Speed Block Week 3: 3000m Track Race

This week was a mix of focused track work and pure cross-country chaos. I took a rest day to recover on Monday, then did an easy 5K + 8 hill strides + 5K easy to build strength on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, I raced a 3,000m open with Maldwyn Harriers for Children in Need and ran 11:06, just 7 seconds off my target of sub-11 — but it was a really enjoyable, productive session.

Thursday was a chilled 60-minute easy run with some elevation, before a wild Friday session:

3 km at marathon pace (recovery 2min)

2 km at 10K pace (recovery 90s)

2 × 1 km at 5K pace (recovery 90s)

I have had this session in my workout library for a while now but until recently I couldn't remember where I got it from. A great masters runner and fellow YouTuber John Broom (Two Running Brooms) did this session on his channel recently and he is coached by Andy Rayner (The FOD Runner) so I must have taken this session from Andy's channel a while ago — big shoutout to both for the inspiration.

On Saturday, I ran Newtown Parkrun more for fun: chatting, encouraging others, and throwing in 6 strides in the middle to prime for Sunday’s Croft Castle XC.

Sunday was the XC highlight at Croft Castle hosted by Croft Ambrey Running Club — muddy, slippery, and totally character-building. I wore Nike Ultrafly trail shoes, but their grip just wasn’t enough. I slid, slipped, and yes, I fell down a hill (on my bum) which gave me a wedgie like a sumo wrestler’s behind — even if I didn’t record it, it was hilarious in person.

While I didn’t film on the course, this week taught me tons about strength, balance, and racing in tough conditions.

Check out these channels for the workout inspiration:

• Two Running Brooms –    / @tworunningbrooms  

• The FOD Runner (Andy Rayner) –    / @thefodrunner  

Onwards and upwards — next week I’ll be aiming to sharpen my 5K pace even more.

Series: The Speed Block – 7 Weeks to a Faster 5K

Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Track Name*.Run For Your Life

#RunningVlog #XC #CrossCountry #5KTraining #SpeedTraining #HillStrides #3000mRace #CroftCastleXC #RunnersOfYouTube #RunningJourney #Parkrun #TrailRunning