Archive for the Training Category
The Week Ahead 8 March 2010
08/03/2010 by Dick.
Only 3 weeks to the FoD Half and what training you decide to do is important in optimising your race performance.
The Severn Avenue session on Tuesday will give you just under 500 metres of fairly flat (but a testing little slope at the end) speed per loop with a slow jog recovery between each of the 8 or 10 efforts. Last time some of us found that we were taking it too fast at first, but then controlled our pace better: and control of pace is what you need in racing.
The alternative Hospital Hill aims to give you more strength – in your legs and upper body as you drive up the hills within the 40 secs effort. It should improve your running efficiency in general, and specifically your ability to glide effortlessly (!) up the slopes in the FoD course, and then push off the top with strong legs.
A good chance on Thursday to put in a ten-mile pace run with the over the Severn Bridge and back course.
Plenty of time after to change and get yourself down to the Bellhanger for CURRY NIGHT!!!
A call to arms for Sunday. The final LCL cross-country at Rogerstone, Newport is a vital race for Chepstow. Our men’s team are only a couple of points behind the leaders, so a good turnout could just get us success. Our women need a good performance to clinch first place. Come along and be part of a great Club experience. There will be cakes!!! And a pub visit!!!
MEET AT LEIS CTRE 9.45 TO SHARE CARS
The Week Ahead 1 March 2010
01/03/2010 by Dick.
Ivan starts his stint as March’s Coach of the Month by offering us another go at his Beech Grove (gentle) hills session on Tuesday. Just round the corner from the top of the Link Road, it’s 3 or 4 sets of four 40 second hills with a jog back recovery.
He’s also given us the option of four laps of the Thornwell Loop.. This is a very effective session, but as Thornwell is a good two miles from the LC SOME RUNNERS MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT DRIVING DOWN OR AT LEAST GETTING A LIFT BACK. There’ll be a chance to make that decision before we leave at 7.
With both sessions the recoveries are longer than last month’s to encourage a faster pace in keeping with March’s dedication to peaking for the FoD Half Marathon.
Thursday’s run will be the Hayesgate route which can be viewed on the Training & Coaching page.
The final Gwent League cross-country on Saturday is just over the Bridge at Blaise Castle in the north Bristol suburb of Henbury: less than a half-hour drive. We’re meeting at the LC at 11, with the men’s race at 12 and the women’s just after 1. Blaise is a very family friendly country park with an adventure playground and café.
And finally…you will have seen the email advertising the recce on Sunday morning of April’s Club Champs race, Mynydd Troed. This will be a gentle jog round the course which is seven miles long with three ups and downs in the heart of the Black Mountains. We’ll be based at a very nice pub, the Castle Inn at Pengenffordd into which we may slip after the run
It is classed as an A medium fell race which shouldn’t put anybody off. It will be marked by tape and friendly marshals.
The Week Ahead 22 Feb 2010
21/02/2010 by Dick.
A brand new session and an old favourite, both over in Tutshill, are your options on Tuesday.
Ivan has devised, and will be leading, the Severn Avenue speed session. It’s a 480 metre flat road to be run at your 5k race pace. The recovery is a 280 metre jog back to the start. Choose between eight and ten reps.
Chris will be leading Elm Road which is about the same length as Severn View but is of course an up and down route. Choose four or five each way.
With either session, choose your group carefully according to your 5 or 10k race time. Don’t be afraid to drop down a group if you’re struggling, or miss out a rep and come back renewed.
Our monthly visit to the Severn Bridge 5k on Thursday. A good tempo run will set you up nicely for Sunday’s LCL cross-country at Bryn Bach Country Park.
How many of the 36 Chepstow runners who competed at Piercefield Park this Sunday will make the journey to the scenic delights of Bryn Bach? We need as many as poss to keep up our challenge for the LCL titles. Meet at 9 at our LC to share cars.
The Week Ahead 15 Feb 2010
14/02/2010 by Dick.
Tuesday’s sessions continue the theme of faster-paced work with longer recovery periods.
1. Our monthly visit to Thornwell for four loops with drills and speedplay down the Link Road.
2. Or 4 X 4 minutes on the S Bridge with a long recovery between each. The faster members of each group should turn back during the jog recovery to regroup with the back-markers.
On Thursday we’re extending the Tour of the Town to include a detour into Tutshill across the old Wye Bridge. Or there’s the usual 20 mins out/20 mins back along the Link Rd and the S Bridge. And I daresay the off-roaders will be ready with torches and grippy shoes.
All hands to the pumps (whatever that may mean) on Sunday when the LCL cross-country in Piercefield Park is also the second Club Championships race. Starts at 11 in the middle of the park so allow plenty of time to get there from the LC. Make sure you wear your number – see Syd if you don’t have one. Rich and Stuart are setting up the course (more help welcome), but all Harriers are needed to take down the tape afterwards.Then we need to get changed and into the bar to host our home-made cake party. Please get baking on Saturday - there’ll be lots of hungry mouths to feed!piercefield-xc-course-210210.pdf
The Week Ahead 8 Feb 2010
07/02/2010 by Dick.
A hilly theme this week. On Tuesday you can choose either:
1) the gentle hill of Beech Grove. We go a little faster this month, but for 40 secs instead of the 50 last month. And the recovery jog back is longer - 80 secs instead of 70. And there’s a longer rest of 2 minutes between sets. Do 3 or 4 sets according to your schedule and how your body feels.
2) the bigger gradient of Steep St (prize for first reader to guess how it got its name). Here again choose 3 or 4 sets. Each set consists of a short, a long, a short and a long hill.
The Shirenewton run on Thursday. One of our longer outings, and why not in your preparation for the 13.1 miles of the FOD Half? But don’t take too long getting round and getting changed: for the 2nd Thursday of the month is CURRY NIGHT!!!
Or the 20 mins out and back on the Bridge may fit in better with your plans. Or again the Off-Road gang is growing weekly and new members are nursed along so nicely.
And finally on Saturday it’s the next Gwent League at Brecon. Always excellent training and a good Club occasion, come and join the fun and enjoy the cakes and sweets after. Junior races start at 12, senior women at 12.50, and senior men at 2.20. No fee, no numbers, no registration - just tell the Club Captains you’re coming and get there early enough for us to put your name down.
The Week Ahead 25 January 2010
25/01/2010 by Lou.
Tuesday’s choice is 6 or 8 sets of 2mins fast with 30 secs recovery on the Severn Bridge after drills/speed bursts down the Link Road, or 4/5 Danes Loop figure-of-eights.
Important Reminder – we’ve been getting slack and should be arriving in the Leis Ctre bar by 6.55 at the latest for sorting out who’s doing which session and for any announcements. We’re aiming to be out on the road at 7!
Back to the Bridge on Thursday for the monthly 5k Time Trial. Always worth doing for its great training effect and for helping with pace judgement and race technique. Leave the Leis Ctre dead on 7 or be ready and warmed up on the Bridge for 7.30 start.
The Saturday morning Piercefield Park sessions are getting very popular under our Saturday coach, Rich Matthews. Meet at Leis Ctre ready to jog over to the Park at 9.30 for a very sociable and stimulating hour.
Tuesday’s Training
19/01/2010 by Lou.
Elm Road – This c400mtre cul-de-sac in Tutshill starts at either end with a descent, followed by a very short flat bit at the bottom, and of course ends with a climb. Two minutes of recovery between each run. It’s a 10k pace aerobic speed session and because of the climbs quite taxing. You should as always be aiming for consistency right to the very last leg, so choose whether to do four, five or six pairs.
Beech Grove Hills – A fairly gentle slope in this quiet road off High Beech, just round the corner from the top of the Link Road. We’ll be running uphill for 50 secs at the aerobic/anaerobic boundary, then turning and jogging back for 70 secs to the start point. Four of these make up one set. Then we have a 90 secs recovery before starting the next set of four. Here again consistency is vital, so you should be reaching the same point after each 50 seconds. Choose three or four sets.
In either session - Run too hard and you will go ‘anaerobic’ resulting in build up of lactic acid and your pace will drop to that of your Sunday long aerobic endurance run.
During this base endurance phase of our 3 month periodisation we are aiming to keep the majority of training aerobic.
If you find you’re struggling part-way through your session, don’t be afraid to miss one out and recover your breathing and heart-rate. That way you can keep up your pace and finish the session.
The Week Ahead 18 Jan 2010 - from Dick
18/01/2010 by Lou.
On Tuesday two sessions are on offer. The new Beech Grove threshold hill session where we are trying to work at the aerobic /anaerobic boundary and the good old favourite 10k efforts on the 400 m long Elm road which is an aerobic speed session.
The Shirenewton run on Thursday is a good nine-miler as a loop via Crick but can be shortened by retracing your steps when you reach Shirenewton village. The 20mins out/20 mins back down the Link Rd and across the S Bridge is the usual tempo pace alternative.
Off-road addicts are also getting together to continue the trend of torch-lit cross country runs. A head torch and off-road shoes are essential and a mobile phone in case of emergency. It’s very easy to lose the way in the dark and get detached from other runners. Everyone must make themself sure of the route and find at least one other person to run with. The risks of tripping or turning an ankle are also increased in the dark.
By now you should have heard about the Haiti fund-raising night that will be incorporated into our Curry Night after Thursday training in the Weatherspoon’s Bellhanger in St Mary St. The Club has generously offered to make a donation to the Haiti appeal for each Club member who attends, and there will also be a raffle of Club stuff and items donated by members. Please come and bring something raffleable.
Finally our Saturday morning Piercefield Park cross-country training sessions resume. Meet in the top car park at 9.30.
Tonight’s Training Tues 12 Jan 2010
12/01/2010 by Lou.
6×800 mtrs - The Link Road is too slippery so we’ll be doing 6 x 3 or 4 mins on the Leis Ctre field. There’s usually enough light to run safely but a head torch wouldn’t come amiss. Jane will be the coach and will be talking us through the session. The aim is to increase speed endurance working at the aerobic/anaerobic boundary. Increasing your speed endurance will improve your race times. Newer runners who haven’t yet built up a basic body conditioning are advised to take speed sessions cautiously at first and should target the slower end of the pace range.
Hospital Hill - Is safe to run on at the time of writing (12.30) but if it gets snowed up by 7 we’ll use the hill on the far side of the LC field. Geoff is leading this one which is designed to improve leg muscle strength, boost the cardiovascular system and develop the ability to buffer lactate, It’s also an aerobic/anaerobic interface session, and the more you do of these the better will be your race pace in any kind of event - not just those with hills. Geoff will emphasise that you should run each hill comfortably hard and consistently: if you run too hard you will not get the full benefit of the session. Each burst will be just 40 seconds and you should concentrate on an upright posture, driving your knees up with a good arm swing. Between each of the three sets of five bursts you’ll have a full two minutes to recover and give each set an equal amount of effort.
Tonight’s Training Tues 5 Jan
05/01/2010 by Dick.
Those doing the Thornwell Loop will be asked to join one of these five Pace Groups. Each Group can then jog to the top of the Link Road and start their drills and speedplay down to the roundabout before jogging to the Loop start. You should aim to run at a consistent pace within the target times for each of the four Loops, The recovery between loops is 1½ mins.
Group A – 10k race time 36-39 mins: 4 mins 6 secs to 4.35 per Loop
Group B – 10k 40-42 mins: 4.35 to 4.56.
Group C – 10k 43-46 mins: 4.56 to 5.21.
Group D – 10k 47-51 mins: 5.21 to 5.56.
Group E – 10k 52-52 mins: 5.56 to 6.26.
Those doing the Beech Grove session can make their way straight to the top of the Grove, which is first left just past the top of the Link Rd, then first left again. The Grove is a quite gentle gradient and you will run up for 50 seconds, turn at the whistle and run back to the start within 70 secs ready to turn and start the next uphill (like the Windmill Hill session where we did 60 secs each way). Run at your aerobic threshold pace and try to reach the same spot on each rep. You can opt to do three or four sets of four hill reps.
