Didn't feel too bad, still getting a bit of trouble with my left knee - just along the outside - which I suspect is something to do with my IT band (can't beat a bit of self-diagnosis) so I am stretching it and being a bit careful. Doesn't bother me when I am running, or even walking, mainly it hurts when I stand up from a crouching position or - oddly - when I am lying in bed!
Still, apart from that and a bit of tightness in my calf muscles and my shoulders (?), pretty much unscathed!
Today was about the same - but today I had to do intervals.
I probably mentioned, I joined a gym pretty much just so I can use a treadmill for my intervals. The gym's not too bad - there is a picture so you can see for yourself - (I was on the treadmill just this side of that pillar to the left of the shot) - and it is only £22/month which includes full use of the 50m pool as well! It is the Aldershot Garrison Gym - not flash, but it does the job!Anyway, intervals work along the lines that you push yourself hard for a short period of time, take a short recovery interval, then push hard again, recover, etc...... and it is supposed to be super excellent for improving your fitness pretty quickly.
The type of intervals on my programme tend to be something along the lines of run intervals of distances from 400m - 1600m with rest intervals (RI - jog or - more usually - walking) of 200 - 400m.
The pace I have to run the intervals at varies - getting faster the shorter the interval. For 1600m intervals I have to run at a speed of 14.5 km/h for the 400m intervals I have to run at 15.5km/hr!
Todays was an unusual one:
10 minutes warm up
2 x 1200m with 2 minute RI
4 x 800m with 2 minute RI
10 minute cool down.
The main reason I do intervals on a treadmill is because they are hard, and I am soft. That just about sums it up, but what I mean is that you are going fast and it makes you tired - and it is really difficult (I find) to keep pushing yourself when it starts to hurt.
On a treadmill you don' t have any choice, you either keep running - or you fall off!!
It's a killer, but it seems to work. Despite thinking I wasn't going to get to the end of my 10minute warm-up without wanting to go home, I managed that and all of the intervals.
One small confession though - I did have to take the incline off for the last 2 x 800m - I had it set on 1% to compensate for the lack of wind resistance (makes it more like being outside) but I was feeling like I was going to fall off backwards, so I put it flat. A slight cheat - but better than packing it in altogether!
To be honest, if anyone had told me 2 months ago that I would be able to run 20 miles on a Sunday and then go and do an interval session 2 days later, I would have said they were delusional - but that's what's happening!
Brilliant.
1 comment:
nice one monksy,
th eold intervals are knackering, we do them up and down a hill with marines stuff, and as they keep screaming 'it pays to be first' you cant help thinking- how, ha. Keep it up champ.
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