It’s the first race week of the season, and that means it’s time to get in the mood for some racing!

Wow, it’s already race week!

I actually can’t believe it’s already here!

It’s been a slow 3-month build-up to this and I’m sure you’re all excited to race again. This is the first race of the season and after a long break from racing it is all part of getting back into the routine after the lockdowns and kids combining to prevent any real training/racing fun!

I’m doing my first races of the season!

If you’re wondering what race I’m talking about, it’s a 5km cross-country race on Saturday. I’m really looking forward to this one because I’ve been training really consistently for it and have been making progress in my fitness.

This Saturday I will be at CityTrail Lublin.

When you’re getting started with training, it’s all about consistency, I find that can be harder to do without a goal. Having this race in the calendar as that goal to celebrate the training so far is exciting! This Saturday I will be running CityTrail Lublin (part of a Poland-wide trail series) fairly close to Lublin. I’ve done this race before and it’s been really fun because it takes place on trails through the woods surrounding one of Lublin’s lakes—and they are nice trails! On top of that, everyone there is so friendly and supportive at the event.

Last time I raced there I ran it in 27:08.

It’s first race week of the season already! Last time I raced there I ran it in 27:08, which was actually a PB at the time. That PB time has come down somewhat but from when I was doing a lot more running than I have been recently. Somewhere in between would be great!

After three months of training with TrainAsOne, the AI coach, it’ll be interesting to see where things are.

After three months of training with TrainAsOne, the AI coach, it’ll be interesting to see where things are. My runs have been going well and I’ve been running consistently (aside from a COVID break).

I’ve been following a specific training plan generated by AI and created specifically for my goals. The plan is based on the research that TrainAsOne and their AI do about runners at all levels.

This is a big deal because it means that the AI coach at TrainAsOne is able to create training plans based on scientific research. If a runner like me can run faster and avoid injuries (the latter being something I’ve struggled with, seemingly, my entire running life) by following the plan, then runners of all levels can benefit from this service.

On Saturday I did my last ‘hard’ run

On Saturday there was a final difficult progression run. Building pace throughout in 10 minute block increments. It took time to get into the groove but once there it was fairly comfortable.

It’s probably my favourite hard run that TrainAsOne prescribes

I think with that comfortable fast pace, I can hold for the 5km of CityTrail Lublin, which should see me beat my previous time, I think the goal is somewhere around 25 minutes.

I have a Course PB time from a few years ago that’s 27:08, but I think that I feel a little faster than that.

This week, TrainAsOne has in the plan just a couple of easy runs. Hopefully, I will be feeling spritely on Saturday!

It’ll be interesting to see how things go on Saturday. I’m really looking forward to it!