Be patient or be a patient

SANDSIDE    LANCASHIRE

 Back to the desk after a few days away (one highlight being the sunset above taken near Sandside of the Morecambe Bay estuary) but catching up a pile of emails had to be the priority before my blog  posts,  of course.  It's amazing how emails accumalate when not dealt with continually throughout the day.
 Firstly, welcome to Graham Y. of Loftus as a follower.  All the best for 2012 , Graham.
 Returning to the running I hope your week 2 went well whatever stage of your season you are at.   The regional and national XC champoinships coming up but for me the foundation period continued with just a slight increase on the previous weeks.
 Whilst we all appreciate weekly mileage is only one measure of a week's training it is a key element.  Views vary slightly of course on planned progression.  One view is to consolidate with the same mileage over 3/4 weeks then add 1 mile for each session run in a week.   So if we do  40 miles  in  7 sessions for 4 weeks we then can justify the 5th week seeing 47 miles being covered.  
  Another view popular is to increase by a minumum of 5% but no more than 10%.
                         My view........just nudge last week's effort up a tad!
Having run 40 miles in week 1  I was looking for  43/44.
So  a 10% progression in quantity  but  looking also for better pace in the miles and  a faster 5K session as the week's speed work.  In short a few more miles.  Some faster miles and a faster speed session.  Simple.

GARMIN LETDOWN. 
Being away I chose to run Thursday's 5K effort on the Lancaster canal which was a nice change as it provided good views over Morecambe Bay running through Hest Bank.  Not my pic. but conditions similar.  Sunny, cool and blustery.
The plan was to run 4 miles steady
down the canal then turn running the 5K tempo with the remainder jogging.
   Mile one and two of the tempo went well (for me!) at 7.51 and 7.40 but then the Garmin showed battery low before going off seconds later.  I estimate however that I would have run 24.10. So some progression from the track 5K the week previous.
  The Garmin has been shutting down after 4/5 miles recently despite being fully charged . I deleted all history as I know this can be a problem a cause.  We contacted Garmin support and latest data is now installed.   But it still failed after a similar period.  Pain!
  Choice would seem to ditch my old pal the 205 which whilst quite bulky does provide time of day, pace, distance covered and time taken whilst training and racing  and go for the sleek 110 which seems more basic.
Or  go for a new internal battery which will cost nearly as much as trade on the 110.  Technology!!
 
THE LONG(est) RUN.  Last week it was 10 so I had in mind 12 but forced to "pull into the pits" at 5.5 miles,  back home on the  familiar Leeds Liverpool canal , I turned at that point and made it 11 miles.  Unlike others I tend to run late morning fuelled with breakfast so  by the time I hit the towpath I was of course combatting  mad cyclists, loose dogs etc.  all adding to the fun....and risk of falling into the icy waters.
 Usual acceleration scenario......first mile 9.12 last mile 8.12 averaging 8.43.  Where I was by week 7 last year. Progress!

There's a low half marathon next Sunday which would allow me to nudge up this Sunday run to 13 with some company.  Tempting but with snow forecast from Thursday.......who knows.

Whilst the last 4 weeks have been encouraging I am still "aware" of the left calf and know that I'm going to have to be careful  and not  do anything silly in the progression which will see me going backwards.
The phrase I recall is............"BE PATIENT OR BE A PATIENT!