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+--- Thread: Parkrun Improve (/Thread-Parkrun-Improve)
RE: Parkrun Improve - NeilJ - 24-09-2026
(23-09-2026, 01:10 PM)TheEd Wrote: HI Neil .. how were your legs after the treadmill session, sometimes they can feel a little different after a treadmill session
TheEd
Great question coach, I think it possibly had something to do with the lethargy I felt on Saturdays Parkrun. Having blasted the treadmill session on the Thursday I certainly don’t think that I had sufficient recovery time. Having not run on a treadmill in sometime there were obviously stress areas on muscles that aren’t as engaged on the road. My stride pattern naturally changed with a bouncier action and my breathing was far more rhythmical which meant that I felt that I could go deeper and faster as a result.
I still believe it was an incredibly useful session and am going to be interested to see if it has any long term benefits. I’m amazed that you picked up that there may very well have been a post run effect which obviously there was as can be seen through the rest of the weeks running, but then you are Super coach who’s been doing this for 4 decades. Thanks for the question. Weeks run report to follow.
Monday’s longer run of 10.46 over the top through the Vineyards was probably even more telling in terms of the post treadmill session. Although my time was 1:02’22 at an AHB of 147 BPM was reasonable, it belies that way I felt. I should note also that it was the 1st day that felt like summer with a temperature on top of the farm pushing 30 degrees. I always took pride in the fact that I was a pretty decent warm weather runner, coming out of winter however meant that I was going to require a bit of adaptation. It’s interesting to note that one can lose our ability to perform in certain conditions over just a few months. I had to really drag my body over the course and recognized that the combo of very heavy legs and a bit of dehydration had me completely knackered when I collapsed on the lawn back home.
The most interesting development after the previous week’s treadmill speed session occurred on Thursday. It was my hill run that truly provided the full benefit of the treadmill, feeling that I was now fully recovered a week later I decided to attempt to run the segments a bit quicker. Here are the numbers:
179M in 00’50.6 @ 131 BPM
176M in 00’49.4 @ 133 BPM
179M in 00’51.0 @ 128 BPM
177M in 00’48.5 @ 132 BPM
179M in 00’46.1 @ 133 BPM
The hill run is normally run in a few seconds slower than this in an average of around 51 seconds, today these were run at and average under 49 seconds which doesn’t sound like much but I felt amazing doing the session. I felt like I maintained great posture, running strong through the finish of every segment with a spring in my step. The most revealing bit of data however was my HR around the 130BPM mark. The combination of time, the way I felt, along with the HR numbers I can only credit to the treadmill session. Now to see if there’s a further reveal on Saturday?
RE: Parkrun Improve - TheEd - 29-09-2026
Hi Neil, try to establish a two week cycle as discussed previously, so you only run a harder parkrun every 2nd week or else the body wont adapt to the training
with weather change etc, the body will need to adapt and this impacts on the runs that follow
hopefully things improve, do consider having a week of just simple aerobic runs without any intensity, so that it counts as a break from the routine
The runner often comes back stronger after a little easy running
TheEd
RE: Parkrun Improve - NeilJ - 02-10-2026
Thanks Gavin, I only saw this now after my week was complete today. I will certainly take on the really valuable advice. Easy week coming up.
This has been a very strange week. Park run was rubbish in 25:14 and it’s not like I was really holding anything back.
My longish run over the Vineyards on Monday felt somehow conflicted and not flowing as they normally do.
This morning I ran my, “speed session”, as I just couldn’t get there on Wednesday. To be honest I have lacked motivation and I have not been in love with running this week. Today was extremely sluggish after the incredible session on the treadmill two weeks ago. Here is my session.
1K 5’11.4 @ 144 BPM even in this time it felt like a struggle.
2K 10’26.7 @ 146 BPM given the 1st 1 K I was a bit surprised at this time.
1K 4’45.3 @ 147 BPM I just wanted to get the week done and it concluded here.
Crazy week, glad it’s over let’s see what parkrun and next week holds for my running?
RE: Parkrun Improve - TheEd - 03-10-2026
Hi Neil, you sound as though you needed an easy week
hopefully things become easier though an easy week should still be a plan
TheEd
RE: Parkrun Improve - NeilJ - 15-10-2026
(03-10-2026, 04:03 AM)TheEd Wrote: Hi Neil, you sound as though you needed an easy week
hopefully things become easier though an easy week should still be a plan
TheEd
Hi Gavin, you are spot on, that’s exactly what the previous week comprised of.
Last week’s Parkrun was run in 24’38.3 which does appear to be a bit of a ceiling at the moment. That was a definite indicator that I needed to dial things down a bit.
I then throttled back and ran my longer run on the treadmill slower than usual. It was a bit of a challenge to complete an hour’s run of 11.57 Km on the treadmill. It’s the longest I have ever run on a treadmill at the gym and it was a great exercise in discipline, as it did do my head in a bit. The relentlessness of the turning belt with no view was difficult but great to keep me moving at a consistent pace for a change.
As I feel that I have been hammering away at the same program, at the same pace, I decided to skip the hill session and just jogged down to the courier locker to deposit a parcel and jogged a slow 5K for a change. It was great to have a change of pace.
Saturdays park run was also run slower than usual in 25’19.7 and then I was back into the vineyards to run Monday 10.41 k in 1:03.29.
Although this wasn’t much of a break I do feel that the small incremental changes by running the treadmill and skipping the hill session for a gentle 5k did provide a lower intensity week.
I am going to begin to prepare for the next mark to run sub 24 minutes before the end of the year, which gives me around 10 weeks which I think is more than reasonable. Looking forward to some advice and a bit of coaching if you are willing which would be great. Upwards and onwards.
RE: Parkrun Improve - TheEd - 15-10-2026
Great stuff Neil .. simply backing off releases the tension
If anything, look to see if you can run a long run every 3 weeks .. so look to build that up 15 to 18k .. if you achieve this every 3 weeks we can begin to get you onto a less harsh format but actually better for your development
it does mean you still run ParkRun but you run harder only every 2nd week .. so run the parkrun this weekend and then we look to achieve a long run 15k .. this is aimed at keeping your pulse low .. once this is achieved then we can introduce a new cycle that I use on our group
over to you
TheEd
RE: Parkrun Improve - NeilJ - 15-10-2026
Thanks coach, really appreciate that. This makes absolute sense.
I will certainly attempt to up my long one to 15 Km next week and will report back.
Kindest regards
Neil.
RE: Parkrun Improve - NeilJ - 23-10-2026
Tuesday was both revealing and came as a bit of a shock as I upped my long one on your advice Gavin to 15.29Km’s which I ran at just a smidgen over 6:00/ k in 1:32’28. I found it remarkable that just running a mere 15 Kays could be so challenging, this would once have been shorter than my second longest weekly run and I really did take quite a bit of strain.
I then ran my speed session on Thursday which despite having fairly heavy legs from the Tuesday longer effort went fairy well, Herewith the numbers:
Warmup 1,09Km in 7’03 @117 BPM
1st K 1.03 in 4’58.9 @ 143 BPM felt good, held good posture and focused on breathing.
2 K 2.06 in 10’20.6 @ 147 BPM although the time was not that great I did manage to run negative splits here for a change after starting fairly slowly and cranked it through to the finish.
3rd K 1.02 in 4’41.5 @ 149BPM I was fairly surprised that this segment was run in a fairly decent time with good shape.
Cool Down 778M in 5’31.0 @ 132BPM
We will see what tomorrows Parkrun brings after the longer run this week.
RE: Parkrun Improve - TheEd - 30-10-2026
How have things been the past week Neil .. that 15k should now start embedding itself?
TheEd