New S&C session for you Monday, hope it goes ok? Tuesday and Thursday as normal, more hills as we get closer to HHM. Sunday is the key run. Or perhaps bringing it forward to Saturday and doing the last 3 mile rep with parkrun would be a good move. That’s what I would do. If you do it Sunday make sure you have a flat route. Joining the gang and doing a hilly route could throw you off kilt. But any problems let me know. The next 2 weeks we ease back slightly so see this as your last big opportunity to have an impact on what time you run at HHM.

121 Points Achieved

MONDAY

10pts | Home Legs

10 POINTS

A good home workout for the legs. No weights needed, but if you do have some that will add to the difficulty. Recoveries around 30-60s. If time is limited then combined two exercises together. So whilst recovering from squats for example you could be doing your calf raises. This could save you as much as 15 mins.

10 Points

Did this Monday. Felt a bit calf heavy, but ok. 👍

Thanks Ben, appreciate the feedback. Those two calf exercises do work different muscles so are pretty good. But I can add a bit more core in for these in future.

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

26pts | 8 x 2 Mins Hill Reps

26 POINTS

Big session this! But ideal if you have a hilly race coming up. Focus on good form and don’t go off too hard in rep 1, let the hill make it tough. Good luck! You got this. Run tall & proud.

26 Points

Did this from Bexhill office. Warm up to Galley Hill – about 9 mins, then went up and over, then back up and over the other way. Took about 1:50 to get up and down was probably only about 2:30, even with an extra bit before turning round. Pushed from the bottom of the hill each time. As that meant that the session was slightly short, did a 9th rep to make up the difference. Felt hard work, but nice to be out in the sun! Did in one session without stopping, with only a short walk after the final ascent.

Brilliant. And with everyone in the team doing a flat efforts this week you’ve got yourself an edge for HHM. So really well done Ben. I really like Galley Hill too for reps because it’s about the right type of gradient to make it challenging but also be able to still maintain good form.

thursday

22pts | Bimble💙 & Strides

22 POINTS

60 Mins @ Bimble Pace (RPE: 3)

8 x 100 metre Strides (RPE: 8)
60 Second Recoveries

I had to create a new session for you guys. Have fun. 60 mins easy is perfect in terms of training load. Don’t forget those strides as well (if highlighted)

22 Points

Hour long bimble with the gang. ✅ 8 strides at the end. ✅

Fantastic work Ben, looked like the whole group were moving at a decent pace last night. Top effort on the strides as well

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

53pts | 3 x 3 Miles (HM)

53 POINTS

1 Mile WU @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

3 Miles @ Half Marathon Pace (RPE: 6)
1 Mile @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

3 Miles @ Half Marathon Pace (RPE: 7)
1 Mile @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

3 Miles @ Half Marathon Pace (RPE: 8)

1 Mile CD @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

A big half marathon session. Important to find that goal pace in training and this session replicates the race well with the RPE increasing with each interval.

53 Points

As suggested brought this forward to Saturday. Ran out towards Bexhill – into the wind! And not surprisingly struggled. That and adding in Little Galley Hill and Galley Hill early in the first effort meant that the first effort was slightly soul destroying as the pace wasn’t there, but I think effort was! Start of second effort was on way back on lower prom far side of Bexhill and suddenly realised that the prom was covered with shingle, so stopped watch and walked up steep path to road, before starting it again. Due to slower pace was worried about getting back in time for start of Parkrun, but ended up with a couple of minute rest before start. Third effort in Parkrun went well, and after dealing with wind earlier felt fairly strong on way back, generally overtaking others (26:10 Parkrun time). Then went pretty much straight into final mile of easy. Finished half marathon distance in under 2 hours, so ended up really happy with that! (Please don’t feel you need a long response, most of the above is for me.)

It’s a really interesting point you make here though and one to take forward with you into races. That being how tough you’ve found that first 5k and then how you felt at the end. I’ve experienced that in races and the morale of the story is to keep going when it feels tough. If you give up that early you never know what might have been. And often things do get easier, as you experienced here. Great session Ben, love where you are at with HHM approaching

SUNDAY