This is one of my favourite races of the year. I started off my serious running career by training for this race and was rewarded with a 1:36 time. I ran it again last year after a whole lot more training and got my time down to 1:28. This year I wasn't expect such a jump in PB but was hoping to go sub 1:28.
My build up was a bit weird. I did a hard 20 mile run on Tuesday and was then sidelined for two days with a painful blood blister. I bought some new trainers and managed a five mile jog the day before the race but the running felt weird and anything but smooth.
So on the day I had no idea what would happen.
My planned pace was 6:40 minute/miles and I bumped into a club mate (John) who was happy to go at that pace so we started off together.
The first seven miles are mainly downhill and they passed without incident, averaging just under 6:40. The effort felt a bit harder than last year and my legs felt sore but nothing drastic.
Miles 8 to 10 are slightly uphill and in the eighth mile everyone around me seemed to slow down and I had to start overtaking people just to keep the pace respectable. John dropped back at this point and I was on my own. I had to dig in over these three miles and managed to keep the pace just below 6:50, overtaking about 60 people!
I was hoping to go through 10 miles in 1:07:00 but I went through in 1:07:10. The PB was still on but there was no room for fade. Thankfully the 11th mile is slightly downhill and I managed a healthy 6:30. The 12th mile was uphill and I managed to dig in for a 6:45. I knew a decent last mile would get me home sub 1:28 and I managed to dig out another 6:30. Speeding up slightly over the last 200 metres or so I came home in 1:27:44.
So a new PB and about 40 seconds faster than year. I guess I should be pleased with that but then again when I think of the amount of training I have done over the last 12 months I am not sure that 40 seconds is a good return.
On the other hand fitness gains do not come smoothly and I came first out of my club so as long as I enjoy the training and racing I will keep plugging away.
Long time no blog!
I have been working my way through the Hansons' 60 to 80 miles per week marathon training plan. I decided that 80 miles per week was a bit much, especially the 16 mile midweek runs, so have sanitised it a bit, cutting down a few of the warm ups and cool downs, and only doing 5 miles on Mondays, to peak at 75 miles.
The plan has been tough and I'm not sure if I would do it again in a hurry. There is a lot of speed work involved, increasing the chance of injury. It is also much nicer psychologically to be adding miles to an easy plan rather than taking miles off a hard plan. I enjoyed the advanced plan in their book which I did in the summer. This peaked at 63 miles and included a day off every week which I normally did an easy run on but could take if I needed it.
On the whole I have been surviving though - until now! My paces have increased and on Tuesday I did my best long run over with 10 miles at 8:10 minutes per mile, 5 at 7:40 and 5 at 7:00. This run was done only two days after my previous 20 miler to free up the Sunday for a Half Marathon. However my ill-fitting trainers resulted in a very painful blister forming at the base of the heel on my right foot. This has made walking painful let alone running.
I managed two 4 mile recovery runs on Wednesday but this made the blister more painful and also resulted in my biggest energy slump ever, being unable to get up from my desk that afternoon!
Yesterday I just went for a swim. Today the blister feels somewhat better. The old trainers are going in the bin and tonight I will try a short run in some better fitting trainers.
Whatever state my blister is in I suspect I will race the Wilmslow Half on Sunday. This is one of my favourite races of the year and plenty of my club mates are doing it. Last year I came first in my club. Blister apart I should be on for a PB and a chance of first in club again.
Then it is just four weeks until Manchester marathon. There is supposed to be one more week of full training after Sunday but I suspect the taper has started already. The blister will see to that.
The Stockport 10 in December is one of my favourite events - a local race with loads of club mates present and a scenic course with some challenging hills that provide good overtaking opportunities!
Last year's event was a bit of a watershed moment for me as I finally felt the benefit of the summer marathon training program and realised I could bang out 7 minute miles for quite a long time. I was aiming for 70 minutes and got 68:13.
This year I had two more marathon training plans behind me so was aiming for 66:xx.
The weather was rather cold and the heavens opened a few minutes before the race start, meaning that we had no choice but to stand in the rain. Thankfully the race soon started and after a lap of the track we were off around Woodbank park and into the local housing estate.
The first mile was rather crowded and it took a lot of overtaking to start with a solid 6:50. By now I had latched onto a club mate (John) who normally beats me in 5Ks but who I beat in the Wilmslow Half in the spring. It would be interesting to see who would come out on top over 10 miles.
We settled into a 6:35 pace which felt comfortable as we weaved around the housing estate and then plunged into the valley over the next 3 miles.
Mile 5 is undulating and resulted in a 6:47 while mile 6 contains a long uphill out of the valley. With a lot of overtaking and surging we managed to keep this down to a 6:58.
In Mile 7 you plunge down into the valley again, resulting in an enjoyable 6:29 mile.
During Mile 8 we were joined by another club mate (Paul) who had started easy and still looked very comfortable. We knocked out a solid 6:43 and then mile 9 starts with a gentle slope down to the river where this photo was taken:
After the bridge it was time to climb back up to Woodbank Park on the dreaded New Zealand Road hill. Actually this hill isn't that steep and it was quite fun conquering it together with the three of us in a row.
The final mile starts near the top of the hill and takes in the park and the best part of a lap on the track. As we entered the park Paul upped the pace to sub 6 minute miling and this broke up our group. I managed to stay a few metres behind Paul and John was a bit further back.
Onto the track and I managed to speed up to sub 6 pace myself, overtaking two runners and finishing a few seconds and one place behind Paul. John was a few seconds back.
So a time of 66:40 was satisfactory being a 90 second PB. However a final mile of 6:20 suggests that I left too much in the tank. I probably should have pushed it harder on the final hill rather than succumb to the temptation to tuck in with my club mates.
Overall a great event and I will definitely be back next time.
After a disastrous 91:30 performance at the Freckleton Half in the summer I wasn't hoping for much at Conwy. I knew there was a big hill in the middle and I had only managed a few weeks of decent training since the marathon. So I decided to aim for a sub 90 and see what happened.
The first four miles are relatively flat and take you from Conwy to the Great Orme. These passed without incident at about 6:45 pace. The pace didn't feel trivial like it had at the Wilmslow Half but there was a slight headwind and a few little hills.
You then start to work your way around the Great Orme and things get lumpy.
Miles 5 and 6 weren't too bad as they also contained downhill sections and I managed to keep the pace around 7:00. However mile 7 was nearly all uphill and came out at 7:40. At one point you go round a bend and can see how much climbing you have to do over the next half mile and it is pretty intimidating but you just keep plodding along and it soon ends. I found a couple of runners who were going strongly at this point, gradually working their way through the field and I managed to stay with them.
Then the fun began. Mile 8 was very downhill and came out as a 6:15. Mile 9 however was consistently downhill and then flat and came out as a 6:02. My fastest mile ever in a race of any length. Wahey! At one point the lap pace on the Garmin was saying 5:50. I half wish I had pressed a bit more towards the end of the mile to get my first sub 6 mile on the road but I was being sensible.
I now knew that the fast miles had more than compensated for the slow miles and a good time could be on. I went through 10 miles in 67:10 so a final 5K in around 21:10 would get me a PB.
I thought things were falling apart in the 11th mile but it turned out to just be a hill! I managed to keep up the 6:45 pace for the next few miles and then speed up a bit in the last mile for a time of 88:17 and a 6 second PB.
Needless to say I was pretty chuffed to get a PB on a difficult course. The steady training through the summer seems to pay off and I am in good shape to start another marathon training plan.
The only downside is that the DOMS (muscle soreness) from zooming down that hill has been pretty awful and my running so far this week has been pretty unpleasant. Sprinting down hills is fun but not for your legs!
Chester marathon is now distant history. I am recovered and back racing.
Four weeks after the marathon I tried my local parkrun. I have had lots of times around 20 minutes and one 19:20 earlier this year. It appeared that my legs were still in marathon mode as I did 20:05 but felt strong throughout.
Last weekend was the second cross country of the season. This time I started nearer the front so as not to get caught up in people traffic. The problem with this is that I got swept along at a crazy pace at the start (5:30!)
There I am on the right in the green vest going at that crazy pace!
The first two laps felt pretty good with an average pace of about 7 min/mile. However the fast start and the constant undulations took their toll and the final lap was a bit of a slog with the fifth mile being a 7:24! I dug in and sped up down the finish straight for a 7 minute last mile and fourth position out of my club. A decent performance overall but next time I will try to hold back a little at the start.
In preparation for the Conwy Half Marathon in just over a week I have been doing a lactate threshold tempo run each week for the last three weeks. The first one was pretty awful - I couldn't get below 6:50 pace. Last week was better with three miles at about 6:40. This week I used a well lit loop in an industrial estate to avoid traffic interruptions and managed three miles at 6:35 - my actual LT pace.
So the recovery is over and the legs are working. Let's see if I can get under 90 minutes again in Conwy.
The problem with marathons is that you have to take time out from regular training to allow yourself to recover. Your body is fragile after a marathon and there is no sense in punishing it more when it just needs time to repair.
With this in mind I kept the mileage very low for the first two weeks after Chester Marathon, with three rest days after the marathon and only 15 miles for the first week and 30 for the second.
My first run after the marathon was a bit grim as expected with tight hamstrings. However, two days later my club had the first cross country race of the season and rather naughtily I decided to join in.
I started at the back to keep my pace down but my legs actually felt good and I spent the rest of the race overtaking people. I actually completed the course quicker than last year which surprised me as last year I was racing whereas this year it was just a medium / hard effort.
Last week I joined a club session for the first time in ages. Running up and down hills in a group was fun and I felt strong.
This Saturday I am going to attempt a parkrun. It will be almost four weeks since the marathon so I will be ready for a test. My last parkrun was a rather poor 20:08 so it would be good to at least get under 20:00. Even better there should be some club mates there who I can hopefully show a clean pair of heels!
Here I am with a smile on my face after a marathon. Something must have gone right!
In the spring I had targeted 3:15 and had got nowhere near it. Now I was targeting 3:20 and had another marathon training plan in the bank. Surely I wouldn't miss my target a third time?
In the two weeks leading up to the marathon I had had a sore hip that made driving and even sitting at a desk uncomfortable. I was unsure about whether I should attempt the final 10 mile MP run but in the end went for it and smashed it. 10 miles at 7:00 min/mile pace made me happy!
The hip pain eased over the next week but the night before the marathon I felt pretty dodgy with a head cold. However I felt reasonable at 5am on Sunday morning so decided to go for it.
Arriving at Chester at 7 am it was cold but no rain and a tail wind for the last ten miles. Perfect. My plan was to stick to 7:4x pace and then hopefully speed up in the second half. However when I started I locked into 7:3x pace which felt about right.
It is a great feeling when you feel really comfortable, look at your watch and see that you are actually going too fast. This never really happened at London but happened all the time at Chester.
Conservation of energy is the name of the game in the first half and I kept the effort easy, despite being overtaken quite a lot. I knew people would come back to me and they did.
So 10K in 47:02 and position 452. Feeling great.
At around 9 miles I was temporarily running by myself and got a lot of support as I ran through a village. I was also cheered by someone from a Runnersworld forum I post on which was very welcome. At this point I felt fantastic.
I just kept plodding along, happy to be there, saving the excitement for later.
The second 10K was completed in 47:08 and position 447
Halfway was reached in 1:39:28 so slightly ahead of target but feeling good.
Mile 13 is uphill and this saw my first 7:4x mile but mile 15 is downhill and I cruised down it, giving myself a breather.
At the end of mile 16 I saw my parents, cunningly positioned on an uphill section! However I had plenty of energy to wave and overtake people.
The third 10K was completed in 47:21. Position 406. A slight slowing but miles 17 and 18 are undulating.
Last year I ran out of gas at this point and ended up doing 9 minute miles. This year... I sped up! Mile 20, which is slightly downhill, was a 7:15, my fastest of the race. Miles 21 and 22 were both 7:2x. Miles 23 and 24 were both 7:3x.
During mile 24 I was joking with some other runners that they weren't allowed to slow down as I was using them as pacemakers. It was amazing to still have a clear head at this point.
Since mile 22 I had had warning spasms that my legs weren't happy and cramp was around the corner. In the 25th mile the spasms increased and I had to drop the effort. However...
The fourth 10K was completed in 46:48. Position 329. So chuffed with that.
Another random goal of mine was for each mile to be below 8 mins. With this in mind I kept a reasonable effort up over the last two miles, despite the risk of cramp. I managed miles of 7:48 and 7:54 to tick another box! The final 0.2 at 7:10 pace saw me home in 3:18:49.
I am very pleased with a slight negative split and my most enjoyable marathon yet by a long way. I can now have the confidence to attack my next marathon a bit more.
As for Hansons - well it worked! My theory is that marathon training is all about working the slow twitch fibres which means slow / steady running. Maybe the volume of easy miles is more important than the length of easy runs? What is endurance anyway? Isn't it having the fitness to not get fatigued at a certain pace? Maybe you don't have to run 20 miles to get that?
The weekly MP run, although hard in the second half of the plan, was probably very beneficial although I can't prove it!
So my trend of knocking five minutes off my marathon time every six months continues. 3:15 is a nice doable target for next spring.
I failed to get through the ballot for the London marathon but will happily do Manchester instead.
But for now, four weeks of being a jogger as I let myself recover.
