5 Mile Tempo Run at 6.03 pace and some hill sprints

I set out into a cool dark night to do yet another Marius Bakken session, this time 30 mins at 1 /2 marathon pace [ 6.04] followed by 10 x 30 sec with 30 sec rec. I used my 5 K Birkdale - Hillside loop, but added two extra loops round the Trafalgar Rd hill, up by Hillside to get the necessary distance in . Surprisingly I finished with 5 miles at 6.03 pace! A few mins recovery and i was ready for my 10 x 30 sec efforts, this time I decided to use a short hill. Kicking into the first one I felt pretty dam good, concentrating on knee drive and good posture. Once I reached 30 sec I jogged easily for 30 secs before charging downhill at speed, my Spira shoes made some fantastic pinging sounds as the springs in the soles recoiled at 13.8 mph Max! I carried on for 10 mins and felt buzzed by the end :] there are many benefits from doing these up and down hill sprints, on the up improves knee drive and ankle strength and the downhills promote faster leg turn over and longer strides as well as improving the ability of the legs to handle the pounding they will get in the Marathon.
CLICK ON PHOTO for podcast on downhill running
My weight seems to be dropping as I stick to my healthy fresh veg and fruit diet at work, which means I'm getting a little more frisky when I run!
Mon 8th Club interval session 7 x 800m at 10 K pace, plus run down and back = 2.10
My next Race is the famous Parbold hill race on Saturday, this is a true X/C race over just one 7 mile loop and with 3 brutal climbs, AWESOME FUN :]

PARBOLD HILL RACE PHOTO'S BY NEIL THOMPSON