Running Drills

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you will note that once per week I finish of my running with a session of drills / strides (I use the phrase interchangeable) , a number of runners I train with put them down other think they are good, I, basically just enjoy doing them, so if they help by running that will be a bonus

I believe running drills help build strength and flexibility in your legs and they help increase your stride length and frequency making you a faster runner.

When it comes down to it Running speed = Stride Length x Cadence so improving either (or both) can have a positive effect on your running

I normally finish my run with a 2 to 4 sets of the following

BUM KICK DRILL

Using a short stride, on your toes, raise your heels as high as possible behind your body, as if you were trying to bounce your heels off of your buttocks. Most of the movement should be with the lower leg. The upper leg should not move very much. Concentrate on raising your heels as high as possible. Repeat for 20 to 30 meters.

You will feel this in your hamstrings so it is good to stretch them slightly.

SIDEWAYS RUN (NO CROSS OVER)

Run sideways bringing your feet together, but not crossing over each other, almost like a sideways skip Repeat for 20 to 30 meters, then come back with the opposite leg leading.

HIGH KNEE DRILL

Using a short stride, on your toes again, raise your knees as high as possible on each stride, aiming to get your knees as high as possible. 20 to 30 meters

SIDEWAYS RUN (WITH CROSS OVER)

Like the previous sideways run but this time you cross over and rotate your hips/shoulders as the left leg moves in front and then behind the right leg. Think fast feet on this one.  Repeat for 20 to 30 meters, then come back with the opposite leg leading.

MINISTRY OF THE FUNNY WALKS

(For those old enough to remember the sketch)

This one is done slowly. And is a walk in the half lunge position, aiming for a long stride, you should feel this one stretch like a set of lunges. Repeat for 20 to 30 meters, stretch out to loosen back up then repeat on the way back

Well for what it was worth … that is what I do  when I say I finished with drills/Stride

WW

A Word of Warning

As I sit here, once again cursed with man-flu and about to miss my second training session of the week, a conversation I recently had with a friend and one time training partner comes to mind.

We had been talking about the long hall training plans that get us ready for Ironman, that may range from 17weeks to 30weeks in length and the relevant affect of dropping occasional sessions.

Quite often in a plan we will feel tired after work or lack motivation to get out the door when the weather is bad outside so may end up missing a session as there is ‘plenty of time to make it up’, this is especially so early in the plan, when in the UK it is normal the new year and the depths of winter.

But dropped sessions accumulate and early in the plan we are laying the foundation that need to be solid, without gaps, to support the build up of training as we progress towards our long distance goals.  So missing sessions weakens that foundation and what is missed is missed, it has passed us by and we can’t go back to that missed opportunity.

For me last year and Ironman Germany was a case in point of this effect, it was my worst Ironman race ever, I went into it not fully ready, I had dropped sessions through moving away to work, ending up at the other end of the country, having to make the most of my weekends with my family … and so on … but these, when it comes down to it are just a bunch of excuses and If you want Ironman you have to work at it, it take time, commitment and consistency, training is hard and long but it’s not supposed to be easy, its Ironman.  The above left me struggling, for the first time, to finish – It took me 14:45(ish) … the lack of training showed

It is normal to feel the accumulation of training, it is normal to feel the wariness of a hard day at work but you still need to train to follow the plan, to build the foundation of your race.  Just get out there (HTFU, JFDI etc) and train, you may quite often find it will revitalise you after a hard day at work.

BUT remember do be organised, do be structured and build recovery weeks (for me 1 in 4) and rest days into your schedule, these are what serve to keep you fresh and ready to train and prevent over training.

Don’t look for excuses not to train instead look of ways you can train and build the foundation to your perfect race

(JUST MY THOUGHTS)

WW

Indoor Training (Bricks)

During the winter, a lot of training moves in doors through necessity imposed by bad weather and dangerous conditions.  You do not want to end your season before it has even started because a care has knocked you off your bike in the dark or it has slipped away from you in the ice, so indoor it is…

Monday’s for me normally means a brick session, and these can be quite long, but long and indoors does not have to mean boring.  The following are examples of the bike and run segments I may do as part of the indoor brick …

BIKE

 

This may be (for me from 1:00 to 2:30)

Session 1

Warm Up 10 – 15mins

Main set
 # x (

- 3 mins seated climbs just below VO2max 

- 2 mins standing  climbs just above VO2max

- 1min lighter resistance speed spin trying to maintain VO2max

- 2min recovery

)

Warm down 10-20mins

Session 2

Warm Up 10 – 15mins

Main set

# x ( 

- 5-10 x (1min seated climb | 1 min recovery)
- 5-10 x (1min fast spin | 1 min recovery)
- 5-10 x (1min standing climb | 1 min recovery)

- 5-10 x (1min fast spin | 1 min recovery)

- 5 min Easy
)

Drills

- 5-10 x 1min (each) 1 legged drills
Warm down 5-15mins

RUN

When in the gym the run part I aim to keep to a maximum of 30mins or so and base my sets on my steady marathon pace of 10kph (the gym I use is in kph)

Session 3
5 mins building speed
Main set
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 10.5 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 11.0 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 11.5 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 12.0 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 12.5 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
Warm down

Session 4
5 mins building speed
Main set
- 1 min 10.0kph | 1 min 9.5kph
- 1 min 10.5kph | 1 min 9.0kph
- 1 min 11.0kph | 1 min 8.5kph
- 1 min 11.5kph | 1 min 8.0kph
- 1 min 12.0kph | 1 min 7.5kph
- 1 min 12.5kph | 1 min 7.0kph
- 1 min 13.0kph | 1 min 6.5kph
- 1 min 13.5kph | 1 min 6.0kph
- 1 min 14.0kph | 1 min 5.5kph
Warm down

Have Fun

WW

A look back on January

Well, that's the first month of the year out of the way already, and I've come out of this side of it feeling quite good, which I am pleased at, considering the man flu and chest infection I started the month at which meant no training at the front end of the month.

January also marked the start of my 10 week base plan (see post) but due to being ill, I decided to adapt week 1 and do the main over 2 weeks, to ease back into things, after all ... a plan is just a guide.

What this means is that I have now have completed the first 3 weeks of my plan which have slowly grown from 5hrs in the first week to just short of 9hrs in the 3rd week, next week will be a slightly down / recovery week as, for me, every 4th week is a recovery week.

I happy with my long bike, which is up to 2hrs and my swim which is at a nice 3.6k level, but i am a little bit behind on my long run which is still only at 6.6 mile and i wanted to be up to 9miles by now, but on the plus side i have been getting in more runs than I thought and introduced strides into my run program once per week (post on strides to follow)

Also i am continuing with a weekly non sports specific strength / power training to help try an repare / improve my damaged back

The following graph shows my stats from week 1 (twice) through to 3 ..

WW