Club Training Monday 10th August

I can't under emphasise how big an impact threshold sessions have on our fitness as long as they are not done too frequently. Whereas last Monday's uphill threshold at Chatelherault consisted of many, relatively short threshold efforts with long recoveries, this Monday's session is more structured and uses reps of longer duration. The session is 4 x 6 minutes at threshold with 2 minutes jog recovery, remembering that threshold is a level of effort and not a specific pace when the sessions are on hilly roads.

The route is a warm-up to the bottom of the hill just after the Auldhouse 5k start line via Strathaven Rd and Sainsburys. From there run past Park Farm to Leaburn Rd, turn right and keep going along Leaburn Rd until it turns downhill. At the bottom of the hill, turn right and then left past the kennels and along Shields Rd back to Greenhills Rd and back to the club. Should be a good night weatherwise.

Alan

Club Training Thursday 6th August - Auldhouse TT

It is time for the August Auldhouse 5km Time Trial and it looks like this will be the best night of the week weatherwise with mild temperatures although still quite windy. This is the final daylight edition of the TT and a chance to aim for perfect pacing based on your experience of the previous 3 months. Please register for training as usual on the registration form as this pack list will be imported into the timing software in advance.

I'll see you there.

Alan

Club Training Monday 3rd August - Chatelherault

Unfortunately, this is the second last Chatelherault session of this year as "the nights are fair drawing in". For this one the intention is to do the uphill fartlek session where on every hill that is more than say 20m long pick the pace up a little bit to a threshold type effort and then relax back down to an easy pace over the top of each hill. The first such effort starts as usual once we are over the first stone bridge.. This will probably be the last effort session of the year at Chatelherault as the failing light on the final session will probably mean that we need to take it a bit easy to see where we are putting our feet.

As usual, select "Training Venue" on registration app if going direct to Chatelherault or select "EKSC" if leaving from the sports club.

For those who were racing 10k+ on Saturday/Sunday, treat it as an easy run.

Alan

Club Training Thursday 30th July

Thursday's session is a return to some light reps at 10k pace/effort. The session is 10 x 2 minutes with a 2 minute jog recovery during which regroup as far as is possible.

The warm-up is through the glen to Strathaven Rd, up to the Crutherland and then across the road to the backroad. Start the session at the usual 90 degree left hand corner. At Leaburn Rd turn right and continue to the second junction on the right, down the dip and up to Auldhouse Cross. Turn right and return to the club via Langlands and Sainsburys.

Alan

Club Training Monday 27th July

After a good 4 week block of club sessions where every session has involved some sort of effort, Monday's run is a more relaxed, steady run (i.e. not conversational easy but not as fast as threshold either; think something like half marathon to marathon effort). The route is one we did a couple of weeks ago and is a route that I like, not that I have done it for years. This is what we used to call "The Studios" run. So, its out Greenhills Rd to the fingerposts and then along Shields Rd, taking the second on the right at the bottom of the hill and then first left and follow that country road as it winds and climbs back up to a 90 degree left hand bend which then leads back to Auldhouse Cross a few km later. Carry on through Auldhouse cross and back to the club via Langlands and Sainsburys. As we enter our last month of country road runs, make the most of it!

Alan

Club Training Thursday 23rd July

As I try to make our training such that we are regularly exposed to the full range of paces relevant to improving our race ability over the 5k to marathon range, Thursday's session is back onto the faster pace drop-down session of 2 x 3 minutes, 2 x 2 minutes, 2 x 1 minute and 2 x 30 seconds with the pace increasing as the reps get shorter, starting off with 10k pace for the 3 minute efforts, 5k pace for the 2 minute efforts, 3k pace for the 1 minute efforts and a bit faster again for the 30 second efforts. The jog recoveries equal the duration of the preceding rep. If the rep is up a steep hill, then rather than, for example, 10k pace for the rep, it should be 10k race effort ie don't try to maintain the same pace up the hill. 

The warm up is via Sainsburys to Langlands club house junction. Start the first rep there heading past the club house and into Auldhouse. Straight through Auldhouse cross and turn right at the Kennels. Carry on along Shields Rd to the fingerposts and then double back on yourself past the new houses heading back towards Auldhouse Cross. Turn left at Auldhouse Cross and back to Langlands and back to the club via Sainsburys. A little bit of a variation on familiar roads.

Alan

Club Training Monday 20th July - Chatelherault

Monday's Chatelherault session is a threshold session again, which means very controlled only slightly uncomfortable efforts. However, this week, the efforts are broken up into 3 minute segments with one minute jog recoveries. The session starts after crossing the stone bridge and continues for 8 reps. Most of the reps should be done before the log jam, although as usual, one of the reps will probably coincide with the log jam!

Please select "Training Venue" on the registration form if going direct to Chatelherault for 19:30 or select "EKSC" if leaving from the sports club at 19:00.

Alan