Sunday prediction

Here is how Sunday will go:

Start off with vague plans of speeding up after 20 miles and going sub 3.

Miles 1 to 16 all nicely in the 6:5x range.
Miles 17 to 20 in the same range but requiring some effort.
At mile 20 laugh hysterically at the thought of speeding up at this point.
Fade gradually over the next 6 miles.
Finish time: 3:05 for a 3 min PB

You saw it here first!

8 with 2 @ MP for me today. The MP miles felt a bit harder than I hoped but there was a slight headwind...

Carb-loading is great fun I must say. Mmm cake!

Am I ready? Who knows.

Five days to go now. People keep asking me if I am ready for some reason. In terms of training... absolutely. In terms of the logistics of the day and nutrition plans... not really. But my approach to marathons is to treat them as just another race as much as possible. This helps keep the nerves at bay. You can make a marathon as complicated or as simple as you want to and I like simple.

Sunday was a steady 13 miler. The legs felt good again and the average pace was quite fast at 7:32. In the second half I was ticking off 7:10 miles feeling smooth and comfortable. This is only a bit slower than planned marathon pace so I am hoping for a very comfortable first half of the race. It has to be comfortable really or you are doomed.

Yesterday was a "rest" day that actually involved cycling to work and back and doing a strength session at lunch time. I will stay away from the weights for the rest of the week though.

Today was another cycle to work and then an easy 6 mile run back. Easy effort is now coming out at 7:50 pace which is a fitness level I have never had before.

Sunday is just one day. I am already excited about the rest of the year!

Parkrun PB

I have mentioned before about how hard I have found it to improve my course record at my local parkrun (Bramhall.) I had a blinder in March 2014 and did the course in 19:21 but found it impossible to get near that time for a while. Even after another summer of marathon training in 2014 I was struggling to get under 20 minutes for the rest of the year.

In 2015 I got injured in the spring and then finally managed a respectable 19:34 at the end of the year. In 2016 I finally improved my record with a 19:18 in spring and a 19:03 in August.

Last week I managed a decent 19:15 on slightly tapered legs and a very muddy course. Today I was more rested and the conditions were much better. Could I finally improve my record?

I did a shorter warm up of 2 miles with some strides at the end. This time I had a few more minutes to recover before the start of the race as well.

I was pleased to see some fast club mates on the start line - they would help pull me round the course.

I started off at a sensible pace and straight away about 20 people come past me but I knew that many of them would come back to me. Two club mates, Ian and John were just in front of me and for the first lap I kept up with Ian as John pulled away. Ian was going fast enough for my liking and I wasn't expecting to be able to live with John.

In the second lap Ian tired a bit and I pushed past him. It was then a case of getting as far in front of him as I could. My heart rate was in the right place, about 163 and my watch was telling me that the pace was good. The Garmin is consistently useless on this course and normally measures it at 2.8 miles rather than 3.1. This means that it always tell you that you are going much slower than you actually are. Normally the indicated mile lap times are about 6:45 or so but today they were more like 6:30 so I knew I was going well.

Into the last Km and I could hear someone catching me. This helped spur me on and I managed a decent sprint down the hill to the finish line, managing 4:30 pace according to Strava!

When I looked at my watch I was expected a good time but couldn't believe my eyes when I saw 18:45! My first sub-19 on this course and 2nd fastest 5K ever. That also got me the club record for my age group. A lot of fist pumping ensued. I haven't felt that excited about a PB since I first went sub-20 here.

Things are looking good. Only eight days to go and I can't wait!

Run commuting

I think I have mentioned before the joys of run commuting. Today I ran the 6 miles into work after dropping off my daughter. I manage to just have a bum bag (fanny pack!) rather than a rucksack so as to not spoil the run. The logistics do get complicated and confusing but basically I take in extra clothes earlier in the week when I cycle in so that when I am running all I need are my phone, keys, a bank card and a security pass. Running home after work is good but running into work is fantastic. Compared to an early morning run I am fully awake and partly fed so they feel great and after a shower at work I am full of mental energy. And I have saved on petrol.

I am fully aware that I am sounding like a running bore but I guess we are all passionate about something.

The taper is in full swing now so it is time to start worrying about the weather, feel random niggles and eat too much. The forecast looks good, my feet are a bit sore and I am eating too much breakfast cereal so hopefully I am fulfilling the plan on all counts!

The dreaded 3 x 1600m

Today's interval session is considered to be one of the hardest in the plan, purely because 1 mile is such a long distance to run at 5 K pace. I find that the first 800 metres are OK but after that you are clinging on a bit. This is bearable in a 1200 metre interval when you are nearly there after 800. However trying to keep the pace for another 800 metres takes some effort.

Having said that, I was very pleased with mile splits of 5:51, 5:54 and 5:52. This was my fastest 1 mile session ever and it was nice not to fade.

And that is essentially all the training banked for the marathon. They say you need 10 days gain benefit from a session and as the marathon is in 11 days that leaves only tomorrow's easy 6 miler. After that I will have another go at a fast parkrun on Saturday and a 13 mile long run on Sunday to stop the legs getting lazy.

6 miles not quite easy

After a day off running yesterday the legs felt good today. This was fortunate as I had somewhat lost track of time at work and ended up with 50 minutes to run the 6 miles to pick up my daughter. While that isn't hard in itself this was supposed to be an easy run and I didn't want to spoil my legs for a tough interval session tomorrow. In the end 7:40 minute mileing felt pretty comfortable and I don't think I ruined my session tomorrow.

About that session... 3 x 1 miles : 5 K pace. This is a tough one... 1 mile is a long way to run at that pace. At least there are only 3 intervals to do. I'll just turn my brain off and have a go. One day I am gonna have a go at a club track session - that must be more fun?

Taper

And so with two weeks to go the taper begins in earnest. I have actually had a day off from running. But the cycle commute and lunchtime gym session kept me sane. Tapering is a bit boring though...

I am already thinking past the marathon to plans for the summer and autumn. The current plan is to have a 3 months triathlon season where I do a bit more cycling and swimming and a bit less running (but still at least 50 miles per week.) It would be good to get some speed into the legs as well.

Then over the late summer and early autumn I can build up the mileage, maybe for a trail marathon.

Having been injured a couple of years ago I know how lucky I am to be running pain free. I plan to make the most of it.

Final long run

Two weeks to go!

The final long run was 17 miles. After the first two uphill miles I settled into 7:40 pace with no effort and knew I was having a good day. The second half is supposed to be at 7:30 pace but I ended up ticking off 7:10 miles without much apparent effort (although the heart rate of  140 suggests some effort.) So 17 miles @ 7:32 pace average. The fastest long run of the marathon plan and a nice way to conclude the proper training phase as the taper kicks in in earnest now.

So there we have it. Four months of training in one image. Four months of running every day and at least 60 miles per week. Really not sure about this planned rest day tomorrow!

Parkrun Posturing

It is the 15th March, 2014. Having done most of the 55 to 70 miles per week Advanced Marathoning plan, I had another go at my local parkrun. Something really clicked that day and I had the performance of my life, completing the 5K in 19:21 and knocking over 30 seconds off my PB. Whether it was the VO2 Max training I had recently been doing, the conditions or the fact that I was racing some club mates in the second half of the race that made the difference I don't know. This time was such an outlier that it took me over two years of training to beat it.

Today I had another ago at improving my current course record of 19:03. With two easy days behind me my legs felt fresh but the conditions weren't ideal with a strong wind and a fair amount of mud and water on the trail sections of the course.

In order to make up the daily mileage to 9 miles I did a four mile warm up with strides in the last mile. This is more that I would normally do for a 5K and I only had a few minutes after the warm up to rest before the race began. However I felt strong over the first 400 meters or so and soon settled into 6th place. There was a young girl in front of me and after about 1.5 K I edged past her to settle into 5th place. There was now a young guy in front of me who I gradually gained on and at about 3 K I moved past him into 4th place. The man in third was about 20 metres ahead and I began to wonder if my first ever podium finish on this course was possible. Keeping the effort constant I gradually gained on third until at the 4 K point I was just behind him. He seemed to be slowing so I tucked in behind him for a hundred metres or so and then flew past him so he wouldn't try to stay with me. This tactic seemed to work as I soon had a decent gap on him. It was then case of keeping a hard effort going for the last few minutes of the race and hoping no one would come past me.

Thankfully no one did and I finished with a time of 19:15 - my second best on this course.

So a fun race and a decent time for me on a hilly and muddy course. I am hoping to go sub 19 on this course this year but for today I will settle for third place.

12 miles steady

I love this time of year when the mornings are getting lighter and the training is getting easier!

This morning there was ample daylight at 6 am and my legs felt fresh from the word go. Once I had warmed up, jogging along at 7:50 pace felt effortless. Then in the second half of the run 7:20 pace felt good as well.

Apparently you can get a number for your fitness by multiplying the average heart rate by the average pace (in minutes per mile.) This gives you the average number of beats per mile. The lower the number the better. About 10 months ago this figure was about 1080. This morning it was more like 980.

Two easy days now and then a go at a fast parkrun on Saturday.

6 miles easy

The first noticeable difference in the plan for the taper came today - only a 6 mile run rather than a double or a 10 miler. My legs felt heavy for 3 miles but then seemed to loosen up and I enjoyed the second half of the run.

I work about 10K from home which is a great distance to run commute I find. At a steady pace it takes 50 mins, compared to 25 to 30 mins by bike and 20 to 40 mins in the car. So I get a 6 mile run in at the cost of only 20 mins. And after running into work I feel fab! Safer than cycling as well I guess. Run commute = winning at life in my opinion.

5 easy miles

The plan give Mondays off but I like to do an extra easy run, basically because I can and I think it helps a bit. My last day without a run was in mid November so almost four months ago. However I think I will have to swallow my pride and bow to the taper next Monday and give my legs a break.

But today the 5 miles felt fine, despite the 20 miler yesterday. Maybe the daily tin of sardines is working!

20 mile long run

The last long run before the taper starts is a 20 miler. These long runs are supposed to be run at a decent pace, with the second half faster than the first half. Specifically the first half should be marathon pace (MP) + 20% and the second half MP + 10%. For me this means 8:10 min / mile pace and then 7:30.

I personally hated the first two 20 mile + run in this marathon plan. It was several years since I had done a 20 mile training run and I found the last five miles or so very tough, feeling like I was barely hanging on to the required pace.

The third ultra long run (22 miles) felt a bit more comfortable and the final one today also went well. I have wondered in the past if it is really necessary to run so long, and have had a successful marathon of the Hansons plan which peaks at 16 miles. However these ultra long runs do practice the end-of-marathon feeling, build confidence in completing the distance and hopefully build leg strength.

In any case today's run was faster than prescribed but felt about right effort-wise. The first half was at about 8:00 pace and the second more like 7:20 for a 2 hour 33 min run.

The other negative about these fast finish long runs is that you feel wiped out for quite a few hours afterwards, so it's best not to plan any physical tasks for the rest of the day!

And now for that blissful word... taper.

Progressive parkrun

The schedule said just 5 miles recovery today but in order to get in an 80 mile week and have some fun today I ran to my local parkrun and back. 3 miles, warm up, the parkrun and then 2 miles cool down got me the required 8 miles.

I didn't do the parkrun flat out as my legs were a bit tired and I wanted to save something for the 20 mile run tomorrow. Instead I started at a steady pace and tried to go a bit harder each kilometre. The last km was pretty much flat out. This resulted in a 20:30 5K and a lot of overtaking fun. I am looking forward to having a real bash at a fast parkrun next week as a tune-up race.

8 miles with strides

Well after an exuberant 14 miler yesterday I should have expected some dullness in the legs today. Doing a strength workout in the gym a few hours before won't have helped either. The legs were definitely lacking any bounciness today but still managed a hilly 8 miler without too much fuss.

It looks like I am heading for an 80 mile week, only my second ever. 8 miles tomorrow and then 20 on Sunday will do the trick. And then that blissful word... taper!

14 miles steady

Doing this run the day after an interval session I wasn't sure how the legs would feel but bizarrely enough they felt great! There was a strong headwind for much of the run but this didn't seem to matter and I spent the second half banging out 7:20 miles with little apparent effort. Just a good day at the office I guess.

And that is the last 14 mile midweek run done. Getting up early enough to do 14 or 15 miles before work has been a challenge, especially when it is pitch black outside. However you really get a feeling of accomplishment afterwards. If you want to beat people in races you need to do something that they aren't doing and getting up at 5:30 am for a 15 mile run in the dark and cold probably isn't that common in my running club!

5 x 1200m

The dreaded interval sessions. Possibly quite fun on a track with company. Not quite as fun on your own, first thing in the morning, on a sloppy trail and just my Garmin to guide me.

I was ready to axe the session if the DOMS was still present but it had gone so I had to man up and have a go. 1200 metres is quite a long way to run at 5 K pace so this is definitely a tough session. And 5 of them seems a bit excessive.

The first rep. well went, coming out at about 5:50 pace but after that it was hard work keeping them below 6:00 pace. The first 800 metres is generally OK but then it is eyeballs out trying to keep up the pace for another 400 metres. 

In any case the HR log shows the distinct effort of the intervals, with the HR up to 165 on the fourth one, something I find quite hard to achieve in training.

How helpful this all is towards a marathon is another question!

Double Trouble

Today was a double day. 6 miles to work and then another 6 miles back at the end of the day.

Doing doubles is supposed allow you to get the miles in with less strain on the body as you have a rest between the runs. I generally love the first run into work but then the second run can be a bit of a slog. As I had mild DOMS from Sunday's race the run home was definitely a slog but if you follow a high mileage plan you have to accept that some of your runs will be on sore legs.

If I still have DOMS tomorrow I will sack off the interval session and just do a long easy run. No point getting injured when I can do a parkrun on Saturday for some VO2 Max work.

Race Review

Now that the dust has settled on my 10K performance yesterday here are some more thoughts:

• That race is crazily strong! I came in position 292 out of about 800 finishers. Comfortably in the top half but nowhere near top 10%. Clearly this is not a race for fun runners but to finish that low down the order in a mixed race is quite something.
• Starting further back is more fun. Being overtaken so much in the second half is not my style and not much fun. I must rein in that first mile next time. Having said that my HR was in the right place after half a mile and didn't go up until the last mile so the effort can't have been that wrong. Maybe just easing off slightly would pay off double in the last two miles.
• 10Ks are over far too quickly! If I am going to dedicate my Sunday morning to a race I prefer a distance with a bit more ebb and flow to it. Half Marathons are perfect for this.
• I am in decent shape. 2017 could be an exciting year.

Just a 6 mile run commute home from work today. The legs felt ok, the wind was behind me and I quite enjoyed it.

Trafford 10K

Decent 10K race for me yesterday. Almost missed the start when a closed motorway junction resulted in the most enormous diversion known to man so my planned 3 mile warm up became less than a mile.

As with the rest of the country conditions were very wet but not too much wind and the temperature was good for racing so no excuses there.

Started about 5 rows back and when the starting gun went about 200 people went passed me in the first mile! The race is crazily competitive. The lap pace showed about 5:40 after half a mile which is much too quick for me so I easy off and eventually got the mile split down to 5:57. Still my fastest split ever in a 10K but not too far off my planned 6:10 pace.

The next two miles are slightly uphill so they were a bit slower - 6:15s. My HR was in the right zone and the effort felt OK so all to plan so far. Went through 5k in just over 19 mins.

Mile 4 is a bit downhill and this felt nicer, eventually ticking of a 6:06 mile. Just two more fast miles and my time could be sub 38.

However I started to pay for the fast start here and had to dig in to keep the pace respectable. I normally finish races strong but this time I was getting overtaken now and then and didn't seem to be able to do anything about it.

Mile 5 is also slightly downhill so a 6:13 was a bit slow but not disastrous.

I increased the effort in the last mile as more people came past me and my HR was up near 95% of max. but I could only manage another 6:13. After an age the finish straight finally came into view and I managed a reasonably strong last 400 m at 5:50 pace.

A chip time of 38:03 - about 20 seconds faster than my time on the short course last year so I'll take it. And finally I'll have a decent 10K PB on Po10.

According to McMillan Running my 24:10 HM in January was a better performance but whatever, maybe I paced that one better.

One more week now before the taper

The bounce is back

Two easy days in a row and my legs are feeling bouncy again - a feeling I haven't had for a long time. The forecast for the Trafford 10K tomorrow is cold and wet but I don't really care. It isn't that windy so the conditions shouldn't affect times that much. It won't encourage spectators but then there are hardly any anyway!

The course was found to be short last year and I lost my PB. They have added the missing 100m now so hopefully I can repeat my time from last year and get a respectable 10K PB.

10K isn't my favourite distance really. A 5K is a fun speed blast and a Half is a good endurance test whereas a 10K is neither but still, it involves running so will be fun!

5 miles with strides

Two easy days now before Sunday's race.

5 miles is as much as I can fit into a lunch break so that was the plan today. Doing six 100 metre sprints in the run (often called strides) brought the average pace below 8:00 min / mile so quite fast for an easy run. Strides are supposed to improve your form and give you a chance to get some speed into weary legs without tiring you out too much. They make a change from the general slog of marathon training in any case.

Oh and the rain... February has been ridiculously wet and that is continuing into March at the moment. If I had a pound for every wet run I have done this winter...

17 miles on a week day

Trying to fit Sunday races into a marathon plan is always tricky as you can't just do your long run on Saturday as that would ruin your legs for the race. If you are doing a Half Marathon you can do a long warm up and cool down to make the distance up to 18 miles or so but this can detract from the race day fun. If you are doing a 10k then this isn't really an option. The other possibility is to do the long run midweek which is what I did today.

Doing a 17 miler the day after a 14 miler is a bit risky in terms of injury but it went surprisingly well. My legs felt fine and the average pace came out at 7:52, despite me consciously going a bit slower than normal in the second half. As this run was in the morning and the Tuesday run was in the afternoon it meant I had done 40 miles in 48 hours. However I find that having a sleep between runs is the major key. It is amazing how a decent sleep can reset your body, leaving you ready for the day's challenges.

One other thing I am trying over Lent is to eat a tin of sardines every day. With a tin containing almost 20g of protein and only costing 40p it is a pretty cost effective and tasty way of getting some more protein. The Omega 3 oils won't do you any harm either.

I have actually put on a few pounds of weight during this marathon training program, despite the high mileage I have been doing. The culprit is probably the nuts that I gorge on at work. While containing a useful amount of protein they also contain a lot of fat so my calorie intake must be through the roof. Will have to watch that one. 

Marathon training

It's been a while...

Almost two years since my last post and still no sub 3 marathon. And now I am 41! What a crazy name for my blog in retrospect.

I had an optimistic attempt at sub 3 at Chester last autumn and faded after 16 miles, finishing with a 10 minute positive split but a big PB of 3:08.

This winter I have been following the P&D 55-70 miles per week 18 week plan, with extra easy running to make it a 60 - 80 mpw plan.

In January I smashed my HM PB with 1:24:10 at the Four Villages Half. So another sub 3 attempt is in order at the Manchester marathon in four and a half weeks.

But for now, for Lent, I am blogging every day up till the marathon.

So today was 14 miles MLR (medium long run.)

Doing 14 miles before work is quite tough as it means a 5:30 am wake up and setting off in the dark. I won't miss these runs after the marathon.

However today the weather was dry and there was a hint of daylight even at 6 am.

14 miles averaging 7:55 pace. That'll do.