January: onto the hills

I started 2008 feeling good and fit and used to doing 50 road miles per week.

During January I aimed to keep a good high mileage and steadily increase the amount of climbing I did up to the hallowed 10,000 feet per week.
Finding hills to climb on the Isle of Wight is not a problem but by Lake District standards they are only small hills which means, to get the required amount of ascending - lots of laps. There is a hill at the back of my house which has 65 metres of ascent and descent and is a 1 kilometre circuit. I felt a bit like a hamster in a wheel as I did 12 or more of these laps.
Another favourite is a seven mile mainly off road circuit that has 250m of ascent and descent. In order to simulate the ruggedness of the Lakes I tended to concentrate on the steepest routes where the most climbing and descending came in the shortest distance.
The best for this is Bonchurch Down which is 240m high but can be accessed from Monks Bay on the coast (at sea level). Straight up and down is about 2 miles but there is a better loop which is 3 miles long and has 250m of ascent and descent. A longer version is 5 miles and has about 300m of ascent and descent.

I always find it hard to train in January as it can be so dark and the weather wet and cold. I just kept reminding myself that however hard it was then, it would make life seem easier when it came to the Bob Graham in the summer. Sometimes I would trick myself outside by promising that I would only do a small amount - but of course once I was out there I would generally carry on until the session was completed.

By the end of the month I had got used to 10,000 feet of ascent per week, mainly converted from the road to off road running, was starting to get used to the feel of fell shoes (in my case Walshes) and the feel of a pack on my back and had pretty much kept my mileage at around 50 miles per week. I did all the runs at an easy pace - walking uphill and jogging down or on the flat.

This is how the training was broken down:



Week 1 31(12)-6/1/08

Monday: 5 miles mixed terrain, 100m ascent 48.30

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 16 miles Including 12x 65 metre hill plus 5 miles on road 865m ascent 2 hours 44 mins with 3kg pack.
Saturday 5 miles road 40.27

Sunday Club X country race 5 miles 35.04 plus 2mile warm up and cool down plus 6 mile jog (49.25) on road in afternoon. 100m ascent


Total: 4 runs, 39 miles, 1065m 3595 feet ascent





Week 2 7-13/1/08

Monday: 9 miles off road 1 hour 25min, 400m ascent 3kg pack

Tuesday 7 miles trail 52.16

Wednesday: 7 miles road 55.00

Thursday: 15 miles off road 2 hours 32 mins, 3 kg pack 980m ascent

Friday: Rest

Saturday Rest

Sunday Stubbington 10k road race 38.48


Total 45 miles, 5 runs, 1430m 4700 feet ascent




Week 3 14-20/1/08

Monday 4 miles Bonchurch Down x2 70.00 3kg pack 480m ascent

Tuesday Rest

Wednesday: 7 miles Trail 47.02

Thursday: 11 miles 14x 65m 2 hrs 14min 3 kg pack 995m ascent

Friday: Rest

Saturday Lateral thigh trainer 60.00 7 miles equivalent

Sunday 20 miles off road 3 kg pack 3hrs 13 mins 985m ascent



Total 5 runs , 49miles , 2460m 8070 feet ascent





Week4 21-27/1/08

Monday Rest

Tuesday 5 miles x5 65m hills 3kg pack 55.56 410m ascent

Wednesday 6miles x6 65m hills 3kg pack 68.24 475m ascent

Thursday 12miles x16 65m ascent 3kg pack 2hrs 24mins 1,125m ascent

Friday Rest

Saturday 15miles x3 290m ascent 3kg pack 3hrs 32mins 870m ascent

Sunday 12miles mixed road and trail 3kg pack 1hr 34mins 250m ascent



Total 5 runs, 50miles, 3130m 10,269 feet ascent





Week 5 28/1-3/2/08

Monday 12miles x16 65m hills 3kg pack 2hrs 26mins 1,125m ascent

Tuesday 5 miles x5 65m hills 3kg pack 51.42 410m ascent

Wednesday Rest

Thursday Rest

Friday Rest

Saturday 20miles x4 290m loops 3kg pack 3hrs 42mins 1165m ascent

Sunday Ryde 10 mile road race 67.30 140m ascent



Total 4 runs, 48 miles, 2840m 9,320 feet ascent