Training Thursday 30th July

For those still to do the Vertical Mile, today will be either an easy run or the VM.

Similarly, if you did the VM on Wednesday, its a recovery run to get rid of any aches or pains. 

For everyone else, it's the Thursday Threshold session:

20 minutes of threshold, 6 mins jog then 6 mins threshold in the midst of an 8 to 10 miles run. 

Alan 

Training Monday 27th July

As this is Vertical Mile week (for which there has been a flood of entries, particularly from Kenny), today's training session depends very much on whether you are doing the VM and when you are doing it.

For those not entered for the VM, then the session is:
20 x 200m at 5k pace (30 second recoveries).

For those doing the VM, do the following session sometime in the week but not on the same day as the VM and preferably with at least a day of rest before or after the VM:

15 x 200m at 5k pace (30 second recoveries).

Alan

Manually transferring sessions from your Garmin watch to Strava

Whilst all Garmin on-line services are down due to a cyber attack on their systems, it is possible to bypass Garmin and manually transfer the session or sessions from your Garmin watch to Strava.

There are various articles on the web showing you how to do this (including a very poor one on the Strava app). However, I have put together a brief video showing how it is done. This applies to non-music enabled Garmin watches (the latest Garmins can store and play music via bluetooth headphones - a different method is required to transfer data to Strava from those watches. You can find details on-line). This video shows a Windows PC however, a similar procedure works for a MacBook. The procedure does not work with an iPad or Android tablet.

This would be a useful way to get your Vertical Mile session uploaded as I imagine it could take some weeks for Garmin to catch up with the millions of un-synched sessions around the world once their systems are back on-line. Note that this method manually "pulls" the so-called Garmin *.fit file for the session from your watch to Strava. You will not end up with a duplicate session on Strava once Garmin is able to sync again as Garmin will "push" that same *.fit file to Strava. The Strava database will see that this is an identical record to one already uploaded (from same watch serial number and exactly the same time stamped data) and will not upload it again. Finally, you can use this method to upload up to 25 *.fit files at once. Just select multiple files at the "File Open" dialogue in Strava.
Alan

Here is the video (with a voice over):

Final 2 GP Races

In the interests of having as close to the intended maximum number of GP races as possible whilst respecting social distance rules by doing solo, virtual time trials only, the final 2 GP Races this year after the Vertical Mile will be the August and September Auldhouse TT's, both to be run as solo events. The August one will start/finish at the usual place whereas the September one will start and finish in Auldhouse. We will sort out some road markings before September.

This will take us to 12 races in total of which your best 11 count towards the GP and scratch events. 

I will put up forms for entry and joker declaration for the August Auldhouse TT. For the September TT, any jokers you have remaining will be automatically played. Meanwhile, you may wish to have a last minute think about joker declarations for the VM.

Alan

Training Thursday 23rd July

Sorry, forgot to post this earlier due to workload.

Today its an 8 to 10 miles run with a 20 minute section in the middle at threshold effort. Easy start and easy finish. 

Alan

Training Monday 20th July

Back to 10k speed endurance. Couldn't be simpler this week:

2 sets of 8 x 400m at 10k pace, 30 sec between reps, 2 minutes between sets (ie 30 seconds after rep 8 + 90 seconds more to give 120 seconds total before set 2).

Will post a video tomorrow but pretty straightforward. 

Alan

Training Thursday 16th July

During an approximately 10 mile run, do 6 x 6 minutes at threshold effort (3 word effort or the level of effort you could sustain for an hour in a race) with 2 minutes jog recovery. Probably best to do this on a hilly course such that you reach threshold effort levels without having to hang on to a fast pace with the extra cumulative impact and muscle damage that brings.

Remember that these sessions are training your physiological systems to respond to work load. It doesn't matter if that load is generated running slower up hills or faster on the flat.

Alan

Senior Harriers exit from lockdown for Phase 3

As the committee appointed Club COVID-19 Coordinator for Calderglen Harriers I am liaising with Scottish Athletics on the impact of the Scottish Government's Phases has on athletics returning to training as we exit lockdown.

The rules for training group sizes changed as of Monday 13th July 2020.

Age 18 Plus

As of Friday 10th July, the household numbers that can mix outdoors is 5 households (with up to 15 people).  You must maintain social distancing at all times.  If adults (18 years plus) are running together it needs to be 2 metres running side by side and 5 metres in a single file.

So as it stands just now we can NOT return to formal club sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Alan will continue to issue the sessions on the blog and members can choose when and where to do the sessions.

I will keep the committee and members up to date of any further changes.

Richard

Relevant Links

Phase 3 - https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/56510-2/

Phase 1 & 2 - https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/clubs/club-support/coronavirus/

The 2020 Virtual Vertical Mile

17/07/2020 Another Update

A good point made by Russell is that you can change your mind over how many jokers to play as you see how many have entered. Just enter your name again using the form and declare your jokers. Once the closing date has past, the latest declaration you have made will be the one that counts. 

Alan

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION

You must put your name down to "Enter" the race even if you are not playing jokers. If you don't turn up, then no problem. However if you decide last minute to do the race and your name is not on the list, you won't be included in the GP results. This gives people half a chance of knowing whether it is worth playing jokers or not. It's not ideal but in the circumstances it's the best we can do to make it like a normal GP race, ie you know roughly who is there on the day. 

Alan

Time for a Grand Prix race!

We will hold the Vertical Mile during the week of Monday 27th July to Sunday 2nd August inclusive. This will count towards the Grand Prix (if you remember what that is). Latest scores and joker situation can be accessed via the menu on the left of the blog.

You choose when you do it during the above period.

This shall be run as a solo effort to make it fair to those who cannot meet up with someone and to be absolutely sure we are complying with social distancing rules.

Please declare your intention to participate and the number of jokers you intend to play using this form. The form will remain live for entries until Sunday 26th July. Jokers can only be declared using this form and therefore before you have run. You can see who has entered in this list.

Times will be taken from the elapsed time field on Garmin Connect or Strava. If you don't have either of these, let me know and will come to some other arrangement.

The course is unfortunately not virtual but is the real deal, starting from the bottom of  the road and finishing level with the gate into the war memorial which is (coincidentally) one mile up the hill. Start and stop your watch manually by pressing the start/stop button.

For safety, and as you are running individually rather than en-masse, start on the pavement on the left of the grassy area rather than on the road as I have indicated by the red line on the picture below and head up the pavement in the direction of the red arrow. Keep to the pavement as much as you can although inevitably you have to run on the road at some point. Be careful and check over your shoulder before stepping out onto the road or before crossing to the other side of the road. Once you have picked a side of the road to run on, try to stick to it to avoid zig zagging across the road and exposing yourself to danger from sometimes very fast traffic.

I am gutted that I do not have an equivalent hill here in Portugal as all the hills are in km here :-)
Alan

Training Thursday 9th July

In this pre-race week, we take an easy 6 to 10 miles today, with 6 x aporox 100m relaxed strides to finish.

Alan

Training Monday 6th July

It's a pre-race week and a slight taper in training volume. The session is:

1 set of 8 x 400m at 10k pace with 30 seconds recoveries. 

2 minutes recovery (30 seconds after last rep and then 90 seconds more).

8 x 200m slightly faster than 10k pace (equivalent of a couple of seconds faster per 400m, eg if your 400's are in 90 sec, do your 200's in 44 sec, ie equivalent of an 88sec 400) but very relaxed, not straining, not sprinting, 30 seconds recoveries. 

The video showing how to set up the session in Garmin Connect is here. Remember to synch to your watch at the end! 

Alan 

6 + 4 Stage virtual relay

Next weekends challenge is the virtual 6 + 4 stage relay 10th to 13th July.
We have entered everyone with a valid SA number although you must be on Garmin or Strava to submit your run. It is alternate legs of 10k and 5k so your Captains and Vice Captains have selected whos doing what. Below you will find a list of all thats entered and the leg length selected. These are provisional and anyone wanting to swap to the other distance let us know before Friday if possible.
If anyone listed isnt doing it let me know and if you dont have a distance but want to do it let me know.

Rules are as previous challenges although the dont drive to run is now no longer valid as the rules say any change in government guidance will be implemented immediately. Important notes are no point to point and any loops should be over 1k and the run should finish approx where it started.

 Morgan Beaton     5k        
Claire McSorley     5k         
Alison Lessells      10k       
Kirsty Wilson         not running yet but welcome to take part
Alexandra Hayden  5k        
Karen Allen           10k        
Julie Beveridge       10k       
Julie Thomson          5k       
Lorraine Buchanan    injured but welcome to take part if fit
Ruth Kelly                  5k
Frances Ferguson     10k     
Christopher McCarron    10k    
Michael Mullen              5k       
Kevin Farmer                5k        
Robert Gibson             10k       
Callum Wright              10k       
Andrew Buchanan        5k       
Martin Duthie                not sure if on garmin or strava
Gerry McParland          10k     
Graeme Lindsay           10k     
Ian Hughes                   5k       
Richard Beaton            can pick what suits
David Wardrope           10k        
Allan Mclellan               not sure if taking part
John Boyd                    not sure if taking part
Gordon McInally           5k       
Geo Ferguson              5k       
Mark Saez                   not sure if taking part
Martin Howell               10k      
Jim Mearns                   10k    
William Buchanan         10k    
Colin Banks                   not sure if taking part
Kenny Leinster               5k      
Richard Lawton              5k      
Stephen Phimister         5k       
David Herbertson          not sure if taking part
Alan Derrick                  10k      
David Watt                    not sure if on garmin or strava
Gerard Mullen                not sure if taking part
Jim Holmes                   5k      
Edward Reid                5k     
Russell Couper            10k      
David Searil                 5k
Andrew Henderson     not sure if on garmin or strava
Ian Rae                       10k 

Russell

Training Thursday 2nd July

It's Threshold Thursday again. Longer rep durations this time to ensure that effort is held back to the correct threshold level (1 hour race pace).

3 x 10 minutes at threshold effort with 3 minutes jog between. Take a few miles to warm up and cool down. 

Alan 

July Auldhouse 5k

It's time again for our monthly 5k individual time trial at Auldhouse. The window for the July TT is Thursday 2nd July to Wednesday 8th July.

Rules are as in previous months:

Record the 5k run as a separate session on your Garmin.

Name the run Auldhouse 5k TT

Send me a message so I can find them all easily when I update the results spreadsheet. 

Alan

Training Wednesday 1st July

Of course it's a Wednesday so it's double trouble; a run and circuits.

However, don't become stale with the routine of consistent training. Consistency is what makes the difference as there are no individual magic sessions. So make your 5 to 10k easy run on a different route than usual or the usual route but in the opposite direction.

For the circuits (3 sets of 15), start with exercise 7 rather than exercise 1 (press ups) to mix it up a bit. The important point is to do it and not find an excuse not to (that is very easy to do). 

Alan