London Marathon - the hot one

I have written before about bloggers who log their build up but then don't bother to write up the marathon. This happens a lot in the blogosphere but I will not be one of them!

So, Saturday was 4 miles recovery and then the journey down to London to collect my number and get to my hotel. You are supposed to avoid too much time on feet the day before the marathon but with all the changing trains and walking to the expo. and then to the hotel I did about 20,000 steps that day. Probably not ideal but then again nothing I am not used to.

I had a good sleep on Saturday and a sensible breakfast (sadly passing on the full English option!) I also took the weather seriously, putting on a white cap and vest and covering myself with factor 50 sunscreen.

Unfortunately the forecast had got even worse at this point. It was now going to be sunny all morning with the temperature rising from 18 to 21. This was a bit of a disaster for any hopes of a fast time.

I decided to pace by heart rate and just see what happened. I have never run a marathon in these conditions before so wasn't sure how it would play out.

All the logistics of getting to the start went smoothly and I was soon in pen number 1, watching the Queen press the start button. Within a couple minutes I was running over the start line.

There were supposed to be 3 hour pacers from the blue start but I never saw them which is probably a good thing as going with them would not have ended well.

The first 3 miles went well enough, with the average pace around 6:55 and the heart rate in the right place. Unfortunately my watch was not doing a good job of measuring the route and kept ticking over to the next mile earlier and earlier, meaning I was actually going slower than it was indicating. I decided just to watch the heart rate and not worry about it.

At every water station I took water and chucked the rest over my head. Where there was Lucozade I took that and where there were gels I used them. All in all I used 5 gels.

The first 12 miles were pretty uneventful. The miles ticked by quickly enough. The watch claimed my average pace was about 6:55. In reality it was probably more like 7:05. My heart rate was nice and low at about 143. I kept on telling myself just to relax and I would smash the last 6 miles.

After about 12 miles I got a bit of a stitch - probably due to the unusual amount of nutrition I was taking on. This were away after a few miles thankfully.

Around this point we turned right onto Tower Bridge. This is an amazing part of the course with the amount of noise made by spectators on the bridge being quite phenomenal. However it is then followed by the anticlimax of some boring miles before you get to 20 miles and can start counting down to the end.

I went through halfway in about 1:34. About this point I realised that a good time was not going to happen today. I felt OK but not great. I could maybe push for a 3:10 but I didn't really see the point. It wasn't a day for records. I decided to just go with the flow of runners around me and just enjoy the race.

So that it what I did for the next 7 miles. I didn't slow to a jog but nor did I push. I just cantered along at a steady effort, taking everything in and still gaining places.

One bonus of my steady pace was that I got to see Kipchoge and Mo Farah coming the other direction before the routes diverged. Hopefully this will be the last time I am slow enough to see the leaders coming in the other direction!

After about 15 miles the route winds through the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf for about 5 miles. This part of the course is a bit less well supported than other areas and a bit undulating. However I was going reasonably well and the miles passed quickly enough.

I got to 20 miles in about 2:26. That meant I needed a 49 minute 10K to get a sub 3:15. That seemed like a sensible target so I started checking my watch again to make sure my pace was faster than 8 minutes per mile.

It is incredible how far apart the mile markers seem to be at this stage in a marathon. Thankfully they all came round less than 8 minutes after the previous one so I was on course.

After about 40K a 3:15 pacemaker eased past me and pulled away. I concluded that he must have crossed the start line before me and there was no need to panic. I did try to speed up a bit to stay with the pacemaker but I got some twinges in my calf that signalled cramp could be on the way. No big finish for me then.

Soon enough Big Ben came and went and then the long-awaited 1K to go sign. I could see that I had over 1 minute for every 200 metres so as long as I kept moving I would make it. A few minutes later we turned past the Palace and onto the Mall. I managed to enjoy the last 200 metres with a few fist pumps for the camera.

So that was that. London Marathon 2018 in 3:14:28.

12 months ago I did a marathon in 2:59:45. One year and a lot of training later I did a marathon 15 minutes slower. How do you process that?

I think in Manchester last year everything went perfectly. My legs were having a good day, the conditions were good and obviously the course was flat. I managed to sneak under 3 hours by the skin of my teeth.

In London it was way too hot. I don't run well in the heat as several summer half marathons have proved. My legs felt average rather than amazing. So I am OK with a steady marathon with only a limited fade in the second half. I took 10 minutes off my time from 4 years ago on a much hotter day and enjoyed the event much more.

One PB isn't a great return for a big marathon build up but hopefully I have a good base for the rest of the year and can come back again in 2019 for another attempt at the elusive sub 3.

6 miles with strides

As far as final taper weeks go, this one has been pretty full on with a run every day and a mini workout on Wednesday. I guess it is a question of what you are used to and not allowing your legs to get sluggish.

I certainly haven't given my legs any chance of getting lazy today, with a 6 mile run into work with strides, a cycle home and then a swim session this evening.

The strides felt pretty good although not amazing. I think I am in decent shape though.

The triathlon club swim session was humbling as ever. I am just not a very good swimmer. I was in the intermediate class but in reality I am only just at intermediate level. I normally stick to things I am good at so to see people join the group and improve much quicker than me has been eye-opening. Still, I have improved and I think I need to swim more than twice a week to see some real improvements.

6 miles recovery

Nothing but recovery runs and a few strides now. My calves felt a bit tight today but eventually loosened up and the recovery pace was better than normal. Running at midday was hot! 23 degrees in April! I'm glad it will be a little bit cooler on Sunday.

I have done what I can to prepare for the warm weather now. My outfit is all white or yellow, including a cap. I also have some electrolyte gels to help hydration. There is water every mile at London so at every drink station I will sip some water and tip the rest over my head.

In other news, carbo-loading is quite fun!

Today I fly; on Sunday I fry

This morning was the dress rehearsal. Popular amongst fans of the P&D marathon training plans; some consider it their favourite run of the whole schedule.

The idea is that you dress in your race day kit and see what 2 miles @ marathon pace feels like.

For me that meant putting on short shorts and a vest and leaving the phone behind. I wanted this run to be a confidence boost so I arranged for the wind to be behind me during the fast miles.

So it was 4 miles steady running up to the trail and then let off the brakes. Predictably I got a bit carried away. My HR shot above 150 when it should be around 145 in a marathon. I calmed myself down and loped along at a nice effort. Apple watches do not do lap pace so my heart was in my mouth to some extent when I completed the first tempo mile. Would it be a disappointing time like 6:50 or something better like 6:30? I was very happy to see 6:20 on the watch. However I knew I had put too much effort in and had the wind behind me so this was not a realistic marathon pace.

I tried to keep the HR at a reasonable level for the next mile (averaging about 147) and that came out at 6:40.

I would be ecstatic if I could average 6:40 on Sunday. With colder weather I might have a chance. With the current forecast I would very happily take sub 3:00.

Don't forget suncream

Yikes! The forecast for Sunday has just got worse. It is now predicted to be 23 degrees C by 1 pm. 23 degrees! You can't run a marathon in that!

If that forecast is correct my target will be 3:05.

That's the problem with doing a big training plan for a marathon. You train hard for months, making sacrifices along the way, and then a random injury, illness or bad weather can ruin your chances. Hmm.

Anyway, 6 miles in to work this morning. 8 minute miles coming easy.

7 miles recovery

It's the final countdown. Just 6 more runs before the big one. The main goal is now to keep ticking over and not do anything silly.

As expected the recovery pace was better than normal today and I even did an 8 minute mile! The weather is very pleasant at the moment with no gloves or hat required.

Unfortunately the forecast for London ticked up a degree today but having watched the Boston Marathon I guess I shouldn't complain. 15 to 20 degrees with a light wind will actually feel quite pleasant in the first half but will definitely have an impact in the second. For the elites racing for places it doesn't matter as much as their rivals are equally affected but for those going for a time it is a bit frustrating.

13 miles steady

The taper is in full flow now but the plan still wants 13 miles at a decent pace one week before the marathon. With fresher legs this was not a problem, in fact the main goal was not to get carried away.

The first half was into the wind at an easy effort and the pace was comfortably below 8 minute miles. After the turnaround it was time to up the effort and I was happy to see the pace drop all the way down to 7 minute miles.

Of course I can never stop a run at 13 miles, it has to be 13.11 for a half marathon. This was done in under 1:40 so a nice final long run.

Seven days to go now. It is starting to feel real. 26 miles is an intimidating distance to race so my way of dealing with the pressure is to treat it as just another race as much as possible and not take it too seriously.

7 miles with strides

Back to my first love today. Getting a run done before anything else, on reasonably fresh legs and over a comfortable distance. This is what I have missed while marathon training. All the easy runs tend to be on tired legs whereas when you have fresh legs you have to make the run count.

Today was just 7 miles with some strides thrown in for good measure.

After 3 miles uphill to the trail I then did 100 metre sprints in every quarter mile section for two miles of trail. Recently, on tired legs, the mile splits containing the strides have barely gone below 8 minutes. Today I did a 6:50 mile. That is the taper difference.

Having said that, I will soon be missing the hard workouts and will be finding another plan to follow after the marathon ASAP. Although marathon training is hard there is something special about being on a quest. It makes me feel alive.

6 miles run commute

As ever the morning runs are much more enjoyable than evening runs. Last night I felt tired mentally and physically. This morning I was fresh and the wind had died down. The pace soon dropped below 8 minutes per mile and felt better as the run went on.

The forecast for London is looking warm. This is not good news! I don't run well in the heat. At the moment it is predicted to be 15 degrees Centigrade at 10 am rising to 19 degrees by 1 pm. Finishing the marathon with the temperature almost 20 degrees is not going to result in a PB. If the temperature is warm I will just have to focus on enjoying the day and forget about the time.

When your legs just shrug

Trying to fit some speed work into my run commute was never going to be much fun. My route home is through town with lots of turns and roads to cross. The best I could hope for was to squeeze in some 400m intervals where I could.

Unfortunately there was an annoying chilly headwind most of the way and I was mentally tired from work. Not the best conditions really. When I did pick up the pace my legs did what they were told but without any enthusiasm. I can almost imagine the conversation between my brain and my legs:

Brain: Go faster now!

Legs: But this is a run commute! Why? Oh alright then.

Brain: Keep it up.

Legs: I am. Chill out.

Brain: OK, ease off.

Legs: I was already.

Brain: Rest over. Fast again now.

Legs: Yeah yeah whatever. What's for tea?

You get the idea. The only time I felt strong was up a hill where the effort seemed to feel a bit more fun.

Anyway this is probably all a combination of having a bit too much fun on the cycle in to work, doing a steady 10 miler yesterday, mental tiredness, life stress and taper madness.

There will be better runs.

The legs return

Well I felt like a runner again today so that is progress! 10 easy miles into work felt decent with the pace naturally dropping to below 8 minute miles. Of course the tailwind and net downhill helped but still, this was a lot better than yesterday.

Tomorrow I am supposed to be doing 3 x 1 mile @ 5K pace. However I only have the 6 mile run commute to play with, and there is no chance of a mile free from traffic obstructions on that route. So I will split the speed work up into chunks of about 800 m and progressively ramp up the heart rate with each one. It won't be what the plan says but it will be something and that may just be enough!

When every step feels forced

Sometimes running feels smooth. Sometimes it feels forced. Today was the latter. My legs weren't particularly sore and even managed some strides without complaining. However they lacked any bounce and just getting the pace down to 8:20 minute miles took some effort. I sometimes wonder if you have to have one bad run after a hard long run and by running on Monday you get it out of the way.

So my 8 mile run today wasn't exactly joyous. But if I can get these bad runs out of the way before race day I am not going to complain.

There are rumours of some warmer weather next week. Now that is a worry. If it is 20 degrees on race day I will have to forget about a PB and just enjoy the day. I just don't race well in the heat.

A run free day

Today I just had no energy. I think I pushed too hard on the long run yesterday and also caught a stomach bug. I managed to cycle in to work but couldn't face the thought of a 6 mile jog home so just cycled home instead.

The problem with following a plan is that I feel compelled to follow it. I hate having to miss runs. However as the taper is fully underway I don't think missing one recovery run will do too much harm. I am trying to avoid these miserable plods on tired legs that I often inflict on myself.

Back on it tomorrow hopefully.

The last of the long runs

So that is it then. The hay really is in the barn. Just one speed session this Wednesday to bank but mainly just ticking over now.

The plan called for 17 miles today which actually felt very doable compared to 22 last weekend. The legs were a bit tired after racing a parkrun yesterday though. However they were willing to do the required pace. 9 miles @ 8:00 and then 8 miles @ 7:20. I felt pretty good in the second half and got the average pace down to 7:38.

81 mile for the week, partly because I did the 22 miler on Monday rather than Sunday. Next week will be significantly lower.

Parkrun fun times

Another Saturday, another parkrun.

With two successive easy days behind me I had hopes of a good time today. The 3 mile warm up flew by which is always a good sign. The strides felt decent and I got there in plenty of time to catch my breath before the start.

Off we go and a couple of runners tear off, quickly dropping the rest of the field. I start harder than normal and soon find myself in 6th place with a strong runner in front. He gradually pulls away from me over the first lap and I gradually pull away from whoever is behind me leaving me by myself for the second lap.

Running alone makes it impossible to squeeze everything out of your legs but I keep up a hard effort and manage to keep the HR around 160 which is about as high as I can get it these days.

I lap a handful of people towards the end of the second lap and then it is the finish straight. This 250m section is my favourite part of the course as it is flat, then downhill and then flat to the finish line. You can really take off on the downhill bit and then maintain the pace to the finish to really complete the course with gusto!

Have I gone sub 19? Not quite. 19:03 for my joint second fastest time on this course. It felt good. It was fun. I'll take it.

Taper madness

Today was the first day that I noticed the taper. An easy day yesterday followed by an easy 6 miles today. What is this laziness?

My legs certainly felt decent on the run into work and the 8 minute miles came easy.

Then it will be back to business tomorrow. The plan calls for a tune-up race but there are almost no Saturday races in the UK so I will use my local parkrun instead. Hopefully my legs will be a little fresher than they were two weeks ago and I can improve on 19:35.

7 miles with strides

Strides are good! They might improve running form. They allow a bit of a workout without wearing you out.

The only problem is, I am always too fatigued to do them justice. I think this is an acceptable part of doing higher mileage than ever before. You can't go longer and faster at the same time. I am looking forward to doing some proper speed work in the summer.

That said, I managed to increase the speed a few times during my 7 mile plod today. So I'll call them strides.

The only other notable event was a painful onset of shin splints in the first mile. Well I assume they were shin splints. Fairly severe pain on both sides of my right shin that then faded away. Hopefully just another niggle that will disappear by itself.

14 miles victory parade

I guess this is the point in the training plan when you notice that your paces have improved despite the fatigue.

That was the case today anyway. I was expecting a slow run having done 22 miles on Monday but it turned out my legs were pretty well recovered and were more than happy to hit the required paces.

The first half was done at 8:00 minute miles which felt nice. The second half was supposed to be at 7:20 pace but it ended up being a bit quicker than that - closer to 7:10. The average pace ended up being 7:35.

At the moment I seem to be in decent shape. Let's hope I can maintain this for another two and a half weeks.

Recovery? Pah!

According to the plan today is a recovery day but according to my watch I have done over 20,000 steps! Something has gone awry.

As far as "workouts" go today was just the 6 mile cycle into work and a 6 mile jog home at 9 minute mile pace. However I am also temporarily without a car so have done lots of extra walking; hence the high step count.

Walking is great for muscle recovery, however I think my sore joints could have done without it. In compensation I am planning on an early night tonight in preparation for a medium long run tomorrow morning.

I am in a bit of a danger zone here injury-wise: 10K race on Friday, 10 miles with steady parkrun on Sat, 9 steady miles on Sunday, 22 miles yesterday and too many steps today. However my joints seem to be incredibly tough so hopefully I will survive the MLR. And then it will feel like the taper is really starting with two consecutive easy days.

22 miles soggy and steady

Today was a typical bank holiday Monday in the UK. Wet, cold and windy.

The forecast for the morning was abysmal so I found a slot in the afternoon when it would be warmer and less windy but still wet. And wet it was! It must have rained for over two hours of my run.

Thankfully the legs seems to be in good shape. The 8 minute miles came easy in the first half and in the second half the pace was mainly below 7:20 even though I didn't feel like I was going that fast. So 22 miles done in 2 hours 50 minutes.

It is good to know that I can run for that period of time and still be functioning reasonably well at the end. During the marathon I will hopefully only be running for a few minutes longer and will have the crowd and taper to get me through it. In order to get comfortable under 3 hours I will need to run at least 25 miles in the time it took me to do 22 today. Possible? Maybe.

Why long runs should be done at 6am

One of the best reasons to get your runs done early is to prevent the randomness of life getting in the way. How can your family put unexpected demands on you when they are asleep?

Today was supposed to be 22 mile run day. That means finding a 3 hour slot to do it in. That was supposed to be in the afternoon, in between church and cinema trip. However my son was poorly and I ended up taking him to see a doctor mid afternoon. He will be OK but no 3 hour run for me.

I managed to squeeze in a steady 9 miler and will have to fit the long run into tomorrow afternoon. The weather won't be as nice but what can you do?

Despite the shorter run I still managed a 72 mile week and next week will now be much bigger.

Don't run so close to me

The plan said 10 miles for today so I did seven in the morning, including a parkrun, and 3 miles recovery this evening.

The running was all supposed to be at recovery pace but I set off a bit late for the parkrun, meaning I had to do a fairly steady warm up to get there on time. Once the parkrun started my legs felt decent so I worked my way through the pack, overtaking a few club mates and acquaintances along the way to a 24:30 5K.

This evening I was very happy to plod along at 9 minute miles.

So, one more day until the taper. I may celebrate with some chocolate after that last 22 mile run!

Salford 10K 37.43

I had no idea what to expect today. My parkrun on Saturday had been sluggish and I had done a 19 mile day three days ago. On the other hand my legs had felt pretty good yesterday and the conditions today were perfect for racing.

The course is fast if not particularly scenic. Two 5K laps around a nondescript area of Salford. The route is flat though and all on roads / pavements which would make a nice change from cross country races and muddy parkruns.

As normal I started rather too far back in the field and spent much of the first mile working through the pack. I soon locked in to a hard but sustainable effort and was pleased to see an average pace of 6:00. It never ceases to amaze me how much easier this pace feels in a race compared to training.

For the rest of the first lap I gradually worked through the field and maintained the pace, going through 5K in 18:45. With a PB of 38:03 I knew if I could avoid a disaster in the second half I was on for a PB.

The fourth mile was slightly uphill and this came out as a slightly slower mile at 6:04. However I was still feeling strong and managed to clock off another 6:00 mile in the easier fifth mile. Just one mile and a bit to go and the PB would be mine.

I can normally manage a strong last mile and a sprint finish but I didn't seem to have that in the tank today. Over the last kilometre or so a few runners came past me but I managed to hold things together for a 6:05 final mile and then 6:09 pace over the slightly uphill last 400 metres. 37:43 is a 20s PB.

In one sense 20 seconds is not much for the amount of training I have done in the last year but I will take it. I would like to think that if I targeted a 10K seriously I could get quite a few more seconds off that time. I definitely felt strong today but didn't have much bounce or zip in the legs. Hopefully that will be there in just over three weeks time.

6 miles easy

In the final big week of the plan this is the easiest day. 6 miles recovery. I thought I had better do it the day before the race.

The pace ended up being 8 min miles which always makes me pleased. I think the wind may have been behind me but still, a great way to start the day.

The forecast looks decent tomorrow and the course is flat. Let's see what my legs have to offer.

8 miles with strides

There was a young man called Phil
Who thought running was brill
Nothing got in the way
Of a run every day
Although the pace was often run-of-the-mill

Another run on weary legs. Once again the phrase "As good as could be expected" comes to mind.

On a good day I look to get the strides below 5 minute mile pace. On a day like today I am happy just to get below 6 minute mile pace for a few seconds.

The day started with a short swim, then cycle to work, quick gym session at lunch and run home. A great triathlon day!

Now for a genuinely easy day tomorrow before a 10K race on Friday.

A double but not as we know it

Normally double days are 6 miles recovery followed by 4 miles recovery.

Today was a bit more sadistic: 15 miles medium long run followed by 4 miles recovery. Yikes!

The MLR went well. I had the morning off work to get it done. I have so much more mental energy when I run in the mornings; enough to push myself a bit and hit my pace targets. This meant 8 minute miles in the first half and 7:20 miles in the second half. This gives an overall average pace of 7:40 which I managed to hit.

After an afternoon's work I cycled home, had tea and then got out for the recovery run. This went as well as could be expected, averaging 9:00 pace although the first mile was more of a shuffle than a run.

And that is the last midweek 15 miler done! It may be a while before I do another.

8 miles in the light

I have probably moaned about Monday evening runs enough on this blog. So for a change I will say: today's run was OK!

The legs were happy to chug along at 8:30 minute miles (although they would have happily gone slower as well!) Thanks to the clocks going forwards it was still light and the weather was pleasant. If my legs had been fresh it would have been a lovely run. But I will settle for a decent one on a Monday.

Tomorrow will be the last 15 mile midweek run. It will be a farewell to my long route home from work. I don't think I will miss these longs run home from work but I will miss the snooze afterwards!

20 weary miles

I have been marathon training for 16 weeks now!

Normally at this stage in the plan it would be 14 weeks but I added two extra recovery weeks.

16 weeks is a long time, especially with the winter we have had. Physically I am surviving. Mentally I am so ready for the taper!

I know many people regularly do more miles, whether marathon training or not, but I guess it is a case of what you are used to.

I personally find fitting 20 mile runs into family life at the weekends hard. I do plan to do more marathons but don't plan to do another plan involving so many long runs. 18 miles is plenty for me.

Today I did the 20 miler that I didn't do last weekend because of my cold and the snow. This was supposed to include 14 miles at marathon pace but I don't have the energy for those at the moment.

The legs actually felt OK and the 8 minute miles came easily enough in the first half. In the second half I pushed the pace a bit as normal but didn't get much below 7:40 pace. Still it is 20 miles banked at an acceptable pace.

Hopefully the taper will restore my mental and physical energy. Otherwise I will have to put this build up down to experience!

Sluggish parkrun (19:35)

You would think that all this training would make me faster! Not today it didn't. I have often had slow parkruns during marathon training in the past and today was another case in point.

I guess having done 14 miles on Thursday and 10 yesterday my legs were hardly rested. During the warm up my pace seemed a bit off for the heart rate but this is often the case before a race.

However when the race started my legs were a bit lifeless. I felt strong but didn't have much speed. After the first lap I had climbed up to 8th place but there was about 40 metres between me and 7th. This was too much for me to close and I spent the whole lap isolated.

I guess 3 miles at LT pace on a hilly and twisty course is not disastrous. I'll have a couple more shots at parkruns on fresher legs before the marathon.

3.7 miles before and 3.3 miles after made 10 for the day.

Coming back to life

Fridays are double day. 6 miles into work. 4 miles at lunch time and then cycle home after work.

The second run is normally a complete plod but my legs felt surprisingly good today and the recovery pace was faster than normal (about 8:20 compared to 8:40 on other weeks.)

The mental energy is starting to come back. Hopefully I can have some fun at parkrun tomorrow.

14 miles in spring

Another grumpy morning for me today with the cold lingering on. The sore foot is no worse at least.

I had the afternoon off to do the 14 mile run and the weather was pleasant for once so I decided to just ease myself into it.

The first mile was pretty slow (8:50) so after that I decided to just try to get the average pace down to 8:00. After another slow mile I got into the flow and most of the subsequent miles were below 8:00 with the average pace ending up at 7:57.

That is still a bit slow for a medium long run (I am supposed to average 7:40) but an improvement from last week's 8:30.

With the head cold and sore foot I am just lacking a bit of mental energy at the moment to really get into these runs and push when I need to. I am still getting the miles in though and hopefully that will pay off.

Goodbye cruel winter

And relax. Spring is here.

Today started off as winter and ended as spring. Either way it was a gorgeous cold, sunny morning with barely any wind.

My foot felt a bit better and the cold was definitely waning so I had a go at some more speed intervals. The plan only called for a lightweight session - 5 x 600m. This is because the plan calls for a race on Saturday and doesn't want to wear you out before the race. I am not doing a proper race on Saturday, just a parkrun, but was very happy to do a lighter session.

In the end the remnants of the cold held me back from anything too spectacular but the intervals were solid enough, ranging from 2:15 to 2:05. The 2:05 equates to 5:40 pace so I will definitely take that but I somehow don't think I could sustain that for 5K.

More calf raises at lunch time to hopefully keep the plantar fasciitis in check. I have beaten it before and will beat it again.

It's cold, I have a cold and my foot is sore.

Wake me up when marathon training is over!

This cold is making me grumpy and the plantar fasciitis playing up is making me grumpier still. It normally disappears as quickly as it appears so fingers crossed and many prayers for mercy.

The legs felt OK this morning at least. 6 miles into work. 6 miles cycle home. Managed to squeeze in some more calf raises as well.

Tomorrow is the last day of winter. But it's not going without a fight. Below freezing again in the morning! This may just be normal winter weather for some countries but us English get upset when the weather is below freezing or above 20 degrees. We like things tame and predictable!

7 miles Baltic recovery

Monday is slog day. Physically tired after a big week and mentally tired after a day at work. I just shuffle home at whatever pace my legs have to give. Today I averaged 8:40 pace. Fine.

Have felt a spot of plantar fasciitis returning over the last few days so made sure I did some fully-loaded calf raises at lunch. You are supposed to do these to failure but with my chunky calves I can't find a weight big enough to fail on! I just hold a 24 Kg kettle bell and do two sets of 15 reps on each leg. When the PF was really bad a few years ago I used to get one of my children to climb on my shoulders and do them on the stairs at home. Worked a treat!

Getting it done is not always fun

I seem to have completely forgotten to update the blog for a few days. Ooops!

Friday was the normal 6 mile run into work, 4 miles at lunch and cycle home. Still had a cold.

Saturday morning the legs felt good. 6 miles easy to my local parkrun. Then a progressive effort at the parkrun finishing with a fun kick. Then two miles jog home. Should be plenty left in the tank for a HM the next day.

Today I woke up feeling like crap. Bloody cold still lingering around. I then found out that the race was cancelled due to heavy snow which I was selfishly quite happy about. It saved me the stress of deciding whether to show up or not.

As normal I perked up a bit after about 3 cups of tea and later in the afternoon, with the wind dying down slightly, I ventured out. I definitely wasn't up for the scheduled 20 with 14 @ MP or any number of MP miles for that matter. In fact 20 miles was a psychological hurdle too high so I decided to settle for a steady 18 and do 20 next weekend instead. I also didn't fancy concentrating hard on where I was stepping for over two hours so headed to a local industrial estate. There is a loop there of about 700 metres which is well lit and should be traffic and ice free. A perfect place to zone out with a podcast and get the miles done. Sort of like a road equivalent of a treadmill.

And so it panned out. My legs were happy to plod along at 8 minute miles, I could run on a snow free road and I only encountered a handful of vehicles the whole time I was on the estate. The downside was having to do about 35 laps of the loop!

Some people think I am crazy for doing loops but on some days I am just not in the mood for an adventure. I have a pretty high boredom threshold in any case and don't mind repetition (as anyone who has had to share my narrow taste in music will attest!)

84 miles for the week. Considering the head cold and the weather, that will do.

Lurgy 15 miler

So far I have run every day since Christmas and have done almost all the miles in the plan.

This morning I woke up with a bit of man flu as well as the normal tired legs but there was no way I was going to have a rest day. Not with 15 miles scheduled.

The cycle into work actually felt fine but then after lunch it was time for the 15 mile run home, into the wind and slightly uphill.

What with a marathon done on Sunday and a speed session yesterday, today was not a day for heroics. Instead I jogged the whole way. I did not feel great but I kept my heart rate low and got through it. 15 miles @ 8:30 pace.

Once I had recovered a bit at home I actually felt better for the run. Hopefully I will recover for Sunday's half marathon.

Life in the old legs yet

Doing speed intervals 3 days after a marathon doesn't seem like a great idea on paper. But then again, the plan has speed work two days after a 24 mile run so I guess what I was doing was no worse.

Even so I was not entirely confident that my legs would hold together so decided to ease into the intervals gently. I would start with a target HR of 140 and go up 4 each time.

After a 3 mile warm up it time to get going.

This was the first time attempting intervals with my Apple Watch. To mark the end of a lap you have to double tap the watch. This only works with gloves off so I did the session carrying one of my gloves. I suspect the fact that the watch was designed in California meant that working while wearing gloves wasn't a priority!

Anyway it turned out that the legs were working and the splits progressed nicely.

4:20
4:00
3:50
3:45
3:45
3:40

This was a very pleasant way to do intervals. Next time I will start with a higher HR (140 is a bit wimpish) and progress more gently but try to keep the progression going as this is so much nicer than a fade.

Absolutely exhausted tonight. I feel like I am fighting a sore throat and combined with the early start this morning I am whacked.

Beaten up but marching on

You do feel a bit beaten up after a marathon, even a training one.

Showers have been painful thanks to runners' nipple. The front of the bottom of my left leg is sore, probably from doing the marathon in almost new trainers. There is a twinge on the side of my left knee that seems to be getting better.

Having said that the pace of my easy run into work this morning improved a lot over yesterday at about 8:15 minute miles.

The second run this evening was a plod at 9:00 pace and I was fine with that.

I have some speed work planned for tomorrow morning. Hmmm. I may just do progressive intervals and try to end up at the right pace.

The day after the marathon before

Normally after a marathon I have two days off running and then a short, easy run on the Wednesday.

The question was, after doing an "easy effort" marathon would I just be able to resume training as normal?

The answer appears to be yes. The cycle into work this morning felt good. I do have a slight twinge in one knee but that may be from some aggressive horseplay with my son rather than the marathon!

I was a bit worried about running 7 miles today but once I got going it was fine. The pace was very slow, averaging about 9:20 minute miles but the run passed quickly enough and hopefully the pace will improve each day. I am not sure about doing speed work on Wednesday but I guess it is a case of one day at a time.

Wrexham Marathon

I have always wanted to run a marathon as a training run, partly to make a long run more fun and partly to see what the distance felt like at an easier effort.

The plan today was to start off easy and gradually increase the effort, finally cruising home at a nice pace, overtaking all and sundry.

It didn't quite work out like that.

The first half felt fab. The pace was around 7:40 and I felt like I was jogging. However I hadn't checked the course profile beforehand. The first half is downhill and the second half is up.

After halfway I increased the effort a bit and gradually reeled people in, still feeling good. However the last 6 miles are mainly uphill and after 20 miles my legs started getting heavy and I was ready for the race to be over.

By this point the 20 mile and Half Marathon races had merged with my race and overtaking the back markers in the other races was a welcome distraction.

At one point I thought I might go sub 3:15 without too much effort but the hills at the end put paid to that dream. I managed a respectable pace though, with all the miles sub 8 minute. In the end I finished in 3:21. This is quicker than I had planned but it was also harder than expected.

I guess a marathon is a long way even at a steady effort. At the end of my biggest week ever it ended up being a slog at the end. But my goal of doing a marathon as a training run was achieved and it was much more fun than doing a 24 mile run by myself.

90 miles for the week.

8 miles easy

One of the runs I enjoy the most in the P&D plans are the general aerobic medium distance runs. These can be run at a fairly leisurely pace and are never more than 10 miles so leave you feeling energised afterwards. Sadly the high mileage plans have less of them and more MLRs or recovery doubles.

So today was a rare chance to start the day with an easy 8. I decided to practice the easy heart rate I will be targeting in the first 6 miles of the marathon tomorrow and was happy to see a HR of 126 - 128 giving sub 8 minute miles.

At least one local race that was supposed to happen tomorrow has been cancelled due to the heavy rain this week (causing a flooded car park) but my marathon is still on touch wood. And the conditions look very nice - cold but dry and not windy. Bring it on!

Double run and more

Today and tomorrow I have the chance to recover a bit before Sunday's marathon. Today was a 6 and 4 mile double. The morning 6 felt quite nice at 8 minute miles and the 4 at lunch was rather slower (8:40.)

I then did an easy cycle home and an easy swim session in the evening (800m.)

So plenty of activity but all of it at a nice easy effort and leaving me feeling weary but very alive.

15 miles steady

These Thursday medium-long runs have become a regular routine over the winter. The wind is normally behind me, they are done in daylight and they mostly fly by pretty quickly. I will almost miss them once the marathon training is over!

Today was the normal 15 miler on my normal route and the wind was behind me most of the way as normal. The only abnormal factor was the tired legs from 12 miles yesterday with a 10K tempo.

The legs actually felt OK and the pace was comfortably below 8 minute miles in the first half. As normal I increased the effort a bit in the second half and once I had climbed up the hills to my favourite trail the pace dropped to 7:15 miles. This was surprising as my legs were definitely feeling weary at this point and the running was feeling laboured.

That's 45 miles so far this week. This big week is going pretty well so far.

10K tempo

The dreaded lactate threshold tempo runs. The plan called for 12 miles with 7 @ LT but I think that 7 miles is too far unless you are an elite athlete. So I did 6.22 miles (10K) instead.

To make up the miles I did a 4 mile extended warm up. My legs felt pretty good.

Then after a brief pause to water the flowers and put my man suit on it was time to get started. After half a mile the average pace had dipped under 6:20 so it was a case of keeping the heart rate around 155 bpm and seeing what pace came out.

Thankfully the pace stayed around the 6:20 minutes per mile range. That pace felt quite sustainable but I didn't have the energy to go much faster.

So the 10 kilometres were completed in about 39:30 minutes; my fastest 10K tempo in training ever. My heart rate was also lower that it was the last time I tried this session.

A 2 mile jog home made it 12 for the day.

I am very happy to have finally achieved an decent early morning tempo run. I am also very happy that this is the last one in the plan!

Double double this week

For possibly the first time ever I will be doing two double days this week. I am used to doing a double on Fridays now but I also went out for an easy 4 miler this evening as well as my normal 6 mile run commute into work in the morning.

My legs felt pretty good this morning. When the easy miles are sub 8 minute then I know I am having a good day. The legs still felt good tonight with recovery effort coming out at about 8:20 minute miles.

Hopefully they will feel equally good first thing tomorrow morning when I attempt some tempo miles. My early morning tempos have all gone badly recently so I am hoping that an early night tonight will put an end to that.

Could this be the biggest week of my life?

Well it could, but only in terms of weekly miles.

The mile count got off to a steady start with 8 easy miles home from work. The legs felt as good as I could hope for 24 hours after a steady 18 miler, and soon settled into 8:20 pace.

And that was pretty much that. Cycle to work, strength session at lunch and run home. Day one complete.

18 miles steady

After a week of running in the snow I was looking forward to some normal running surfaces today. However up on my favourite trail there were still some sizeable snow drifts which kept the pace slower over the first 6 miles. My shoes got so wet that the laces came undone - very frustrating as I hate having to stop to retie them!

The trail cleared in the second and my pace improved, with most of the second half at just over 7 minute mile pace. 18 miles in 2 hours 17 minutes with an average pace of 7:36 will do nicely. 75 miles for the week.

Snowy parkrun

The plan called for a 10 km race today with at least 10 miles running in total including warm up and cool down. There wasn't a 10 km race available but there was a parkrun 3.5 miles away so by running there and back I got my 10 miles in.

The parkrun course was heavily altered due to the icy conditions. Rather than the normal two laps on concrete paths it was now 5 laps on the grass. Clearly not a day for PBs, especially as the course was more like 5.5 km!

I started quite far back and worked my way through the field up to 9th place. According to the watch I was going a bit faster than marathon pace but I suspect I was going rather faster than this as GPS watches always cut the corners and there were plenty of them!

In any case it was good to get the heart rate up after a week of plodding on the snow and all the lapping was quite fun. Maybe it is wrong to enjoy overtaking people but I can't seem to help it!

Not my best look today but I kept warm!

Treadmill double

Treadmills are a bit boring but they have their place in my opinion. Sometimes you just don't feel like going outside in the cold yet again and it is nice to zone out in the safety of a gym.

With the temperature not even getting above freezing today, and having spent two hours out in the cold yesterday I decided today was a treadmill day.

5 miles at lunch and 5 miles after work went OK. A combination of music, podcasts and gradually increasing the speed got me through the tedium.

Running at room temperature sure does get sweaty though. I really hope there isn't a heat wave on the marathon weekend - that will kill me.

OK, it is a beast

Today the cold temperatures were combines with gale-force winds to make for interesting conditions.

I still couldn't stomach two hours on the treadmill so decided to do my 15 miler on my favourite trail (where else!)

The first two miles were uphill into the wind and at times I was almost forced to a standstill. Once on the trail it was OK, the snow was quite runnable apart from the odd snow drift and the wind was a crosswind. After 6 miles the trail was covered in snow drifts so I had to turn round and run up and down the same section of trail a couple of times to make up the distance. Still better than running on a treadmill.

15 miles averaging 7:55 will do in these conditions. Another run is done and winter can't stay forever.

9 miles steady

Well the Siberian weather was fun for a day. Now I have had enough of the disruption and am longing for a day where the temperature rises above one degree centigrade!

The plan said 9 miles with 5 x 600m but I didn’t think doing speed work in the snow was sensible. So I just ran at a steady effort, with the pace around 7:40 once the climb up to the trail was completed.

Tomorrow I will have to be sensible and stay off the bike. I can cope with extreme cold or extreme wind but not both together.

White is alright for me

Another easy day with a 6 mile run into work. The only unusual thing was that everywhere was white. We don't often get proper snow in the North West of England but this was proper winter wonderland stuff.

The car drivers weren't feeling the love with stationary traffic everywhere but I had a great time bouncing through the snow, enjoying the still, bright winter morning. I did manage to slip over once when I got a bit carried away while crossing a road but even that didn't dampen my enthusiasm.

I have to say that the ride back from work was rather less enjoyable. I was just about surviving the cold when it started snowing heavily, with the wind right in my face. That was painful!

7 miles recovery

The weather forecast may look scary but life goes on and this will soon blow over.

Step 1 of taming the beast was completed with an easy 7 mile run home from work. It was cold but still and actually a very pleasant evening. The legs were happy and the run went quickly.

And that's how this training lark goes. Another run squeezed into life without undue fuss or ado. I save petrol, feel great afterwards and sleep like a baby.

The beast of the east can rest in peace

I think there is a tendency to obsess about long range weather forecasts and miss the present good conditions. While some have been going on about a "Beast from the east" coming our way in the form of a Siberian weather front I have enjoyed this cold-but-dry continental weather. The stars have been out every night and the mud is finally drying up.

This morning was once again cold, bright and dry. My legs were on their best form and 16 miles flew by in 2 hours. My energy is back and the recovery week has worked its magic. After an off week I am now ready to refocus for the final push - five more 70 mile plus weeks until the taper. This should include my first ever 90 mile week ending in a training marathon.

There are some races and speed workouts scheduled so it is time to finally get those legs moving fast again. Good times.

Back to my first love

Like many runners these days it was a parkrun that got me back into running. My local parkrun is only 2 miles away and one of the better ones in my opinion. Undulating and curvy with plenty of mixed terrain, dog walkers and crazy geese it is always well attended and there are always loads of club mates there.

An extended 4 mile warm up felt nice and then just time to strip off a layer and get to the start line. Due to icy conditions the course was altered slightly and the marshals admitted that they were not sure how long the race was now but it would be somewhere "about" 5k.

As normal everyone charged off at the start and I was probably in around 25th place after 100 metres. I soon started to work my way through the field though and by 2k I had overtaken the two club mates that I wanted to beat. By this time the field was pretty spread out and there was a good 20 metres between me and the guy ahead. My legs felt good though and I just did my best to keep the foot on the gas and my club mates behind.

They gradually dropped behind and I finished in the same 11th place I started the second half of the race in. I was surprised by the time of 20 minutes flat as I knew I was going faster than that but concluded that the revised course was long and hopefully I did at least a 19:30 5k. But most importantly I enjoyed myself and felt energised afterwards. Hopefully this short "off" period I have had is over.

A two mile jog home made it nine for the day.

Friday double, no gut trouble

Whatever storm overtook my guts yesterday departed just as swiftly today.

A 6 mile steady run into work and then another 4 miles recovery at lunch successfully completed without any need to wonder where the nearest bush is.

Which means I can go back to moaning about the weather. An easterly wind has started blowing cold air in from Siberia and it looks like it is going to blow for the next two weeks or so, bringing in freezing weather every night. Great!

I can remember winters where we just had a couple of frosts the whole winter. Not this time. The combination of cold weather and increased miles has tested my motivation at times. Not that I would ever give up mid plan. But I do think I will do things differently next winter. Maybe just do a 12 week plan. Maybe get a turbo trainer and do a bit less running.

But for now I might need to work on some strategies for keeping my hands warm when cycling.

Runners' Diarrhoea

There is a well known saying: s*** happens. Well today it really did.

I have been feeling a bit off these last few days but without any cold symptoms. I guess I should have suspected a stomach bug. There is something about the repetitive motion of running that can cause your bowels to move. Sometimes they cannot be stopped. Sometimes you are in a rush to get home or are not near a toilet or park. Sometimes you wish you were wearing a nappy (diaper.)

So that was today's 6 mile run. Hopefully life will revert to the mean tomorrow.

5 miles on the treadmill

I spent the morning feeling a bit off but 5 very easy miles on the treadmill at lunch didn't make things any worse and I perked up a bit in the afternoon so hopefully I can shake off this bug without compromising training too much.

I don't plan to do the prescribed 74 miles this week and feel OK about that - it is a  recovery week after all and I haven't missed any days so far. I should manage 65 and then will be ready to plunge back in to some bigger weeks.

According to the news there is some awful weather front blowing in from Siberia but the weather this week has been rather nice - mild and still. I don't see the point in worrying about next week's weather anyway - it's not like I can do anything about it! Each day has enough worries of its own (to paraphrase someone much wiser than me.)

12 miles followed by wipeout

Writing my blog entry last night I had particular trouble keeping my eyes open. I put this down to lots of training and not enough sleep and made sure I got a decent kip.

This morning I felt more-or-less OK and the 12 miler went well, averaging 7:43 minutes per mile.

However as the afternoon went on I felt more and more wiped out and a bit nauseous. I managed to avoid being sick but spent the evening glued to the sofa.

I have an easy 9 miles scheduled first thing tomorrow morning but it is hard to see that happening. Hopefully I'll be able to do a recovery 5 at lunch time.

I have had days before during marathon training where I have just completely run out of energy but haven't been sick. Hopefully tomorrow will be a new day.

8 miles easy

I didn't expect to be recovered from the big MP effort on Saturday and I wasn't. The legs weren't especially achy but they had no bounce. I was supposed to be doing some strides today but they will have to wait until later in the week - all I could manage was some pickups, maybe to 6 minute mile pace.

It was very wet as well so I was happy to get this one done and look forward to some better legs tomorrow.

9 miles recovery

9 miles is a bit further than I would normally run the day after a very hard session but I wanted to do 80 miles this week so 9 miles it had to be.

At least I didn't have to go fast and the legs were happy to trot along at almost 9 minute mile pace.

A short swim in the evening and that is almost 14 hours of aerobic activity this week and 2 gym sessions.

So that is three 80 mile plus weeks in a row. My legs are bearing up remarkably well but will no doubt be grateful for a recovery week next week - no sessions and "only" 74 miles.

18 miles with 12 @ marathon pace

Long tempos. Aaagh. P&D seem to love them. Hopefully they will one day bring out a third edition of the book with slightly less intimidating sessions.

I was planning to get this done first thing but it was very wet so I procrastinated until the rain stopped. Finally, after lunch, with the weather looking pretty pleasant, I got out there to give it a go.

The plan was to split the session into 3 separate runs so I could use the average pace metric to guide the tempo section.

So 4 miles warm up, up to and along my favourite trail. The legs didn't feel too bad but hardly fresh. After a quick breather and comfort break it was time to get started.

You can never really be sure if you are going to have a good day until you get started on the fast bit. With that in mind I was very happy to bang out a 6:31 first mile. The speedy miles kept coming with the first 8 being below 6:40 and the heart rate staying below 150. The only problem with doing the run at this time was the amount of traffic on the trail; mainly dog walkers but also hikers, cyclists and horse riders. In general there is enough space for everyone but I tend to get grumpy towards the end of tempo runs and start getting cross with people.

Towards the end of the tempo run someone tried to get out of my way but only succeeded in walking in front of me. I muttered loudly "Oh come on!" and weaved around him. Not cool on my part. Being courteous is more important than losing a second or two.

I started to fade a bit in the last 4 miles, with mile 10 the slowest at 6:48. This included a U-turn which never helps the mile split. Over the last 2 miles I increased the effort as I tried to empty the tank. The HR crept above 150 for the first time and I was rewarded with two miles in the low 6:40s.

So, 12 miles averaging 6:38 minutes per mile. That may well be my fastest ever MP run, although I can't be sure as I normally do the MP section as part of a bigger run. Either way I am very happy to produce that in the middle of a 80 mile week. Things are looking up!

The dreaded Friday double

After two MLRs in a row it was no surprise that my legs weren't very sprightly today. One of my hips in particular was quite stiff and there were random twinges in parts of my legs. Just a normal marathon training day then.

I didn't push either run and they both averaged about 8:50 pace. This is super slow and on the second run my HR averaged below 120. As normal the aerobic conditioning is looking good but the legs are mashed.

I normal find that one recovery day is enough to bring the legs back to life. Let's hope so; got a marathon pace effort tomorrow!

15 miles steady

Once again I had Thursday afternoon off work to get the medium long run done in daylight.

The run home from work is normally 6 miles but I have found a way of adding enough detours to make it 15 miles, including a couple on my favourite trail.

Today my legs were working well and so was the watch! The first 8 miles were at a comfortable effort and were mostly well under 8 minute miles. Then after some uphill miles to the trail the pace dropped to about 7:10 as I increased the effort.

15 miles averaging 7:40 pace will do fine.

13 miles steady using Apple Watch

I had a 13 mile MLR planned for first thing this morning so it was time to check out running with my new Apple Watch series 3.

It started off well. I enjoyed the fact that the watch automatically lit up when I turned my wrist so when running in the dark I didn't have to wait for a street light to be able to read my watch.

More importantly the mile splits were coming at the right time (I was on my favourite trail and knew when they should come.)

So, two miles up to the trail and then 4.5 miles at easy effort, coming out at 7:50 pace. So far so good. When I turned round I increased the effort and expected the miles to be about 7:20 pace. However they were more like 7:40. I assumed I was just having a slower day but gradually realised that the watch was measuring the miles long, meaning it thought I was going slower than I actually was. This was pretty annoying and I ended up having to do a little detour to make the run 13 miles when in reality it was over 13.1 miles.

Most reviews have said that the GPS accuracy is OK so hopefully this is just a teething issue. Thoughts so far below:

+ve

- Lights up automatically when you turn your wrist - no more waiting for a street light to read your watch when running in the dark.
- Get 4 metrics and time on one screen
- Looks better than most (all?) Garmins
- Can record swims
- You can copy music onto the watch to listen to when running without your phone.

-ve
- Didn't measure the distance right this morning ;-( Hopefully giving it time to connect to GPS before starting the workout will help.
- Doesn't tell you when satellites are found
- Mile splits quite hard to read
- No lap pace in workout app

6 miles with strides

I would hesitate to describe my short efforts today as "strides" - my legs were too tired for sprinting. They were more like "pick-ups" where I managed to run a bit faster for 100m or so. I guess you can't increase your mileage to new levels and also expect to be running fast.

I generally am not very interesting in equipment - one of the reasons I like running is that you need so little of it. But I did get an Apple Watch today - series 3 (non-cellular.) It looks nicer than the old Garmin and I don't want to be a two watch guy so I am going to try to make it work.

The first real test will be tomorrow on a 13 mile MLR. I will initially avoid using third party apps and try to get on with the built in workout app. However this does not seem to have lap pace so we'll see if I can get used to it.

9 miles dark and slow

I suspect I have moaned before about my Monday runs after work. Tired legs, darkness and tired brain all make it a bit of a slog.

Today was no different. At least it was "only" 9 miles. The pace held up at 8:20s and I consoled myself with the thought that this will be the only run of the week that is all in the dark.

I will leave you with a limerick I wrote when I was injured.

I don't mind running in rain
But I don't like running in pain
So tonight I will swim
Put my life on a limb
And do my best to stay sane

15 miles and 82 for the week

Yay! My biggest week ever and I ended it feeling strong with a 7 minute mile.

I decided to play a game called stick to the prescribed pace and see how it feels. It turned out that it felt pretty easy. 8 minute miles were very easy in the first half and 7:20 miles felt pretty good in the second half.

So 82 miles for the week and my legs are still in one piece and I managed to shake off the cold pretty quickly.

Bad Boy week 2 - tick.

Last cross country of the season

I am not sure why the muddiest cross country course of the series was scheduled for the end of winter instead of autumn but as a result it was waterlogged as normal and resembled a quagmire for at least half the loop.

So no fast splits today, just a tempo effort and a lot of mud. Despite the conditions I quite enjoyed myself. Thursday's 22 miler was undoubtedly still in my legs as I struggled to get my HR above 85% and into the LT zone. Never mind, it was a lot more fun than attempting 6 tempo miles by myself and the cake afterwards wasn't bad either!

My cross country results this season have been a bit disappointing as I have regularly been beaten by club mates I managed to beat last season. I plan to get some proper shoes for next season, do some targeted training and try to taper more for the races. Then hopefully I'll arrive ready for battle.

More shuffling on sore legs

I sometimes wonder if the recovery runs the day after a big effort are harder than the workout itself.

Maybe not but shuffling around on sore legs isn't my favourite form of running.

As normal I had to try to maintain a decent pace on my run commute this morning to get to work on time. That was 6 miles at about 8:30 pace which didn't feel too bad.

Then at lunchtime I got out into the wind and cold for another 4. I had enough time for this run to be a bit slower and once again it went as well as could be expected.

Due to the timing of the runs it worked out at 32 miles in just over 24 hours.

Hopefully my legs will have more life for a cross country race tomorrow. I have used this race to replace the 6 mile tempo on the plan so I will have to give it a decent effort.

Training or torture?

Is torture good marathon training? Does spending the last 40 minutes of a run desperate for it be over constitute good mental and physical preparation for a marathon or is it just unnecessary suffering?

I wish I knew the answer. I do know that the last 5 miles of my 22 mile run this afternoon were a bit of a sufferfest.

The first 9 miles were nice, mainly sub 8 minute miles at a comfortable effort. But maybe I could have taken them easier.

Miles 10 and 11 were uphill to my favourite trail so by halfway my legs weren't exactly fresh.

According to my training book (Advanced Marathoning) you are supposed to push on in the second half of the long runs so that the pace is about marathon pace + 10%. This is 7:20 miling for me. Two days ago this felt ridiculously easy. Today not so much.

The 3.5 miles to the turnaround point were just about on pace and felt OK. After the U-turn there were 7.5 miles to go on a route I know very well. Normally this would be no problem but with 14.5 miles of fatigue in the legs it wasn't much fun. Miles 16 to 20 were on pace but my legs gradually felt more and more fatigued until running at that pace could only be described as tortuous.

The last 2 miles were downhill but equally tortuous and the pace did fade a bit here. However 22 miles in 2 hours 51 minutes is decent (average pace 7:45.)

So... that was tough. I have only one more 20 mile + run to do by myself and I may take it slightly easier. I also have a training marathon which should be fun and I am using a half marathon to do the 20 miles with 14 @ MP session.

Seven miles easy

For once the forecast was right this morning. The prediction was -4 degrees C and that's what we got. Definitely cold but not windy and actually a nice morning once the sun came up.

I had my good legs again so 8 minute miles felt easy and all was well with the world.

I am gonna do the 22 mile run tomorrow to avoid having to do it the day after XC. I'm a bit apprehensive about it but will try to rein myself in during the fast half and by the second half I should be cruising along my favourite trail.

Sometimes it all falls into place

I wasn't really looking forward to today's 12 miler. I had a bit of a sore throat and a foggy head. It was really cold outside as well. However once I got started I realised that I had my best legs today.

Once I had jogged up to the trail and locked in a comfortable effort the pace came out as a surprising 7:50. The snow was gently falling and there was almost no wind. The odd rabbit and bird made it quite idyllic.

In the second half I pushed on a bit as normal and was mightily surprised to see the pace nudging down towards 7:00 minute miles. This was possibly the most comfortable this pace has ever felt.

So 12 miles at an average pace of 7:35 and HR of about 132. And more importantly it felt good.

7 miles recovery

After spending over 2.5 hours running in the cold yesterday I guess I shouldn't be surprised to wake up with a sore throat today. However I am pretty good at shaking these ailments off and can always just jog my miles this week is necessary.

I definitely wasn't feeling energetic before my run home from work but the miles passed quickly enough and my legs soon locked into a gentle 8:20 pace.

Thanks to a school appointment in the afternoon I am going to give myself the luxury of driving in to work tomorrow when the temperature is forecast to be about -3 degrees C and do my run in the afternoon in glorious 1-degree-above-freezing dry weather!

20 miles steady

The marathon long run. Find a 2.5 hour slot in your day. Push a bit in the second half. Spend the last five miles wishing it was over. Then spend the rest of the day feeling wiped out.

As you may have guessed I am not a fan. I think if it was summer and I didn't have a certain amount of stress in my life I would enjoy then more. As it is it was a case of getting it done when I could.

Thankfully the weather was pleasant this afternoon. Cold but dry and still (apart from a quick hail shower!) The first 10 miles were all comfortably under 8 minute / mile pace when flat. I didn't exactly feel on top form but after a stressful weekend that wasn't surprising. The target pace for the second half was 7:20 and on the whole I hit it without too much trouble. It was a long time to be running though and I can't help feeling guilty about the fact I had put so much physical and mental energy into my hobby when my family have their own needs.

Still, I don't spend my evenings in the pub drinking away my income so I guess there are worse past-times.

80 miles done for the week. First bad boy ticked off.

The randomness of life

I have to say that almost nothing stops me getting my run done. However when that run is 20 miles you can't just squeeze it into a small gap in your day. Today I was going to do those 20 miles in the afternoon but due to unforeseen circumstances I had the kids until 9 pm and I wasn't going to embark on a 2.5 hour run then (although I have heard of people doing that!)

Luckily I have the option of doing the run tomorrow so I just did another easy 6 today. I will end up a few miles short for the week but 80 miles is nothing to be ashamed of. The weather should be better tomorrow in any case and after two easy days my legs should be feeling lively.

6 miles easy

Just the normal run commute today. As ever I didn't have time to run slowly, but thankfully the legs felt OK and 8 minute miles were fairly comfortable.

In other news, I have entered the Wrexham Marathon in March. This will take the place of the 24 mile run in the plan. I didn't really fancy doing a run of over 3 hours by myself and have always wanted to do a marathon as a training run. It will be interesting to see how much easier the final miles feel when you have done most of the marathon at easy effort. Hopefully there will be a lot of overtaking involved!

At almost £40 this is not a cheap run but I figured it will be more fun than most marathons as there won't be the pressure to get a PB and hopefully there won't be the soreness afterwards.

Tempo redemption

It is amazing what a difference a good night's sleep can make.

Yesterday I was struggling to produce a 6:25 mile at the start of the tempo section. Today I could bomb along at 6:15 pace quite happily.

So yes, a good run today. 8 miles easy effort from work to my favourite trail, 2 miles tempo averaging 6:10, 1 mile jog, 2 miles tempo averaging 6:15 and then 2 miles jog home for 15 miles averaging 7:40 pace.

This is the first time in this training plan that I've managed to hit the desired pace in a tempo run. It seems that I am struggle to run hard in the dark first thing in the morning. This never used to be a problem but I think doing tempo runs in daylight is a sensible way forward.

I’m only human after all

I was worried I would have another sub-par tempo run. However I didn’t consider that I might abandon the tempo section altogether.

The plan called for 11 miles with 5 @ LT pace. LT pace is supposed to be a bit faster than half marathon pace. Probaby about 6:15 for me. This is a tough workout at the best of times. However after 4 cycles and 3 runs in the previous two days and with a slight cold it was too much.

The first 3 miles felt ok. Then the tempo section started. The first mile was a bit sluggish at 6:24. In the second mile the effort felt like it was the final tempo mile and the pace started dropping off.

I didn’t really even make a conscious decision to bail out; my legs decided for me. I just jogged the rest of the run and cut it short slightly to 10 miles.

I think you need to be physically and mentally fresh to crush this type of workout. I was neither. One early start too many. Hopefully after a good sleep tonight and can do 2 x 2 miles @ LT in tomorrow’s 15 miler.

One more six and four

Two runs and two cycles today makes it seven cardio sessions and one gym session in the first two days of the week!

However the cycles are just 6 mile commutes and generally at easy to steady effort. It is almost impossible to know if they help my overall fitness but my guess is they help a tiny bit. They also count as triathlon training I guess. As I am not a fan of being stuck in traffic jams I intend to continue with them.

The second run was on the treadmill in my lunch break and once again I didn’t have enough time to go slowly. So 8 minutes miles it was and as ever my legs didn’t seem to mind.

13 miles wet

So the third longest run of the week is done! 13 miles in the dark, wind and rain first thing this morning. Ah winter training...

The first half was a bit of a slog into the wind but once I turned round I locked into a nice 7:10 pace which felt pretty comfortable (partly thanks to the wind I guess.)

Once home I had 30 mins to get my son out of the house for school and then a wet ride to work. Quite an active start to the day but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Last of the recovery weeks

I never thought I would call a 68 mile week an easy week but that is the case with this crazy plan.

Just 6.5 miles at recovery effort today in gloriously mild weather. No gloves required.

Next week it is back to the plan with a vengeance. Out of the 20 weeks of marathon training, 6 have a mileage of 80 or more. Next week is the first of the bad boys at 84. By my calculation that will be my highest weekly mileage ever. I know it is not about collecting miles but for a data geek like me it is nice to set records.

16 miles paying for Thursday

I guess something had to give. You go too fast on one run and you will pay for it later. Thursday was fun, pushing on the 13 miler and getting the average pace down to 7:30 minute miles.

Today I had to work hard on the last 5 miles to get the average pace down to 8:00. A nasty headwind in the middle didn't help and I was struggling to get the miles below 8 minutes, even with the effort turned up in the second half. However once I turned around and had the wind behind me I decided to get to work.

I switched the watch to lap pace and aimed for 3 7:20 miles on the flat trail with the wind behind me. It should be doable and so it proved. Miles of 7:10, 7:10 and 6:50 got me to the trail turnoff and then two downhill miles to home finished it off nicely. 16 miles in 2:07.

When real life makes you run too fast

When Pfitzinger and Douglas wrote my marathon plan I'm sure they did not take into account the difficulty of getting two children off to school in enough time to allow me to do my run commute at recovery pace.

Sadly I did not succeed and had to do the run at steady pace to avoid walking into a meeting late. This has happened a few times and I seem to get away with it. I have always thought that my main talent is not getting injured easily.

So just a 6 and 4 mile double today. The second run was genuinely at recovery pace as it was only 4 hours after I finished my first run. Again my legs seemed to put up with it.

If my legs keeping on putting up with everything I throw at them I may have to consider the P&D high mileage plan next winter. Or maybe not.

13 miles steady

Well the legs were evidently pretty well recovered at the start of this run and after getting a bit carried away they are less recovered now!

The easy miles in the first half were around 7:45 minutes miles and the harder effort miles in the second half were under 7 minutes when not uphill. So a hilly 13.1 miles in 1:39 or 7:30 average pace.

I am definitely going a bit better now than I was a few weeks ago. Bring on the speed work!

10 miles easy

Gradually the miles and speed are increasing as I recover from the race. Today’s 10 felt pretty good with the last 4 miles all sub 8 minute and the effort reasonably easy. I did get hit with a Biblical downpour though. The rain was so heavy that I had to turn off my head torch - the light reflecting on the rain meant I couldn’t see the path. The rain eased after a few minutes and the rest of the run was quite pleasant apart from the fact I was totally drenched.

I have to say the winter so far has been pretty harsh. Cold, wet, wind - we have had more than a normal amount of them all. But the days are getting longer. It can only get better from here.

6 mile plod

I don’t believe in pushing the pace when recovering from a race. I just let my legs set the pace and try to embrace the plod. Today my legs were happy with 9 minute miles so that’s what I did. I am lucky to be able to run pain free. The speed can wait.

6 miles recovery

The dreaded recovery run the day after a big race. Thankfully the legs were happy to plod along at about 9:20 pace and I wasn’t about to make them go any faster.

Looking back at yesterday’s race, I think I was in decent shape. Everyone struggled with the conditions and those early 6:20 miles felt comfortable so I’ll take that as my new HM pace!

I have added an extra recovery week into the plan this week to get over the race so I have some easier days to look forward to.

Four Villages HM - 1:25:03

Tough HM for me today. I think we had all the types of winter weather in one morning. It was snowing in my warm up. This became hail and sleet in the early stages of the race. In the second half it was just rain. It was cold and windy the whole time!

The first four miles were solid, all around 6:20. The course then goes gently uphill for 3 miles and my pace slipped to 6:3x. The road was covered in slush which was slippery underfoot so most runners ran through the water streams for better grip. This obviously meant that socks and shoes got heavy.

The 8th mile climbs about 100 feet and I really struggled to get the lap pace under 7 minutes. This ended up being about 20 seconds slower than the same mile last year. There seemed to be a headwind at this point as well.

The 9th mile was a more respectable 6:33, mainly because someone came past who I managed to cling on to. The 10th miles was another climber and this was a bit of a disaster at 7:09. Aaagh!

The course starts to drop in the 11th mile and I managed a 6:27. Then the fun really starts in the 12th mile with a drop of 165 feet. Managed a 6:00 here! The last mile is also slightly downhill and I tried to give everything I had and got a 6:13. Sub 6:00 for the last 200m and my watch said 1:25:05 when I stopped it. Was disappointed not to get a sub 1:25.

So no PB but my second fastest HM.

The winner, Ben Fish, only managed 69:00 and he did a 65:16 HM last year so I guess the conditions affected everyone.

At least my next race will almost certainly be in better conditions!

6 miles and a bit of hope.

Just a very easy 6 miles today with tomorrow's half marathon in mind.

I think I am going to use my watch tomorrow unless I am having a really bad day in which case I will just run. The plan is to keep the flattish miles at sub 6:30 pace and then another sub 1:25 time should be mine.

I am taking great solace in the first mile of my recent marathon pace workout, which was a very comfortable 6:30 minute mile. If I can dial into that pace again over the first 11 slightly uphill miles then I should be able to blast out the last two downhill miles and get a decent time.

The weather looks pretty horrible. Just above freezing with rain and sleet. However this race is now on closed roads so I don't think it will get called off. And the wind is just a normal 12 mph or so, so nothing to fear there.

Let's hope for some fun tomorrow!

Double daze

The plan said 10 miles but my other commitments said do a double. In light of Sunday's race it probably made sense to do something a bit easier in any case.

6 miles into work felt surprisingly good despite yesterday's 13 miler. Another 4 miles on the treadmill at lunch time got the miles done.

The treadmill run was obviously at gym temperature (maybe 18 degrees C) and was a bit of a sweat fest despite the easy effort. London Marathon is at the end of April and can be warm so I may need to do some more of these treadmill runs to acclimatize myself. But I'm not sure I can stomach more than 4 miles at a time on the dreadmill. I made it slightly more interesting by increasing the speed every kilometer but still... Running for me is about being outside in the fresh air, not stuck in some sweaty gym.

13 miles steady

What’s this? A good run?

Well yes, despite the wet and cold this run flew by. Sub 8 min miles felt easy in the first half and when I increased the effort in the second half the pace went down to 7:15. The tailwind was cancelled out by the run being net uphill so I’m putting this down as a good one.

13.1 miles in just over 1 hour 40. Can I do the same distance 15 minutes quicker on Sunday? Maybe. Or maybe I am asking the wrong question? Can I have fun on Sunday? Can I run it without looking at my watch? Hmmm.

10 miles with strides

Getting outside on these winter mornings is a bit of a challenge when it is cold and dark. I got lucky with the rain again and the strong winds were mainly crosswinds so shouldn’t complain.

The legs just felt ok, despite two easy days. A fairly easy effort resulted in 8 minute miles so I guess I’ll settle for that.

The forecast for Sunday’s HM has changed from icy to cold and wet so at least the race won’t be cancelled. I’m quite tempted to race it without looking at my watch, just to try to enjoy it but that feels very radical to me!

Another easy 6 miler

If only I had a pound for every 6 mile run I am going to do on this plan. Not only is it the most common recovery run distance in the plan, it is also the distance from home to work, which makes run commuting very useful.

Often these runs have to be at a slightly faster pace as I have to be at work or home by a certain time. But being able to combine my commute with my run means I can do a 6 mile run and it only adds 20 minutes to my day compared to cycling or driving (in the rush hour.)

Today I was heading into the wind but the legs felt decent and a respectable 8:10 pace didn’t require any effort.

The weather this week has been dreadful but I have been lucky so far and avoided the worst of the rain. My luck may be about to change tomorrow morning...

6 miles recovery

Winter has returned with a vengeance. Wind, rain and cold is on the forecast all week. Fortunately the wind was behind me today and no doubt contributed to a pleasanter Monday run than normal.

Hopefully last Monday’s slog was rock bottom and the only way is up. Despite doing 28 miles over the weekend the legs weren’t too bad and the run went smoothly.

This week is a recovery week in preparation for the Four Villages Half Marathon at the weekend. I have done this race three times and have got a PB each time so I am feeling the pressure to produce a good performance.

With six weeks of marathon training in the bank hopefully my legs can rediscover some speed from somewhere.

Hilly 18

What do you do when the plan says long run and you don't feel like going fast? Take to the hills of course. Then you can blame the pace on the climbing.

I am lucky enough to live on the edge of the Peak District so it isn't hard to find some decent inclines. Today I went to the top of Lyme Park. The climbing was mainly in the first half and looked like this:

1400 feet of climbing overall. However the pace was slower than normal and it was cold and windy. The run was turning into a slog but in the second half I turned onto my favourite trail and finally got going. I even managed a 7:30 mile which was almost the right pace for the second half of a long run (7:20.)

So 79 miles for the week. My legs feel OK. I think the fitness is coming. But speed may take longer.

XC indifference

I just wasn't in a competitive mood today.

At the start of a cross country race everyone races off to get good positions before the route narrows into a trail. There is a lot of jostling and tripping and you have to be quite aggressive to get a high enough place where you are going to get pulled along.

I wasn't in the mood for pushing and shoving so allowed myself to end up mid-pack. This was comfortable and gives the false illusion of having a good race as you spend the rest of the race gradually working your way up the field. But in reality you leave a lot in the tank and that is what happened today.

It didn't help that I never saw any club mates ahead of me to chase so in the end I just treated the race as a relatively easy tempo session. My HR was generally around 150 when really it should be closer to 160 if I was really going for it.

So an enjoyable workout but part of me is frustrated for not leaving it all out there. At least my long run tomorrow should be less of a plod.

Double trouble

I know someone who is doing RED January - run every day. They are making quite a show of it on social media which is fair enough. In the meantime I am quietly doing RALOAD Jan - Mar. Run At Least Once A Day.

Today was the first double. 6 in the morning and 4 at lunchtime. You are supposed to leave at least 6 hours between the runs to maximise recovery but I chose instead to do them both in daylight and avoid the dreaded after-work-in-the-dark shuffle.

Despite yesterday's 15 miler the legs felt OK which is fortunate as I had to rush the first run to get to a meeting on time. They should have both been at recovery pace (8:30 min / mile) but the first one had to be under 8:00 pace to get to work acceptably late!

Big weekend now. 10 miles including XC tomorrow and then 18 miles on Sunday. Onwards.

15 creaky miles

On paper today’s run looks ok. 15 miles averaging 7:50 pace with a pretty low average HR of about 130 (can’t be exact as it glitched at one point). However the legs felt stiff and pretty lifeless. That seems to be a theme at the moment. The pace for HR is decent but the legs just don’t want to move fast.

Cross Country this Saturday could be interesting!

Another easy 6

Thanks to moving days around to allow XC on Saturday I had two easy days in a row. And boy did I need them!

The legs were still pretty lifeless this morning but I picked up the pace a few times in the middle of the run and was rewarded with a sub 8 minute mile. Maybe I have a low level virus or maybe it is just fatigue but hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy a run at some point this week!

6 miles easy

Well a slightly better run today. There was still no spring in my step but I managed to jog along at 8:15 pace with a nice low HR so not too bad.

Thinking about yesterday’s tortuous run, I am going to have to avoid doing long runs in the dark after work. They are just grim and frankly life is too short and I am too slow to justify an unpleasant and entirely optional activity like that. I will have to bite the bullet and get it done at the crack of dawn. At least the run will end in daylight and I can use my favourite trail. Running around traffic just makes me grumpy.

13 mile plod

Oh dear. Obviously it is taking me more than two and a half days to recover from that 20 miler on Saturday. Today’s 13 miler after work started off slow and just got slower. The fact that it was dark, cold and into a headwind didn’t help but there is no hiding from the fact that this was a terribly sluggish run. A run to forget.

On the upside I have two easy days now and the foot seem to be ok.

6 miles recovery

The day after the session. My right foot is sore. Probably a return of plantar fasciitis (runners’ heel.) I can normally sort that out with some fully loaded calf raises so I’m not too concerned.

Well my legs really were in plod mode today. I let them choose the pace and that pace was 9 minute miles! It is ironic that after years of hard training I am now doing some runs slower than when I started. Oh well. Do your hard runs harder and your slow runs slower is what most coaches say. Do your hard runs hard enough and slow becomes very attractive.

20 miles with 10 at marathon pace

So this morning was the second MP run, brought forward a week to allow XC next weekend. I didn't feel that fresh and felt quite intimidated by the thought of 20 miles with 10 @ MP. To make it more palatable I broke it down into 3 sections - 8 miles easy, 10 miles tempo and 2 miles shuffle. Of course I didn't rest between sections - that would be cheating! The pace for the first 8 miles was a bit slow but the legs felt OK. I normally pace marathon tempos by HR these days but my Garmin decided to glitch just before the tempo section so I had to go on lap pace for the first two miles. 200 metres in to the first mile I glanced at the pace and it said 5:55! Probably a GPS glitch but a nice surprise all the same. That mile was a 6:34 and the next four were all around 6:40. I then turned around into the wind and the second half had a couple of 6:55 miles as I zoned out a bit too much but the rest were 6:40s.

So 20 miles on tired legs with no breakfast or nutrition in the run ended up OK. Thanks to switching days around I have done 84 miles in the last 7 days - no wonder my feet are sore!

6 miles recovery

Today was an easy day. 6 miles jog in to work. Gym session at lunchtime. 6 mile cycle home. Easy. That means my legs should be ready for a big workout tomorrow. Gotta be positive.

The run was slow at 8:30 pace but my legs felt ok after a few miles. Let’s hope a good sleep has them ready for action!

14 miles steady

My Thursday afternoons are going to get very repetitive. For the next three months or so I will have the afternoon off work to do the medium long run. These will typically be 15 miles long and I didn’t fancy getting up at 5:30am to do it before work. Having the afternoon off means I can have a good rest afterwards and also see more of my kids.

I have found a decent route that eventually takes me to my favourite trail so, not being one to change something that works, I guess this is a route I’ll be getting very familiar with.

Today I had a strong wind behind me most of the way so the pace was decent, averaging 7:33. Mile 12 was not with the wind but came out at a 7  min mile for a HR of about 142. These are good numbers for me. Is fitness coming back?

12 miles into a gale

As normal the reality was much better than the forecast. I was expecting torrential rain and gale force winds but all I got was an annoying headwind. It was enough to slow me down and I didn’t feel the need to increase the effort much in the second half. After all I was out there getting the miles in while others were still in bed or in a warm car so I at least deserved to run at a nice effort level. I did pick up the pace for one mile when the wind was behind me and was rewarded with a 7:10 split.

In any case the January Blues seemed to only last for one day so all is good again.

6 wet miles

January blues! They seem to be a thing for me. Holiday over, money spent, no sign of the sun. Not my favourite time of year.

Was feeling a bit meh all day so unsurprisingly my motivation to run home in the dark and rain was lacking. Fortunately I am a very stubborn man and once out there you just get on with it.

So the 6 mile recovery run at 8:30 pace got done. Another plod in the dark that I am praying will one day count for something.

Tomorrow will be 12 miles straight into storm Eleanor. Better get some sleep!

10 easy miles

Time for a bit of colour - a picture from the Adlington Winter Warmer last week:

Today it was back to the P&D plan - week 4. I was supposed to do strides in today's 10 miler but as my legs were sore from yesterday's 16 miler I just did 10 pick-ups instead.

Despite last week being a recovery week I have done 72 miles in the last 7 days so the poor legs are a bit fatigued.

Luckily tomorrow is a recovery day but I am more worried about Wednesday's 12 mile run into work - it will be into 40 mile an hour gusts of wind according to the forecast. Fortunately, in my experience, the weather always looks worse in the forecast that it actually feels so no point worrying about it. If you will train for marathons in winter...