Wednesday 5 May 2010: Pacing is difficult

Mileage: 13.5 Miles

AM: 3.75 miles PM: 9.75 miles

My morning run to work was a nice losener after last night's hard track session. It was also lovely and warm and for the first time in ages I had to take my gloves off mid run. Even though the skies were grey and the pavement was still drying from a recent shower I started to hope that, just maybe, Spring is here at last. I am sure tomorrow it will be cold, wet and windy and I'll be certain that winter is back!

My evening run was broken into two parts, my run home and a fast 6mile run with Dan. Dan is running the Edinburgh Marathon in three weeks and is aiming to run a sub 3hour time. In order to do that he needs to be able to run all 26.2 miles at about 6 minutes and 50seconds per mile. So on my run home I agreed to meet him to do a 6 mile run and to run each mile at Dan's marathon pace. We met at Rodney Street and decided to do a little loop of the cycle network, which we have been using in recent weeks. It's a good pavement and there's no traffic (apart from bikes and people!). 

I have to admit I thought it would be fairly easy to zip round at 6.50 pace, however, it turns out that I (and Dan) am not too great at getting pacing right. We set off on the first mile and despite trying to be consistent and controlled, looking at watches and checking pace, we went too fast finishing the mile in 6.26. I'd already run 3 miles by the time I'd met Dan so I couldn't use the excuse that I was just starting my run with fresh legs eager to get going. We slowed down and tried to break each mile into half miles to get our pace right. It worked to an extent, mile two was 6.39 then three was 6.48 and four was also 6.48, we then picked up the pace slightly to 6.41 before getting back down to 6.46 to finish off. Not ideal, but we were a bit better over the last 4 miles. It was nice been able to run comfortably faster than intended, but that was not the point.

There are quite a few runners at the club that can set themselves a pace and run to it without the aid of a watch, I clearly can't do that, even with a watch! I used to train with Graham Beal in the Meadows on a Tuesday night and we would do 1.5 mile and 2 mile reps and he is a great example of perfect pacing. He would look at me, ask what pace we were meant to be doing and then off we'd go. I could just sit on his shoulder and after every rep we would look at the clock and within a second or two it would be where we should be. I was always very impressed. I think I let natural instinct take over too much and several times today I was fighting with myself to go slower. Over 6 miles, at that pace isn't too much of a problem for me , but being able to pace yourself properly over 26.2 miles is crucial in order to get a time that your training deserves. The fact that in all bar one of the marathons I have raced in I have run a much faster first half than second and have often struggled in those last 6 miles is testament to my inability to pace properly.

The ability to run slower even though you know you can go faster, so that you can be consistent and save something for the end is vital in any race but for marathons it is especially true. I have managed to get better at this over the years, but this year on the road I have yet to run a negative split in any race. I am sure Alex and Garry (my coaches) would say that tells its own story. The fact that I know this and it still happens tells another. I guess years of experience can help, that's certainly what Graham Beal told me was his secret. Training can also help and I have noticed that I am better at running consistent and even splits in interval training when that has been required. Part of me knows that my own enthusiasm is slightly to blame, particularly in races. I want to run fast and finish as high up as possible and that somehow translates into "run as fast as I can for as long as I can".

At least I know I need to get better at it. 

Already looking forward to training tomorrow night at the Meadows.

Tuesday 4 May 2010: Tuesday Track Night and Drills!

Mileage : 14 miles

AM: 3.75 miles, PM 10.25 miles

Tuesday, as always, is track night. Last week I took it a little easier than normal and only did 2 of the 3 sets as I was preparing for the Kinross 10km, so this week I was raring to go! This is my last week of heavy training before starting to taper for Loch Leven Half, so I was keen to work really hard in the session. My usual morning run told me that my legs were in a reasonable condition and my aching back and knees were a lot better than in previous days. My 3 mile run from work to the track was quick and I felt good too, so I was certainly in the right frame of mind for the session.

Tonight's session was a tough one broken into: 3 sets. Set 1) 400m,800m,300m (1 min recovery between reps) Set 2) 400m,800m,300m (2mins recovery between reps) Set 3: 400m,800m,300m (4-5mins recovery between reps) - 2.5 mins recovery between each of the sets. The idea was that as the recovery got longer in each set we would get quicker on each rep. 

My times below as recorded by my Garmin:

Set One

400m - 72secs

800m - 2mins 25secs

300m - 50secs

Set Two

400m - 67secs

800m - 2mins 25secs

300m - 48secs

Set Three

400m - 63secs

800m - 2mins 25secs

300m - 47secs

For my 400s and 300s I did get quicker with each set, especially the 400s, which I was really happy with. I was also the qucikest in all three of the 300s, which I think was a sign of the my high endurance levels rather than my outright pace compared to the others, particuraly Neil, who is exceptionally quick. I think the others tired more notably as the sets went on, but I recovered quite well between efforts. I might be totally wrong about this, as this is just me thinking out loud, but I think it is a good sign no matter what! 

For the 800s I stayed the same for all 3, which I was a little annoyed about, as I hoped to go quicker with each one. In the first set I managed to stay with Neil, which I was pleased about, but as the sets went on he got quicker (2.20, 2.12) and I just stayed the same. I am not sure why I couldn't go faster, maybe its a result of high mileage running. In my first 800m my 2 laps broke down as 72 and 73 (nice and fairly evenly paced), in the second it was 70 and 75 and the last one 69 and 76, so I was clearly improving over the first 400m, but losing it in the second 400m somewhere. Maybe I went off a little too quickly. I should probably chat about this with Alex as I am sure he might have a few thoughts on why, as I am not sure I do, other than guess work. Still I was pretty pleased with my 800m times.

On the whole I was really pleased with the session, as not only did I feel as though I was running well and fast, but my legs didn't feel too wrecked by the time I came to jog home. At the end of the last 300m I was feeling a little faint, out of breath, and I am sure I was seeing black spots in my vision - but that was surely a sign of hard work (hopefully not anything too sinister!). I am also pleased that I managed to do a track session like that on the back of several days running at quite high tempo and of course the 10km, which was still only five days ago.

After track we cooled down and Alex showed us some drills. A couple of us have been keen to do these after training each week and it was good of Alex to take us through them. The fact that I could feel each drill working different muscles in my legs made me realise that they help. I know that once I run out of my comfort zone that my form goes all over the place and I look more like a man that has been shot in both legs and has suddenly lost control of his head which flings forward never to look up until the running stops! These drills will help me with that form, so that hopefully I become a better more efficient runner. If you want to see a You Tube Video of Running Drills (not us doing them, but a pretty girl who clearly knows her stuff) then click here.

Finally Dan and I hit the gym for some stretching and core work. Another great day's training.

Monday 3 May: Another quality run

Mileage: 16 miles

AM: 12 miles - 1.15.48, PM: 4 miles steady jog

Today I was off work in the morning. It's a bank holiday, but as I have some work to prepare for a training session tomorrow I decided to take the morning off and then work from home in the afternoon. This meant that after a long walk with the dog I could take to the pavements and go for a long run. After some good tempo running at the weekend I really wasn't sure what to do training wise and I spent much of my dog walk mulling it over. I wasn't sure if I should go for a really long run, or do something a little quicker but shorter or just do a few miles easily.  In the end I decided that I would do a 12mile run along the cycle network calling in at the gym on my way home. 

My body felt a little tired, but not too bad. My knees are still aching a bit and my lower back is a little tight, but I have come to terms with the fact that I never feel a 100% for training (nor racing for that matter). I set off and decided not to look at my watch for the first few miles and just see what pace my body set for itself. Within a few yards I realised that I was feeling fairly good. My stride felt strong and my lungs were fresh. I kept my promise and didn't look at my watch until it beeped as I passed the 3 mile mark. My 3rd mile was clocked at 6.30 and my time for 3 miles was 19minutes 45seconds, so I was moving pretty quickly. I felt comfortable so just kept the pace up. I decided to clock watch after mile 3 just to see if my sustained effort would be rewarded with a sustained pace. I actually got gradually quicker as I moved through my miles eventually hitting close to or about 6 minutes per mile finishing the 12 miles in 1.15.48 (6minutes 19seconds average per mile pace. My last 10 miles was in 62minutes and 35 seconds - which I was really pleased about.

What was great about today though was that this wasn't a maximum effort run. I felt in control and relaxed for the whole run. I am fairly convinced that I could have stepped it up a gear if I wanted to. At some points today I did have to reign myself in a bit, especially towards the end. I was actually disappointed to have to stop at 12 miles. I really could have pressed on for a few more miles, but I was trying to be sensible and think about tomorrow's track session. I need to do the whole session tomorrow and I want ot be able to run it quick. This is my last full training week, before my taper for the Loch Leven Half. I want to be in the best shape possible, so I need to train smart and recover well. 

Today's splits:
1) 6.44
2) 6.31
3) 6.30
4) 6.24
5) 6.27
6) 6.18
7) 6.26
8) 6.07
9) 6.19
10) 6.01
11) 5.58
12) 6.03

This evening to make sure my legs stay lose and supple I went for a 4 mile run with Dan who has started his taper for the Edinburgh Marathon. During our run we chatted about the Running-Hot.co.uk website, which Dan has done all the work for. We have loads of good ideas about making it even better, however, I think we're both looking forward to it being launched later this week or the begining of next.

Sunday May 2nd: Another chance to hit the Amesbury countryside

Weekly Mileage: 84.5miles

Mileage: 12 miles - 1.24.45 (all AM)

Today saw another chance for me to take to the lovely countryside that I found yesterday. Unfortunately though, the warm sunshine and light breezes that had helped make yesterday such a pleasurable experience had been replaced by dark clouds, rain and a cold sharp wind. I didn't want to sit through the temptation of the cooked breakfasts again so instead polished off a coffee in our room, laced up my trainers and headed straight out the door. 

I planned to run steady. I was still tired and stiff and my knees were aching a little bit, maybe from the stress of the week or the previous evening's dancing. Aiming for 7 minute miles I headed off the same way as the day before. Yesterday on my run I had noticed a network of footpaths and after 3 miles on the road I came across one with an inviting path through farm fields and by a small stream. Not pushing myself for speed today I reckoned that the soft ground would do me and my knees good so sett off on an adventure that led me through fields, into woods, across bridges and past horses and sheep. 

My pace was still pretty good and after 4 miles I came out a small forest path on to a farm track road that led up the steepest hill I had run up so far, I could feel it working every muscle in my leg and I wasn't surprised that as I passed through the 5th mile my watch told me it was my slowest of the weekend by nearly a minute. Still I enjoyed the challenge, as well as flying back down it on my return. 

After reaching 6 miles I turned round and headed back. My legs felt quite good and despite slipping about a bit on some of the muddier paths and farm tracks I quickened my pace for last 6 miles back home. Despite the rubbish weather it was still a lovely run and the fresh air was great at clearing my head after the wedding. What was really nice was Gail had managed to grab me a bowl of Muesli from breakfast and have it waiting for me with more coffee in our room when I got back, which was great, as I was very hungry and it was well past the B&B's breakfast time.Gail is great at making sure I get food, although I think part of the reason is she can't stand my grumpy mood swings when I am hungry.

I really enjoyed my wee running adventures in Salisbury this weekend. I've got another wedding near Arbroath next weekend, so I am already looking forward to more running adventures there, and the wedding of course! 

My splits:

1) 7.04

2) 6.58

3) 7.09

4) 7.14

5) 7.58 (the Big climb!!)

6) 6.43

7) 6.56

8) 6.36

9) 7.10

10) 7.01

11) 6.55

12) 6.56

Saturday 1 May: Running away from home

Mileage: 15miles -1 hour 37 minutes (all AM)

Gail and I were down South this weekend for our friend's wedding in Shrewton. Our B&B (pictured) Fairlawn Hotel was in Amesbury, Salisbury, a lovely part of rural Somerset and just down the road from Stonehenge. 

Of course I never leave home without my trainers and running kit, why on earth would I? So despite not getting to the hotel until 1am I was up early for a quick breakfast and a 15mile run before the wedding. I have to admit it was quite difficult eating a bowl of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and nibbling toast when the B&B staff were bringing out plate after plate of full English breakfasts to all those sitting near me. They all smelt amazing, but my inner-strength prevailed. 

After breakfast the nice man who owned the B&B told me how to get on to a really good cycle network (route 45, if you're ever out that way) on some quiet rural roads and I couldn't wait to explore. 

One of the things I have always loved about running is that you can pretty much do it anywhere. All you need are your trainers, a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a bit of ground. The chance to explore somewhere new, especially in the countryside, is always an adventure too and a chance to see a bit more of where you are, which I love. Saturday morning was a little grey to begin with, but the skies soon cleared to let the sun shine. With the river Avon running close by, surrounded by undulating green and yellow meadows, bushy trees and picturesque cottages with thatched roofs and log burning stoves, the air full of the sound and smell of the countryside it was a perfect morning. It was a great way to start the day and a glorious place for a run. 

The route I was given quickly took me out of Amesbury and into that postcard scenery, where along this route I passed a 16th Century manor house, which is now owned by Sting, village rumour says its worth over £16million. I didn't see too much of his pad, as I was invited in and he was well hidden by a large stone wall and gate. Maybe next time I'll ring ahead and see if he'll set up a Lucozade station for when I run past.

I was a little stiff and sore after Thursday and Friday night's fast running, but I set myself the target of running around 7 minute miles for the 15 miles I planned to do. However, after clocking the first mile at exactly that I felt quite good and decided to push the pace a little, but not too much, as I was slightly worried about burning out and then having an agonising, slow and painful jog back to the hotel. I am not sure if it was the combination of good weather and beautiful surroundings or simply that I am running well at the moment, but I managed to maintain and improve my pace for the whole of my run. The roads were very undulating too with some steep climbs and sharp descents making it a far from ideal surface to run on, but I felt in the 'zone'. 

After reaching halfway in about 50 minutes I turned round and headed back. Still feeling good I again tried to push the pace, particularly the last 3 miles, and did the second half in about 47 minutes (splits below).

I was really pleased when I got back to the B&B. I always feel good after training, but when a training run has gone that well it can be hard to knock the smile off my face. I paid for it slightly later on as my legs were tired throughout the wedding and repeatedly called out for chairs and ledges to perch on. They certainly didn't enjoy dancing to every song played by the band at the evening reception, but I guess that's where the endurance kicks in! However, the plus side was that I didn't feel guilty about all the food I managed to ram down my throat throughout the day! It was a great wedding and really nice to catch up with some of my Uni friends that I don't see nearly enough of.

My splits:

1) 7.00

2) 6.42

3) 6.45

4) 6.30

5) 6.28

6) 6.33

7) 6.36

8) 6.31

9) 6.27

10) 6.27

11) 6.23

12) 6.36 (biggest climb of the run)

13) 6.13

14) 6.12

15) 6.16

PS - Despite the uneven nature of the roads and the route, I was really pleased at how my reps got steadily quicker. I wish i could replicate this in races rather it being the other way round!!

Friday 29 April: Quickfire training

Mileage: 13.5 miles 

AM: 3.75miles, PM 9.75 miles

I woke tired and stiff after Kinross and for once my run to work was not that enjoyable and it was all about getting there rather than running. I was quite slow too. It did loosen off my muscles though, which was good. I often find that if I am not feeling great on a slow training run that if I think about good races, future races or day dream about running well then it certainly keeps me going. At the moment I like to fantasise about winning the Loch Leven Half on 15th May or beating James Cracknell's overall 12th position in this year's MDS.It may be a little daft, but it does help and I usually notice my mile times dropping when I do this! 

I am going to a friend's wedding this weekend, near Salisbury, so I only had time for a short evening run after my run home from work. Club mate, Steve Manian, had put out a call on Facebook to see if anyone was up for a run post work. He was looking to do 10miles at sub 7minute miles. I replied that I could do 6 miles at that pace and we agreed to meet at my house to do a 6 mile loop. I made this offer at work before I set off on my run home. On my run home I did feel better than I had in the morning, but was I only just managing to do sub 7 minute miles and it is downhill, so I was slightly worried that I would let Steve down on pacing. 

I got home just in time to dump my bag and dash down the stairs to meet Steve at the traffic lights at Goldenacre. From there we set off along Ferry Road toward the Western General. We were chatting but running quite fast so I was pleasantly surprised at the 6 minutes and 51 seconds clocked for the first mile. We carried on chatting and even upped the pace. My legs were tired and a little heavy, but generally I felt good and with the warm spring air it was a perfect early evening run. I think Steve and I were deliberately pushing each other but neither us would admit it and even though we continued to chat we clocked some pretty good mile times for our 6 miles: 6.25, 6.40, 6.41, 6.05, 5.59. The only time we stopped chatting was for the last mile where we pushed quite hard and were both a little tired. 

We finished where we started at the Goldenacre traffic lights and we were both pretty pleased with ourselves. I was really happy, especially after feeling so tired and stiff in the morning. Strangely, I also felt a lot more confident about my running again, having felt unsure about it over the last few days in the run up to Kinross. 

I motivated myself further by reading this month's Runner's World on the plane to Bristol.

Thursday 29 April: 3rd PB in 11 days across 3 distances!

Mileage: 8 miles

RACE: Kinross 10km, Position:2nd, Time 34.58 (New PB)

Miles Splits: 1)5.16 2) 5.38 3)5.42 4)5.41 5)5.42 6)5.38 0.25)1.21

Last night I finished the Kinross 10km in 2nd place in a new PB of 34.58 (previous PB was 35.15). The race was a really nice, well organised event, on a warm (albeit breezy) spring evening. I went to the event with team mates Garry and Dan, as we thought there might be an opportunity to run away (excuse the pun) with the team prize. The race was held within the grounds of Kinross House, which was beautiful and with a couple of deer dashing across the starting straight we certainly knew we were out of the city.

I'd been feeling fairly sore and stiff for at least a couple of days prior to the race, in fact since the Chris Hoy Half on 18th April, so was not feeling super confident. Although I had only done 2 or the 3 sets at Tuesday's track session my hamstrings were still very tight. I should have taken those sets easier. One day I will learn! I was also feeling a little empty in my mind too. Having run so well lately I am now convinced that I am due a bad race and in the run up to yesterday was convinced it was going to be the 10k. Add to that the pressure I had put on myself to get 3 Pb's over 3 distances in 11 days and I was struggling to get my head right. Thankfully, as the start time drew nearer, the warm-up I did with Dan and Garry helped loosen my legs and the constant chattering to myself, as well as some words of support from my club mates either in person or by text, helped me get my head into racing mode.

The start was a quick dash down a long straight towards Kinross House,  which led on to a path right up to the house and round a cricket pitch a quick dash back to the start, around a very tight cone to come back down the start straight. I was already in second place. I ran a very quick first mile. Too quick. 5mins 16 secs! A glance behind me and I knew I wasn't the only one as i could hear the heavy panting of the runners behind me. Back down the path we veered left away from Kinross house and through the grounds and the golf course. A feature of this race is the several paths that you run up and back down turning very sharply at a cone before doing so. These cones were quite tricky to negotiate at speed forcing everyone to slow down to get round safely. I tested the limit at the second cone trying to sprint round it and I slipped on the gravel falling onto my front. Thankfully I managed to put out my left hand to stop me face planting, but I did bang my hip and felt a twinge in my ITB. Determined not to lose ground I got up as quick as I could and tried to get back up to speed. I took every cone after that with extra caution almost walking round some of them. They definitely cost me time and rhythm. The course streaked in and out of the grounds and back to Kinross house making a very ragged loop of about 5km. We then repeated the loop. 

This was another lonely race for me, as the leader streaked off into the distance early on and after the first km I was already well clear of the chasing pack. After the ridiculously quick first mile, the rest of the race became very much about holding form and pace, which is difficult to do when on your own. I was fairly pleased that my last 5 miles were all between 5.38-42 mins per mile. Nice and consistent, especially as I found every mile harder and harder. By the time we reached the 9km marker I knew second place was mine and I concentrated on making sure I got a sub 35min time. I was well on course to do this requiring a 3.30min final km, however, I didn't bank on the course being long (0.05 miles over 10K!!), so despite speeding up I was really up against it to cross the line, but a final flurry and sprint and I just managed to dip under the time.

I didn't have long to wait until Dan was blasting his way up the hill. The clock was ticking agonisingly close to the 36minute mark. I am sure Dan saw because he put in a quality sprint finish with just enough to pass over the line in 35.59 smashing his PB and finishing 5th too. I was really pleased for Dan, he's been running really well lately and to get that time in the middle of marathon training was some effort. Unfortunately Garry didn't fair so well. He started off strong, but by half way had begun to suffer really bad cramp, mainly as a result of having a deep tissue massage the day before and some hard running in recent weeks. Having to stop and stretch several times in the second half of the race meant that he slipped far enough down the field to end our chance of getting the team prize, but never mind. The main thing was Garry was fine at the end, if a little stiff!

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in my time. I know that sounds daft, as why would any one be disappointed with a PB. Six months ago if someone had offered me a second place finish and a 34.58 time at the Kinross 10km I would have bitten their hand and most of their arm off. However, I can't help the way that I feel and I think part of this is down to the high expectations and ambitions I have set myself. I want to run fast, I want to win. What, I hear you ask, is a time I would have been happy with? I don't know is the honest answer, as I never seem to be truly happy with any time these days! I guess that's part of the nature of the sport that we do and the competitive mindset that I have. Part of me says 34.30 would have made me happy, so I am pleased that I was not miles away from that. 

However, having said all that, I am delighted with getting another PB. I am fairly certain that I can beat that time, so I have something to aim for. Three PBs in 11 days over 3 distances is nothing to be sniffed at and I think it is a really good reward for some hard training over the last few months. Looking forward to the Amsterdam marathon in October I already believe that if I continue as I am then I will get another PB there - which is what I really want.

Now on to the more exciting part of this entry, the post race buffet. Kinross Running Club put on an excellent buffet with a massive range of sandwiches, as well as plenty of cakes. The three of us filled our paper plates pretty high and had to carefully nurse them back to the table so as not to lose any! My favourite was the Rocky Road slabs, beautiful. 

The day was finished off in The Cumberland Bar with a pint of Black Isle Blonde. Love that beer!