I am finally rid of the cold that has been bothering me for some time now and back in order to resume the training schedule. I am also happy to announce that I will accompany my wife in the Laugavegur Ultramarathon on Iceland this summer. It is a 55-kilometre race going over the beautiful landscape of countryside Iceland. They have a lot of really fantastic photos on the official Laugavegur Ultramarathon website, and I am looking forward to this a lot!
This week I did 4 running sessions and 3 strength training sessions.
The week in numbers
Total distance: 36.6 kilometres (22.75 miles)
Total elevation gain: 761 metres (2497 feet)
Breakdown of the week
Monday – Strength Training
In order to get back after the cold, I decided to do some full body exercises. There are plenty of different workouts out there and sometimes it’s hard to choose one if you’re not on a particular program. If you feel that you have the same problems I can recommend the Nike Training App (just to be clear, I am not sponsored here I just really think that this is a great tool).
In it, you can choose from a lot of different programs that fits your needs. I went for two different 15-minute programs that really torched my entire body.
Tuesday – Running on the treadmill
The weather this day was horrible. Rainy, windy and pretty cold. I can not say that I made somersaults out of joy at the thought of going out for a run.
On the other hand, what is the option? You guessed it, the treadmill. My personal take on the treadmill is that it is mental torture and soul-crushing to run on. You try not to glance on the display showing the distance but it is impossible and when you think to yourself “I must have been running at least 3 kilometres by now” you have a look and see that you have been running 0,8.
So as for as this day went, I managed to stay on it for 10 kilometres. Perhaps that was for the better since it was the first proper run after the cold I had.
Wednesday – Slope Training & Strength Training
Back to the slope. I don’t really like doing the slope training, I don’t enjoy it, but I realize that it really benefits me while trail running so I will keep gather the necessary will-power and do it every once in a while. Immediately after finishing I went to the gym and did a full upper body workout.
Push-ups 3 x failure
Rest 60 seconds between sets and rotate between heart, normal and wide push-ups.
Divebomb push-ups 2 x failure
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Dips 3 x failure
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Chin-ups 3 x failure
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Dumbbell row 3 x 10
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Tricep overhead dumbbell extensions 3 x 10
Dumbbell curls 3 x 10
Ab exercise 3 x 20
Rest 60 seconds between each superset
Stretch 15 minutes
Thursday – Complete Rest
Thursday was a day off. I felt the need after going pretty hard for three days straight, and at this point, there is really no need to over-exhaust myself.
Friday – Running
Being back out running felt great! Since I hadn’t been out for a while it was nice to go on my most common route, down to Sai Kung Town and back. It is a solid 11+ kilometre run with both steep gradients up and down. It is also nice to see that I hadn’t lost to any tempo at all. That surprised me a bit. I was able to keep the average pace of sub 5 minutes per kilometre even after the cold hold up.
Saturday – Trail Running
Time to hit the trails! So I went up the yan yee road climb that eventually leads to the Maclahose section 3, that will take you 400 metres above sea-level. On this day the weather was great and the run fantastic! It feels luxurious to live in a big city but still be able to get away from the hustle and bustle with just a few kilometres of running.
Sunday – Strength Training
I felt the need to go back to one of my old push routines so I went for a quite classic approach.
Bench press 3 x 5
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Military press 3 x 5
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Declined push-ups 3 x failure
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Side lateral raises 3 x 10
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Rope push-downs 3 x 10
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Overhead dumbbell extensions 3 x 10
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Shrugs 3 x 10
Ab exercise 3 x 20
Rest 60 seconds between sets
Stretch 15 minutes
That was that! Week 9 is in the books! It really felt great to step up the training game again and really go for it. Remember, that if you train hard you must eat accordingly, otherwise your body won’t have the energy to go on. You can have a look at the recipes that I post for inspiration.
Now I am going to have yet another look at all the beautiful photos from last years Laugavegur Ultramarathon.
Take care and be safe!
