My New 2018 Fast Workouts

1-7 January 2018

Monday – workout #1

2x (8x approx. 1/10 mile uphill sprints at approx. 1 min slower than 1 mile goal race pace* with 1-1.5 min walking recoveries) with 3 min standing rest between sets

Staying at my family’s house in the Derbyshire Dales I felt ready to tackle my mile challenge on the first day of 2018.
I used a nearby hill to work on my speed and running form.
I did not set myself a target of reps beforehand. Half way through I felt low in confidence.
“You are better than you think you are. You can do more than you think you can.” ¹
I battled against fatigue and stayed positive until I completed the last rep.

Thursday – workout #2

2x (1 min, 2 mins, 3 mins, 2 mins, 1 min at approx. faster than 1 mile goal race pace* with 1 min walking recoveries) with 2 min standing rest between sets

For my first 2018 workout with my running club I surged from the start.
In cold conditions I led the pack of runners around a local industrial estate, used as the ‘track’.
Some runners stayed with me for spells but I always pushed harder and finished stronger.
Others complimented my running form and performance throughout the tough workout.
I told them “I felt really good” and that I must have “jet packs attached to my Vibrams”.

Saturday – workout #3

5x ¼ mile at approx. slower than 1 mile goal race pace with 1.5 min walking recoveries

My calves still ached, but I wanted a third hard workout of the week.
In the dying light I used the perimeter of a football pitch in a local park as a track.
I forgot to wear my running gloves and leggings despite the bitterly cold and windy conditions.
“It’s all good mental training.” ²
I struggled to keep the pace I intended despite working at what I felt was maximum effort.
“I want this.”
It was the first time I ever used my Garmin sports watch to preprogramme a workout, and it did prove a distraction as I am still unfamiliar with the set-up.

The rest of the week included 2 rest days (Tuesday and Sunday) and 2 days with easy paced recovery runs partly with my fiancée (Wednesday and Friday) accumulating 5.8 miles.

Although I suffered calf and quad ache throughout the week, I accumulated 6.64 miles (34 mins and 45 secs) between 4:26-6:25 min per mile pace and felt at full strength on Sunday. My maximum heart rate recorded was 210 bpm.

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* 1 mile goal race pace is 5:00 per mile.
¹ Quote spoken by Ken Chlouber, the founder of the Leadville Trail 100 race
² Mantra outlined in mindset number 1 from The Ultra Mindset (2015) by Travis Macy