Snape Wood Sunday. If you run to Horntye and back (80 mins) then strides are not really needed to hit your target, especially if we’ve done some shorter reps on the Tuesday. Another solid week and only 1 S&C which I thought you might like.

120 Points Target
114 Points Achieved

Pretty good, some tough sessions (hills + XC) but I wasn’t as sore this week as the extra day rest helped.

Nice. Yeah a strong week with lots of positives to take. Glad you felt ok at the end as well. Excellent work Sam.

MONDAY

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15 Points
Legs not so sore by the evening so this was mostly fine, hard work but got it all done. Last few pullups always a shit, but managed them all. I feel that increasing the reps or mass on any of the other exercises might be a silly idea for now, but maybe in a month or so.
Nice, that’s promising to come off a decent week and feel strong. Paul & Steve who have had the most gains from S&C rarely mix it up. It’s only if anything suddenly feels easy we need to tweak it. Otherwise keep it the same, it’s clearly working. Great work Sam!!

TUESDAY

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22pts | 60-45-30 Sec (Hills)

22 POINTS

10 Mins WU @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

60 Secs Uphill (RPE: 8)
90 Secs Downhill (RPE: 4)

45 Secs Uphill (RPE: 9)
75 Secs Downhill (RPE: 4)

30 Secs Uphill (RPE: 9)
60 Secs Downhill (RPE: 4)

x 5

10 Mins CD @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

Hills can really build your strength as well as improve your running form. This session is tough but will really help you make big gains. Use the downhill as a light recovery jog, so exact recovery times can be flexible.

19 Points
Tough session, glad I made it though. Was running late then had issues with my chest lights, then fumbled in the dark to get spare key to get back in and find new lights… then had to drive so no warmup run. Bah! Worked hard, found it tough, breathing was horrible. Managed it all and got a bit quicker as it went on.
What I really love about you as a runner (and I guess person) is when you show up you show up. There’s no half arsed effort, like ever it seems. You just give it everything you’ve got and that’s brilliant and no doubt why you’ve had the success you’ve had this year. It makes me really happy to see that, so thank you. I’m sure we can find those missing 10 mins somewhere in the week.

WEDNESDAY

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20 Points
I didn’t do my strides. Felt pretty whacked after this run, was in my jacket and leggings as it felt pretty wintery today – had a slight hamstring niggle and didn’t want to push it after last night’s hills, not on slippy wet shit and in my jacket either. I’ll try and fit them in after Friday’s run. I did do an extra 4 mins though, 11.5k. Not very enjoyable but I dressed well for the conditions so didn’t get wet or cold.
Glad you were well dressed. It does make a big difference. This one was always going to be hard after last night. Thanks for the extra mins as well. Well done Sam. I’ve just had one of those days were I’ve said “sod this, I’m going nowhere, one of the benefits of resting an injury 😂”

thursday

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Rest Day

0 POINTS

“Rest days are key. Our body adapts and gets stronger when we rest & recovery. Have a good one!”

Yes
Great resting Sam

FRIDAY

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18pts | 60 Mins Run

18 POINTS

Keep that RPE down. You want to be able to run and chat, speaking of which, joining a group can add to the enjoyment here.

22 Points
Did a 60 min run in the evening, 11k with a few decent hills and some pitch black woodland fun (got my chest lights working again so I could see, phew). Chilly but I was dressed well so no issues. Did 8 strides after, but had to nip in the house for a wee before (and dumped gloves/lights etc.). Felt fine, the day rest before meant my legs were not tight or sore.
Glad to hear the legs felt good. The thought of running through woodland in the dark strikes me with fear. But I imagine with a good light it’s probably quite good fun. Glad you enjoyed this one and thanks for smashing out the strides (post wee).

SATURDAY

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Rest Day

0 POINTS

“Rest days are key. Our body adapts and gets stronger when we rest & recovery. Have a good one!”

0 Points
Busy day, pretty active throughout. Yawn.
Good to keep busy. I’m useless at resting. Get annoyed with myself for lack of productivity. Probably why I’ve only had 1 week off in the last 2 years (time for another soon I think).

SUNDAY

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38pts | X Country (Race)

38 POINTS

10 Mins @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

XC Event @ Varied Pace (RPE: 8)

10 Mins @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

XC is hard, but that also means it can be great for improving your fitness if you work at the right intensity.

38 Points
This was bloody hard work! Weather was appalling on the drive over so we were not feeling excited. Dried up when we got there, sort of, then the sun came out. Boggy and muddy, or slippy compacted gravel paths. Lots of hills too, so yeah, fun times. Started off pretty well and felt strong, didn’t bomb up the hills but didn’t walk either, then fast downhills with some hair-raising muddy corners at the bottoms. I was actually catching Lewis at a few points as his grip was not good, I also had Lambo behind me the whole first lap – he caught me and went past once downhill but I got the place back. He told me he was going for Lewis on the 2nd loop so I suspected he was holding back somewhat… We started the 2nd loop and a big hill and I just felt zapped… didn’t have much to give, breathing was pretty laboured (I’ve been a bit congested, yuck) and my legs felt tired. Paul shot past me, tried to bring me with him but I couldn’t keep up. Lost a few places here and didn’t have much to sprint down the big hills either. I was 35s slower on the first loop km compared to the first loop! Managed to get some speed back later on, but I was struggling, lost 15s, 10s then 12s on the other km sections which was annoying, but hey ho. Saw Paul had got past Lewis and at one point thought I may catch him too, but on the drier flat sections he was off. I did have a strong finish though, was racing a chap for the last km and we ended up spriting the last section, good to know I had something left in my legs (doing 3:18s). Felt fine after too. Laura found a big twig stuck in my hair and I have a gash on my shin.
That last sentence made me chuckle and almost sums up XC. Paul and Lewis are terrific runners, so the fact you’re even discussing them in the feedback shows how well you are running and I wouldn’t be too disappointed about the pace dropping. The others I’ve spoken too had a similar experience and it was probably only Paul holding back a little that he had the quicker pace. Remember he’s a 2:56 marathon runner and 17:40 5k runner. But sounds like an eventful, somewhat enjoyable run, and coming at the end of a pretty demanding week, it’s a decent result. So lots of positives to take for sure. Plus some decent Club Championship pts no doubt. Great to know Laura is going to pick up a prize as well. She’s great!!