Momentum

Again, I have to apologize for the delay in this blog post, but as you are about to read, I have been super busy since my last update. 

The past few months really have been a dream come true. Following on from my last post, the main focus of my training has been working towards running quicker on the track and building up some fitness. The Alter-G runs have been a massive help in building up my cardio-vascular endurance, however running feels worlds different on the track. In the earlier stages of my track running back in January and February, I would run 200m as a warm up jog, and I would honestly be out of breath! But I have really been able to improve on this since using the Alter-G on a weekly basis and doing more volume on the track. 

I now have a real constructed week of training, which is really helping in making me feel back to my old self again. I am now doing two gym sessions a week, three to four track sessions a week, and one active recovery day, with complete rest days on weekends. It's hard work, both mentally and physically, but I absolutely love it and wouldn't change it for the world!

In the gym, my workouts have been progressing well. Weights are picking up and new exercises are being incorporated. Recently we have added front squats and hang cleans back into my gym program, which are two exercises that I have been unable to do since living away in the states.

Before I picked up this injury in 2015, gym work was my least favorite part of my training, but I have really fallen in love with it since the surgery. I am excited going forward to see what personal goals I am able to achieve in the weight-room. 

On the Alter-G, my training has been progressing well. The time of my runs have been increasing in speed, time and body-weight applied. In my last few sessions, I have been running at around 11km/ph, at 92-95% of my body weight for around 20 minutes. Compare this to where I started back in December when I started at 70% of my body weight, for 12 minutes at 9.5km/ph. This has been a great indication of how much stronger my knee is. I can remember how shaky my first on the Alter-G was, and now I am at the point where it no longer is something I need to incorporate into my training. A massive thank you to James at Gym and Tonic for all of his help with my rehab!

Back on the track, my training has been great! When I first started running on the track, a typical session would be 50m x8 with walk back recovery. This type of session would leave me tired. 

Now, my sessions are much more varied. My cardio/ speed endurance sessions are normally 100m x8 with one minute recovery in-between. This session normally leaves me on the floor with my legs swimming in lactic, but I can already tell that my lactic buffer is slowly starting to build back up. I have one speed session a week, which I have recently being doing with Danaa Callow, where we have been working on looking at my positioning in the blocks, and then finishing the session with some short/fast runs. Any other sessions I have now are normally something like 120m's or 150m's repeats. Again, this distance has slowly been building up. 

The best news to come since my last blog post is that I am now RUNNING IN SPIKES! I have not been in my spikes since Gotland 2017 and I was really unsure of how it was going to feel. But I can confidently say that it feels as if my spikes and I never parted ways in the first place. 

I honestly cannot even begin to explain the sheer joy and gratitude I feel every time I get to lace up my spikes - I feel like the luckiest person in the world. To think that I had people telling me to give up, say that I would never run again, that I needed to retired at the mere age of 19! Well, I am delighted to be out here proving those people wrong every day. It really feels nothing short of incredible. 

Going forward, I am currently in the airport en route to Tenerife for two weeks for a block of warm weather training with a group that I have been trialling with in Loughborough. This is my first ever warm weather training camp, and I am super excited to get in the sunshine and put together some fast sessions. 

Training back on the island over the past few months has been nothing but wind, rain and cold, so this will be a well-needed break from the Manx conditions for a few weeks.

One of my initial goals for warm weather training was to run a 30s 200m. However, after a successful block of training recently it is now looking that I can run quicker than we originally anticipated over a 200m, so this is certainly a test that I am looking forward to trying. 

Last Thursday I ran a time trial 150m, and Ruth and I had set a target of 21s. I managed to come home in 19.4s! This indicates that I am more than capable of a sub 30s 200m; I imagine that while away WWT we are going to try a time trialled 200m, and Ruth wants me to start building up to a steady run over 300m, which is something I am feeling confident about. 

On return from warm weather, my goals are simply to be healthy and happy! If I can come away saying ”I gave it every ounce of effort I could”, have a smile on my face and my knee is acting right, then I will be able to call the trip a massive success. 

I can't wait to see what the next two weeks bring, and I will be sure to keep people updated with my progress. I imagine I will be posting on Instagram over the duration of my trip, so to follow any updates on there, my username is @coobreid