Personally I don't buy into the notion of this time of year being depressing. Although my birthday is in the middle of January, when you've had a certain amount of those it can become a reason to feel a little bit blue!
Late last year I decided that 2020 would be the year I'd go all in for an attempt at my long desired marathon personal best of sub three hours. I honestly think having that target in mind over the Christmas period kept me focused and therefore less likely to get caught up in the boom and bust cycle that December/January can bring. More balance in decisions of diet and training means I feel less of the effects of withdrawal that I've felt in the past from allowing myself to go nuts on food and drink because the christmas decorations were up.
It's not that I lived like a monk, or more appropriately an Olympian. I still enjoyed myself although admittedly the fact I spent two weeks over Christmas in the tropical climate of southern Florida probably excludes me from being qualified to have an opinion on weather this time of year is in fact blue. Being able to top up the vitamin D and run in warm weather was certainly a real tonic for the phycological effects of winter on a northern atlantic island!
So now the dust has settled and I've been able to try 2020 on for size, I'm chomping on the bit to take on the challenge that lies ahead. I find myself reviewing my old years resolution when I started this blog. The aim then was to keep me honest. To help me log and document the many ways I could train better and harder to achieve the goal. To explore all the other marginal gains that I may be able harness through better diet, recovery and running aids.
Now six weeks into an eighteen week plan for my sub 3 attempt I've had the hiccup of illness to deal with and have managed to get back on track after that. So what you might ask have I been doing to gain the X Percent improvement I need?
The biggest thing has been recovery. Every time I finished a hard session in the past I'd allow myself to celebrate it, that could mean eating or drinking something in front of the tv that evening which doesn't sound too unreasonable. The small change I've made is to not dwell on the session just completed but rather focus on the next one-
Recovery steps after hard sessions:
- Immediate intake of quality protein to kick start muscle repair.
- Use of compassion boots to aid blood flow.
- Stretching and foam rolling to keep muscles in good condition.
- Hydrating properly.
- Taking epsom salt baths to sooth tied legs.
- Getting quality sleep.
The result has been been noticeable. I feel my legs are fresher from session to session compared to previous training cycles.
Other ways I've been seeking gains has been through trying to improve my strength and conditioning. I have a regular core routine I try to do a couple of times a week as well as some glute and hamstring work, which are both areas that I've had problems with in the past. Like the new recovery protocols the extra focus on strength and conditioning is starting to feel noticeable.
I've also been diligent with supplements to try and stay healthy. One of the supplements I now take is Turmeric which is widely regarded as a natural anti-inflammatory. Of course it's hard to say what if any effect this has but I suppose thats the nature of trying lots of different things- it's hard to say what works and what doesn't! I'll continue to take them anyway along with my daily apple cider vinegar. What ever about improved performance or recovery I'll definitely have a strong stomach after this!
As for the actual running part of training, that has gone quite well. Choosing a target time and training paces can be tricky given we're basing that decision on where we want to be rather than were we are fitness wise. The Hanson marathon method I'm following is refreshingly simple to follow. It's basically speed/strength reps on Tuesday, Tempo runs (marathon race pace) from 6 miles working up to 10 on Thursdays and long run up to 16 miles @ MP + 30 seconds on Sundays with easy running in-between. The harder runs come pretty thick and fast so hopefully I can hit the target paces as the milage increases meaning a sub 3 attempt is a realistic goal come April.
One of the things I've been thinking about since placing all my eggs in the sub 3 spring marathon basket is the danger of doing just that. Deciding you want to run a certain time is all well and good, as is putting the structure in place to try and do so. But we can't control everything. I've run enough marathons to know things don't always go as planned- weather, injuries, illness etc can trip you up at the final hurdle. With this in mind I'm starting to turn my attention to what lies beyond the goal race. Having somewhere to go afterwards is vital for long term success. In the past I've had disappointing results in a race for reasons outside my control and I've wallowed a bit with no plan for where I should go next. As part of my plan to find the X-Percent I need I intend to work out a plan for post marathon recovery, a gradual transition to speed work over the summer before an Autumn marathon block for second assault on a sub 3. Of course if I succeed in April and cross the line with 2:59:xx on the clock I may just celebrate for the rest of the year!!
No comments:
Post a Comment