A lighter week coming off the BYU session. I’ve tried to squeeze in the spin again, that would be a good way of flushing out the legs. On Thursday 2 x 2.5 miles at half marathon pace is the same as the session planned and you could do a mile float in between. Then finish off strongly with XC. Don’t worry about the lack of miles this week, plenty big weeks coming up. Keep up the great work Joe.

170 Points Target

196 Points Achieved

Really happy with that week. I feel like I’m progressing really nicely towards my first ultra of next year, which of course is the backyard. Feeling strong, fit and healthy. Looking forward to taking it a bit easier this coming week

196pts which is the highest anyone on the team has every achieved since I introduced this approach. It was a little over target, 115%, but not my much, so I’m not worried and you’re the type of person that can absorb that extra training. Although it does then highlight the importance of having the easier week. But great work Joe and so pleased to hear you feel so good. PS: I would love to hit 200pts one day, through a mixture of running, cross training and strength work. I managed 145 last week and only run 10 miles. It shows what we can achieve with a balanced varied plan. Onwards and upwards.

MONDAY

15pts | 45 Mins Spin

15 POINTS

*Recoveries: 30 Seconds after the 30 second reps, 60 seconds after the 60 second reps. Simples.

Coach Simon🍊 “Make a note of RPM & the resistance level so you can increase them as you do more sessions.” Recoveries in between intervals are the same as the effort. So 30 and 60 seconds easy pace.

23 Points

It’s been quite some day, as before I went to the gym I did 13 miles of walking. Firstly along the coast to St Leonards, then back across the coombe haven valley. Spin session completed, albeit slightly incorrectly, as you know. The 100 rpm reps were completed with the bike on effort level 7. The hill reps were on levels 12-15, with RPM of 85-90. I then did a bonus S&C session, with 3 x 90 secs planks, 3 x 12 leg press @ 90kg, 3 x 12 leg extension @ 50kg, and 3 x 12 kettle bell swing @ 24kg What a day…glad I’m not at work tomorrow!

What a day!! Obviously for you, that walking is a real bonus and super helpful for the Ultra. Those levels sound right to me and what I use on the spin bike. It’s not something that is essential but I was researching sweating the other days and there are lots of benefits. So if you enjoyed the variety, including this in the schedule does help in several ways. Extra pts for the S&C too. Well done Joe.

TUESDAY

33pts | 2 x 4km (HM)

33 POINTS

2km WU @ Easy Pace RPE: 3

4km @ HM Pace RPE: 6
3 Mins Recovery

4km @ HM Pace RPE: 6
3 Mins Recovery

2km CD @ Easy Pace RPE: 3

A pretty standard HM session, good to practice race pace without pushing too hard. Make sure you keep focusing on good form, especially as you tire. And enjoy. This sort of session should feel relatively controlled but also like you’re working at a decent level. Go get ’em.

39 Points

Another great session. It blows my mind how I can walk 13 miles yesterday and do a tough session in the gym, then run a really good pace today. That’s on top of my backyard practice still being just 4 days ago! Really grateful for my level of fitness and recovery right now. Did a slightly longer warm up and cool down, as I had the time, due to being off work

An extra 6pts in the bag bonus. I think if you get the planning right it’s pretty amazing what we can do. That’s where that spin can help, cos it’s still a decent workout but without any of that impact this leaving the legs still pretty fresh to smash this one out. Great work Joe. Loving the pace on that one.

WEDNESDAY

72pts | 240 Mins Run

72 POINTS

240 Mins @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3-8)

All about time on feet. Don’t push the pace early on and ensure you are well hydrated and have fuel to take on at regular intervals.

72 Points

Really pleased to have ticked off a route that I’ve wanted to run for at least a year. I still can’t explain exactly why I wanted to do it, it just sounded cool! Haha. Took it nice and easy, which I was forced to do when it was really muddy and boggy. It’s a miracle that I didn’t get trench foot😂. It’s nice now that I don’t worry about how my pace looks on Strava, as in the past I’ve stopped my watch if was taking a photo, or going for a wee, or popping in a shop, just so it didn’t affect my pace, but I just keep the watch going now. The legs are definitely getting ultra-ready now!

Great work Joe, to smash this out after a busy week is brilliant and a great sign you’re in good shape approaching the BYU. Sounds like a good adventure and nice to not worry about pace. That’s something that always bugged me when I first hit the trails, but it shows you’ve have that mindset of an ultra runner these days.

thursday

FRIDAY

15pts | Jo Gym

15 POINTS

Exercise Bike	10 Mins
Leg Press	2 x 12 (80)
Chest Press	2 x 10 (20)
Lat Pull down	2 x 12 (30)
Ab Crunch	2 x 10 (20)
KettleBell Swings	2 x 12 (12)
Split Squat	2 x 10
Cable Torso Rotation	2 x 12 (7.5)
Hamstring Curls	2 x 10 (20)
Plank	2 x 30s
Tricep Dips Dumbbells	2 x 10 (5)
Seated Row	2 x 12 (40)
Goblet Squat	2 x 10 (5)
Calf Raises	2 x 10 (5)
Dead Hang	90s

15 Points

I‘d been at the gym about 20 minutes and I opened up the session on my dashboard, so I then realised that it was a vastly different session to previous weeks! With the way I was feeling last night, I wasn’t really up for trying any new exercises, although I did try a couple of different machines, as I went to the Hastings freedom gym last night for a change. A decent session of upper body and legs. My core is feeling really strong right now, which is great!

I’ve just realised I gave you the wrong one. 🤦‍♂️ Sorry about that. Jo instead of Joe. To be honest there always some freedom to change things up slightly from the designated session, and getting some quality S&C in is the main thing. And it’s good to hear you are noticing the difference. Again, sorry for the cock up. I just have visions of you doing bicep curls with 3kg weights 😂 and thinking “this doesn’t feel right?”

SATURDAY

15 Points

50 minutes easy, which was absolutely bloody lovely. Felt like I could’ve gone on forever. A few minor niggles, including a little bit of cramp in the left calf, which is unusual for me, but that went after 15 minutes.

It’s been a big week and the cramp is probably just that sign of being on the edge, and telling you if we push much harder then problems might creep in. So always worth listening to that. You’ve got some points in reserve now. 40 mins tomorrow hits your weekly target. Anything else goes above it. 90 mins would keep you under the 110% mark though. I think you go over that and then the niggles start getting a bit more serious. Glad you enjoyed this run though. It was beautiful out there.

SUNDAY

27pts | 90 Mins Run

27 POINTS

90 Mins @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

Keep this nice and easy. Focus on good form & efficient running economy. RPE should be around the 3/10 which means you can run and chat.

32 Points

Mixed it up a little, to make it interesting, so miles 6/7/8/9 were at 7 mins/mile. Felt comfortable

A few bonus points in the bank for this with the quicker miles. Pretty epic week in the end. Great stuff Joe.