23.9.13-29.9.13: Long Road Hills...

Date\Day	km	Time	min/km
29/09/2013su	16.86	01:06:00	03:54
29/09/2013su	12.9	00:56:00	04:20
28/09/2013sa	18	01:08:50	03:49
27/09/2013fr	20	01:30:00	04:30
26/09/2013th	15	01:00:00	03:59
25/09/2013we	6.08	00:24:00	03:56
25/09/2013we	0.56	00:01:57	03:28
25/09/2013we	2.24	00:07:48	03:28
25/09/2013we	3.98	00:17:00	04:16
24/09/2013tu	8.74	00:34:00	03:53
23/09/2013mo	15.22	01:05:00	04:16
total=	120	av pace=	03:59

Mon - in Lund. run up to Skt Hans, including an extra loop through Gunnesbo under the railway line and back via CIP
Tue - standard route through Klostergården and up past the F&F Arena. Very tired legs after racing at the weekend (tiredness never comes immediately - can still do a lot the day after, but not 2 days after!)
Wed - new workout:: cycled out to Sodra Sandby, 4km warmup, then 5x560m up the hill Almbacksvägen (1.50-1.53 up, recovery jog down appx. 2min). After 2x3km along the Hardebergaspåret from SS, then cycle back to Lund. A good hard workout!  This is the only substantial hill around which is cleared of snow and streetlit in the winter, so this should hopefully become a regular thing.
Thurs - urgh, pain in my left ankle! perhaps pushed a bit too hard the day before. Did a 5km warmup to Lunds CIP; decided it would be unwise to do intervals with the ankle hurting, so ran 5km of easy laps and drills, followed by a 5km run back home. Ankle got steadily better throughout the session. Frustrating!
Fri - 20km along the Hardebergaspåret. Decided to take it easy at the start and see how the ankle felt, and turn back if it was too bad. Thankfully, there wasn't too much pain - just very very heavy legs!
Sat - in Århus. Run to Hasle Bakker (6.5km) fairly quickly. I was still late for parkrun by around 3min, so it was 'pursuit-mode'; with 20km on the clock the day before plus a quick 6.5-7km there it wasn't a fast pursuit though! Ran 17.55 for the 5km (and caught Katrine, despite the head start :-p). Afterwards, ran back 7km home via Skejby Føtex.
Sun - tired tired legs! Decided to split the Sunday run into AM\PM sessions. AM: 17km loop of Egå Engsø, along Lystrupvej, Nordre Strandalle and then a loop of Riis skov, finishing uphill onto Grenåvej.  PM: 13km - one lap of the Engsø, then back towards Lisbjerg-Terp, up past the golf course and back through Molleup skov = 30km total.

Summary - still having problems with my ankles. It seems there's a limit to level of intensity in training, that if I work too hard - particularly up hills - then I get a lot of pain the following days. Unfortunately, it seems that hills and strengthening are the only way to get it better in the long term, so it's just a case of gauging when enough is enough.
Next week - try some more hilly runs, but at a bit lower intensity - poss up at Skt Hans or Skrylle this week. Fri-Sun is the Århus 1900 M/L weekend in Nymindegab on the west coast of Jylland, which should be good training.

Post Århus Half Recovery and Friløbet

9/9/13-15/9/13

date\day	km	time	min/km
15/09/2013su	16.41	01:15:00	04:34
15/09/2013su	2.18	00:06:00	02:44
14/09/2013sa	12.49	00:52:00	04:09
13/09/2013fr	8.74	00:35:00	04:00
12/09/2013th	4.51	00:17:00	03:46
12/09/2013th	9.51	00:35:54	03:46
11/09/2013we	8.04	00:32:40	04:03
11/09/2013we	8.74	00:34:00	03:53
10/09/2013tu	8.74	00:37:00	04:14
09/09/2013mo	8.74	00:34:00	03:53
09/09/2013mo	1	00:04:00	04:00
total=	89.1	av pace=	03:54

Mon - PM: run down through Klostergården and back up past the F&F arena at an decent pace.
Tue - PM: same as Monday. Quite tired legs still.
Weds - AM: same route as Mon\Tue. PM: run along the Harderbergaspåret to the outer bridge on the edge of Lund and back again. Quite tired still.
Thurs - 5x1km reps @ 3.20/km on the track, with 4.5km warmup/down to Lund CIP. Ankle not too bad, feeling a bit less tired.
Fri - same as Mon\Tue
Sat - run up to Skt Hans and back via CIP\Stadsparken. Felt fairly fresh.
Sun - cycle to Sodra Sandby, then run to Krankesjön, up the hill to Torna Hällestad and back down to SS along the ridge. Had hoped to do the Krankesjömilen, but it was raining heavily and bike was the only way to get there, so waited for the rain to stop and did a long run instead. Very heavy legs and quite slow, but good workout.
Summary - fewer km, mainly shorter runs localised in Lund after the half marathon. Tried to up the pace of the shorter 8km runs and work a bit harder, especially uphill, to build a bit more endurance (working towards doing them as tempo runs). Not so many intervals this week; legs felt very tired on Thurs. Ankles really didn't feel so great all week - I've decided to do a program building in more hill training to try and strengthen my lower leg muscles to try and help the problem. I've also decided to stick to around 16km (10miles) per day and to try and increase the average pace of runs I do.

16/9/13-22/9/13

date\day	km	time	min/km
22/09/2013su	19.94	01:18:00	03:54
22/09/2013su	10	00:34:18	03:25
20/09/2013fr	16.64	01:11:00	04:16
19/09/2013th	1.92	00:08:00	04:09
19/09/2013th	6	00:20:39	03:26
19/09/2013th	7.38	00:30:00	04:04
18/09/2013we	7.18	00:26:00	03:37
18/09/2013we	2.21	00:00:00	00:00
18/09/2013we	8.74	00:36:00	04:07
17/09/2013tu	15.52	01:00:00	03:51
16/09/2013mo	10.27	00:42:00	04:05
16/09/2013mo	8.7	00:34:00	03:54
total=	114.5	av pace=	03:53

Mon - AM: as prev week, run through Klostergården. PM: standard Mon 10km route, out along the ponds past the sewage works and back on the road via CIP. Ankles feeling very stiff and tight.
Tue - AM: new route, out to Hardeberga via Linero. There are very few good hills in the local area - 4 in fact: Almbacksvägen in Sodra Sandby (lit, road), Skrylle (part-lit, trail), Skt Hans (unlit, grass) and this one (unlit, farm track) - yet I've never gone up here until now. Hill is a long, gentle climb, followed by a brief downhill, then a hard climb gaining appx. 80m over 1.5km, not too steep but a good workout for the ankle supporting muscles.
Wed - AM: first trip to Skt Hans. Warmup run there 3.5km, then 5xlong hill (300m) 50s jog down recovery, 5xsteep hill continuous running. Definitely worked the leg muscles. Had the company of a cat at the top of the hill, which demanded attention on every rep! (so 5xlong hill, p10s stroke cat, jog down!). PM: standard 8.7km run as per Mon AM.
Thurs - training with Bjornstorps IF at CIP in Lund. 2km + 3x400m warmup, then 10x400m at 75s pace (30s recovery), 3x400m warmdown, then 7.3km run back via Varpinge and past the sewage works. Good hard track session, ankles not too bad!
Fri -  longer run following the route to Hardeberga as per Tues, but continuing through the village and back down along the road where it joins with the Hardebergaspåret bike path, then back along there into Lund. Progressive run - was up to around 3.25/km along the bike path after 12-13km (this was greatly helped by someone I'd overtaken earlier trying for several km to retake me - never going to happen as a matter of principle! :-p)
Sat - rest day.

Photo-Friøbet/Belingske/sportpicture.dk

Sun - up very early (6am) for a trip over to Copenhagen for the 9am Friløbet 10km from Østerbro stadium, which my plan was to then combine with a long run. I'd say my expectations for this race were fairly limited due to the early start and hard training  in the days before - I've just fancied a nice fast 10k for a couple of weeks. Not a great start when my stomach felt very bad jogging there and I had to dash round F-parken and find a toilet ('Vinterlukket' is a terrible thing- do Danish people hold it in all winter?!), but once one was found that seemed to help. Race number distribution was a bit chaotic: far too few people for the task and you needed to know your number (which a lot of people didn't); should ALWAYS be done by name! By the time I'd got it, only had a short time for warmup but fortunately, the race start was delayed 5-10min. Race was fairly ok, except for the bit through Tivoli - lots of tight turns and small hills = ankle pain. I thus dropped around 20-30s through there got overtaken by 3/4 others. Ran the first half in 17.15 and the second in 17.03 for a 34.18 -fastest time since injury and a negative split!Afterwards, I took a tourist-tour of Copenhagen back to Kastrup, passing the Lille Havfrue, Amelienborg (no queen) and the parliament and down through Amager Strandpark.

Summary - good 'opening week' of a shift in training to more hills and at least attempting some faster tempo or progressive running. Felt gradually less tired this week - approx 1.5 weeks for 1.19 half recovery is about right. 10k race was quite a good marker as to where I am in terms of fitness: my speed is good, but my endurance is crap - the opposite of how it's been for years! I felt very happy with that pace for 10k and could well have done more. Hopefully more hills and exercises should strengthen the muscles supporting the ankles, which in turn should hurt less and let me train at a higher intensity.

2.9.13-8.9.13: Århus Half week

date\day	km	time	min/km
08/09/2013su	21.1	01:18:58	03:44
06/09/2013fr	5.21	00:22:00	04:13
05/09/2013th	3.93	00:16:00	04:04
05/09/2013th	4.8	00:15:21	03:11
05/09/2013th	4	00:16:00	04:00
04/09/2013we	11.78	00:52:00	04:24
03/09/2013tu	9.93	00:43:00	04:19
total=	60.75	av pace=	03:59

Pictures: SNC foto http://galleri.snc-foto.dk/#!album-69

Mon- no run. Rest after Marselisløbet
Tue - easy 10k, standard route south of :Lund through Klostergården.
Wed - easy run along the Hardebergaspåret. Felt some pain from outer left ankle for the first 5-6km.
Thur - track intervals at CIP to keep legs turning over. Warmup 4km at 4.00/km, 2x800,400,400,800 at 3.00-3.20/km pace then warmdown 4.00/km. Felt very good and very comfortable running at that pace.
Fri - easy recovery run around Stadsparken and the F&F arena. Didn't feel too tired after intervals.
Sat - no run. Rest, before 1/2.
Sun - Audi Challenge Aarhus Halvmarathon: 1:18:58. Disaster!:-(
Felt quite tired on the morning, but did a comprehensive warmup and stretches and was good to go at the start. Legs felt a bit sluggish and the first km was slow (3.30/km pace), due to having to run into the wind and uphill. Pace picked up then and I was quite happy running with a group on about 3.25/km (1h12 pace). However, going down the hill past Aros (to be precise, jumping up from road to path), I felt some pain in the outside of my left ankle. I ignored it at first, going through 5km with the group on about 17.10. But by the time we'd reached Brabrandstien, it really had started to hurt and I dropped my pace, hoping I could run through it. No such luck, and by 7km I'd had enough and slowed right down. I considered stopping, but once out along Brabrand lake I realised it would be probably quicker to get back following the course - by now, the race was a training run at 3.40-4.00/km pace.
Very frustrating, but unfortunately the nature of persistent tendonitis problems- some weeks it's ok, others it's not, but it's always there in the background. In retrospect, the ankle was not good doing a longer run on Weds, but not to an extent that I'd have pulled out of racing on Sun. The race result should also be considered in context: back in June at the time of the last 1/2 in Århus, I'd never have even finished. In just a few months, I've been able to recover sufficiently to run ok-ish times over the distance, having run mostly 5ks for the past year and with a minimum of training required for it (particularly tempo runs).
(Injury or not, the result also fits with my notorious inconsistency over the 1/2 - the 1:30 in Sheffield a few years ago comes to mind!)
Next week - recovery and some easy running to determine the state of the ankle(s). I think I may change how I train to include more hills, to try and strengthen the ankles (or connecting muscles at least) further, probably moving to 1xtrack intervals, 1xhill intervals and 1xlong run during the week.

26.8-1.9.13: Final pre-Århus 1/2 week and Marselisløbet

date\day	km	time	min/km
01/09/2013su	12	00:41:30	03:27
01/09/2013su	14.18	00:55:00	03:52
01/09/2013su	3	00:00:00	00:00
31/08/2013sa	18.23	01:16:00	04:10
30/08/2013fr	13.45	00:57:00	04:14
29/08/2013th	16.32	00:58:40	03:35
28/08/2013we	10	00:42:00	04:12
28/08/2013we	15.47	01:04:00	04:08
27/08/2013tu	15	00:55:31	03:42
26/08/2013mo	12.54	00:50:00	03:59
total=	130.19	av pace=	03:55

Picture: SNC-foto http://galleri.snc-foto.dk

Mon -PM: feeling a bit less tired this week, but still usual Monday-tired after an early start and trip from DK. Fairly easy run up to Sankt Hans Backar in Lund and back via CIP.
Tues -PM: training at Skryllegården. 5km warmup @ approx 3.50-4.00/km, then 5x1km at 3.15-3.20/km pace. 5km warmdown at 4.00/km pace. Felt tired, but not during the intervals - was able to manage them quickly this week. Was going to do 500m effots with Bjornstorps IF, but training was in a different part of the woods than usual and I didn't find it in time!
Weds - AM: recovery standard 10km route through Klostergården and along the river. PM: run out along the Hardebergaspåret - didn't go the full 20km distance, but only to just past the road crossing and back to keep the total daily mileage sensible.
Thurs - PM: (very dark) track intervals at CIP. 5km warmup, then 2x2km - 6.50 and 6.45 (3.20-3.30/km) pace. Felt good up to the last 100m of the second effort, then had to have a 'pitstop'. After returning, did 1km in 3.20/km and then 6x400m at easy pace. 5km run back home at a tempo pace appx. 3.40/km. First time I've managed 2km intervals on the track since my injury, good session!
Fri - AM: run up to Sankt Hans again, with a loop of the horse field to the north of it. Back via CIP and Stadsparken. Tired legs after intervals, ran a slower recovery pace and ground it out.
Sat - AM: in Århus. decided not to do the parkrun due to racing Sun, so did an easy 18km down past Riis skov and through the town to Tangkrogen where the Marselisløb was setting up. Had terrible hayfever the first 6km; the second, it had gone due to torrential downpour which left me soaked through by the time I got home!
Sun - Marselisløb (tempo run) - 12km in 41.32 (7th place). I'd never actually done this race before, due to holiday or other conflicting races so I decided to give it a go this year, but as a tempo run in preparation for the Århus 1/2 next weekend. No way I could fully recover from a race-pace hilly 12km by next Sun. Decided to run the sort of pace I'd like to do next week (3.25-3.30/km, 12km in 40-43min) but to ease back further if it felt too draining, esp. on the hills. Did quite an extensive warmup of around 3km running, strides and stretches since I felt a bit of pain in the left ankle.
Started at what I felt was a good pace at the head of the 'chasing' group of 4 (if it's possible to chase the real top runners AGF's Johan Damkjær and 1900's Ulrik Heitmann, who disappeared into the distance). Looked at my watch at 2km and we'd run 6.25; too fast! Immediately slowed and settled back to around 3.25/km behind 2 pairs of runners ahead. Stayed quite happily trotting along at that until 2km left, when I decided to give it a final bit of gas and see if I could catch the guy ahead - just fell a few metres short in the end.
Felt good after the race, legs not really hurting much at all. Continued with a Sunday run at easy pace along the usual route down to Moesgård beach and back along the bike path - an extra 14-15km, giving about 29km in total. Final bit of distance before tapering next week.

Summary - Far better week of training than last week. Far less tired and could manage faster intervals. A good bit of distance (130km) to finish off this period of training with prior to the half marathon next week. Only issue is a (growing) bit of pain in my outside left ankle, which started after a track session a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, a period of rest this week should help.
Aim for next week - taper for 1/2 marathon, so around 50-70km of easy running, plus a few intervals to keep sharp in the middle of the week. I was extremely comfortable running an average 3.27/km today even over hilly terrain, so I would hope for a time 72-73min next week, if I pace it well this time and if my body holds together over the 13.1miles...