Weekly Mileage: 102 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday: 4.5 miles
Saturday: 14.5 miles
Sunday: 26 miles
After my deep tissue massage on Wednesday I was feeling pretty sore and as I ached and creaked my way to work on Thursday morning I really wondered how I was going to knock out a 100 mile this week or any subsequent week. I was meeting some old uni friends on Thursday night, so I had to do the planned training session on my own. The session was eight reps of 2.5minutes fast with 2.5 minutes recovery, which I did on the outside path of the meadows park. These sessions are always so much easier with other people to work with and I certainly found the first few difficult on my own. During my first rep I only managed to maintain a 6 minute per mile pace for the 2.5 minutes - not good! As well as being short of club members to run with both my legs and lungs felt pretty tired during my first 4 reps. It was a little disheartening. I even considered stopping after 6 reps. Thankfully the last 4 reps were a lot better and I managed to get down to 5/10k pace for those reps and it lifted my mood greatly, but I was still worried about completing the rest of my planned week's training.
After a few too many drinks on Thursday night I was a little rough on Friday. I had already made the decision to take the morning off, so thankfully I didn't have to run to work. Instead I took a gentle 4.5 mile run home, which eased the legs.
Despite suffering a little bit from the 2-day hangover phenomenon I went to the club's Saturday training session along with Dan, Niamh, and a few others, including Steve Booth. Steve use to come to training regularly when I first started going to club and we used to run together quite a bit. Unfortunately a combination of injuries, uni work and parenthood has meant that he has not been able to attend as frequently as he used to, so it was great to see him on Saturday. The session was similar to Thursday's, eight reps of 3 minutes fast with 3 minutes recovery on the grass. I was quite pleased it was on the grass as my body still ached slightly from last week's race and this week's training. My right hamstring was pretty tight and my right knee was still aching and twitching as well, so grass was much better than tarmac. As soon as we did the first rep I knew I was in better shape than on Thursday, a lot stronger and faster. I started off at 10k pace and finished off quicker than 5k pace by the end of last rep. I was pretty pleased as I still didn't feel as fresh as I should have.
Sunday morning brought the long run. It was another great turnout at Craiglochart and six of us took off in the quicker group, myself, Dan, Colin, Bryan, Niamh and Garry. I planned to do 26 miles, Niamh and Dan, 24, and Colin, Bryan and Garry were aiming for 16, so there would be plenty of company. We set off at a good pace, close to 7 minutes per mile, which we gradually increased as we closed in on Balerno. Unfortunately Dan slowed as his hip began to hurt. He managed to carry on and do 16 miles, but that was the last we saw of him until we all reconvened at Garry's for the post run coffee and scones. When we got into Balerno we hit the usual 2 hills that takes us from mile 6 to 8 and as seems to have become a the custom we push it quite hard. It started with Bryan, who took off and began to leave Colin and I behind. We'd just pulled ahead of Garry and Niamh. Colin seemed keen to pursue Bryan, but I wasn't so sure. I was trying to think sensibly about the rest of my run, which I still had close to 20 miles of. Colin pulled ahead of me and caught Bryan as we reached the top of the first hill. It was then I decided I couldn't let them get away, no matter how silly it was, and as we moved down the small section before the second climb I put a burst of speed in to catch them up. I then moved ahead of them as we took the second climb and the three is us pushed really hard all the way to the top. I stayed ahead, but was always kept within the arms reach of Colin and Bryan.We went so fast that we actually managed a sub 7 minute mile pace up the hill! Very fast.At the top we eased off a bit and carried on together.The next 7miles saw us pick up the pace to around 6.30 minutes per mile, but it felt pretty good for the most of it. I did feel a little wobble between 12 and 13 miles where I felt both tired and sore. At this point it was great to have Colin for company, as it helped keep me going at the same pace. I may well have backed off if he hadn't been there. Bryan had moved on a bit leaving us behind. Niamh, thanks to a quick pee stop by the three of us had caught and passed us. By the time we got back to the canal Colin, Niamh and I were running together. Unfortunately Colin turned off to finish his 16 miles and Niamh stopped for a quick drink and stretch.
I was left on my own for the last 10.5 miles, but as I turned on to the canal path I felt really good. My legs and lungs felt strong and I moved down the canal path. I had planned to drop my pace down to seven minutes per mile pace, and although I slowed a little I still went through the miles at about 6.40 pace. I decided to keep it going for as long as I felt comfortable. I kept expecting my legs to start to ache and tighten up or my lungs to grow heavy and my head weary, but they never did. My legs were tired, my left heal was a little sore and my right knee was also tired, but nothing more than you would expect from such a long run. I turned to head back down the canal and towards Garry's and I felt strong and remained fast. I finished my 26 miles in 2 hours and 57 minutes, with quite a lot left in the tank.
So the end of the week has finished, so much better than the start and middle part. Sunday's long run has filled me with a lot of confidence and successfully finishing another 100 mile week feels really good too. I am beginning to think that the 90+ and 100 mile weeks that I have done in the last 2 months have really started to benefit me with my strength and endurance improving. I feel pretty and fresh going into this week and I really hope I can manage another 100 mile week, another 2 quality interval sessions and another strong 26 mile run.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
23-25 August: Getting back into it!
Monday 23: 13.25 miles (AM: 3.75 PM: 9.5)
Tuesday 24: 17.5 miles (AM: 3.75 PM: 13.75)
Wednesday 25: 12.5 miles (AM: 3.75 PM: 8.75)
It's always tough getting back into training after a race, especially one that you have put a fair bit of effort into and tapered for. It's certainly been tough for me since Saturday's race in Nairn. With Amsterdam now less than 8 weeks away I need to maintain my high level of training to ensure that I am in the best shape possible for the marathon. My 16 mile run on Sunday was pretty tough going the day after Nairn, but thankfully it was along the Moray Firth coastline and the sun was out, so it was both scenic and full of fresh air. Not like Monday, which was very tough, getting up before work and taking those weary steps up the road on my morning run under dark gray clouds, a stiff breeze and a cold air. My legs were still sore and stiff from the race and I would have given quite a bit to be back in bed watching the West Wing with a cup of coffee.
I think this post race period is a really difficult time for training, where it would be easy for me to back off and take it easy for a couple of weeks believing it will be okay and I will get back into it before the marathon. I need to keep motivated and keep working hard. I have adjusted my training to reflect feeling a little bit tired after Nairn, but I have tried to maintain the quality I need to keep improving. On Tuesday, I was meant to be doing 10 one mile reps with 2 minutes recovery at faster than half marathon pace, but my legs still didn't feel that strong or fresh, so I decided to run a 13 mile fartlek home. In the fartlek I did five 2 mile reps with 2 minutes recovery at slightly faster than my planned marathon pace (around 6 minute mile pace). It wasn't quite as intense as doing mile reps, but was still a good training session for my marathon and covered the same distance as my planned mile reps. I actually felt really good after my session on Tuesday and was really pleased with my efforts, which were all exactly where I wanted them to be. It gave me some confidence that I will be back training at full steam by the end of the week.
Today I had a deep tissue massage to help with my recovery from Nairn and to help prepare my body for this next period of tough training for my marathon, as I am moving back to 100 mile weeks. That was also pretty hard going and as I sit here typing this most parts of my legs are aching a little bit. Hopefully I will be fine to do some more intense training tomorrow. I will be missing running club tomorrow, so unfortunately will have to do the session on my own. That is always difficult, as I miss running with my club mates. I will definitely be back at club on Saturday and Sunday to draw on their strength as we do intervals and then the long run.
Tuesday 24: 17.5 miles (AM: 3.75 PM: 13.75)
Wednesday 25: 12.5 miles (AM: 3.75 PM: 8.75)
It's always tough getting back into training after a race, especially one that you have put a fair bit of effort into and tapered for. It's certainly been tough for me since Saturday's race in Nairn. With Amsterdam now less than 8 weeks away I need to maintain my high level of training to ensure that I am in the best shape possible for the marathon. My 16 mile run on Sunday was pretty tough going the day after Nairn, but thankfully it was along the Moray Firth coastline and the sun was out, so it was both scenic and full of fresh air. Not like Monday, which was very tough, getting up before work and taking those weary steps up the road on my morning run under dark gray clouds, a stiff breeze and a cold air. My legs were still sore and stiff from the race and I would have given quite a bit to be back in bed watching the West Wing with a cup of coffee.
I think this post race period is a really difficult time for training, where it would be easy for me to back off and take it easy for a couple of weeks believing it will be okay and I will get back into it before the marathon. I need to keep motivated and keep working hard. I have adjusted my training to reflect feeling a little bit tired after Nairn, but I have tried to maintain the quality I need to keep improving. On Tuesday, I was meant to be doing 10 one mile reps with 2 minutes recovery at faster than half marathon pace, but my legs still didn't feel that strong or fresh, so I decided to run a 13 mile fartlek home. In the fartlek I did five 2 mile reps with 2 minutes recovery at slightly faster than my planned marathon pace (around 6 minute mile pace). It wasn't quite as intense as doing mile reps, but was still a good training session for my marathon and covered the same distance as my planned mile reps. I actually felt really good after my session on Tuesday and was really pleased with my efforts, which were all exactly where I wanted them to be. It gave me some confidence that I will be back training at full steam by the end of the week.
Today I had a deep tissue massage to help with my recovery from Nairn and to help prepare my body for this next period of tough training for my marathon, as I am moving back to 100 mile weeks. That was also pretty hard going and as I sit here typing this most parts of my legs are aching a little bit. Hopefully I will be fine to do some more intense training tomorrow. I will be missing running club tomorrow, so unfortunately will have to do the session on my own. That is always difficult, as I miss running with my club mates. I will definitely be back at club on Saturday and Sunday to draw on their strength as we do intervals and then the long run.
Monday, 23 August 2010
16-22 August: Nairn Highland Games Report
It was always going to be interesting to see how my body reacted to over 300 miles of training in 3 weeks. I picked the Nairn Half Marathon on Saturday 22 August to put all that training to the test and to review my progress towards my Amsterdam marathon goal in October. I did, however, only give myself one week to taper and recover from all this training before the race and I always wondered if this would be enough.
The Nairn Half Marathon is part of the Nairn Highland Games, which was a great setting, as the first 300m of the race was a lap of the grass track, which was surrounded by about 250-350 people all cheering and shouting, which was inspiring and filled my legs with a little extra energy as we hit the roads.
Maybe the cheering influenced my heart more than my head, as I set off too quickly and as a result suffered in the second mile. I have to admit I was also blinded by two runners blasting out the blocks and burning off down the road. I was caught in two minds, whether to hold back and rely on pace judgement and hope they came back to me or chase after and keep up with them so not to let them and the race get away. As a result I ran too hard and I knew it and having made no in roads into the gap to the leaders I backed off. Unfortunately I was left suffering a bit in the second mile and two runners caught me, a Shetland runner and a runner from Metro Aberdeen, Niku Millot. Niku went straight past me and I tried to hang on to his trainers, which I managed to do for a short period and in the process lose the Shetland runner. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold on to Niku and he moved on chasing down second and first places.
My legs felt pretty heavy at this point and they were tired, as I moved up the short, steep hill at the third mile mark I felt pretty demoralised as I was well out of the places and not feeling great. I had to keep telling myself to keep going and it was almost like hitting a wall at mile 18 in a marathon. It was an odd sensation and I didn't like it so early in a race.
Getting to the end of third mile my legs didn't feel any worse and with no wind about I at last fell into a reasonable rhythm and lifted my head slightly to see that the front runners had stretched out ahead of me. One of the runners in front of me had fallen off the lead pace and was dropping back from Niku who had now caught up with the Cambuslang runner who had taken the early lead. They were both about 400m ahead of me at this point and seeminlgy out of touch, but I began to think I could catch the third place runner who was coming back to me pretty quickly. He had clearly started off too fast as well and as I closed in on 4th mile marker I caught him and in the process found myself now only 300m behind the two leaders. This was quite a lift and although my legs felt a little tight and heavy I found myself able to pick up the pace. I then spent the next 2 miles trying really hard to catch up with the leaders, but the gap didn't shrink. I put it in quite a bit of effort here as I felt that if I could get on level terms then I would have a chance to hang on and stay with them.
At the 6 mile point the Cambuslang runner visibly slowed. He had clearly been hanging on to Niku for as long as he could, but could no longer hold the pace. By the time we got to the half way mark I caught him and I decided not to hang about, as I didn't want to give him the motivation to hang on. Instead I pushed straight on with a burst of speed determined to put a gap between us. He definitely tried to go with me, but simply couldn't hold on and without looking back I knew he had fallen behind. I went through half way in 37.30 and was well on course for a PB even though my legs were not feeling amazing. I looked up the road and could see Niku was now only about 200m in front. I pushed on and tried to catch him.
We passed the seven mile mark and very nearly missed the turning point. There was no marshal, just an arrow sprayed on the road telling the runners to turn round. I was too busy looking at the runner ahead to notice it and it was the frantic beeping of a car horn behind me that made me realise we were about to over shoot the mark. The driver of the car was the marshal who was supposed to be directing runners around the arrows!! I quickly called up the road to Niku shouting at him to turn, he heard and despite losing a few yards managed to turn round and head back down the road. Following the confusion Niku seemed to slow down considerably and I used this as an opportunity to make up the gap, which had already reduced further to about 100m. I caught him and we actually chatted for a bit about the marshalling chaos. I am not sure what the other runners behind us thought of this as they were toiling towards the turning point, but it must have been an usual sight to see the two leaders gossiping mid-race about good race organisation.
We ran together for a bit taking it in turns to lead, as with the turn and change in road came the very strong wind that was blowing in off the coast. I have never run a road race with such strong winds. The forecast had promised gusts of up to 40mph. I am not sure it was that strong, but it turned 5.40 (ish) miles into 6-6.15 miles, yet the effort felt much quicker.
At about 9 miles I decided to try and make a break for it. My legs were feeling really heavy at this point and a few niggles had started to work their way into my right hamstring. My logic for making a break for it with aching legs was if I could open a gap and hold the pace then Niku might back off and give it up. I worked really hard for about 400-600m and could feel him working equally as hard to hold on. He did, so I backed off and let him take the lead again, and snuck in behind him to shelter from the wind for a bit. After a couple of minutes he suddenly upped the pace and I found I was now trying to hold on to him. It hurt. My legs ached, my lungs burned, but I wasn't going to give up. I think he must have had the same idea as me in terms of getting a gap, because after about 400m he slowed down and accepted I wasn't going anywhere.
We ran together again for a while and then when we passed the 10 mile marker and I made another move pushing to the front. I have to admit I thought this time I'd done it, as a quick glance back saw him not quite on my shoulder. I really pushed hoping to make it stick, but again he found something to get back on level terms and I eased off. He tried a break and I held and then again at mile 11 I tried once more, but with the same result, so we ran together for most of the twelfth mile. However, I was really starting to struggle now and my legs just seemed empty. With the wind dropping slightly our pace picked back up to sub 6 minute mile pace, which was fine, but I couldn't go any faster. I also developed a really painful stitch in my right shoulder, which I couldn't shrug off and it seemed to be affecting my breathing.
As we entered the last mile Niku made a push and I couldn't quite hold on and he opened up a small 5 meter gap. I tried desperately to get it back, but could only hold the distance. The gap increased bit by bit and was definitely past a sprint finish with less than mile to go. It was an awful feeling to see the victory start to slip away. With a half a mile to go the gap was more than a few seconds and I knew the win was gone. It was pretty demoralising. Still I ploughed on and as I entered the Games Ground to the cheers of hundreds of people and the PA system announcing my name it felt pretty good. The crowd support was awesome and the lift helped me find a sprint finish as I crossed the line in second place. My third second place of the year!! Any chance of a PB was literally blown away by the wind as five miles in the second half were almost impossible to run at pace. My time of 1.16.54 was pretty pleasing in the end.
Looking back over the race I wonder where I lost it. I definitely started off too quickly, where as Niku had set off quietly at an even pace and worked his way from about 6th place at the start to first by the 4th mile. I, on the other hand, chased after the leaders who couldn't hold the pace themsevles and then had to recover and work hard to get back on level terms. Those hard 4 miles between 3 and 7 where I chased after Niku to get back to the front had to have taken more out of my legs and I wonder how much that cost me. Then there were the attempted break aways between miles 9 and 11, was I silly to try and force a gap? I wonder if I should have just dug in and held on and left it to a sprint finish? I did think about this during the race , but made a conscious choice not to put it all on my sprint finish, as I wasn't convinced I had one. Ultimately, however, I think a week's taper is simply not enough to allow your legs to get ready for a race of 13.1 miles after 300+miles in the three previous weeks' training. My legs felt heavy from the off, not terrible, but just not fit enough to hit top gear.
Despite two previous second places, this was the first time I was genuinely racing for a victory and I learnt a lot. During the race I did let my mind tell me on more than one occasion that I wasn't strong enough to win or fast enough to out sprint the other guy. This has led me to realise I need to be a little bit tougher mentally and although I am not planning to assume that I will win from that position every time, I need to believe more in myself and my ability.
After we crossed the finishing line Niku and I congratulated each other on a great and enjoyable race after which he asked me if I wanted to race again in the 1,500m 30 minutes later. I have to admit I was pretty surprised and the thought had not entered my mind before the half, however, as soon as he mentioned it (which I read as a friendly challenge!) I knew I would be taking my place on the start line again. A quick drink and I hit the beach for a cool down/warm up jog. My legs felt okay and despite a slight tightness on my right hamstring I felt I would survive the 5 laps of the 300m track.
It wasn't a huge race, in fact there were only 6 people in the race, and it was handicapped. The four men in the race had to start off scratch i.e the full distance. Two women had entered the race and had been given a 200m head start. To be honest I wasn't fussed about anyone in the race, but Niku. I wanted a little bit of revenge. The gun set us off and Niku went to the front, I tucked in behind, but that lasted for about 100m, as I decided to just go for it. I passed him and took to the front. I passed one of the girl's from the handicap, but couldn't see the other girl. I am not sure what my lap splits were, but they felt pretty even and I wasn't slowing. After 3 laps I afforded myself a look over my shoulder and Niku was still there, sitting, waiting. I wondered if I had got my tactics all wrong, but I decided that I was committed and had to keep pushing from the front. With the bell ringing as we headed into the last lap I didn't look back, just forward trying to sprint as hard as possible. I kept expecting to see him appear on my shoulder and go by, but as we turned into the home straight my legs felt pretty good and I felt my speed pick up. I crossed the line in 4.52, one second clear of Niku. I was pretty pleased, but it did make me wonder what would have happened if I had been able to hold onto him until the track during the half. Ah well.
The 1,500m was a lot of fun. I was first male, but I didn't win! Second again. One of the girl's with a handicap start had won the race! Her time of 4.58 and a 200m head start had been enough to keep her ahead of me. Never mind. I am used to coming second now! The evening was finished off perfectly with a couple of drinks and a curry with Gail, her mum, Uncle Martin and Dickson ( who had been watching the Shire win 2-0 in Elgin).
Total Weekly Mileage: 54 miles
Maybe the cheering influenced my heart more than my head, as I set off too quickly and as a result suffered in the second mile. I have to admit I was also blinded by two runners blasting out the blocks and burning off down the road. I was caught in two minds, whether to hold back and rely on pace judgement and hope they came back to me or chase after and keep up with them so not to let them and the race get away. As a result I ran too hard and I knew it and having made no in roads into the gap to the leaders I backed off. Unfortunately I was left suffering a bit in the second mile and two runners caught me, a Shetland runner and a runner from Metro Aberdeen, Niku Millot. Niku went straight past me and I tried to hang on to his trainers, which I managed to do for a short period and in the process lose the Shetland runner. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold on to Niku and he moved on chasing down second and first places.
My legs felt pretty heavy at this point and they were tired, as I moved up the short, steep hill at the third mile mark I felt pretty demoralised as I was well out of the places and not feeling great. I had to keep telling myself to keep going and it was almost like hitting a wall at mile 18 in a marathon. It was an odd sensation and I didn't like it so early in a race.
Getting to the end of third mile my legs didn't feel any worse and with no wind about I at last fell into a reasonable rhythm and lifted my head slightly to see that the front runners had stretched out ahead of me. One of the runners in front of me had fallen off the lead pace and was dropping back from Niku who had now caught up with the Cambuslang runner who had taken the early lead. They were both about 400m ahead of me at this point and seeminlgy out of touch, but I began to think I could catch the third place runner who was coming back to me pretty quickly. He had clearly started off too fast as well and as I closed in on 4th mile marker I caught him and in the process found myself now only 300m behind the two leaders. This was quite a lift and although my legs felt a little tight and heavy I found myself able to pick up the pace. I then spent the next 2 miles trying really hard to catch up with the leaders, but the gap didn't shrink. I put it in quite a bit of effort here as I felt that if I could get on level terms then I would have a chance to hang on and stay with them.
At the 6 mile point the Cambuslang runner visibly slowed. He had clearly been hanging on to Niku for as long as he could, but could no longer hold the pace. By the time we got to the half way mark I caught him and I decided not to hang about, as I didn't want to give him the motivation to hang on. Instead I pushed straight on with a burst of speed determined to put a gap between us. He definitely tried to go with me, but simply couldn't hold on and without looking back I knew he had fallen behind. I went through half way in 37.30 and was well on course for a PB even though my legs were not feeling amazing. I looked up the road and could see Niku was now only about 200m in front. I pushed on and tried to catch him.
We passed the seven mile mark and very nearly missed the turning point. There was no marshal, just an arrow sprayed on the road telling the runners to turn round. I was too busy looking at the runner ahead to notice it and it was the frantic beeping of a car horn behind me that made me realise we were about to over shoot the mark. The driver of the car was the marshal who was supposed to be directing runners around the arrows!! I quickly called up the road to Niku shouting at him to turn, he heard and despite losing a few yards managed to turn round and head back down the road. Following the confusion Niku seemed to slow down considerably and I used this as an opportunity to make up the gap, which had already reduced further to about 100m. I caught him and we actually chatted for a bit about the marshalling chaos. I am not sure what the other runners behind us thought of this as they were toiling towards the turning point, but it must have been an usual sight to see the two leaders gossiping mid-race about good race organisation.
We ran together for a bit taking it in turns to lead, as with the turn and change in road came the very strong wind that was blowing in off the coast. I have never run a road race with such strong winds. The forecast had promised gusts of up to 40mph. I am not sure it was that strong, but it turned 5.40 (ish) miles into 6-6.15 miles, yet the effort felt much quicker.
At about 9 miles I decided to try and make a break for it. My legs were feeling really heavy at this point and a few niggles had started to work their way into my right hamstring. My logic for making a break for it with aching legs was if I could open a gap and hold the pace then Niku might back off and give it up. I worked really hard for about 400-600m and could feel him working equally as hard to hold on. He did, so I backed off and let him take the lead again, and snuck in behind him to shelter from the wind for a bit. After a couple of minutes he suddenly upped the pace and I found I was now trying to hold on to him. It hurt. My legs ached, my lungs burned, but I wasn't going to give up. I think he must have had the same idea as me in terms of getting a gap, because after about 400m he slowed down and accepted I wasn't going anywhere.
We ran together again for a while and then when we passed the 10 mile marker and I made another move pushing to the front. I have to admit I thought this time I'd done it, as a quick glance back saw him not quite on my shoulder. I really pushed hoping to make it stick, but again he found something to get back on level terms and I eased off. He tried a break and I held and then again at mile 11 I tried once more, but with the same result, so we ran together for most of the twelfth mile. However, I was really starting to struggle now and my legs just seemed empty. With the wind dropping slightly our pace picked back up to sub 6 minute mile pace, which was fine, but I couldn't go any faster. I also developed a really painful stitch in my right shoulder, which I couldn't shrug off and it seemed to be affecting my breathing.
As we entered the last mile Niku made a push and I couldn't quite hold on and he opened up a small 5 meter gap. I tried desperately to get it back, but could only hold the distance. The gap increased bit by bit and was definitely past a sprint finish with less than mile to go. It was an awful feeling to see the victory start to slip away. With a half a mile to go the gap was more than a few seconds and I knew the win was gone. It was pretty demoralising. Still I ploughed on and as I entered the Games Ground to the cheers of hundreds of people and the PA system announcing my name it felt pretty good. The crowd support was awesome and the lift helped me find a sprint finish as I crossed the line in second place. My third second place of the year!! Any chance of a PB was literally blown away by the wind as five miles in the second half were almost impossible to run at pace. My time of 1.16.54 was pretty pleasing in the end.
Looking back over the race I wonder where I lost it. I definitely started off too quickly, where as Niku had set off quietly at an even pace and worked his way from about 6th place at the start to first by the 4th mile. I, on the other hand, chased after the leaders who couldn't hold the pace themsevles and then had to recover and work hard to get back on level terms. Those hard 4 miles between 3 and 7 where I chased after Niku to get back to the front had to have taken more out of my legs and I wonder how much that cost me. Then there were the attempted break aways between miles 9 and 11, was I silly to try and force a gap? I wonder if I should have just dug in and held on and left it to a sprint finish? I did think about this during the race , but made a conscious choice not to put it all on my sprint finish, as I wasn't convinced I had one. Ultimately, however, I think a week's taper is simply not enough to allow your legs to get ready for a race of 13.1 miles after 300+miles in the three previous weeks' training. My legs felt heavy from the off, not terrible, but just not fit enough to hit top gear.
Despite two previous second places, this was the first time I was genuinely racing for a victory and I learnt a lot. During the race I did let my mind tell me on more than one occasion that I wasn't strong enough to win or fast enough to out sprint the other guy. This has led me to realise I need to be a little bit tougher mentally and although I am not planning to assume that I will win from that position every time, I need to believe more in myself and my ability.
After we crossed the finishing line Niku and I congratulated each other on a great and enjoyable race after which he asked me if I wanted to race again in the 1,500m 30 minutes later. I have to admit I was pretty surprised and the thought had not entered my mind before the half, however, as soon as he mentioned it (which I read as a friendly challenge!) I knew I would be taking my place on the start line again. A quick drink and I hit the beach for a cool down/warm up jog. My legs felt okay and despite a slight tightness on my right hamstring I felt I would survive the 5 laps of the 300m track.
The 1,500m was a lot of fun. I was first male, but I didn't win! Second again. One of the girl's with a handicap start had won the race! Her time of 4.58 and a 200m head start had been enough to keep her ahead of me. Never mind. I am used to coming second now! The evening was finished off perfectly with a couple of drinks and a curry with Gail, her mum, Uncle Martin and Dickson ( who had been watching the Shire win 2-0 in Elgin).
Total Weekly Mileage: 54 miles
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Friday 13 - Sunday 15 August: 301 miles in 3 weeks is bloody hard work!
Weekly Total Mileage: 98.5 miles
Friday 13 August - Mileage: 7.5 miles
Saturday 14 August - Mileage: 22 miles
Sunday 15 August - Mileage: 11.5 miles
This weekend has been a really tough one. My legs have been really heavy and I have felt really fatigued. I spent three hours a sleep in the sofa on Sunday afternoon, as my body craved some down time. I think that was a real sign of how hard I've worked this last few weeks. I didn't quite make a third consecutive week of 100 miles, but I was pretty close and totalled over 300 for the three weeks. By far the most intense period of running training I have committed to. The first two weeks were pretty easy in terms of getting through it and I really enjoyed it. The third week was really hard, which I have alluded to earlier this week in my blog. It wasn't helped by a small cold that I picked up mid-week. The cold may well have been as a result of the heavy training or something that has been going round, either way it has helped to make the week's training harder. I am glad that I am not attempting to do a fourth week like this, as I am certain that would spell trouble.
Thankfully Friday was nice and easy and allowed me some recovery time before my long run on Saturday. I ran with Niamh on Saturday who has also been running lots of miles in training over the last three weeks and as we ran at a pace much slower than in recent long runs we chatted about how we both felt fatigued rather than sore or out of breath. I am quite sure I could have run faster on Saturday, but it would have probably put me at risk of injury and reduced my ability to recover well for next Saturday's race, so I was happy to go steady. I was pleased that all 22 miles felt okay from a cardiovascular point of view and there was absolutely no sign of the wall. Just my legs felt tired.My right knee is still a little niggly, but I am sure it is just muscle tiredness more than anything else.
Sunday's run of 11.5miles with Kim was nice and steady, but my legs were still tired and tight.
I now have a week's easy running and tapering before Saturday's Nairn Half Marathon. I hope that this is enough time to recover sufficiently to run well and put all the recent training to good use.
Looking back over the last three weeks I think I have made some real progress towards my marathon target. I feel fitter, stronger and quicker. I am really confident that with more hard training over the next 6 weeks before my taper I can get even quicker. The only thing I am not a 100% happy with is my weight, which is still a few kilograms higher than it was before I went on holiday. I am trying to eat well and not too much, but even with all those miles it just doesn't seem to shift. Hopefully the final period of training will help me get rid of that and I'll peak perfectly in time for Amsterdam.
Well, now I have a week of tapering so I'll probably be moaning and complaining about how unfit I am and fat I am! My usual pre-race/tapering chat.
Friday 13 August - Mileage: 7.5 miles
Saturday 14 August - Mileage: 22 miles
Sunday 15 August - Mileage: 11.5 miles
This weekend has been a really tough one. My legs have been really heavy and I have felt really fatigued. I spent three hours a sleep in the sofa on Sunday afternoon, as my body craved some down time. I think that was a real sign of how hard I've worked this last few weeks. I didn't quite make a third consecutive week of 100 miles, but I was pretty close and totalled over 300 for the three weeks. By far the most intense period of running training I have committed to. The first two weeks were pretty easy in terms of getting through it and I really enjoyed it. The third week was really hard, which I have alluded to earlier this week in my blog. It wasn't helped by a small cold that I picked up mid-week. The cold may well have been as a result of the heavy training or something that has been going round, either way it has helped to make the week's training harder. I am glad that I am not attempting to do a fourth week like this, as I am certain that would spell trouble.
Thankfully Friday was nice and easy and allowed me some recovery time before my long run on Saturday. I ran with Niamh on Saturday who has also been running lots of miles in training over the last three weeks and as we ran at a pace much slower than in recent long runs we chatted about how we both felt fatigued rather than sore or out of breath. I am quite sure I could have run faster on Saturday, but it would have probably put me at risk of injury and reduced my ability to recover well for next Saturday's race, so I was happy to go steady. I was pleased that all 22 miles felt okay from a cardiovascular point of view and there was absolutely no sign of the wall. Just my legs felt tired.My right knee is still a little niggly, but I am sure it is just muscle tiredness more than anything else.
Sunday's run of 11.5miles with Kim was nice and steady, but my legs were still tired and tight.
I now have a week's easy running and tapering before Saturday's Nairn Half Marathon. I hope that this is enough time to recover sufficiently to run well and put all the recent training to good use.
Looking back over the last three weeks I think I have made some real progress towards my marathon target. I feel fitter, stronger and quicker. I am really confident that with more hard training over the next 6 weeks before my taper I can get even quicker. The only thing I am not a 100% happy with is my weight, which is still a few kilograms higher than it was before I went on holiday. I am trying to eat well and not too much, but even with all those miles it just doesn't seem to shift. Hopefully the final period of training will help me get rid of that and I'll peak perfectly in time for Amsterdam.
Well, now I have a week of tapering so I'll probably be moaning and complaining about how unfit I am and fat I am! My usual pre-race/tapering chat.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Thursday 12 August 2010: Fighting man flu and a new marathon training session
Mileage: 17.5 miles
AM: 3.75miles; PM: 13.75 miles (including 12 miles at marathon pace)
Well I am fairly certain I have a mild form of man-flu. I still have a scratchy throat and my body feels a little achy and overall I just feel a bit shit. I felt pretty heavy running to work this morning and all day at work I was a little run down and living off lemsips and lozengers.
So when it came to my run this evening I was really in two minds. My training plan said I was due to do 13 miles at 6minutes 25 seconds pace, but this really didn't seem possible as I was sipping a lemsip at 5.15pm this afternoon and craving for my bed. As part of my Amsterdam training I have decided to do some long sustained runs at marathon pace. In order to get a sub 2hour 40 minute marathon I need to be able to run 26.2 miles at 6minutes 6seconds per mile pace, so fairly fast. My plan has been to build up to this by starting off at 12 miles at 6minutes 25seconds pace building up to 16 miles at the pace I need.
I decided to set off for home tonight and do a couple of miles quickly and see how that went before deciding how long to stay out for. My first 1.25 miles warm-up jog along the canal were sluggish and I was dreading my watch telling me to start the faster miles. It was, however, not bad at all. Once I got the first mile in and it popped up at 6minutes and13 seconds I felt lot better. The next couple of miles I just concentrated on maintaining the pace. My chest did begin to feel a bit tight and wheezy, and my legs were a little tight and heavy, but generally everything was going well, so I kept pushing. At mile 8 it did start to feel pretty hard and I began to think that maybe doing 10 miles would be enough. However, miles 8 and 9 were still fairly steady pace wise, so I kept going. In fact the last 3 miles I really picked up the pace. I don't know where I got the strength or the energy from, but I managed and felt good. The last mile was tough going and I was just holding on in the end, but I was really pleased with the 12 miles, which I felt were enough, especially as I was very close to marathon pace for the first 9 miles and for the last 3 I pushed under 6 minute mile pace with the last two miles at 5.47 and 5.45.
If I can just shift this cold now, get a good long run in on Saturday and some good rest next week then I reckon I will be in pretty good shape for the Nairn Half Marathon on the 20th. I still have my eye on a PB, even though the the course profile I was sent this week shows a massive, steep hill at mile 3! Are there any flat half marathons in Scotland away from strong coastal breezes and bad weather???
My mile splits for the 12 miles at pace:
1) 6.13
2) 6.09
3) 6.12
4) 6.08
5) 6.15
6) 6.07
7) 6.13
8) 6.12
9) 6.10
10) 5.59
11) 5.47
12) 5.45
Total: 73.10 (Average pace of 6minutes 6seconds per mile)
AM: 3.75miles; PM: 13.75 miles (including 12 miles at marathon pace)
Well I am fairly certain I have a mild form of man-flu. I still have a scratchy throat and my body feels a little achy and overall I just feel a bit shit. I felt pretty heavy running to work this morning and all day at work I was a little run down and living off lemsips and lozengers.
So when it came to my run this evening I was really in two minds. My training plan said I was due to do 13 miles at 6minutes 25 seconds pace, but this really didn't seem possible as I was sipping a lemsip at 5.15pm this afternoon and craving for my bed. As part of my Amsterdam training I have decided to do some long sustained runs at marathon pace. In order to get a sub 2hour 40 minute marathon I need to be able to run 26.2 miles at 6minutes 6seconds per mile pace, so fairly fast. My plan has been to build up to this by starting off at 12 miles at 6minutes 25seconds pace building up to 16 miles at the pace I need.
I decided to set off for home tonight and do a couple of miles quickly and see how that went before deciding how long to stay out for. My first 1.25 miles warm-up jog along the canal were sluggish and I was dreading my watch telling me to start the faster miles. It was, however, not bad at all. Once I got the first mile in and it popped up at 6minutes and13 seconds I felt lot better. The next couple of miles I just concentrated on maintaining the pace. My chest did begin to feel a bit tight and wheezy, and my legs were a little tight and heavy, but generally everything was going well, so I kept pushing. At mile 8 it did start to feel pretty hard and I began to think that maybe doing 10 miles would be enough. However, miles 8 and 9 were still fairly steady pace wise, so I kept going. In fact the last 3 miles I really picked up the pace. I don't know where I got the strength or the energy from, but I managed and felt good. The last mile was tough going and I was just holding on in the end, but I was really pleased with the 12 miles, which I felt were enough, especially as I was very close to marathon pace for the first 9 miles and for the last 3 I pushed under 6 minute mile pace with the last two miles at 5.47 and 5.45.
If I can just shift this cold now, get a good long run in on Saturday and some good rest next week then I reckon I will be in pretty good shape for the Nairn Half Marathon on the 20th. I still have my eye on a PB, even though the the course profile I was sent this week shows a massive, steep hill at mile 3! Are there any flat half marathons in Scotland away from strong coastal breezes and bad weather???
My mile splits for the 12 miles at pace:
1) 6.13
2) 6.09
3) 6.12
4) 6.08
5) 6.15
6) 6.07
7) 6.13
8) 6.12
9) 6.10
10) 5.59
11) 5.47
12) 5.45
Total: 73.10 (Average pace of 6minutes 6seconds per mile)
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 August: Keeping it going...
Tuesday 10 August
Mileage: 15 miles
AM: 3.75 miles; PM: 11.25 miles
I was tired Monday and I was still tired Tuesday. Last week at this point I was surprised at how fresh I felt after doing a 100 miles in the previous week. This week is a different story. I am sure it is because I am facing this week on the back of 2 weeks of 100 miles, as well as two 26 mile runs, including one at 2hours 55 minutes. No wonder I am feeling it. I have already reassessed my training this week, as a result. I am only going to do a 22 mile run at the end of it and I will restrict myself to a 7.30 minute per mile pace, instead of 26 miles at 7 minute mile pace. It means my weekly mileage will come out at around 95 miles, so there will not be a third week of a 100miles. Still, I think this is sensible and by doing a slightly shorter and slower long run I will give my body a better chance of running well in time for the Half Marathon at Nairn that I have entered on Saturday 21st. For this reason I am also going to miss this Saturday's club session and do my long run on Saturday not Sunday to give myself a full week to taper.
Tonight's training session was meant to be 12*800m at around 2minutes 39 seconds per rep with 2 minutes recovery. I met Niamh in the Meadows who was also keen for some long reps. She was also feeling fatigued after her ongoing marathon training so we agreed to just do 10 reps. The '800m' route we use in the Meadows (described in previous entries) is actually about 835-850m so is slightly longer than the track, it also has two sharp turns in, which you have to break for, so times are generally slower than on the track. Tonight, to make it that little bit tougher it was also stuffed with around a million Festival goers! Okay, I may be exaggerating, however, there was certainly a lot and none of them were on the look out for runners no matter what you called out to them. This added some interesting spice to the session, requiring us to make sharp course corrections, jump out of the way of confused walkers and even in one case avoid a police car driving down Middle Meadow Walk. Normally these kind of intrusions annoy me greatly, but tonight, possibly because I just wanted to get through the session, I just did what I had to get round people. There was simply too many, too often to get angry or frustrated.
Overall my legs still felt heavy from Sunday's efforts, but I was pretty pleased with my consistent times for each of the 10 reps and although I wasn't quite as fast as I hoped (2.39, works out at 5.20 minute per mile pace) I was happy to get through the session with no injuries or drop in form. As always it was good to have Niamh for company. Niamh was a little bit slower on each rep so for each one I gave her a small head start. It was really good to have a target to chase and I am pretty sure I would have gone a fair bit slower without that. I think Niamh appreciated having something to stay ahead of, as on those occasions when I caught up with her she seemed to find a kick to stay just ahead or stay with me.
Right, in an attempt to fend off the man-flu I am having an early night. I'll report first thing in the morning on Facebook
Mileage: 15 miles
AM: 3.75 miles; PM: 11.25 miles
I was tired Monday and I was still tired Tuesday. Last week at this point I was surprised at how fresh I felt after doing a 100 miles in the previous week. This week is a different story. I am sure it is because I am facing this week on the back of 2 weeks of 100 miles, as well as two 26 mile runs, including one at 2hours 55 minutes. No wonder I am feeling it. I have already reassessed my training this week, as a result. I am only going to do a 22 mile run at the end of it and I will restrict myself to a 7.30 minute per mile pace, instead of 26 miles at 7 minute mile pace. It means my weekly mileage will come out at around 95 miles, so there will not be a third week of a 100miles. Still, I think this is sensible and by doing a slightly shorter and slower long run I will give my body a better chance of running well in time for the Half Marathon at Nairn that I have entered on Saturday 21st. For this reason I am also going to miss this Saturday's club session and do my long run on Saturday not Sunday to give myself a full week to taper.
Tonight's training session was meant to be 12*800m at around 2minutes 39 seconds per rep with 2 minutes recovery. I met Niamh in the Meadows who was also keen for some long reps. She was also feeling fatigued after her ongoing marathon training so we agreed to just do 10 reps. The '800m' route we use in the Meadows (described in previous entries) is actually about 835-850m so is slightly longer than the track, it also has two sharp turns in, which you have to break for, so times are generally slower than on the track. Tonight, to make it that little bit tougher it was also stuffed with around a million Festival goers! Okay, I may be exaggerating, however, there was certainly a lot and none of them were on the look out for runners no matter what you called out to them. This added some interesting spice to the session, requiring us to make sharp course corrections, jump out of the way of confused walkers and even in one case avoid a police car driving down Middle Meadow Walk. Normally these kind of intrusions annoy me greatly, but tonight, possibly because I just wanted to get through the session, I just did what I had to get round people. There was simply too many, too often to get angry or frustrated.
Overall my legs still felt heavy from Sunday's efforts, but I was pretty pleased with my consistent times for each of the 10 reps and although I wasn't quite as fast as I hoped (2.39, works out at 5.20 minute per mile pace) I was happy to get through the session with no injuries or drop in form. As always it was good to have Niamh for company. Niamh was a little bit slower on each rep so for each one I gave her a small head start. It was really good to have a target to chase and I am pretty sure I would have gone a fair bit slower without that. I think Niamh appreciated having something to stay ahead of, as on those occasions when I caught up with her she seemed to find a kick to stay just ahead or stay with me.
Overall, another good session for the marathon.
Here are my times and the pace I was doing them:
1) 2.51 - 5.28 (minutes per mile pace)
2) 2.49 - 5.19 (mpmp)
3) 2.51 - 5.23 (mpmp)
4) 2.50 - 5.23 (mpmp)
5) 2.52 - 5.27 (mpmp)
6) 2.50 - 5.26 (mpmp)
7) 2.53 - 5.30 (mpmp)
8) 2.51 - 5.23 (mpmp)
9) 2.51 - 5.26 (mpmp)
10) 2.49 - 5.18 (mpmp)
Wednesday 11 August
Mileage: 13 miles
AM:3.75miles; PM: 9.25 miles
Well today I woke up with a bit of a scratchy throat and as the day has gone on it has turned into a little bit of a cold. I am feeling okay, just not great. I don't want to be accused of scaremongering or causing alarm, but this could be a case of man-flu.
I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow to see how it pans out. I am sure you'll be one of the first to know if it turns into man-flu as I rarely keep quiet when afflicted with such a disease. I am not surprised to be feeling a little run down. A few people at work and a few people at running club have had colds lately, so it is going around. I guess with the high mileage and feeling a little fatigued after all that training recently didn't help either. Hopefully it'll clear up quickly. I really could do without it with my race coming up in 9 days.
On the plus side my legs felt slight better today. Not as tired as Monday or Tuesday, which would suggest that I am over the worst of last Sunday's mammoth long run. My right knee is still a little dodgy, but again not bad. I am fairly certain it is the muscles around the knee that are the problem too, so I have been massaging and working on them to keep them lose.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Interview with US marathon and ultra-runner Mike Wardian
Mike Wardian is a US runner with an impressive record in standard and ultra marathons and has his eyes set on winning next year's Marathon Des Sables (MDS) . This year he finished a fantastic third place in the MDS, the best ever finish by a US runner in the competition. Endurance and determination are just two words that fit easily into any description of Mike, who in 2006 won 4 out of the 5 marathons he raced in a 45 day period. Some of his records have included the fastest marathon on a treadmill and fastest marathon pushing a jogging stroller and in July this year he broke the world record for fastest indoor marathon completing the effort by running 221 laps of a 200m track in 2hours 27 minutes and 21 seconds. With a marathon PB of 2hours 21 minutes he is clearly no slouch and he hopes to improve on that and qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London.
He has also taken on many of the world's toughest and longest races. Some of the notable ultra-marathons he has completed include the Marathon Des Sables, the Western States Endurance Run, the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race and the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run. This year he has already run 13 races over marathon distance.
What makes this all the more impressive is that Mike fits his training and racing around a full time job and being a full time parent. I contacted Mike by email and he very kindly agreed to take time out of his busy, busy life to answer some questions about ultra running and his experiences of finishing 3rd in this year's MDS. The MDS is 151 mile race ran over 6 stages in the Sahara desert in temperatures reaching up to 50c. Most stages are around 20 miles a day, although the 4th stage is a 45 mile run and the 5th is a standard 26.2 mile marathon.
MRW: I wasn't inspired to be an ultra runner, I was just interested in seeing how far and fast I could run and eventually that led me to try the JFK 50 Miler and I really enjoyed it. (In 2007 he won the race)
How many miles a week do you train and what is your longest training run each week?
MRW: I try and run anywhere from 100-140 miles per week (I would like to do a 200 mile week at some point soon). I don't always make it but that is my goal and each week I try and run some longer runs but longest normally in training is 30 or so miles as a single run (I sometime double up on those days - do an extra run later in the day).
Did you develop any specific training sessions as part of your preparation for the MDS?
MRW: I did some specific pack training and would run to and from work with my backpack on and then again on my lunch run to get used to the weight.
I think I will do some more specific training for 2011 as I think there were somethings that I could definitely improve on.
What is your favorite training session?
MRW: I like every training session and have a lot of favorites but think my favorite run is just to hammer it out with friends. If you mean as specific workout, then probably, 6-10 x 1 mile, hard and when you are done, you feel spent.
What was the toughest part of the MDS this year and how did you get through it?
MRW: The toughest part of MDS was the 3rd day, I got too hot and about 5K from the finish crashed hard. I wasn't sure I could finish and I dropped from 2nd or 3rd to 4th but I lost about 1 hour on the leaders. That was rough and I got ill a few times, cooled down and then jogged it in. I learned a lot that day and I am thankful for the experience.
What's the most important piece of kit for the MDS?
MRW: Backpack, it is critical
What was you favourite food during the MDS?
MRW: Hmm, favourite food...by the last day, I would have eaten almost anything and everything tastes bad (RM - lots of MDS runners live off dried ration packs and boil in the bag food stuffs). Actually, I like dried mangos...those were key
How did you prepare for the heat?
MRW: I didn't really and that was in the past not a problem but this year it was so I plan to rectify that for next year. (This year the race was run in some of the hottest conditions with temperatures hitting 50c)
If you could give MDS newbies one bit of advice about the race what would it be?
MRW: Get a Backpack that you like and works for you.
What do you think is the key to being a successful marathoner/ ultra marathoner?
MRW: I think the biggest thing that can lead to success is to be consistent.
Do you have a quote, mantra or saying that inspires you during your running and races?
MRW: Time to Shine! It works for me.
Will you be back for the MDS in 2011 and after being on the podium last year do you think you can win?
MRW: I would like to be back to MDS for 2011 and yes, I think if I execute and have the right days come together that I can definitely win. I am as fit as any of those guys but during a race a long and tough as MDS you have to be really fit but also lucky and that takes putting yourself in a position to preform and I intend to do that.
To find out more about Mike check out his website: http://mikewardian.com/
Mike has a number of sponsors who support his running:
MarathonGuide.com (www.marathonguide.com)
The North Face (www.thenorthface.com)
PowerBar (www.powerbar.com)
The USA organizers for MDS (they rock-Lisa & Jay Batchen)
http://www.dreamchaserevents.com/
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