Pushing the speed... to help me carry the distance.

Who wants to sing a song... let's see... what would sum up the last few weeks since my last update... I know!

"Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'

But I do get fed up of being soaked everytime I pull on my running shoes and head out the door... and it doesn't help me simulate the current temperature in Athens of 34c.

So I have been pushing the speed sessions hard on the treadmill at Cannons! 1 & 2hour sessions per day at 8mph pace have been working wonders. So much so that on Thursday evening as the sun shone brightly on Yorkshire for a change, I put in a fast hilly 14.4 miles in 1:44:44, the fastest I have ever managed this regular run. I pushed the pace hard on the uphill sections, and maintained the pace on the descents, and I was surprised to see my heart rate drop from 168bpm to 128bpm whilst still pushing the pace on the downhill sections.

I loose buckets of sweat on the treadmill and I have increased my intake of rehydration fluid to 750ml per hour, during these sessions aswell since I need to maintain this discipline for Spartathlon.

I really enjoyed getting back on the road and I have learned that I can train effectively on the treadmill, even though my long distance sessions are suffering due to the weather.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not averse to running in the rain, but it has become increasingly more difficult to get your kit dried in time, whilst running twice a day during August.

My trip to the Physio on Friday, has meant resting my left calf over the weekend, and picking up the mileage again from tomorrow, the pain is just residual strain and I'm getting more capable of knowing just how far to push it before any damage is done. I will not loose any condition at this late stage of training, and the taper week will do the trick.. I hope!
more later, see you soon....