Report by Rob Cassy
Following the success of the Sheffield RC warm weather training in Portugal in August 2018, tentative plans for a similar trip were floated in early 2019. With the âVilamoura effectâ still fresh in the minds of most members (many members who went immediately returned to record new PBs!), interest in another trip was high.
Valencia was generally agreed to be a suitable destination, and so the task of finding accommodation, dates and flights etc. began in earnest. As with any trip of this nature, finding dates and a budget that suited everyone proved problematic. This coupled with the fact that life is rarely straight forward, and unforeseen circumstances happen, meant by the time we were packing our suitcases for Spain, myself and Ben were the last runners standing in the quest for warm weather training for 2019!
Before we knew it the day to depart had arrived. As luck would have it we were leaving late on a Saturday afternoon, which meant we could both sneak our weekly fix of park running in before getting to East Midlands airport. I am sure Dave O will be delighted to hear this! A reasonably short flight and a metro ride later and we were unpacking our 20kgs worth of baggage allowance (basically running kit and not much else!) in what was to be our apartment for the week. Hungry, but wanting to explore our exciting new surroundings whilst there were still some hours of the day left, we left the apartment to find fuel for our planned track session the next morning. We settled on a quiet café type place where we could sit outside. A club sandwich each later, and we were ready to head back and get some much-needed sleep ahead of our first full day.
The first mission of day one was to run out and get provisions as quick as possible from the local supermarket, so we could get to the local track as quick as possible. With the apartment fridge now full of drinks and essentials, we headed off to the Estadi del Turio armed with sun tan lotion, flannels and bottles of Aquarius (an exotic lemony drink and a staple of all Sheffield RC warm weather training weeks!) Delighted to find we had the track all to ourselves and for a snip of 2.55 euros each, we wasted no time in starting our warm up laps and sprint drills. Now sufficiently âwarmed upâ, (although Iâm not sure how much warmer we could have got given the heat!), we began a session of longer reps with longer recoveries, which worked towards shorted reps and shorter recoveries. âThis is a session that gets easier as it goes onâ said Ben (I think he was trying to convince us both!). After a session that went something like 1,600m â 5 mins rest, 1,200m â 4 mins rest, 800m â 3 mins rest, 400m – 2 mins rest, with a final 200m we had conquered our first warm weather track session! After a bizarre lunch which featured a ham and cheese roll appetizer then a huge bowl of salad for a main course (in truth we didnât know what we were ordering!) we were ready to relax for the rest of the afternoon in prep for our recovery run later that evening.
Our first evening recovery run location, which would become a âgo-toâ routine during the holiday, was at the Turia Gardens. As luck would have it our apartment was only a third of mile away from Turia Garden’s purpose built 5k running circuit which runs along a dry river bed through the heart of the city. Not only does it boast 110-hectre area of parkland, sports facilities and public attractions, but it is also apparently the third most popular running circuit in the whole of Spain! 7 miles of easy running later followed by English breakfast sandwiches and beer and our first full day was complete.
The next day our plan was to do a seven mile run in the morning, somewhere between the pace we were doing on the track and the previous night’s recovery run. The Turia Gardens again seemed to suit as it meant not having to stop at every junction or traffic light, or having to worry massively about the route we were taking. Although not the hottest part of the day, we were definitely getting the warm weather training we had planned for months on experiencing! Another session done and a quick stop at Aldi and we were back at the apartment looking through Benâs handy Valencia travel book (thanks to Georgina), wondering what sights could be on our door step that we should visit before our week was out.
Search for the Holy Grail
It wasnât long before I turned the page to read about Valencia Cathedral and its claim to be home of the holy grail. Being only a mile away, we decided we had to see this for ourselves (or more accurately, that was probably what I decided in my blinkered enthusiasm, and Ben was probably too tired from that mornings run to argue!) so off we went armed with Google maps to track it down. If only Indiana Jones had thought of that.
With the search for the holy grail now successfully checked off, we had time to have a walk around Valencia’s old and new town. Satisfied that we had explored enough of Valencia as possible that day, we headed back to the apartment for a brief unwind before our evening recovery run. I was still not used to double running at this point whilst Ben seemed to be taking it in his stride. However, we met our 5 mile quota for that evening and headed out for tea and well-earned beers.
The next day was to be our second visit to the track. This session was to be in a relay format of us both taking it in turns to run 400m with one rep being a mile in total. The aim was for each of us to try and maintain sub 5 minute mile pace throughout. We were both working hard, and this was noticed by some of the local runners stood beside the track, who generously clapped us as we sprinted round. Despite their encouragement, I waved the white flag during rep four, but Ben carried on like the trooper he is. We then ran 400m, 300m, 200m and then a 100m together to complete the session. We had put in a real shift, so a trip to the beach was well deserved.
Determined to make the trip resemble something like a ânormalâ holiday we took the metro to the coast, where we walked along the beach and ate ice cream. Running was never far from our minds however as we noticed the runners using the route from the Real Juan Carlos Marina towards Port Saplaya and agreed it would work well for our next long run. We also walked along the Marina as we were curious about where the old European F1 circuit once took place. The lure of the beach proved too much, and we spent the rest of day relaxing there and impromptu paddling in the sea followed. Having agreed weâd had our fill of sand and sea we hopped on the metro to go back to the apartment, ready for our now regular recovery run at the Turia Gardens circuit. We would finish the day with late pizza to give us plenty of carbs for the next dayâs running.
Valencia CF
By Wednesday we were well into a routine of waking up, quickly having breakfast and getting down to the track as soon as possible before the hottest part of the day was upon us. Our penultimate track session was a type of pyramid of 1 x 500m, followed by 5 x 1000m ending with a couple of 500m intervals. We were now coping a lot better with the heat and had plenty of energy left at the end of the session to see if we could find the whereabouts of the Mestalla Stadium (home of Valencia CF).
We were becoming semi pros at taking the metro and finding our way around by this point, and in no time we were stood outside the impressive stadium. After realising we could actually go inside and do the tour for less than 10 euros, we eagerly booked our tickets and sat outside the Valenciaâs supporters bar having a beer until our tour start time arrived. The tour itself lasted about an hour. Being fans of Sheffield Wednesday and Yeovil Town, this was as close to the home of champions league football as Ben and I are ever likely to get. So, we looked on in wonder of the sight of trophy cabinets full of iconic awards and grandiose tributes to Valenciaâs world class players, both past and present, celebrating famous victories. This was far from the footballing world we were both accustomed to!
Now officially Valencia fans (or at least with Valencia being our new âsecondâ team) we headed back to the apartment. We would finish the day with another 5.5 mile recovery run at the Turia Gardens. We were so impressed by the previous nightâs pizza we headed straight back for more before retiring for the day.
The next day we would do our longest run of the holiday, and this is where our previous recce of the Valenciaâs waterfront route would come in handy. The route was nice and flat and with water fountains and ice-cream stalls scattered along the route, we managed to keep our de-hydration and Benâs diabetes at bay and complete a half marathonâs worth of coastal running, navigating harbours and off-road track on route. Not content without doing the full 13.1 miles, we double tracked back up the promenade where we stopped again for ice cream.
Club Sandwich Brigade
Later that evening, after our customary recovery run we returned to our first port of call when we arrived for tea on night one. We saw no reason to deviate from a winning formula, so we ordered the same club sandwiches and coke zeros much to the amusement of the waitress who recognised us and our choices from the first night.
Without understanding how, Friday had arrived. This was to be another first for me and was to be my first experience of barefoot beach running (apparently a tradition carried over from Vilamoura). Once at the beach, we hid our trainers in some nearby rocks, and began running a mile along the harder sand where the beach met the tide. We repeated the mile up and down six times, weaving in and out of the water and other beach goers at a leisurely pace.
We had been envious seeing everyone swimming when we first went to the beach, and this time we had come prepared. We finished our final coastal run, by taking it in turns for a swim in the sea. We spent a couple of hours on the beach sun bathing and going for more dips in the sea whenever the mood took us. This wasnât in the training plan, although I guess technically the swimming could count as âcross trainingâ if we were clutching at straws! We then found a rather plush looking restaurant/bar along the promenade at stopped for lunch. You guessed it, club sandwiches and a refreshing drink!
Once back in sight of Valencia where we were staying, we did a whistle stop tour of the old town to find souvenirs to take home. Fridge magnets and anything with the emblem of Valencia CF seemed fitting reminders of our time in Valencia. With our final recovery run looming, we quickly grabbed them and headed back, pleased that another checkbox had been ticked.
After our final 3 mile recovery run, we checked in online with slightly heavy hearts knowing that this signified the beginning of the end of our trip. To console ourselves, we headed to our favourite local cafĂ© for food and beer. We were greeted with an excited cry of âAmigos!â by our now well-acquainted waitress. Perhaps she was sensing our disappointment at the thought of returning home. âClub sandwiches?â she asked expectantly. Realising we were in danger of becoming Valenciaâs âclub sandwich brigadeâ we saved face by ordering burgers.
Our final day had arrived and the session we had been gearing up to all week was here⊠Just how quickly could we run a continuous 5k around a running track using our recently banked warm weather training? After customary warmups and drills we were straight into it. It wasnât long before the heat hit us, and the thoughts of new 5k PBs quickly evaporated. We were however determined to finish the task we set out to do, PB or not. We eventually finished, both approximately a minute outside the time we would ordinarily expect for the distance. Not too disheartened, knowing we had put in decent efforts and that the 80 miles we had ran during the week was showing, we returned to the apartment to pick up our cases before the metro ride to the airport.
The flight home passed without incident, despite Benâs best efforts to keep us in Valencia by confusing the boarding card barcode reader with his tablet (twice!) We said our farewells at East Midlands Airport and began our separate journeys back to Swindon and Sheffield. At that was a wrap for our warm weather training of 2019!
So, there you have it. I hope this gives some idea of what a warm weather training week can be like. We have already talked about something similar in 2020 and agreed it would be great if a few more Sheffield RC faces could join us. It should be emphasised that not all sessions are mandatory, and you can pick up or drop whatever ones you like. So, if you’re curious about a future trip, but concerned that you will spend a week being a slave to the track, I hope the above report will ease some concerns â the holiday can really be whatever you want it to be! Rest assured, we do plenty of ânormalâ holiday stuff too!
And if youâre still not convinced, within two weeks since returning, between us we have a 10k PB, a veteran win, a 2nd senior finish and race prizes ranging from vouchers to cash to show for our efforts⊠further proof along with the glut of post Vilamoura PBs, that there is definitely something in this warm weather training malarkey⊠whatâs not to like 😊?