139), 7:13 (141), 7:17 (142), 7:10 (144), 7:08 (143), 7:24 (143), 7:16 (144), 7:21 (142), 7:32 (140), 7:16 (144), 7:14 (145), 7:20 (143), 7:22 (143), 7:23 (146), 6:53 (148)
HR zones: 0.5%, 21.7%, 77.8%, 0%, 0%
Weekly total: 55 miles

5.5 miles slow, 6 miles slow

Went out in the morning with Natasha for a longer run around the West End - up Maryhill Road and onto the canal, down Dorchester Avenue and home via North Woodside Road. 5.48 miles in 44:43, average pace 8:10/mile, HR 132.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:33 (124), 8:10 (130), 7:56 (132), 8:11 (137), 7:50 (136), 8:25 (134)
HR zones: 3.6%, 89.3%, 7.1%, 0%, 0%

In the afternoon I headed back down to Gardner Street via Shakespeare Street and Hyndland Road for 3 hill reps this time, and back home along Dumbarton Road to Charing Cross. 6.03 miles in 49:36, average pace 8:13/mile, HR 141. Max HR was 176.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:26 (128), 8:00 (132), 8:10 (134), 8:45 (152), 7:53 (149), 8:05 (148)
HR zones: 1.6%, 50.9%, 41.9%, 5.5%, 0%

6.3 miles tempo

The club training session was approximately 6 miles with a 5K tempo section, so I tried out my Asics Piranha for the first time. After heading down Maryhill Road at a leisurely pace we started the tempo section at the top of Queen Margaret Drive. By the time we got to Botanic Gardens I realised I was getting a blister on my left foot, and although I was handling the pace fine, further along Great Western Road I decided to drop off and jog back to Garscube Estate, remembering how I'd been out for several days in November after sustaining a blister in the Onitsuka Tiger Tai Chi on exactly the same route. As the rest of the fast pack disappeared along the road I thought I'd stop and tie my laces tighter in the forefoot to see if that helped at all. It seemed to keep my foot in place better, so I picked it up again and set off in pursuit down Hyndland Road and Clarence Drive. The blister wasn't getting any worse although after a couple more miles I could feel one starting to form on my right foot, where I hadn't tightened the laces. The tempo section finished just before Anniesland Cross where I restarted my Garmin, and we jogged back to Garscube Estate, finishing at the bottom of the hill. Later on the blister on my right foot required some attention but the left foot was more or less OK. I might be able to dig the Onitsukas out again if tying them tighter solves the problem. The chest strap might also require tightening again as my HR started off much too high and supposedly peaked at an unlikely 217, although it looks correct from the second mile onwards.

5.23 miles in 34:46, average pace 6:39/mile, HR 171
Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:12 (172), 7:43 (156), 6:06 (170), 5:40 (180), 5:46 (182), 5:45 (182)
HR zones: 0%, 1.1%, 23.3%, 41.5%, 34.1%

1.10 miles in 9:24, average pace 8:34/mile, HR 147
Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:33 (148), 8:39 (138)
HR zones: 0%, 23.4%, 74.5%, 2.1%, 0%

5.1 miles slow

Went out in the evening with Natasha, meeting Meggan at Kelvinbridge and running a loop of Hyndland Road, Dumbarton Road, Charing Cross and Woodlands Road. 5.06 miles in 46:02, average pace 9:06/mile, HR 127.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 9:10 (117), 8:56 (126), 8:54 (130), 9:03 (130), 9:22 (132)
HR zones: 15.0%, 73.0%, 11.9%, 0%, 0%

Hill reps

The club training session was hill reps, although they turned out to be on the road beside the Vet School. After a 0.9-mile warm-up we ran approximately 4x88m, 3x110m, 2x132m, 1x154m, 2x132m, 3x110m and 4x88m, with a jog recovery to the bottom of the hill after each rep. I left the Garmin running for the whole thing. It was when we got to the 132m reps that I finally managed to pick up some speed and run the reps like proper sprints. Afterwards we waited for the other packs to finish and ran a 1.1-mile warm-down. Noticed later that I seemed to have reached an unlikely max HR of 204.

2.43 miles in 21:01, average pace 8:40/mile, HR 152
HR zones: 1.0%, 20.9%, 51.8%, 24.2%, 2.2%
Total distance: 4.43 miles