Running

I'll remember that when I'm doing my 6 x 3min hill efforts after work, its going to be bad!

If that would be maximal training in normal conditions then in the heat the idea would be that you reduce that slightly. If you're going to a hill grab a bag of ice on the way and use it to cool yourself on the way down each time.

Is hill training in this weather sensible?

I don't think so but its in the training program so its got to be done!

In all honesty I've got a hill in mind through a little forest so hopefully will be in the shade and there's a river not too far away to jump in afterwards.

Will also chuck some ice in hydroflask to cool down between reps, that's a great idea.

I've just done 24 x 1 min hill reps in no shade. Not the best idea I've ever had, but I lived to tell the tale!

I jogged down to begin with, but after a few reps I walked half of it and jogged down the rest

And I wore a hat to cover my bald head. Didn't take a drink

00:24:37 (31% of time) - Time climbing
6:28 /mi - Avg climbing pace

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I don't know if it's sensible but I'm doing one long hill session per week (as in 10 X reps of a 400m long 4% average hill with 1mi warm up and down) and while I'm finding it super tough, my body seems to respond well to it. Feels like good training rather than bad training. I run with a vest with 2x 300ml bottles of chilled water and sip little and often.

That said, I do still try to get out super early but seem to find myself doing it at about 11am which is already plenty hot enough for me!

I live just outside the fens so no hills to speak of. I suppose what I’m getting at is that unless you’re a pro athlete is there any need to beat yourself up doing a really hardcore workout. I probably sound like a hypocrite as I too used to go out and cycle 50-100 miles at a turn whatever the weather.

Well if you have a training plan you need to stick to it. There is nothing wrong with doing a hill session in the heat and in fact it will probably boost your training. Just gotta be sensible. I’m going out this eve, when it will be a little cooler but have a double day on Weds with hills + an easy. 5km
Hill repeats also mean you can dump a drink or ice at the top to help hydrate/stay cool. Not many hills in the fens mind!

Trying to work out where this is - from the water up to the bridge?

yeah pretty much, I ran down the riverside from Lea Interchange, then up the hill - the rep started at the signpost at the bottom, then up towards Timber Lodge and conveniently ended between two posts at the top, or just past them at the cafe caravan.

There's zero shade at 9am, 6/7pm should be almost entirely in the shade.

There was a woodpecker that I kept disturbing about halfway up as well, it got the hump and disappeared after 8 reps

I suppose what I’m getting at is that unless you’re a pro athlete is there any need to beat yourself up doing a really hardcore workout

Yeah, its a fair point. But as Joe says, for me its about sticking to a training plan...its just a bonus that over the years that I've noticed that within reason, pushing on through bad weather, tends to add value to the training session. That applies to cold, wind and heat.

There are limits though...heat exhaustion/stroke is no joke.

Rubber ended ones you can replace or take off n clean seem to work well for me
https://www.sony.co.uk/image/9ce7daa365f6f994fdfaedbd253fd257?fmt=pjpeg&wid=330&bgcolor=FFFFFF&bgc=FFFFFF

No need to destroy yourself completely but if you have a goal in mind and want to achieve it then consistency is important in training. Missing a session because it's a bit hot/cold/wet would mean you'd miss a lot of training in the UK. If it's not ideal weather on race day then this could be a valuable time to train (sensibly) and see how you deal with the heat.

Anyone tried these yet? Straight to the top of my list

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@Retro_bastard Not tried those but have some other older Saucony trail shoes with the same tread and they are amazing in very wet muddy conditions and you feel very confident in running over tough terrain.

It does sound a lot like that, doesn’t it. Cheers for the link, some good advice there.

https://youtu.be/wNDkhd4erZU

This reviewer didn't rate them much, but conditions in Colorado pretty different to the UK...

LGQXG6 for 10% off at sportsshoes.com this month btw. (£30 min spend)

Yeah he's certainly not loving them and I've always found his reviews very reliable so i think I'll hold fire for the time being

They sure know how to make some ugly looking shoes

Woop Parkrun's back!

Was lovely running today without feeling I was going to die, so much more pleasant.

I did a recce of the Kentmere horseshoe yesterday to see if I would make the cut offs for the fell race. I ran out of water 2/3 in but luckily I found some streams to drink out of and then managed to lie down in the Kent river to cool off not far from where I parked my car. The last hour was pretty unpleasant with totally fucked legs and overheating, I can’t believe the record is 1.22.

I’m not one of the proper ParkRun obsessives but that was a bit emotional to be back!

I managed 20.06 which I’m pretty pleased with as there was a funfair on the prom and I buggered up the recording on my watch so was running blind on how quick I was going.

But most pleasing of all I managed to come 17th of 394 Runners.

Considering I’ve been all about the bike for the last six months I’ll take that!

I did my 200th today, I had been hanging on 199 for a while. Still nowhere near my best, but I am much older, have kids and drink like a fish nowadays. At least my pacing was pretty consistent and I didn't get overtaken

Looks good, bit pricey.

https://race-nation.co.uk/register/primal-adventures/highland-kings