28 Day Run Program

What is it?

An individual 28 days in a month training program, dedicated to running, which should take your performance to another level. The program is all about increasing your total run volume for a month with all the benefits of frequency & consistency without the fatigue of individual long runs. If you do this properly & listen to your body it definately works.

How?

Run for 6/7 days on the trot, then take a rest day, then repeat 3 more times over the month. The runs you do are entirely up to you depending on how you feel, your ability and where you are at with your training.

Any run must be at least 20 minutes but can not be more than one hour. It can be any pace and keep it varied eg; steady run, time trial, hill efforts or speed work.

One of the important points to this program is to learn to listen to your body & tap into how you are feeling.

Every day someone can post their run on the ATHelite Facebook page & everyone participating can leave a comment on that post of their own session.

When?

We start on Thursday 1st September at our East Kilbride Run Group & carry on from there.

Follow us daily on the ATHelite Facebook Page

A spot of Wind.

Last week I was extra prepared for the Saturday Athelite (could be abbreviated to Satelite?) Bike Ride & published the route on Friday on the Facebook page. I will think twice about doing this again as we barely stuck to the route at any point but a good ride from everyone nonetheless with some good sharp climbs to test the legs. A few too many stops & starts what with getting lost, mechanicals & adjustments but we will work on a bit more fluidity & group riding skills over the next few weeks.

Sunday was our 10 Mile Road Race Run Training Session. An excellent turn out on a very windy Sunday morning & everyone produced some excellent times & improvements despite the blustery conditions. I really enjoyed the workout & paced myself on heart rate all the way round for a change & it worked well. I have actually run the same hilly course as a race when Calderglen Harriers organised it in 2009. My time then was 62 mins & this time I was 67 but I have a whole range of excuses to try & justify that including age, Ironman fatigue, a cold.... whatever!!. I was pleased none the less as both myself & Genevieves run pace over these runs is starting to get quicker.

A few guys were running the 10 miler as a test for this Sundays Glasgow Half Marathon. If you are running the Half or the 10k this weekend then have a good rest this week & Good Luck on Sunday!!

ATHelite 10 Mile Road Run

Great turn out this morning for the 10 Miler in less than favourable conditions. It's a pretty tough hilly course anyway but the additional strong winds added a bit of an extra challenge today. Everyone should be really pleased with their times and some great improvements on show.
Big thanks to Mandy for doing the times & showing her face around the course & thanks to Lyndsay & Lesley-Ann  for adding to the post run mobile buffet.

Results are as follows;

Lyndsey         1.40.30
Lesley-Ann    1.40.30
Mairi             1.40.30
Phil                1.31.39
Graeme A      1.31.38
Lorna             1.26.32 (part of an 18 mile run)
Robbie           1.26.20
Paula              1.25.00
Callum            1.19.44
Gareth            1.19.35
Genevieve      1.16.47
Mark R          1.15.51
Graham R      1.11.30
Mark S          1.11.00
Colin              1.07.29

Competition Time!!

Competition Time again and  this week we have a cracking red Mizuno Boston Sports Bag worth £35 to give away. Loads of storage & functionality, ventilated side pocket, dual zip wide opening & a padded Mizuno AeroStrap.

Inside the pictured bag are some Mizuno running shoes. Go to our FACEBOOK PAGE & leave a comment guessing how many shoes you think are in the bag & we will pick a winner next Thursday. (If there are multiple right answers  we will pick a winner from the correct answers at random whilst blindfolded in a dark room).

Miles better.

I thought our next target event was Carlisle Half Marathon on the 2nd October but I have just realised that before then we have the TTC (Trossachs Training Camp) up in Callander later in September. This is a running weekend with Calderglen Harriers in which Genevieve has a big part in the planning & organisation. It features run sessions on Friday evening, Saturday Morning & Afternoon & Sunday morning. These sessions are interspersed with workshops, eating & drinking.  For me the nights are spent laying awake listening to my colleagues snore, mutter & creak their way through the night exhaused & semi-inebriated in bunk beds. I am not a good sleeper.

Whilst I am happy that my eating & drinking are at a suitable level, I do need to improve my running so as of last week I have been trying to increase my running frequency & volume. Last Tuesday I headed out for a 30 min run on a pre-planned route only to turn the opposite way at the first junction to go & run the Harriers 'Four Hills' route. I haven't run this for a couple of years & forgot what a toughy it was. I still don't know why I chose to do it, or which of the numerous hills in the run are counted as the four hills but all I do know is that I seized up at about 4 miles & the following 6.5 were slow & painful. Being a stubborn fool though I was intent on finishing it.

I have run 5 days since last Tuesday & also endured a killer leg rub from Grant & yesterday I went to run the same route again. All I wanted was 1 min quicker over the same course but my mind & body were clearly in a better place. Keeping strictly to Zone 3 on my heart rate monitor I cruised around & finished over 13 mins quicker than the previous week. I was more than happy with this & whilst it was still a way off my pace in previous years it is amazing what a difference a week makes!!

This Sunday we have the ATHelite Club 10 Mile training run so hopefully we will have a good turnout, good run times, good weather & a good post race buffet in the Car Park.

Back in the Saddle

We are feeling like we are starting to get back to normal after Ironman Switzerland last month and we are starting to introduce a bit more activity again. It's either that or go mad.

I took the bike group out as usual on Saturday morning - this is a great group & everyone gets something out of it whether you are just starting out & are wanting to up the distance & practice riding in a group or, like me & Gareth, like to race for every hill top, street sign & junction possible. We had Paula out this week for her first outing with us & she did really well until she fell off standing still about 1/4 of a mile from the finish. I've been there - I am quite capable of riding 100 miles in all conditions only to get home and fall off in the flower bed outside the house. The post ride snacks were Empire Biscuits courtesy of Nicolas Mum & were of a very high standard!

A lot of the Sunday run group are in training for half marathons at the moment and we were down for a 10 miler this week. I have upped my running this week and finished on about 40 miles after the rather brisk Sunday run. I have been struggling with sore stiff legs all month - I have a habit of ceasing up when not running, but following an increase in mileage & a killer leg rub from Grant on Thursday I finally started to find some looseness, speed & strength again. It's great to see the difference in other people too as they increase the number of weekly runs & build some consistency. Phil Marshall & Lindsay Cruikshanks are standing out to me as a great example of what you can do if you pick a challenge & focus on training for it, the difference in both of their running is excellent. Next week is the Club 10 miler which should be good fun - it is timed to be a good race day simulation for those doing Glasgow Half Marathon the following week.

This week we are trying to commute a bit more on the bikes. This does require what feels like a 'Live-Aid' level of organisation & forward thinking but we have managed 3 days in a row so far. So far we have managed to leave all the right clothes in the right places but today is the biggest challenge so far. Up at 5.30am, breakfast, then ride to Tollcross for the morning swim. After the swim ride from Tollcross to Hamilton to work. After work ride home to East Kilbride, get changed then drive to the run group, run, then home again probably for a very large dinner!

Facebook Giveaway

This week we are giving away £40 of Asics Running Socks.

All you have to do is follow our Facebook Page. Click & Like one of the Competition Posts & share it amongst your friends & we will chose a winner at random on Thursday. Easy!!

Here is the link to the ATHelite Facebook Page

Vibram® FiveFingers® coming to athelite

5 Reasons to Wear Or train in ViBraM® FiveFingers®. Vibram® FiveFingers® is different than any other footwear on the planet. Not only does it bring you closer to your environment, FiveFingers® delivers a number of positive health benefits by leveraging all of the body’s natural biomechanics, so you can move as nature intended.

1. Strengthens Muscles in the Feet and Lower Legs – wearing FiveFingers® will stimulate and strengthen muscles in the feet and lower legs, improving general foot health and reducing the risk of injury.
2. Improves Range of Motion in Ankles, Feet and Toes – no longer ‘cast’ in a shoe, the foot and toes move more naturally. 
3. Stimulates Neural Function Important to Balance and Agility – when wearing Vibram® FiveFingers®, thousands of neurological receptors in the feet send valuable information to the brain, improving balance and agility.
4. Eliminates Heel Lift to Align the Spine and Improve Posture – By lowering the heel, our body weight becomes evenly distributed across the footbed, promoting proper posture and spine alignment.
5. Allows the Foot and Body to Move Naturally, Which Just FEELS GOOD.

In 2005, Vibram® introduced the next generation of innovative performance sole design: one that allows the foot to move and work naturally, as if barefoot. We call it Vibram® FiveFingers® 

Vibram® FiveFingers® challenges the paradigm of conventional footwear. The thin, flexible, and deconstructed sole allows the foot to curl and flex as nature intended. The five toes are separate just like our feet! Because of these features, every step taken in FiveFingers® is a lesson in texture, temperature, and biomechanics that can make us healthier and more connected to our bodies.

 Due in to athelite 5th September

Facebook Giveaway!!

Go to our Facebook Page for a chance to win a Mizuno TriSport Triathlon Bag worth £40!!

ATHelite Facebook Page

Kelso Triathlon 7th August 2011 Race Report

Having achieved a podium spot at the weekend Nicola is contractually obliged to come up with a race report so here is her report from Kelso Novice Triathlon. As always - never short on words!!

This is my first, and probably last race report if you only get to do them when you make podium or do a PB! So I’m making the most of it and as well as doing a story about Kelso, talk about my first 6 months in the wonderful world of triathlon – just hope ATHelite aren’t getting their editorial red pens out as they read this incase there’s a word count restriction!

I’m a girl of many things, but making it up as I go along def isn’t one of them, I have my routine day before and on race morning – so I serviced the bike, put gas in the car, packed kit as per list, ate my porridge, and most importantly made sure I packed cake the endless consumption of which is the main benefit of triathlon for me!

Awful lot of time to waste post registration to actual race, 4 hours. This very nearly put me in the wrong frame of mind, but thankfully some family came to see me and despite this only being my 3^rd triathlon I recognised a friendly face from a previous race so I narrowly avoided boredom and pre-race demons!

As always I couldn’t wait to get started, no butterflys in tummy, just knowledge that I’d done it before, had trained my best, and would do it again. Ever since my first triathlon where in naivety my race strategy was to go as hard as I could and I died half way through the bike, my race strategy has been the same – slooooow swim (because I’ll still be one of the first out the pool and my bike is weak if I’m even remotely out of breath after the swim), good but not too hard bike, and then whatever I can manage on the run!  Reckon by adding 30 seconds on my swim I save at least 3 or 4 minutes on my bike and run.

Swim felt great, although I did have some 12 year old North East champ on my tail the whole way – not a chance was that kid getting past me! Or so I thought until the wee fecker bombed it the penultimate length and tapped me on the foot 2 seconds before the wall… WTF?!

On the bike I soon hit the not inconsiderably sized hill, but I get a lot confidence from having survived a trauma before, so I just thought of the eaglesham, bonnington and ardochrig climbs at home, imagined I was drafting behind Malcolm on a Saturday morning with Shirley yakking away in the background and just kept spinning as Colin told me to do on my first day! The roads could have taken narrowboats instead of cars what with the size and frequency of the puddles, and I decided it wasn’t worth coming off the bike on the downhill so kept it fast but safe! Pleased to say I burned the North East champ in T1;)

On to my 2^nd nemesis.. the run! All I can say is thank you to the Monday run group for making me feel so welcome. It is entirely down to my 3 weeks there that I managed to put in what was for me a great tri run, and all on a hilly course with 30 uphill steps in the middle! I really felt the benefit of even that little bit of formal training after having done all previous training on my own. But I am looking forward to knocking off serious minutes from my time with continued attendance Genevieve so I know I’m not off the hook;)

I thought it was worthwhile mentioning transition - quite frankly it was chuffing freezing and the rain was binning it down, but as the Saturday bike crew know, I go out in anything. So whilst others were faffing around in T1 and 2 with long sleeves and waterproofs, I went hardcore - tri suit only. In the end I made 3^rd female by just 36 seconds, the girl in 4^th was technically faster but spent well over a minute longer than me in transitions – I think the message there is hypothermia will only kill you after the race so deal with it then;)

So here’s my parting thoughts, it’s pretty daunting for a girl doing baby triathlons with only 6 months training under her belt to be in a world where everyone is much more fit and far more experienced. There’s comfort to be had from ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’!  One of the hardest things for me is the fear of holding better people back, but I can honestly say without attending the club training and everyone’s help and support I wouldn’t have got even this far!  So whilst triathlon is a solo sport, I feel I swim bike and run on the shoulders of others, including my family and friends who listen to me wanging on about the hardships, the aches and pains, the ups the downs, tolerate the being late for things, turning up with hair wet and no make up, or not being able to join in at all because of some training commitment.  And special mention to Gordon and Peter, you’ve not only had to do your own tri training but have lived through every step of mine too. 

Lets hope I never win an Oscar, over and out;)

London Triathlon Race Report

Here is Lornas race report from her London Triathlon experience at the weekend. Well done Lorna!!


The Transition, Expo, start and finish for this race were all inside the Excel London - a massive exhibition centre of which one entire side was the London Triathlon - billed as the largest triathlon in the World.

The massed ranks of bike racks was something to see. I was told there were 8000 folks entered - presumably they didn't all turn up but they were starting waves all day Saturday and Sunday from very early till evening. Each one with the warm up comedian at the swim start and commentators at the waters edge. The swim start was pretty calm - big floating dumbells provided by Virgin health clubs - very appropriate. I was in the mixed wave (thanks to entering late) and found myself having to swim through lots of very boisterous men who seemed intent on thumping me in the head. I am not used to that kind of thing at all and had a couple of big swallows of Thames water - mmm slightly salty mixed with mud and a little bit of something I really don't want to know about.

I enjoyed most of the swim - didn't feel it was hard work particularly but because I hadn't really studied the course, I hadn't a clue where I was going and so it seemed quite long and I had been too cautious and unwisely put myself in the slower half of my wave I must admit after my second big gulp of river water and subsequent retching fit, I started to look forward to getting out. Transition was up very wet stairs back into ExCel - very interesting underfoot.

The cycle was billed as 'past big Ben' - unfortunately for me that route was only for the morning lot and I spent my time going back and forth through the Blackwall Tunnel - although I daresay I was cycling much faster than most cars get to do it - oh and I got to see the delights of Billingsgate Market too. V picturesque. It was a very easy cycle - fairly flat with just the ups and downs of on and off ramps so it flew by. I thoroughly enjoyed whizzing past people until the age groupers in the wave behind me started to catch up and overtake me at about 40 mph - plenty of pointy helmets in that group.

Transition again was a delight in cycle shoes - I have not mastered keeping my shoes clipped to my bike so I just had to tap dance in and out on the shiny floor and hope I didn't fall - very gingerly does it.

The run was excellent. 4 laps of a highly entertaining route - almost totally flat with a giant inflatable shoe and gatorade bottle, lots of support and asics banners all along the waters edge. Before I knew it, I was on my last lap and I could sprint to the 'raised' finish line in the middle of the expo. I had told Gavin I would be between 3 and 3:30 so I was surprised and pleased with my time. I haven't done this distance before and so I was pretty nervous about how the run would feel after, what is for me, a longer cycle.

It was a very warm day and the organisers seemed intent on keeping everyone hydrated - plenty of water, gels, stuff everywhere - way more than I was expecting. There was also a ton of marshalls and helpers - people in virgin tops everywhere you looked. I cannot think what else they could have done to help the competitors or the spectators. Brilliantly organised and so very friendly - everyone seemed to be grinning. I watched the video playback of my race this afternoon and noticed that I too was grinning like a loon in most of the shots. I think I enjoyed myself.

1.5km/38.7km/9.8km : 34.22 (T1- 4.31),1:13:09,(T2- 2.20), 50:28 - 02:44:50