Adarq.org

21-04-26

Run
- w/u
- 3 x 11' (1'30") [4'14" average]
- c/d

12.04k, 58:19

Lift
Curls, Lateral Raises, a few sets of pogo hops

Notes

Bit of left knee and right heel pain. Didn't feel either in the run, just when walking about later in the day. Hopefully transient.

Well that's like 2/3 seconds/km than I've done this workout before, and this was after the biggest weekend I've had + it's 11' reps instead of 10' and and avg HR during reps was 157 (normally mid 160s). RPE felt as normal, and HR is pretty variable (and I don't trust the Coros optical arm strap as much as the not-yet-broken chest strap), but still, those seem like good signs! Esp given recovery state.

23-04-26

Run
- w/u
- 5 x 6' (1') [4:09 average]
- c/d

11.64k, 56:44

Notes

so-so workout, but knee feeling basically fine today at least

25-04-26

AM:

Run
- w/u
- 16k @ 97% HM [4:15 average]
- c/d

21.19k, 1:38:14

PM:

Lift
RDL, Calves, Rev Nord, some KB stuff, chins, dips, curls, laterals
foam rolling (!!)

Notes

Well well well. That felt _great_. Didn't even touch 170 HR until KM 12, and only average 170 for 2 KM (final 2 were both 169) and max HR was 174 (and I'm fairly certain at this point that LTHR is 175-177, based on 5k, 10k, and HM data). Set a 10 mile PB (1:08:36, vs 1;08:45 that I ran in the half 6 months ago), and RPE was very moderate -- maybe lower than last Saturday's big workout!? Avg temp was 16 C during this run, too, so warmest run I've dealt with. All signs are looking positive!

Took 70g carbs during this run (40g via gel, 30g via my water).

Read a useful John Davis article last night (https://runningwritings.com/2025/07/sub-70-half-marathon-training.html), so took inspiration from there for this workout. I guess next Saturday I'll do something like the "5 × (3 km at 100% HMP, 1 km at 85–90% HMP)" workout that he describes, though maybe not quite as intense as that. Will see how I feel.

Tomorrow's run probably won't be a full LR, though we'll see how the legs feel.

ETA: left calf felt pretty stiff so managed to motivate self to get up and do some lifting. decided even to foam roll a bit. felt a lot better after! and tbh wasn't feeling that bad before -- agai, much better than I felt after last week's workout

27-04-26

Run -- 9.48k, 54:50

Notes

Legs a bit heavy/sore, but still 5:47 pace and 127 HR. Woop woop.

Going to need to come up with some new routes or just embrace the amount of looping of the park i'm going to have to do

eta: signed up for a 10k in july and half in sept, both in london. looked at the amsterdam half b/c would like to travel for a race at some point, but already sold out. should poke around to see what looks interesting in late winter/early spring 2027, i guess

29-04-26

Run -- 10.1k, 58:06, including 5 x ~15s strides

Notes

Decent enough. Realised instead of bothering about plyos, I should just do strides. Will try to keep them as a regular thing. I just did them as part of the running, jogging until HR was normal again between 'reps'. Knee fine on this run other than during a couple of strides. hmm. It very rarely hurts during the day, seems only to be if I internally rotate my lower leg against some pressure. Maybe it did happen during my fall from a couple weeks ago (also my finger still not 100% recovered from that, was a pretty deep graze).

90k this might happen week

eta: joined the lottery for the april 2027 berlin half, and may start casting about for a fall 2027 full, if i am still committed to running when lotteries/signups for such things roll around.

30-04-26

Run
- w/u
- 5 x 7' (1'30") [4:12 average]
- c/d

12.42k, 1:01:25

Lift
Chins, dips, curl, laterals

01-05-26

Run -- 9.76k, 58:42

Notes

Feeling the fatigue today. Last _big_ session tomorrow. Thinking maybe 3 x (3k @ HM + 1k float) + 3 x (2k @ HM + 1k float) or some mix like that, will see how I feel. Then next week just normal NSM (maybe slightly shorter SubT on Tuesday, normal Thurs). Probably do a Parkrun on Saturday, though not quite at 100% effort, then properly taper for final week.

Quote from: Joe on April 27, 2026, 04:02:41 am

should poke around to see what looks interesting in late winter/early spring 2027, i guess

or you could come across the pond and do one over here. the only US marathons worth traveling that far for in the spring are boston, obviously, and maybe eugene just because of the running history there. actually, if i don't qualify for boston this year then eugene 2027 might be in the cards. but in the fall there's a bunch of great ones: the other US majors but also marine corps, wineglass, philadelphia, richmond, indianapolis monumental, CIM (if you can get in).

some great sub-marathon spring races as well. i also kind of want to do cherry blossom ten miler next year, it's pretty iconic. some of my running buddies are doing brooklyn half in a couple of weeks, which seems cool and can qualify you for the new york marathon.

OTOH, i also kind of want to come over and do some of the big european races at some points, so maybe what i'm really doing is talking myself into traveling the other way, lol.

well I registered for the lotter for Berlin Half in spring 27, but am thinking of an autum 27 marathon. Could be tempted to go stateside for that...Wineglass or Indianapolis are pretty tempting...

02-05-26

Run
- w/u
- 5 x (3k @ HM, 1k float) [4:10 for reps, 4:50 avg float]
- c/d

22.70k, 1:43:32

Notes

Last set maybe not required -- was consistently averaging 4:08 for first 4 sets, then 4:14 or so for that last block of 3k, and it felt pretty grindy. Cumulative (as in from training, as much/moreso than within this session) leg tiredness felt the limiter as much as anything, so feel like I'm in a good place. 15 days out so plenty of time to recover and absorb these last 2.5 weeks of bigger than usual training.

Took in 100g carbs during this session (2 gels + in my water) and tried out FlyCarb's bicarb as well (having given a dose a trial run while working from home earlier in the week and finding that, thankfully, my stomach can handle it) -- no GI issues despite that combo. The science is somewhat out on bicarb it for longer things, but it's cheap enough to be worth a try, and Megan+David Roche seem pretty high on it for ultras (and all the guys at London are using it, tour cyclists, etc). Looking more closely at what FlyCarb is, I am not sure I need to buy it, since it's literally just plain bicarb mixed into a gel whose ingredients are almost identical to those of the SiS gels I use (which are already a ripoff, but are convenient and I only use them on the weekend's longer runs/sessions anyway -- mostly stick to cheap carbs in water otherwise). So may trial 'just mixing some bicarb into a gel and eating that' when I run out, just out of curiosity.

eta: all time high fatigue (69) and fitness (54) today. have unsurprisingly dipped into the green zone (sorry sirpoc), but i guess i've been treating this block as more of a 'special block' than just a continuation of normal training, somewhat experimentally.

people do seem to love indianapolis as a race, but as a place to visit, nah. i'd much rather go to the finger lakes. one of the track group guys did wineglass a couple years ago and loved it. something to think about...

lol fair, I have a soft spot for random bits of the midwest, but given I cannot drive that's probably not the best move for a trip like this. Haven't visited the finger lakes before but they do look nice.

Twin Cities or Portland looks like other reasonable alternatives that balance 'good marathon' with 'place i'd like to go (and haven't yet been)'. Would very much be down to coordinate on this down the line.