Week One

One week after the UK started to take notice of Corvid-19 it's almost at the point that exercise in public could be banned. So it was essential that I took a run in today's beautiful sunshine. I did go the physio on Monday but we agreed that it was likely the last face to face appointment for a while. Luckily the ongoing niggles seem to be keeping to just niggles. I was told that I could start to increase distance to maybe 35km a week for the next month or so. Maybe that'll be possible, maybe it won't.

Although it's generally agreed that chlorinated pool water denatures the virus the local swimming pools are closed. So I'll have to be doing lots of dryland exercises to keep up mobility.

Thirdly, as we'd all been sent home from work to limit contact I couldn't rationalise going to circuits so made do with a routine at home. I didn't make it hard enough and timing was irritating. After finishing I downloaded Tabata Timer Pro which can be programmed for various reps and sets and even pyramid workouts through its group system. I've set up a simple circuit and a pyramid set but not used either yet.

On today's run I think there were fewer runners and cyclists out and about but first thing Saturday is never especially busy. We may go for a walk tomorrow but I will have to keep my mind on a run too so I can work towards the weekly total.

Incidentally, I have signed up for the University's Big Walk but I half expect it to be cancelled.

Parkrun

It's around 7 years since my last park run and I expected to crack 28 minutes in view of my lack of tempo training, and indeed shortage of training altogether over the last year. I went with a small group who'd decided to make an effort to go to Millhouses, chosen as both our nearest and as being less busy than the famous one at Endcliffe Park.

Naturally there were pre-run nerves whilst standing in the cold so I was pleased to remove my fleece and get started. I'm so used to gently trotting along that I knew my pacing could be poor so made a mental effort to start gently and aim to pick up as I (hopefully) became more confident.

Grade adjusted pace per 1km split

My final time was below 24 minutes which I am very satisfied with especially as I don't seem to have upset a joint or muscle. My pacing was exemplary with a nice warm up and then distinct negative splits.

To maintain my current weekly target, and thus consistency, I really need to go out for another 7 or 8 km this afternoon. At least it doesn't look as though it will rain.

All of the paths in Ecclesall Woods

You'll have seen Strava logs where people have run all of the streets in their town but I can't see me ever doing that in Sheffield. A week or so ago I thought that it would be a fun morning to trace all of the paths in the local urban woodland. I run and walk through it at least twice a week but I knew there were certain paths I'd never been on. How hard could it be?

An evening on Viewranger suggested that it would be a 22km route with around 500m of ascent. I've made the route available to download here. The woods aren't on much of a hill but to cover every path needs the small undulations to be addressed numerous times.

As I'm still getting back into the swing of long runs I hoped to take it steady at around 8min/km but in the end the overall pace was slower than 9min/km.

Here it is done, it took over 3 hours and in my current state of unfitness it was quite hard going. I saw some dog walkers quite a few times and felt I needed to apologise to one for popping up so often.

That's my weekend running basically completed now, just a few easy km to achieve the week's target.

Ongoing recovery

I've noted that for the last 8 months there's been a steady increase in my running distance. This comes after stopping in April 2019 when it seemed that some discomfort around my left heel/ankle/achilles was getting worse. After some rehabilitation work I started to swap in walking instead of running, keep up with circuits and limit bouncing loading.

Unfortunately the increase in running has occurred with a reduction in swimming but there are only so many active hours in a week! Now I need to keep this level for a while, a goal of 120km a month is probably right for while.

New Year CSS 2020

I'm starting 2020 with only a few niggles in my arms and legs so really have no reasons not to make good headway with my training. Over 2019 I took some backwards steps with both running and swimming. I hope that I've worked on strength and flexibility enough to have a stronger base for this year and can complete some of my aspirations.

This morning I completed the trials for a CSS estimate, knowing that I'd be slow.

I'm behind my CSS pace for the last few years. However perhaps that means I will be able to use it for training as some previous paces have been unattainable! My pace within the sets was fairly consistent so that might indicate that it's realistic.

A SwimSmooth-recommended set for CSS training is:

Baby Bear
2x 100m + 20 seconds rest (or 1 beep)
1x 200m + 20 seconds rest (or 1 beep)

Mama Bear
2x 100m + 20 seconds rest (or 1 beep)
1 x 300m + 20 seconds rest (or 1 beep)

Papa Bear
2x 100m + 20 seconds rest (or 1 beep)
1 x 400m + 20 seconds rest (or 1 beep)

Garmin Swim Battery change

My V1 swim watch has been very unreliable for my last few swims. Stopping, data loss, time reseting itself etc but no 'low battery' indicator! Also the display has been crisp and contrast-rich which made me think the battery was fine.

Anyway, today I'd got the box of CR2032 in my hands so swapped it over.

Looks like it has been 11 months since the last replacement so perhaps not unsurprising. Let's hope the fault is resolved...

Nausea

My swimming is improving (I did write going forwards...) in style if not in endurance or speed. At least my current coach has told me that I'm starting to look like a swimmer! In fairness I do generally feel more in tune with the water and frequently notice that I'm going through a checklist of at least arm entry site and angle, front-quadrant timing, pelvis tilt, ankle position, hip rotation as I'm swimming. Previously I was often thinking about just keeping going.

I'm still struggling with kick drill lengths and finding them exceptionally tiring.

Last week I was re-introduced to tumble turns, starting with a basic tumble away form all walls. It took me  few attempts to realise that being in a tight ball is pretty critical. The rotation made me feel dizzy. After 4 or 5 successful tumbles I moved towards the wall to start to learn the push-off phase. I had to stop though as I felt nauseous. That lasted almost 48 hours. Since I've tested one tumble per swim to try to become accustomed to it. The thought of a tumble, actually half a rotation, every length makes me feel sick. A quick online search revealed that nausea is common for newcomers to tumble turns, so at least not unusual even if unpleasant.