Kjelsås course: Endurance and speed work

Maridalsvannet-view from Kjelsås

I decided to run a bit more than usual before I started my speed work. It makes sense to get a thorough warm-up before I start pushing my body hard. 1km wont do-I need a lot more than that. Tonight I ran just over 9 km before I started my speed work. I did 4 intervals. It's hard to say, but I truly felt I was more beneficial by securing a good warm up. Indeed my strength work has paid off. I'm able to keep a steady body-position throughout the entire interval. I'll keep the same approach when it comes to securing a good warm-up before pushing my body. That means at least 5km before starting quality-work. Tonight was good. Temperature was excellent. I managed to keep a steady pace at 5:30. Intervals went good also. I managed to push good. I've clear impression that my average pace is going down.

Technicals:
-Distance: 13,06 km
-Time:      1h 12m 57s
-Intervalls: 1 of 300 m, 2 of 400 m and 1 of 540m,
-Intervals, average pace: 4:34-to low, got to push more!
-Average pace: 5:35 min/km-Good!
-Elevation gained: 126 m (9,65 m/km)
-Calories: 918 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.
-Shoes: Mizuno Wave Aero 8, excellent shoes on the road.
-Weather: Clouded, 20 degrees celsius, light breeze, low humidity in the air

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/44824265

Helsfyr course: Speed-work

Three days since Kongsvinger skogsmaraton on Saturday. I've had two of them off. Back on training again today. Time for some quality-work. I need to improve on my speed and doing intervals is a mean to achieve that. I had 1h of sports-massage Yesterday. I've been doing that on regular basis once a month the last few months. I was rested today, but not fully rested. Anyway, I felt pretty good and did four good intervals of 500 metres each. I need to run more slowly in the lap between the intervals. In addition I'm increasing the length of the interval next week to 600 metres. Speed today is just over 4. I'm going down under 4 next week! The lap in between is not going to be under 6.

Technicals:
-Distance: 5,31 km
-Time:  29m 02s
-Average speed: 5:28 min/km
-Elevation gained: 45 m
-Calories:  373 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.
-Intervals: 4 of 500 metres, time: 2:10, speed: 4:19
-Shoes: Mizuno Wave Aero 8

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/43975873

Løren course-Speed work

Monday again and then it's time for some speed-work. I'm doing some intervals in the neighbourhood were I live. Up till now I've been running just over 400 metres. About time then to increase the distance. As it happens I'm now covering just over 800 metres in one interval. I did three-at the same pace as on previous sessions. My approach is to increase the length up to 1000m and the number of intervals to 6. After that the only thing that's increasing is the speed.  The session went fine. I'm a bit stiff in my feet, but I'll have that taken care of by some stretching in the days to come. Most important is to run at a steady, fast pace. A pace I'm able to sustain the entire interval. I managed that today. Pace is just over 4:20. I'd like it to be sub 4, but I'll have to work on that.

Technicals:
-Distance: 5,66 km
-Time:  33m 22s
-Average speed: 5:54 min/km
-Elevation gained: 13 m
-Calories:  396 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.


-Intervals: 3 of 820 metres, time: 3:37, speed: 4:26

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42871573

Resuming speed training

I was a bit uncertain concerning my knee's after Yesterdays workout. I have been thinking a great deal about what the real cause for the pain in my knee's could be. Possible causes are to much strain, insufficient technique, wrong shoes, low strength in feet. I think nr 2 is connected to nr 3. Today I used a pair of competition shoes(weight: 193 kg), Mizuno Wave Ronin. I didn't feel any pain or discomfort in my knees at all. I could clearly sense that I tended to use my forefoot to a greater extent and a more evenly distributed pressure when landing on the foot. In the time to come I'll use these shoes only and check out if that's the reason for my knee-problems.
Well then, about todays workout. I did four, short intervalls. The speed was there like before. In order to develop I need to increase the length of my intervalls. I'm running 435 m(0,270 miles) now. Next week I'll increase the length to 600 m(0,37 miles).

Technicals:
-Distance: 5,36 km(3,33 miles)
-Time: 32m 38s
-Average speed: 6,09 min/km(9,8 min/mile)
-Elevation gained: 22,9 m(75 ft)
-Calories:  372 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41044699

Running, tonights workout

Back in training again after two days of recovery. Pretty eager to find out if I've had enough recovery after Saturdays ultrarun. The session tonight was consentrating on speed-work. I've recovered a great deal, but I'm not fully recovered. I will consider more closely if I'm scheduling another recovery day tomorrow. Maybe I'm just having a very light strength-workout. I'm concluding on this matter tomorrow. I was glad to register that I've regained some of my previous form. It'll come in handy the Sunday to come in Copenhagen. Anyhow, I didn't have any trouble whatsoever to perform the intervalls at targeted speed and the body-allthough still a bit worn-responded well when put under pressure.
Some technicals:
-Length of intervalls: 400 m
-Number of intervalls: 4
-Split times:
.1 1m 46s
.2 1m 42s
.3 1m 44s
.4 1m 43s
Average time: 1m 44s
Average speed: 4m 20s pr km
Shoes: Mizuno Wave Ronin
I worked my way from zone 2 and finished just above treshold heart rate at all intervalls.
I have one more of this workout left in my building period(next week). I'm pretty sure that I've benefitted from these workouts in the building period after Easter-I've had a total of five of them.. My results so far goes to show for that.

Running, todays workout

Running at treshold-pace tonight. My body is not stiff after the race last Saturday, but a I feel a bit worn out. The schedule for the rest of the week consists of cross-training and two long-runs.
Anyhow, some technicals:
-Treshold pace right now is: 4m 42s
-Average heart rate: 170 (right on target!)
-Body-weight(this morning): 75 kg
-Shoes: Mizuno Wave Ronin

A treshold-workout is difficult. It's easy to get trapped and start at a higher speed than the sustainable speed. It's important to set the speed I'm able to keep throughout the workout. To be even through the entire workout is important. In races a negative split is wanted. Tonight I started out a bit to high-about 3,75. I need to adjust that the next time. I finished at 5. The spread is 33 %. That is to much. Next time I'm starting at 5 and working my way down to 4,5. Better to be conservative at the beginning and start pushing a bit later. The shoes are fantastic! Steady, light, good cushion and a joy to run with.They do require good technique though, to gain the benefits.

Running-tonights workout

Time for some intervall training again. I'm still on short intervalls. That is 500 m. I did four with some light running in between. My aim is to work my way up to treshold and stay there untill the lap is over. My split time is ranging from 1m 43 s to 1m 48s. In speed that is about 3m 30s/km. The laps in between I'm running the same distance back again but at a much lower pace using about 4m 40s on a bit longer distance. I'm still a bit worn out after the race last Saturday. It's possible that I must take a day off during this week. I'll se about that later on.

Running, speed work, workout of today

After a couple of days since my last training session I'm back on track again. Monday was recovery day and I didn't manage to fit in a workout on Thuesday due to travelling in connection with my studies. It was a morning session. I was anxious to see if I could feel any pain in my right leg again. Well I didn't. That's good news. I guess two days of backing off from running paid off well. Anyhow I need to monitor both legs in the time to come. I will take measures to prevent an injury like that to develop later on. I intend to use ice on the area after my running workouts and carry out some extra stretching as well in the time to come. I ran four, short intervalls.  Length was approximately 500 m. Average speed was 3,5 min/km and I used about 1m 45s-1m 50s to run the stretch. I'm scheduling this workout throughout May, but not in June. Next week I'm increasing the length to 750m.

Running-todays workout

Back on running again. I didn't feel any pain in my left knee during this workout. I did some tough, short intervalls to improve on my speed.
I managed to keep a steady pace throughout all the intervalls. Maximum heart rate was just above treshold heart rate. That's good as it means I've been pushing hard enough.
This was a morning session. It's been a while since last time. In future I'm scheduling both running and swimming as morning sessions. It's pretty chilly outside in the morning and I'm not as fit as in the afternoon, but it's good to start the day with a challenging workout. Being a bit tired, facing a lousy weather or any other obscure reason for not carrying out a morning workout simply is not on. None of these are nothing ells than my attachments to concrete facts. None of these has nothing to do with my running. The weather or my feelings are just what they are. It can't be anything more than that.
It running is on my training programme that morning, then that's what's going to be.