How I’m adding cross training to my running programme

There are three certainties in my running programme right now – that I run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Well actually that I run on Tuesdays, Sundays and either Thursdays or Fridays as it turned out this week.

For the rest of the week I am trying to build in some cross training, and in particular a Monday morning swim*, and then a bike ride later in the week, or a walk to work.

Oh for a swimming pool in the North of the city

I’m enjoying the swimming, but what oh for the days of the old pool near Asda – does anyone remember that? These days it’s a David Lloyd Fitness Club, so I can only cycle past the pool and wish as I’m not willing to fork out for membership (that’s why we run right, because it’s ‘free’). I once got wind of a plan for a new pool with sites being considered at either Sloughbottom Park, or at the back of the soon-to-be-closing Aylsham Road Lidl, but nothing ever came of it, which was just as well, I suppose.

Meanwhile, I got my hopes up when I saw the plans for a new sports facility at the old Anglian Windows Social Club near the airport, but no mention of a swimming pool alas – the cynic in me wonders whether that once it goes ahead Hellesdon Parish Council will sell off the Rec to developers (Shurely not though)

Anyway, back to the cross training –  so far it’s looking like this:

Mon – swim

Tues – interval session (3 laps around a nearby field, or a run to Sloughbottom Park)

Wed –  Rest < or a bike ride?>

Thurs – Tempo run – quickish run into the city centre and back

Fri – Rest <or walk to work>

Can you really get fit in one HIT?

Sat – HIT <ok I just put this in to look clever, but ‘High Intensity Training’ or so-called Fast Exercise ala Michael Mosley is something I’m interested in, and have tried a couple of times, by which I mean I’ve done 30 second flat out bursts on the exercise bike in the garage, as well as some squats and some star jumps. His programme on Wednesday about fitness is well worth a watch, if you missed it.

Sun – Long Run

The schedule is based on my goal to run less, run faster, as well as a desire to improve my overall fitness.

But because life doesn’t quite run like that, sometimes the Thursday run gets swapped to Friday, or if I’m cutting back the mileage I’ll replace the Long Run with a park run.

In fact this week, I went for a bike ride up to Taverham along the new bit of the NDR bike path past the garden centre and across the Fakenham Road and down to Ringland before heading back up from the village and back.

Which meant the run was Friday instead.

Got that?

The point is that there’s enough flexibility to tweak things as far as cross training is concerned, and now that I’ve going with my new training programme for a month, I feel like I’m settling into a good routine.

Unfortunately there’s no shift in the weight, though curiously I feel thinner…

Next step for me is to see if I can start on a long held goal of adding some weights into this new cross training regime – according to Michael Mosley again apparently it makes no difference if you use light or heavy weights – I think I know which I’m going for, mind you.

 

  • I spotted at the Riverside Pool some useful sheets on the wall with swim programmes you can follow depending on how many lengths you want to do.

 

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