Weekly Mileage: 100.75 miles
Friday: 7.5 miles
Saturday: 26 miles in 3hours and 3 minutes
Sunday: 10 miles
As I sit here late on Sunday afternoon I can't quite believe how quickly this weekend has gone, in fact I can not believe that we are now in August. Where is the time going? Weekends definitely seem to be getting shorter, but I guess one of the reasons they seem to be so short is they are fun and packed with plenty of activity and lots of training!
Friday, as always was my usual easy day with just a run to and from work. After Thursday's hard training, I was pleased that my legs still felt in one piece.
This weekend I had to swap my long run from Sunday to Saturday, as Sunday was the Scottish Gas 10K and I had agreed to help out. Thankfully Niamh and Garry were both up for a long run on Saturday too. Garry was looking to do 16 miles, Niamh 22 miles and I was hoping to get to 26 miles.
I have never ran 26 miles before as part of marathon training, normally I only go as far as 24 miles. I have decided, however, to build it up further this time as having spoken to several marathon runners who have run sub 2.40 and 2.30 on several occasions they have done it and talked about the importance of making sure that they can go the distance comfortably. In each of my last 4 marathons I have hit the wall around at around 18-20 miles. I hope that by doing some 26 and 27 mile runs I will better train my body to deal with those later miles, so I can hold my pace for longer.
We started out on Saturday at a fairly steady pace and the three of us chatted as we went. I was more than happy at this pace as my legs were feeling a little tight and achy. At 4 miles we picked up the pace slightly and have to admit I found this a little hard. I stuck in with them and we worked are away up to Balerno. I like getting to Balerno because we hit the roads and two rather good hills that really work the legs. The second one is pretty steep and I really enjoy pushing it up there, especially as we get to the top it flattens out and then the next few miles go gradually down hill giving you the chance to recover and get your breath back. Today Niamh kicked a little at the start of the second hill and even though I was still not feeling super fresh in the legs I decided to go with her. I pushed hard to the top and pulled a little gap on Niamh and felt pretty good as I reached the top. Garry had dropped back a little bit. Getting the top Niamh pulled alongside me and I thought we were going to ease off slightly and Garry catch us and then move off at the same pace we had enjoyed to Balerno. Niamh clearly didn't have the same plan, as no sooner had I allowed myself to slow and pull a deep breath she kicked on. I had to think for a second and decide whether to go with her or hang back and wait for Garry. I decided to stick with Niamh as I knew Garry wasn't going as far as Niamh. It was a tough choice, as Niamh was really pushing the pace and I was quite close to the limit just keeping up with her. After we passed the 8 mile mark we really pick up the pace. Thankfully it was a nice cool morning with a good breeze. I really needed it as I my whole body was working really hard to keep going and that cool air stopped me from over heating.
We barely spoke over the next 7 miles, just ran and ran fast, and we did those seven miles in about 46 minutes an average of just over 6 and half minutes per mile. We reached 15 miles and slowed for a quick chat about how fast we were running. We left the Water of Leith route and turned on to the canal path. With Niamh running 22 miles and not 26 meant she would run 3 miles along the canal and then turn back to finish at the usual finish spot. I had to do 5 miles before turning round. I remember looking at my watch at the 15 mile mark and thinking with a certain amount of dread that I still had over an hour left to run. Once on the canal path we continued at a good pace and again I was struggling to hang on to Niamh who was running really strongly. In fact she opened a very small gap, which I couldn't make back up. I was pleased that I didn't fall back further and when Niamh turned round to head back my pace didn't drop drastically as I expected it to without her to drag me along. I turned round at just past 20 miles and began the run back. It's amazing how much of psychological lift you can get from simply turning round and knowing you're heading for home. Between 16-19 miles running had felt pretty tough and uncomfortable and my mind had begun to entertain thoughts of reducing the planned mileage. The turnaround though brought a spring in my step, as I knew that every stride took me closer to home.
Those last 5 and bit miles hurt, but I was really happy to maintain both a good pace and form. The 10 miles out and back along the canal were fairly evenly paced. I did lose a bit of pace, about 45 seconds over the five miles, in the second half, but it was good. Crossing the finishing line I felt pretty good. In fact, I reckon I could have done a couple more miles if I really had to, which bodes well for ultra training later in the year. The pain and discomfort I was feeling in those last miles was definitely manageable, which was a good sign also. My only concern was the mini-wall I felt during miles 16-19, however, with 11 weeks training still to go before Amsterdam then I have time and more long runs to get that right.
On Sunday morning I got up early to go for a wee run before helping out with the Scottish Gas 10k. I set off along the cycle path and brought myself out at the coast at Newhaven. After a couple of miles running I was amazed at how well my legs felt, especially the day after running all those miles. I decided to go a little further then I had planned and take in the 10k route that would be used later that morning. After a four or five miles I did start to feel a few tweaks, but I was definitely going a little too fast for a recovery run. I did ease off as I finished the course, but I felt good and really pleased with the way my body has held together following such a long and untried training run.
Helping out at the Scottish Gas 10k was a lot of fun. It was good to see such a good turnout from the club and there were some good performances too, especially Neil Calder who ran 33.04. Colin ran his first race as an EAC runner, and although he didn't get the time he was looking for he still enjoyed it. Adam finished second in the 5k, and there were loads of other club runners out in force and running well. It was also really well organised too and the 400 odd competitors seemed to have had a great day.
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