It was the Men's World Championship Marathon in Moscow yesterday and I watched the whole race. I was on the look out for Yuki Kawauchi, as he is very popular on Marathon Talk. He is a 2:08 runner and has a full time job in Japan and he races a lot! He did get a bit of coverage on the BBC as well. He didn't do amazingly well (he finished 18th), but it was good to see him.
I mentioned back in June for the Torbay Half that I had arranged to meet an old school friend after the race. I went out with him and his brother again last night, and it was good to catch up and we were talking about running, triathlons etc. He was talking about that he has removed most (if not all) sugar from his diet and has seen him times tumble this year. It's food for thought for me (no pun intended) as I still think I need to lose a few pounds from a running perspective.
I mentioned in a previous post that I had read Chrissie Wellington's (A Life Without Limits) book about Ironman, which was a very good read. Chrissie raced a lot at the renowned Kona Ironman event, and there are rumours going around the Internet that Gordon Ramsay is doing the event this year. There are no real reputable sources that I can find (except the Daily Mail, which has delighted in publishing pictures of Ramsay getting changed for a training session, which I'm not going to link to here) but there is a thread on Runner's World about it. It will be interesting to see if Ramsay does the event, although it seems he hasn't made the qualification time so may have got a place as he is a celebrity.
My wife and I went out for another run this morning around our popular stomping ground of Torquay/Paignton. We had seen adverts around for a Sky Ride event in Paignton, and it was good to see that it was very well attended. Basically, a few roads are closed from 10:30am-4pm, and it is an opportunity for people to get out on their bikes in a safe environment. The event was really well attended which is good to see. I'm not sure if it's a regular thing, but details of my local event are here.
Showing posts with label Marathon Talk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marathon Talk. Show all posts
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Sunday, June 09, 2013
First 5K parkrun, plus MFP.
I'm pleased to say I did my first parkrun yesterday, and it was really good. I've heard lots of good things about it through my club, and also they are very popular on Marathon Talk, so I thought I'd give one a go. My nearest one is the Killerton parkrun near Exeter.
For those who don't know, there are various parkruns that are run every Saturday in locations all of the UK (and the world, in fact). It's a free, timed event and it's really well organised. Basically, as a runner you register on the parkrun website and you get allocated a bar code. This bar code is personal to you and to get your results display on the parkrun website against your name, all you have to do make sure you take this bar code with you each time you run any parkrun. Many people print out and laminate their codes, so I did the same. At the end of the event, you also get given a timing token. This timing token, together with your barcode, is what the organisers use to display your results. After the first time registration you can just turn up to any parkrun that is being ran across the country on any weekend. Even if you don't have your barcode, you can still run but your name will not be present in the event results - against your position there will be a name of "unknown", with no time present.
Anyway, back to my parkrun. Killerton itself is a National Trust site so has all the facilities available with ample free parking, toilets and a cafe for after the run. The Killerton course itself is mixed terrain with some inclines, but it's a nice pleasant course. I got around in 23:01 (parkrun send a text an email with your results) which I was pleased with, especially as I had completed a 16-mile LSR the night before. It's something to aim for anyway, as I'm sure I can knock a few seconds off of that based on my 43:40 10K PB.
I will definitely be doing the event again. It's just a shame it's 25 miles from my house as it's a bit of a drive to get to for just a 5K. If there was one nearer I would definitely look to do them more regularly.
The other reason I snuck this session into the week's plan is because it meant that this week I have completed 5 training sessions, which (apart from the December running streak, which doesn't really count) is only the second time I've done that. I ran nearly 39 miles (38.91) this week which is the biggest weekly mileage since training for my marathon.
I mentioned the 16-mile LSR I did on the Friday. I did this after work, and it was very hot. I purposefully kept this at my LSR pace (10 - 10.5 min/mile) but intended to try and run a couple of miles towards the end at my half marathon target pace (8 min/mile) but I struggled, partly due to the heat. This isn't a good sign for Torbay Half in a couple of weeks, but I'll give it my best shot on the day.
I've also been using MFP for the whole week, and I've been honest with what I've consumed and exercised. I need to average 1800 calories per day to lose 1 pound a week. I've decided to take an average of the calories over the week (MFP provides facilities to track calories over a week), as this helps average out any days where more food is needed (i.e., on an LSR). I think for this week I am just about going to be under the target across the whole week, even taking into account that I went to a beer festival yesterday, which isn't the best way to keep a track of calories and eat healthily! Still, I enjoyed the festival and didn't eat or drink a huge amount and even with the beer festival I'm going to be close to the required calories over the course of a week. I'm going to keep MFP going and see how I get on over the next few weeks.
For those who don't know, there are various parkruns that are run every Saturday in locations all of the UK (and the world, in fact). It's a free, timed event and it's really well organised. Basically, as a runner you register on the parkrun website and you get allocated a bar code. This bar code is personal to you and to get your results display on the parkrun website against your name, all you have to do make sure you take this bar code with you each time you run any parkrun. Many people print out and laminate their codes, so I did the same. At the end of the event, you also get given a timing token. This timing token, together with your barcode, is what the organisers use to display your results. After the first time registration you can just turn up to any parkrun that is being ran across the country on any weekend. Even if you don't have your barcode, you can still run but your name will not be present in the event results - against your position there will be a name of "unknown", with no time present.
Anyway, back to my parkrun. Killerton itself is a National Trust site so has all the facilities available with ample free parking, toilets and a cafe for after the run. The Killerton course itself is mixed terrain with some inclines, but it's a nice pleasant course. I got around in 23:01 (parkrun send a text an email with your results) which I was pleased with, especially as I had completed a 16-mile LSR the night before. It's something to aim for anyway, as I'm sure I can knock a few seconds off of that based on my 43:40 10K PB.
I will definitely be doing the event again. It's just a shame it's 25 miles from my house as it's a bit of a drive to get to for just a 5K. If there was one nearer I would definitely look to do them more regularly.
The other reason I snuck this session into the week's plan is because it meant that this week I have completed 5 training sessions, which (apart from the December running streak, which doesn't really count) is only the second time I've done that. I ran nearly 39 miles (38.91) this week which is the biggest weekly mileage since training for my marathon.
I mentioned the 16-mile LSR I did on the Friday. I did this after work, and it was very hot. I purposefully kept this at my LSR pace (10 - 10.5 min/mile) but intended to try and run a couple of miles towards the end at my half marathon target pace (8 min/mile) but I struggled, partly due to the heat. This isn't a good sign for Torbay Half in a couple of weeks, but I'll give it my best shot on the day.
I've also been using MFP for the whole week, and I've been honest with what I've consumed and exercised. I need to average 1800 calories per day to lose 1 pound a week. I've decided to take an average of the calories over the week (MFP provides facilities to track calories over a week), as this helps average out any days where more food is needed (i.e., on an LSR). I think for this week I am just about going to be under the target across the whole week, even taking into account that I went to a beer festival yesterday, which isn't the best way to keep a track of calories and eat healthily! Still, I enjoyed the festival and didn't eat or drink a huge amount and even with the beer festival I'm going to be close to the required calories over the course of a week. I'm going to keep MFP going and see how I get on over the next few weeks.
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Jantastic is finished!
Marathon Talk's Jantastic is over and I have done well and found the whole process really motivating. As mentioned previously, I did lose a couple of percentage points because I beat my 10K target by quite a large margin, but importantly I didn't miss any session since the challenge started on January 7th so I've been really consistent which is the point of the challenge.
I ended up with 100% in Jatastic and Febulous, and 94% in Marcvellous which ended up being a overall score of 98%. From my Garmin, I've wracked up some big numbers:
- 49 individual runs
- 420 miles
- 64hr 40mins of training
It is the Paris Marathon this weekend and I know a couple of people who are running the event, which is the first big marathon of the Spring. It's being shown on Eurosport so I'm going to try and catch that on the weekend.
I ended up with 100% in Jatastic and Febulous, and 94% in Marcvellous which ended up being a overall score of 98%. From my Garmin, I've wracked up some big numbers:
- 49 individual runs
- 420 miles
- 64hr 40mins of training
It is the Paris Marathon this weekend and I know a couple of people who are running the event, which is the first big marathon of the Spring. It's being shown on Eurosport so I'm going to try and catch that on the weekend.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Back in the groove?
After writing yesterday that I hadn't had the best of weeks, and that I was thinking that this would be the first week that I wouldn't get 100% in Jantastic I pulled out a great run after work today. I did 15 miles (which was my Jantastic mileage goal for this week) in 9min/mile with the final two miles being 08:14 and 08:21so it is a real confidence booster following the Sunday run which didn't go so well.
I know this is not an advisable pace for an LSR (it's at my target marathon pace) but I was feeling good so decided to go for it, and I think it was the boost I needed after feeling at a bit of a low for the last few days. It's also still a few weeks away until the marathon so I still have plenty of time to do LSRs at the correct training pace. I've got a 20, 15, 22 and a 14-miler planned and then a 20 week taper before the marathon date.
Interestingly, I have actually put on some weight over the last few weeks which is annoying! I was 12st10 a few weeks ago whereas this week I was 13st1 so it is a fairly sizeable increase in weight, even though I have been increasing the mileage in that time frame. I have been eating a bit more these last few weeks as I have been more hungry but I need to keep an eye on this and try and get the weight back down under 13st if I can.
I know this is not an advisable pace for an LSR (it's at my target marathon pace) but I was feeling good so decided to go for it, and I think it was the boost I needed after feeling at a bit of a low for the last few days. It's also still a few weeks away until the marathon so I still have plenty of time to do LSRs at the correct training pace. I've got a 20, 15, 22 and a 14-miler planned and then a 20 week taper before the marathon date.
Interestingly, I have actually put on some weight over the last few weeks which is annoying! I was 12st10 a few weeks ago whereas this week I was 13st1 so it is a fairly sizeable increase in weight, even though I have been increasing the mileage in that time frame. I have been eating a bit more these last few weeks as I have been more hungry but I need to keep an eye on this and try and get the weight back down under 13st if I can.
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
This is an important month for my training
This is a very important month for my marathon training, so I hope it goes well. Time will tell.
I got a 4-mile recovery run in yesterday and felt fine, if a little achey. This morning I'm fine and think I could got for a long run if I wanted to. That's good as it means I have recovered pretty well from the weekend's efforts.
(**If you're slightly squeamish, please don't read the next bit).
I think I may lose a toenail though. I did lose the same nail that is causing issues after London 2010 and it is a bit sore today as well. I've been advised to Lock Lacing, which will help the laces stay tight and help avoid movement in the shoe.
(**You can carry on reading now...).
A I mentioned, this is an important month for me with a couple of 20 milers in the plan. I may actually up one of those to 22 if I feel I can.
The rough plan is:
w/c 4th March
5 mile easy
Club speed/hill training
8 mile easy
16 mile LSR
Total: about 34
w/c 11th March
9 mile easy
Club speed/hill training
6 mile easy
20 mile LSR
Total: about 40
w/c 18th March
5 mile easy
15 mile mid-week long run
8 mile tempo
10K race
Total: about 34
w/c 25th March
10 mile easy
Club speed/hill training
5 mile tempo
20-22 LSR
Total: about 40-42
If I do that lot, it'll be around 163 miles (including the half I did on the 3rd), which I think will be a record. In a way, the 10K race has come at the wrong time for me as that week's mileage is down a bit on what it should be, but I think it should work out okay.
I'm still on 100% for Jantastic, which I'm pleased with. The March challenge is to specify how many runs a week I'll do (I've said 4 again) and say what the longest runs each week will be (I've planned the above and input that into the Marathon Talk website). The extra challenge for March is to say what I'll do a set distance in. For that, I'm using the 10K race and I've said 46:30, so we'll see how that goes!
I got a 4-mile recovery run in yesterday and felt fine, if a little achey. This morning I'm fine and think I could got for a long run if I wanted to. That's good as it means I have recovered pretty well from the weekend's efforts.
(**If you're slightly squeamish, please don't read the next bit).
I think I may lose a toenail though. I did lose the same nail that is causing issues after London 2010 and it is a bit sore today as well. I've been advised to Lock Lacing, which will help the laces stay tight and help avoid movement in the shoe.
(**You can carry on reading now...).
A I mentioned, this is an important month for me with a couple of 20 milers in the plan. I may actually up one of those to 22 if I feel I can.
The rough plan is:
w/c 4th March
5 mile easy
Club speed/hill training
8 mile easy
16 mile LSR
Total: about 34
w/c 11th March
9 mile easy
Club speed/hill training
6 mile easy
20 mile LSR
Total: about 40
w/c 18th March
5 mile easy
15 mile mid-week long run
8 mile tempo
10K race
Total: about 34
w/c 25th March
10 mile easy
Club speed/hill training
5 mile tempo
20-22 LSR
Total: about 40-42
If I do that lot, it'll be around 163 miles (including the half I did on the 3rd), which I think will be a record. In a way, the 10K race has come at the wrong time for me as that week's mileage is down a bit on what it should be, but I think it should work out okay.
I'm still on 100% for Jantastic, which I'm pleased with. The March challenge is to specify how many runs a week I'll do (I've said 4 again) and say what the longest runs each week will be (I've planned the above and input that into the Marathon Talk website). The extra challenge for March is to say what I'll do a set distance in. For that, I'm using the 10K race and I've said 46:30, so we'll see how that goes!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
18 mile run this morning....a good end to the running week, and a great start to a week's holiday!
I mentioned in my last post about the need to slow down on my long runs - I've even put a separate page on my blog so my paces are there for everyone to see!
Well, I'm pleased to say that I did the run in an average of 10:07 min/mile, which is pretty much bang on my LSR pace, so I've got to pleased with that. I purposefully picked it up a bit on my last 2-miles (under 9min/mile) and I'm pleased that I felt strong at the end.
I tried a couple of other changes for this morning's run:
- although I have ensured I've been well hydrated all week, I have been wondering if I've been under-hydrating on the day of an LSR. This morning before I set out I chugged down nearly 3 pints of water, as well as my coffee and shredded wheat. I did need a pit stop at only mile 2 but other than that it was fine. Obviously a slow 18-miler is much different to a race pace Half Marathon, but I'm hoping this change will do me well, particularly when the temperature start increasing. I think I did "bonk" a bit at the event last weekend and I definitely didn't today.
- I binned the flapjacks in favour of 8 Jaffa Cakes, and I must say they went down a treat. I just took them in a pocket and they were easy to eat and digest.
This all means that I've done 36.5 mile this week...if I include last Sunday's Half Marathon it's nearly 50 which is a record I think.
I put two Marathon Talk podcasts on my iPod Shuffle today and I timed it so they ran out just as I was finishing. It all means that I'm still at 100% for Jantastic, and we're 50% through the challenge now.
Plus, my wife had made some pancakes for when I got back.
So, all in all a great run - I'm mark it as a 10 out of 10! Even better is that I'm now on holiday for a week.
Well, I'm pleased to say that I did the run in an average of 10:07 min/mile, which is pretty much bang on my LSR pace, so I've got to pleased with that. I purposefully picked it up a bit on my last 2-miles (under 9min/mile) and I'm pleased that I felt strong at the end.
I tried a couple of other changes for this morning's run:
- although I have ensured I've been well hydrated all week, I have been wondering if I've been under-hydrating on the day of an LSR. This morning before I set out I chugged down nearly 3 pints of water, as well as my coffee and shredded wheat. I did need a pit stop at only mile 2 but other than that it was fine. Obviously a slow 18-miler is much different to a race pace Half Marathon, but I'm hoping this change will do me well, particularly when the temperature start increasing. I think I did "bonk" a bit at the event last weekend and I definitely didn't today.
- I binned the flapjacks in favour of 8 Jaffa Cakes, and I must say they went down a treat. I just took them in a pocket and they were easy to eat and digest.
This all means that I've done 36.5 mile this week...if I include last Sunday's Half Marathon it's nearly 50 which is a record I think.
I put two Marathon Talk podcasts on my iPod Shuffle today and I timed it so they ran out just as I was finishing. It all means that I'm still at 100% for Jantastic, and we're 50% through the challenge now.
Plus, my wife had made some pancakes for when I got back.
So, all in all a great run - I'm mark it as a 10 out of 10! Even better is that I'm now on holiday for a week.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
A brush with running royalty, plus other things
A few weeks ago, Marathon Talk interviewed Amby Burfoot. For those who may not know, Amby Burfoot won the Boston marathon in 1968, has been involved in running his whole life and is editor at large of Runner's World (US). In running circles, he is pretty much royalty.
Anyway, on that Podcast it was mentioned that Burfoot has a book out and if you email him he'll sign it with an appropriate message and post it. Yesterday, I went onto the website and emailed the address. I was expecting an assistant or department to email me back, but the email came from Burfoot himself (within only a couple of hours)! I do feel a bit bad as he said he won't be able to deal with my request for a couple of weeks as he is on holiday....I'll let him off that!
Another book that was mentioned on Marathon Talk was back in episode 77 (I'm still going through the back catalogue). It is a book called "Chasing The Runner's High" by Ray Charbonneau and it was only a couple of quid for a Kindle copy. I'm only about half way through it, but I'm enjoying it. It's not about running technique or anything - it's just about a guy who is a runner and it's some of his stories along the way and a lot of it rings true with me.
I've been really struggling with my training paces and Shades from the Runner's World thread that I frequent has helped me out with the paces I should be running, following my half time on the weekend. In an attempt to make sure I stick to them I'm putting them on a separate page on this Blog for all to see.
Easy 9:30 to 10:00
Long 9:30 to 10:30
Tempo 7:45 to 8:00
Marathon pace 8:21
OK - the Marathon Pace seems a long way off, but I guess it's something to aim for! The important thing for me from seeing those Easy and Long paces in black and white is....I must start slowing down on those LSRs!
In that respect, I did a slow 8-miler last night (I was supposed to do a recovery run on Monday, but I didn't get to do it). I'm pleased to say that I averaged a slow and steady 09:43 and the splits were fairly consistent. It did feel slow, but I think that's the point. I have an 18-miler planned this weekend, so I'm aiming to do a similar, consistent slow and steady pace on that. If I can get a LSR in and feel good afterwards, I know that will be a confidence booster.
Summary
1:17:48.6 8.00 9:43
1 9:51.2 1.00 9:51
2 9:41.8 1.00 9:42
3 9:45.0 1.00 9:45
4 9:40.7 1.00 9:41
5 9:44.4 1.00 9:45
6 9:41.0 1.00 9:41
7 9:39.3 1.00 9:39
8 9:41.9 1.00 9:42
Anyway, on that Podcast it was mentioned that Burfoot has a book out and if you email him he'll sign it with an appropriate message and post it. Yesterday, I went onto the website and emailed the address. I was expecting an assistant or department to email me back, but the email came from Burfoot himself (within only a couple of hours)! I do feel a bit bad as he said he won't be able to deal with my request for a couple of weeks as he is on holiday....I'll let him off that!
Another book that was mentioned on Marathon Talk was back in episode 77 (I'm still going through the back catalogue). It is a book called "Chasing The Runner's High" by Ray Charbonneau and it was only a couple of quid for a Kindle copy. I'm only about half way through it, but I'm enjoying it. It's not about running technique or anything - it's just about a guy who is a runner and it's some of his stories along the way and a lot of it rings true with me.
I've been really struggling with my training paces and Shades from the Runner's World thread that I frequent has helped me out with the paces I should be running, following my half time on the weekend. In an attempt to make sure I stick to them I'm putting them on a separate page on this Blog for all to see.
Easy 9:30 to 10:00
Long 9:30 to 10:30
Tempo 7:45 to 8:00
Marathon pace 8:21
OK - the Marathon Pace seems a long way off, but I guess it's something to aim for! The important thing for me from seeing those Easy and Long paces in black and white is....I must start slowing down on those LSRs!
In that respect, I did a slow 8-miler last night (I was supposed to do a recovery run on Monday, but I didn't get to do it). I'm pleased to say that I averaged a slow and steady 09:43 and the splits were fairly consistent. It did feel slow, but I think that's the point. I have an 18-miler planned this weekend, so I'm aiming to do a similar, consistent slow and steady pace on that. If I can get a LSR in and feel good afterwards, I know that will be a confidence booster.
Summary
1:17:48.6 8.00 9:43
1 9:51.2 1.00 9:51
2 9:41.8 1.00 9:42
3 9:45.0 1.00 9:45
4 9:40.7 1.00 9:41
5 9:44.4 1.00 9:45
6 9:41.0 1.00 9:41
7 9:39.3 1.00 9:39
8 9:41.9 1.00 9:42
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Still so many questions about this running malarkey
Running is simple, right? It's just putting one foot in front of the other after all. Then why does it sometimes still seem quite a complex activity, with so many variables?
So, what questions have I still got? A few are below:
- is my fuelling/hydration correct? I don't think it is, and I need to work on that especially for a marathon. Before the Half Marathon I weighed myself and I was 12st10lb (which is a good weight for me, by the way!). After the event, I stuffed myself with kit kats, creme eggs, orange juice, crisps and water and when I got home I was 12st6lb. What has caused that weight loss.....fluid loss? If so, those fluids (including salts) need to be replaced. How am I going to do that on a marathon? I don't know yet, but I'll work on it.
- what time can I expect at the marathon in May? Sub-4:30? Sub-4:15? At a push, Sub-4:00? Why does this matter...surely I should just go out and try my best and see what happens? I will of course do that on the day, but I'm still tinkering with my training paces (LSR especially, which I know I tend to run too quickly).
- after all the preparations I made in terms of food/fuel, why was I still peckish on the start line? I think this is because I usually run at 8am and I had eaten as if I was running at 8am. However, with the race starting at 9am and having to leave at around 8am to get there I had my food at home. Should I look at what I can eat in the car on the way to an event? Maybe.
What is interesting is that I think the vast majority of runners (whether they are in the middle of the pack like me, at the sharp end contending for places, or nearer the back on their own personal challenges) all continually think about these types of things. My wife was spectating on the weekend, and people were calling out to runners asking how they were doing. Every runner, without exception, was moaning about something. No runner said they were doing really well and were happy….it was all, "I'm too hot", "I'm too cold", "This course is rubbish", "I'm hungry", "I'm thirsty", "My knee is hurting" etc etc. I know when I'm running I have so much going on my head and I'm arguing with myself about various things. What a funny bunch we are!
On reflection of my Exeter Half time, I am now happier....a PB is a PB after all!! In June 2012 I struggled with a 2hr Half, October 2012 I did a 1hr 50 (breaking a 5 year old PB) and on the weekend I did a 1hr 47 so I do know that is a really good improvement. I wish I had reacted differently on the start line, but I didn't and I can't change that now. There's always the next event, which for me is just three weeks away.
I do have a bet with myself. If I do not go out too quickly on my next Half Marathon, I will treat myself to a large mixed grill and a few pints afterwards. I must not go off too quickly at the next event. I must stick to my plan, get to half way more or less on target (not under target) and reassess how I am feeling at that point.
So, what questions have I still got? A few are below:
- is my fuelling/hydration correct? I don't think it is, and I need to work on that especially for a marathon. Before the Half Marathon I weighed myself and I was 12st10lb (which is a good weight for me, by the way!). After the event, I stuffed myself with kit kats, creme eggs, orange juice, crisps and water and when I got home I was 12st6lb. What has caused that weight loss.....fluid loss? If so, those fluids (including salts) need to be replaced. How am I going to do that on a marathon? I don't know yet, but I'll work on it.
- what time can I expect at the marathon in May? Sub-4:30? Sub-4:15? At a push, Sub-4:00? Why does this matter...surely I should just go out and try my best and see what happens? I will of course do that on the day, but I'm still tinkering with my training paces (LSR especially, which I know I tend to run too quickly).
- after all the preparations I made in terms of food/fuel, why was I still peckish on the start line? I think this is because I usually run at 8am and I had eaten as if I was running at 8am. However, with the race starting at 9am and having to leave at around 8am to get there I had my food at home. Should I look at what I can eat in the car on the way to an event? Maybe.
What is interesting is that I think the vast majority of runners (whether they are in the middle of the pack like me, at the sharp end contending for places, or nearer the back on their own personal challenges) all continually think about these types of things. My wife was spectating on the weekend, and people were calling out to runners asking how they were doing. Every runner, without exception, was moaning about something. No runner said they were doing really well and were happy….it was all, "I'm too hot", "I'm too cold", "This course is rubbish", "I'm hungry", "I'm thirsty", "My knee is hurting" etc etc. I know when I'm running I have so much going on my head and I'm arguing with myself about various things. What a funny bunch we are!
On reflection of my Exeter Half time, I am now happier....a PB is a PB after all!! In June 2012 I struggled with a 2hr Half, October 2012 I did a 1hr 50 (breaking a 5 year old PB) and on the weekend I did a 1hr 47 so I do know that is a really good improvement. I wish I had reacted differently on the start line, but I didn't and I can't change that now. There's always the next event, which for me is just three weeks away.
I do have a bet with myself. If I do not go out too quickly on my next Half Marathon, I will treat myself to a large mixed grill and a few pints afterwards. I must not go off too quickly at the next event. I must stick to my plan, get to half way more or less on target (not under target) and reassess how I am feeling at that point.
Monday, February 04, 2013
First run of the week and Febulous starts
I got a 7 mile run at target half marathon pace and it was okay, but not brilliant. I think I'm not fully back to normal following the weekend's excesses! It was good to get the first run of the week out of the way though, and I had pleasure in marking my first run of Febulous off!
I averaged 07:57 min/mile, so on track for the sub 1:45 PB on the weekend, all being well! It's a tough ask for me to knock another 5-mins off of my 1:50 PB and it's not a given at this stage, but I'm in with a shout if everything goes well (weather, food, drink, race tactics, race crowds) etc. As I'm sitting here writing this, I'll be a bit disappointed if I don't get a 1:4X time....we'll see how I get on.
Shades from the Runner's World thread has posted a "Noddy's guide to marathon preparation", which is really useful. It talks about what to do in the taper work, things to keep in mind for the Saturday before the event, preparation for the day of the, the race itself and some important post-race things to do. I've printed it out actually, and I will take it with me to my marathon in May!
So, tomorrow is a rest day where I'll do some more stretching and to try make sure I continue to get some liquids into me. I am planning a club session on Wednesday, a slow/easy 4-5 miler on Friday and then the race itself on Sunday.
There looks to be some good sessions on the Wednesday night club session, so I'm not sure yet what I'll choose:
I averaged 07:57 min/mile, so on track for the sub 1:45 PB on the weekend, all being well! It's a tough ask for me to knock another 5-mins off of my 1:50 PB and it's not a given at this stage, but I'm in with a shout if everything goes well (weather, food, drink, race tactics, race crowds) etc. As I'm sitting here writing this, I'll be a bit disappointed if I don't get a 1:4X time....we'll see how I get on.
Shades from the Runner's World thread has posted a "Noddy's guide to marathon preparation", which is really useful. It talks about what to do in the taper work, things to keep in mind for the Saturday before the event, preparation for the day of the, the race itself and some important post-race things to do. I've printed it out actually, and I will take it with me to my marathon in May!
So, tomorrow is a rest day where I'll do some more stretching and to try make sure I continue to get some liquids into me. I am planning a club session on Wednesday, a slow/easy 4-5 miler on Friday and then the race itself on Sunday.
There looks to be some good sessions on the Wednesday night club session, so I'm not sure yet what I'll choose:
- Churchills 3 hills challenge - 45min continuous running, 2 uphill & 1 downhill
- 10 x 400m - Even paced efforts with 90 second recovery
- Lamp Post relays - Run warm up, lamp post reps and run cool down
It's not big and it's not clever!
I had a weekend off running and my wife and I had a weekend away, which was very nice. We went out for a few drinks, saw a comedy show, had a nice meal out on the evening and a nice breakfast in the morning.
I did enjoy the weekend, but Sunday was more or less a write off due to the alcohol....! I think I had 8 pints on the Saturday afternoon/evening and although the ales weren't particularly strong it really knocked me about on the Sunday. It didn't help that we had some "noisy neighbours" at the hotel, so I didn't get a lot of sleep but it was the alcohol that was the main culprit for me feeling rough.
I had about 8 pints in around 9 hours. In my previous "non-running" life, this wouldn't necessarily have been a huge amount for a 9-hour "session" so I think it shows my body is changing and it obviously didn't like the booze on Saturday. I had plenty if fluid and got a reasonable night's sleep on Sunday so I'm feeling much better today and raring to go again.
On to this week.....
I am now entered into a half marathon on the 10th February. It is a flat course, so I'm going to go for a PB. We'll see how that goes! Shades (from Runner's World) has said for me to go for the PB, and depending on the time she will help reassess my training paces (especially my LSR pace) to make sure I'm doing okay.
It's month two of Jantastic (Febulous), and after my 100% in January I'm aiming for it again in February so hopefully I'll stay injury free and keep on the plan.
Talking about the Runner's World forums, there are a lot of posts about people's first marathons and a lot of buzz/fears/concerns etc. The forum has a competition where 6 (I think) forumites get some "personalised" training via the forum for a target-paced marathon. I'm currently lurking on the sub-4 hour thread as if I get under 4 hours I'll be extremely pleased. I'm in a bit if a dilemma as I've said all along that I just want to try and enjoy this one, and that is still the main aim! However, I want to also do my best. I think really what I mean is that I want to get through 18-20 and not blow up, but ideally run through the finish line with not much left in the tank...the proverbial "sprint finish" would be great. We'll see!
I did enjoy the weekend, but Sunday was more or less a write off due to the alcohol....! I think I had 8 pints on the Saturday afternoon/evening and although the ales weren't particularly strong it really knocked me about on the Sunday. It didn't help that we had some "noisy neighbours" at the hotel, so I didn't get a lot of sleep but it was the alcohol that was the main culprit for me feeling rough.
I had about 8 pints in around 9 hours. In my previous "non-running" life, this wouldn't necessarily have been a huge amount for a 9-hour "session" so I think it shows my body is changing and it obviously didn't like the booze on Saturday. I had plenty if fluid and got a reasonable night's sleep on Sunday so I'm feeling much better today and raring to go again.
On to this week.....
I am now entered into a half marathon on the 10th February. It is a flat course, so I'm going to go for a PB. We'll see how that goes! Shades (from Runner's World) has said for me to go for the PB, and depending on the time she will help reassess my training paces (especially my LSR pace) to make sure I'm doing okay.
It's month two of Jantastic (Febulous), and after my 100% in January I'm aiming for it again in February so hopefully I'll stay injury free and keep on the plan.
Talking about the Runner's World forums, there are a lot of posts about people's first marathons and a lot of buzz/fears/concerns etc. The forum has a competition where 6 (I think) forumites get some "personalised" training via the forum for a target-paced marathon. I'm currently lurking on the sub-4 hour thread as if I get under 4 hours I'll be extremely pleased. I'm in a bit if a dilemma as I've said all along that I just want to try and enjoy this one, and that is still the main aim! However, I want to also do my best. I think really what I mean is that I want to get through 18-20 and not blow up, but ideally run through the finish line with not much left in the tank...the proverbial "sprint finish" would be great. We'll see!
Friday, February 01, 2013
4 mile (fast) recovery
I got a fast 4-miler recovery in today (following the 16-miler yesterday) and I felt good.
It was probably helped by the fact that I wore a new pair of running shoes. It's not the most fascination picture, but the shoe on the right is an old one and the one on the left is a new one. They are the same model, but different a colour different. According to my Garmin Connect site I've done round 700 miles in my old ones.
It seems there is a relatively even wear on it, although the top left of the picture (that is the inside of my left heal) wears quite a lot more than the right. I'm not really sure if this is "normal" or not, but I do know the shoe has quite a lot of support in that area. I have a race next Sunday so I may wear my old pair for that, but then move permanently over to the new pair. We'll see.
I did buy 3 more pairs of the shoes I wear (they are Asics GT-2170) as I do get on with them well. Sportsshoes.com had a sale on, so I got 3 more pairs, and got 10% and free delivery via Quidco. I do now have 6 pairs (7 with the my old 700-mile pair!).
With the 4 miles today (fourth run of the week) that is Jantastic completed at 100% :-) February gets a harder challenge where you have to say what your longest run each will be, as well as how may runs a week will be done. I'm up for it though!
It was probably helped by the fact that I wore a new pair of running shoes. It's not the most fascination picture, but the shoe on the right is an old one and the one on the left is a new one. They are the same model, but different a colour different. According to my Garmin Connect site I've done round 700 miles in my old ones.
It seems there is a relatively even wear on it, although the top left of the picture (that is the inside of my left heal) wears quite a lot more than the right. I'm not really sure if this is "normal" or not, but I do know the shoe has quite a lot of support in that area. I have a race next Sunday so I may wear my old pair for that, but then move permanently over to the new pair. We'll see.
I did buy 3 more pairs of the shoes I wear (they are Asics GT-2170) as I do get on with them well. Sportsshoes.com had a sale on, so I got 3 more pairs, and got 10% and free delivery via Quidco. I do now have 6 pairs (7 with the my old 700-mile pair!).
With the 4 miles today (fourth run of the week) that is Jantastic completed at 100% :-) February gets a harder challenge where you have to say what your longest run each will be, as well as how may runs a week will be done. I'm up for it though!
16 mile long run after work
I got a long run in after work last night. The run was okay, but I was very tired after it and was dreading the run all day at work. However, I have had to rearrange the training days this week so unfortunately I had no choice this week. I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to run at around 09:30 min/mile (ideally slower) and I'm pleased that I did it.
I averaged 09:31, and the splits are below.
1 9:32
2 9:32
3 9:28
4 9:34
5 9:29
6 9:33
7 9:41
8 9:30
9 9:27
10 9:19
11 9:47
12 9:48
13 9:33
14 9:26
15 9:34
16 9:43
I did struggle on miles 10-12 which was on a slight incline, and I was very tired after the session but I'm glad I went out. Part of the tiredness I think was due to the fact that I was at work all day, so hopefully I'll be able to build the miles up slowly over the next few weeks. Due to the decreased pace on some of the inclines, I wonder if I need to start doing some hill sessions?
Having said that though, February is a bit of a strange month and my plan doesn't show much of an increase in the longer-run mileage due to a couple of planned events. The plan is:
w/c: 4th Feb. 13.1 mile (Exeter Half event where I'm hoping for a PB).
w/c: 11th Feb. 18 mile
w/c: 18th Feb. 15 mile long
w/c: 25th Feb. 13.1 mile (Bideford Half event).
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Had a great club session last night
After feeling a little despondent on the weekend, I had a great club session last night. It's made even better by the fact that I very nearly didn't attend the session because as I was leaving it was raining very heavily (with snow/sleet in the air) and it was also very cold. The session started off being the worst weather conditions that I have ever ran in, but the weather eased up and I'm really glad I went. I'm not sure who said this or where it came from but the following quote always seems to ring true:
Don't doubt if you should run today, just decide that you are going to. You only regret runs you didn't do and rarely regret runs that you did.
Anyway, back to the session last night. It was 6x1K loops, with approximately 200m jog recovery where on each loop you're supposed to push yourself hard but maintain control. On my last loop, our club 10K record holder (Tommo, who was on his 7th loop) caught me up and dragged me along which really pushed me. It's interesting, as he took one look at me and just said "relax your arms, mate" which really helped. It's hard to describe (and I don't know if it's just in my mind), but I seemed to "flow" a bit easier from consciously relaxing my arms. I'll have to remember this for my other runs, especially ones where I am pushing myself hard.
Also, looking at my splits (I remembered to hit the lap button at the start and end of each loop) I was quite a bit quicker following Tommo. I'm not saying I could have done that speed on each of the previous 5 loops because I was absolutely shattered after that 6th one.
Split Time Distance Av Pace
1 4:10.7 0.59 7:04
2 4:11.5 0.61 6:55
3 4:12.4 0.60 6:59
4 4:09.7 0.60 6:54
5 4:10.7 0.59 7:02
6 3:53.4 0.61 6:24
I ran back to the club house with Tommo and it was interesting chatting with him. He has just turned 40 (so has just entered into the MV40 category) and holds various club records from when he was 23 etc. However, last weekend he ran a 10K and was just 13 seconds off of his PB for the 10K (set when he was 23). He reckons he is going to break his PB this year. He is also gunning for the MV40 records in half and full marathon as well. What a cracking achievement!
Don't doubt if you should run today, just decide that you are going to. You only regret runs you didn't do and rarely regret runs that you did.
Anyway, back to the session last night. It was 6x1K loops, with approximately 200m jog recovery where on each loop you're supposed to push yourself hard but maintain control. On my last loop, our club 10K record holder (Tommo, who was on his 7th loop) caught me up and dragged me along which really pushed me. It's interesting, as he took one look at me and just said "relax your arms, mate" which really helped. It's hard to describe (and I don't know if it's just in my mind), but I seemed to "flow" a bit easier from consciously relaxing my arms. I'll have to remember this for my other runs, especially ones where I am pushing myself hard.
Also, looking at my splits (I remembered to hit the lap button at the start and end of each loop) I was quite a bit quicker following Tommo. I'm not saying I could have done that speed on each of the previous 5 loops because I was absolutely shattered after that 6th one.
Split Time Distance Av Pace
1 4:10.7 0.59 7:04
2 4:11.5 0.61 6:55
3 4:12.4 0.60 6:59
4 4:09.7 0.60 6:54
5 4:10.7 0.59 7:02
6 3:53.4 0.61 6:24
I ran back to the club house with Tommo and it was interesting chatting with him. He has just turned 40 (so has just entered into the MV40 category) and holds various club records from when he was 23 etc. However, last weekend he ran a 10K and was just 13 seconds off of his PB for the 10K (set when he was 23). He reckons he is going to break his PB this year. He is also gunning for the MV40 records in half and full marathon as well. What a cracking achievement!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
A cold 12-miler
I got a cold 12-miler in today. It wasn't snowing or icy (unlike in many places in the UK) but it seemed to get colder the longer I was out. I'm pleased I got it in though, and I'm looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow.
It means that I am am at 100% for the first two weeks of Jantastic, which I'm pleased about as well.
Looking ahead to next week, I'm looking to do:
It means that I am am at 100% for the first two weeks of Jantastic, which I'm pleased about as well.
Looking ahead to next week, I'm looking to do:
- Mon: 6 mile tempo
- Wed: Club Run. I'm not sure which session yet but there is a choice of:
- 6 X 1K loops, with approx 200m jog recovery added
- A hill session consisting of running continuously for 5 X 5 mins and rest for 2 mins.
- 3 x 1200m. Push hard for maximum benefit.
- Thurs: 7 mile easy
- Sat: 12 mile.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
11 miler this morning, with iPod
I went out for a gentle 11 miler (at the time of writing for some reason the Garmin Connect site isn't allowing me to upload my run details) from Paignton-Torquay and back, twice.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I was going to out with my iPod and listen to the Marathon Talk Podcast. I actually enjoyed listening the podcast and this episode had Mike Tomlinson (Jane's husband) on the show. It was a thought-proving episode, and Mike explained what Jane went through with her illness, including a lot of "hassle" from people questioning her illness etc. As the episode mentioned, there are some strange people out there. Mike has this month opened the York Marathon for entries, and after a quick Google it appears that the original 5000 place sold out in 2 days. At the time of writing, 5500 places have now gone and they are seeing if they can raise it 6000 entrants. See here for a report.
Another thing about the Podcast is that someone from the Runner's World marathon thread I am a member of was mentioned as she did 2 marathons back to back in January.
Anyway, I'm pleased to see that my achilles seems okay and didn't hold me up or bother me on the 11 miler, although it does seem a bit tight after the run. I am planning on doing a "normal" week next week, to include the Wednesday club session that will involve a hill/tempo/sprint session of some sort.
I've also logged my four runs this week on the Marathon Talk website so I"m currently on track for Jantastic!
As I mentioned in my previous post, I was going to out with my iPod and listen to the Marathon Talk Podcast. I actually enjoyed listening the podcast and this episode had Mike Tomlinson (Jane's husband) on the show. It was a thought-proving episode, and Mike explained what Jane went through with her illness, including a lot of "hassle" from people questioning her illness etc. As the episode mentioned, there are some strange people out there. Mike has this month opened the York Marathon for entries, and after a quick Google it appears that the original 5000 place sold out in 2 days. At the time of writing, 5500 places have now gone and they are seeing if they can raise it 6000 entrants. See here for a report.
Another thing about the Podcast is that someone from the Runner's World marathon thread I am a member of was mentioned as she did 2 marathons back to back in January.
Anyway, I'm pleased to see that my achilles seems okay and didn't hold me up or bother me on the 11 miler, although it does seem a bit tight after the run. I am planning on doing a "normal" week next week, to include the Wednesday club session that will involve a hill/tempo/sprint session of some sort.
I've also logged my four runs this week on the Marathon Talk website so I"m currently on track for Jantastic!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Foam roller and iPod experiments
My achilles is feeling okay, so I'm planning an 8-10 miler tomorrow. If it's still okay after that, I'll be back to the "normal" training next week, as although I will have done four runs this week they have all been at a purposefully slow/easy pace. Also, I expect this will only be around 26-27 miles so I want to try and do 30-35 miles next week if possible with an LSR of around 13, and slowly build up the mileage over the next few weeks.
A few years ago, I used to run with an iPod but I found that I got a bit bored of it and used to settle into the rhythm of the music as opposed to running at whatever pace I wanted. I'm going to try again tomorrow though, but this time listening to a Marathon Talk podcast and see how I get on with that. If I find that I'm either not really taking the podcast in, or alternatively I find it too distracting I'll just turn the iPod off. It's not that I don't enjoy running by myself and taking in the scenery etc, but I just feel like giving it a go to see how I get on. If it works well, it will be a good way of "killing two birds with one stone". I.E., getting the LSR in, plus listening to a podcast at the same time.
On a couple of the threads I follow on Runner's World, foam rollers have been mentioned and seem very popular with other runners. I know that I have tight hamstrings and although I do stretch I never really feel that they get any looser. I have been thinking about getting one for a little while as on some runs I feel that cardio-vascularly I'm feeling fine, but my legs feel "heavy" some how. Therefore, for the sake of £10 delivered, I thought I'd order one so mine should be turning up from Amazon some time next week. I'll report back here on how I find it.
A few years ago, I used to run with an iPod but I found that I got a bit bored of it and used to settle into the rhythm of the music as opposed to running at whatever pace I wanted. I'm going to try again tomorrow though, but this time listening to a Marathon Talk podcast and see how I get on with that. If I find that I'm either not really taking the podcast in, or alternatively I find it too distracting I'll just turn the iPod off. It's not that I don't enjoy running by myself and taking in the scenery etc, but I just feel like giving it a go to see how I get on. If it works well, it will be a good way of "killing two birds with one stone". I.E., getting the LSR in, plus listening to a podcast at the same time.
On a couple of the threads I follow on Runner's World, foam rollers have been mentioned and seem very popular with other runners. I know that I have tight hamstrings and although I do stretch I never really feel that they get any looser. I have been thinking about getting one for a little while as on some runs I feel that cardio-vascularly I'm feeling fine, but my legs feel "heavy" some how. Therefore, for the sake of £10 delivered, I thought I'd order one so mine should be turning up from Amazon some time next week. I'll report back here on how I find it.
Monday, January 07, 2013
First run of the New Year
It's been a late start of the year for me, since completing the December running streak on NYE. As I mentioned though, I have had a slight niggle in my achilles so have eased off to try and clear the injury up for me to start my marathon training properly.
So, I went out for a slow and steady 4-mile run on a flat route after work today and I'm pleased to say I felt okay. The achilles did feel a bit tight for a mile or so, but after that it felt fine. It was good to get back out again, and it was a nice run out on a scenic seafront route.
I'm going to continue to ice and stretch the achilles over the next week or so, and presuming I am okay tomorrow and not hobbling around I'm planning a 5-miler on both Wednesday and Friday and hopefully a slightly longer run (8-10 miles) on Sunday all being well. All of this will be at a slow and steady pace on flat routes.
I've also got off to a start on the Marathon Talk Jantastic challenge as well, where I have set myself the target of doing four session a week through January.
So, I went out for a slow and steady 4-mile run on a flat route after work today and I'm pleased to say I felt okay. The achilles did feel a bit tight for a mile or so, but after that it felt fine. It was good to get back out again, and it was a nice run out on a scenic seafront route.
I'm going to continue to ice and stretch the achilles over the next week or so, and presuming I am okay tomorrow and not hobbling around I'm planning a 5-miler on both Wednesday and Friday and hopefully a slightly longer run (8-10 miles) on Sunday all being well. All of this will be at a slow and steady pace on flat routes.
I've also got off to a start on the Marathon Talk Jantastic challenge as well, where I have set myself the target of doing four session a week through January.
Sunday, January 06, 2013
Achilles is getting better, but I haven't ran for 6 days
The achilles issue I mentioned in the previous post is getting better, but I have decided not to run for a whole week and have been going to the gym instead (yawn!!). It feels ok (not 100%, but it's not painful as such ...more of a very slight discomfort) when walking around but when I lightly squeeze it there is some pain. The pain/discomfort has been reducing over the 6 days I've taken off. I'd say on a scale of 1-10 the pain when I squeeze it is only a 2, but I am wary of achilles injuries.
Annoyingly, I felt it go when I was out for a long walk in the new year and not when running although I appreciate it still could be running induced. I do have a dilemma as my gym membership runs out on the 8th Jan and I was planning on not renewing it. I'm thinking I'll go for a slow trot tomorrow and see how it is and then make my mind up about the membership.
I'm hoping to do the MarathonTalk Jantastic challenge and I've set my goal for January to run 4 times per week. From the website, there are the following rules which help keep the motivation and consistency going in the early part of the year, with the objective being that you set the goals at the start of each month and report your progress against those goals on a weekly basis.
Annoyingly, I felt it go when I was out for a long walk in the new year and not when running although I appreciate it still could be running induced. I do have a dilemma as my gym membership runs out on the 8th Jan and I was planning on not renewing it. I'm thinking I'll go for a slow trot tomorrow and see how it is and then make my mind up about the membership.
I'm hoping to do the MarathonTalk Jantastic challenge and I've set my goal for January to run 4 times per week. From the website, there are the following rules which help keep the motivation and consistency going in the early part of the year, with the objective being that you set the goals at the start of each month and report your progress against those goals on a weekly basis.
January = How many runs per week?
February = January + How far will you go?
March = January + February + How fast will you go?
Jantastic = January + February + March
You set it. You stick to it. You run. You get your 'Jantastic' score!
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