26th May-1st June Run notes
Monday
Bank holiday run at the end of the day. It's rained today and I settle in for some light drizzle with my raincoat which makes a change! I'm off to Sissons wood for a steady state run aiming for a there and back. I pass a chap sorting out his e-scooter just before I enter the wood and what ever he was doing he sorted it out and starts to tail me all the way. This creates an odd pursuit dynamic in my head as I give him space to overtake but he never does. He seems to be going slow and I start to pay him no mind and just crack on. Eventually, I turn around and he buzzes past me without any drama so much for the great chase narrative my head had constructed.
Wednesday
It's lunchtime and I'm having hill repeats. These were supposed to be in the morning but fate had other plans and I was needed to nursery drop-off, thankfully fate dealt me back with some meeting cancellations and I'm able to get out earlier for this workout. Five sets of 3 minutes up the classic Middleton park 5% and the whole things feels great. I keep my effort high out to the park and manage 5 repeats feeling quite strong. I take the first one easy to gauge it before driving up the effort, I wobble slightly on rep 3 but manage to bring it back for 4 and 5. At the time I'm convinced this was a strong day out and I was maybe going as fast as or faster than my best session here. On review it's more like a mid-table workout I'm surprised to see earlier efforts were more consistent and faster. That doesn't detract from it feeling good though but a sign I need to dial into my focus more.
Thursday
The first morning run of the week and it's an easy hour out along the Leeds Country Way as far as Carlton. I could slightly feel yesterdays hills on the legs during the first few minutes but quick as anything my legs grow comfortable and I'm sailing over the softened fields after the first rainfall in many weeks. This cuts both ways as crossing the fields over to Carlton my shoes are weighed down by the mud sticking to them. I come across a deer on the Rothwell greenway and I'm surprised how close it's come to civilisation and the nearby road, I shoo it back into the bush and marvel at such a find this morning.
Friday
Three-runs-in-a-row! Speed work today with descending ladders and to keep me reasonably honest I just do laps of the track around my nearby park. It's roughly 2km on a slight slope, I take it in my preferred direction: anti-clockwise. After a lap and a bit of warm up I'm into the ladders, I start too strong for a workout where I need to gradually increase my effort level as the steps of the ladder reduce in duration. Going too hard on the longer duration first steps of the ladder meant that for steps 3 and 4 where my effort was supposed to be cranking up my average pace was dipping and worse I was starting to fade just before the end of each of these efforts. For the final step of 1 minute I was able to bring the effort level up again and finally take a step-up on the ladder but I would have preferred building up to that level and having enough for another rep at 1 minute rather than having a fade during my 2-minute rep.
Whilst objectively I got this drill wrong it did leave me wondering about what is the feeling I'm trying to hit in a workout like this? I'm I aiming for being able to push my pace through that uncomfortable feeling that I got particularly during the 2-minute section? I think the answer is probably that you need to feel worked but also hit the consistency to ensure you're getting the right level of exertion to drive adaptations but not overexert and risk injury. Anyway, descending ladders is incredibly fun and I can't wait to do it again and do it better.
Sunday
A sunny but windy one for a long run. I'm dialled in for a steady effort for just under 3 hours time on feet and plan for one last visit down my favourite leg of the Leeds Country Way to the Ruins of Howley Hall. Immediately, as I reach the plantation I see a fox. It's before 8am, but it's rare to see a fox about around here, he's being chased off by a magpie and I weave round the trail and leave them to it. Steady means I'm not going to pay attention to my watch so much and just really try and zero in on my perceived effort. I do check it from time to time but try not to get into my head at where my heart rate or pace is at. I've only really done this route to Howley Hall once before but most of the paths are marked and easy to follow. Since last running this route some six weeks ago all the bushier parts of the trail have grown very tall. I have to slow down at a number of spots to try and navigate waist high nettles and brambles shooting out over the path. I don't do so well against the nettles and may have to resume wearing legging to avoid some nice nettle rash.
Running up along Woodkirk Beck and see two enormous plants that look like cows parsley growing by the water. I later read these are probably examples of Giant Hogweed and I'm glad I didn't get too close. I climb the short hill up past St Mary's Church and exchange a morning with the chap opening it up for Sunday service. Not much further for Howley Hall and I meet some dog walkers with a dog (thankfully on a lead) that gets very aggressive. Annoyingly I know I'll have to pass them again so stop at the ruins to check for an alternate path back to Woodkirk. I find a path but still meet the dog although it's distracted by another dog walkers dog now so manage a less tense encounter.
The way back is harder work than the way out and I'm largely out of fluids for the last 4 kilometres so grateful to reach Thorpe Hall farm and easy my way across the fields back home. Whilst I'm happy my effort way level for this run I am surprised at where my heart rate was, it certainly didn't feel like an anaerobic effort but I'm in zone 4 for over 50% of the session with the rest split between zone 5 and zone 3. This is where I've got to trust in the RPE though (which I marked this as a 6) and just enjoy all the other stats as the data points they are on any given day.