This year has gone well so far. I’ve enjoyed training, done well in some races and discovered some new parts of Ireland. Plus the summer is shaping up nicely, with a mix of races, holidays and of course the Euros in Poland and the Olympics in London. I thought I’d give an insight into the year so far, including highlights from my training and racing.

Training

I’ve been happy with my training and I’ve enjoyed the variety and better structure I’ve put in place. I’ve been consistent, averaging 9 hours per week (3hrs running, 3hrs cycling, 1hr swimming). My running has improved, largely through mixing intensity with recovery runs, as well as interval sessions with Rathfarnham WSAF. I’ve learnt to balance recovery days/runs while making the speed sessions more structured, with Fartlek, hill running or intervals. However I haven’t progressed my cycling or swimming that much (my monthly swim 20min TT hasn’t broken 1000m). Someone recently said “Race your strengths, train your weaknesses” and I haven’t really adopted that approach. I should do more cycling with the club and mid-week, as well as swim lessons to improve my technique. Otherwise I’ll never improve. Continue reading “Running Progress”