As discussed I'd love to get some suggestions into my own training. Very happy to answer more questions. I'll kick off with some background now then ask what you think I should do in the next month...
Background: turn 45 next week. Ran 26.x, 54.7, 1:55, 3:52 (1500), 8:16 (3000), 8:57 3000sc, 14:45ish in mid 20s off 60-70mpw. Made all the usual 80s mistakes (racing in training etc). Then had 15 years mostly off running, starting businesses and raising family. Now 2 years into comeback. Came back more via speed/strength than mileage, got back to 27.3 200, 4:15 1500, 9:05 3000, 26:41 5m last year. Decided I was ready for a proper winter with more decent mileage. Training time is limited and a little unpredictable as kids have very busy school schedules and workload at work varies wildly, BUT unlike most I can train in the daytime.
The plan this season is/was to peak in late June/ early July and hold through to early August, for races between 1500 to 5000. If I'm fit I can race in my club's national league team (4 key meets from early June to end August); and there are many meetings at all distances from early May to end August. We'll have a family vacation in early August which ought to be the 'end of season break'.
The plan in September WAS:
Oct-Dec: build mileage; lift weights for leg strength; 2 'quality' sessions (reps, tempo or club XC races) per week not taken particularly seriously, short hill sprints to keep top end speed.
Jan to mid-Feb: hold mileage, take intervals a bit more seriously, let mileage speed up. 2-3 more serious XC races. Maintain weights and hill sprints.
Feb week 3: skiing, easy week
Feb 28 - Apr 10: lots of hills: springing, bounding, hill reps 2x weekly aiming to build strength endurance and maximum power; also a couple of 5k races.
mid April onwards: track work: intervals at various paces from spring , race whenever possible
Due to various interruptions (travel, conferences, work, family stuff, the odd cold, body just taking forever to adapt) it took a lot longer than expected to get up to 70mpw and fully adapt to it. I finally managed that for a month in Jan, with a lot of easy running rather than the faster progression runs I hoped to be up to by then, and started to get quite fit, although I missed a few weights sessions and hill sprints due to time pressure and fatigue. I then had an injury meaning I've basically missed a month getting back today to the fitness I had in mid Feb. Track work has to start by Apr 16 (our club's first shakeout meeting).
So, the problem is what sessions to do in the next 4-5 weeks or so. I really want to do a lot of hill work, hit the same sessions at least 8 times and feel the progress; but I feel I need to improve the aerobic side too with tempo and 5k-type work, as I am not obviously ahead of my fitness last year.
I'm also wondering about the circuits and weights. I have had advice from a great strength/sprint coach in the last 18 months and got a lot stronger through lifting from Oct-Dec. I don't want to stop totally and lose this, on the other hand if you're lifting hard for max leg strength then it really needs 48 hours with no more than easy running until the next attempt to run hard.
I will mostly be training alone, and am lucky that I can train off-road in daylight at lunchtimes with no hard time limits 1-2x each week.
Some ideas...
- try a little bit of faster running most days. e.g. now the clocks are changing I have a mostly-off-road 5m route home. I could try to wind this up slowly, run 10min at tempo pace then 4 fast strides along the football fields most nights. In addition there could be two days with decent hill sessions at lunchtime.
- alternatively, there's the "kitchen sink session" approach - do 2 big sessions each week with a mix of hill work, tempo, long reps, and aim for the usual larger volume of easy running in between. something like...
Tue lunch: warm up, hill bounding/springing/sprints, 5min jog, hard 1000m, 5min jog, 6x1min hill, 5min jog, hard 1000m, jog, collapse and slurp sports drinks and snacks all afternoon in the office....
Sat morning: warm up, 5k parkrun (low key weekly 5k at 09:00), mile jog, 6 x 1min hill, home.
- or am I worrying too much? Should I just do the hills twice a week as my quality sessions, trust that the shorter bursts of work will improve aerobic fitness anyway or not lose it, and use the track work from April onwards to top up the aerobic engine a bit?
- any other approaches?
Ideas, criticism, suggestions etc welcome...thanks all...