Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Training Plan Month 7


This month things change. Instead of the pattern of 3 weeks build up, one week consolodation. It now goes easy, hard, easy, hard. No more consolodation, and the easy weeks are not that easy anymore.

I've switched daily sessions around to make sure I don't do 2 hard sessions on consecutive days, as now there is a full pace run included in the week, in addition to the interval session.

Also, I've annotated the plan to indicate on the long Sunday run that on some weeks i'll run the last x number of miles at pace. So, if I am running for 180 mins, I might run the last 6 at marathon pace. This varies from week to week as you can see.

I've also included the pace times for each type of run in the legend.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Newark Half Marathon!


Today I sucessfully completed the Newark Half Marathon. Before I get onto that I'll just mention this weeks training.

I took Tuesday/Thursday off and only ran on Wednesday this week. I ran an intervals session 1 minute fast / 1 minute jog for about 3.5 miles. On Friday I did my normal gym session, but a little lighter on the weights.

So, the Half Marathon. Going into today I was slightly apprehensive wondering what pace I could sustain for the whole run. My practice half marathon I had done in a few seconds under 1:58:00, not far off 9 minute miles. I had not eaten that day, ran out of water, and hit the wall, so I had problems. I really was hoping to beat that today. The course is very flat for the first 9 miles. It's not quite as flat as the picture makes out, with a few long gradients, but certainly pretty flat. After 9.5 miles there is one climb, followed by a 1 or so gradient up to 12 miles. Then a downhill, a short flat and a short climb to the finish.

I arrived in Newark a little less than 20 minutes from the start. Slightly later than I intended, but sufficient to get a short warm up in. It was raining fairly hard and the heavans opened seconds before the start. The heavy rain persisted for most of the race, with the odd 10 minute change to light drizzle. At least it wasn't scorching hot!

There were race numbers up to about 950, but I don't know how many actually started. The gun went and I started off at an steady pace. Because I was uncertain how I would perform I settled on around the 08:50 minute mile pace. Lots of people came streaming past me, and I probably ended up in the back 1/3 of the race in a short space of time. I reined in the urge to go faster, and stuck to my race plan. I told myself if I felt good later in the race i'd push a little.

The first 4 miles of the race wound through the outskirts of Newark up and down streets in housing estates. Because of the weather hardly a soul was out to cheer us on though! The race was well marshalled but there were a few problems with impatient drivers tearing up the road beside us. Annoying, but nothing the marshals could do to stop them. I saw Anna and Alex a couple of times, although I spotted them before they spotted me. I have got to wear red in future apparently, it stands out more than the grey T-Shirt I had on.

The feeding stations started at 3.5 miles. There was one at 4.5, 5.5, 6.8, 8.5. 10.5, 11.5, 12. One dissapointment that they only served water and sponges, no electrolyte on any of them. However, I had a good breakfast of porridge oats and was well hydrated anyway. I took the small plastic cups of water, slowed my pace a touch and took a few mouthfulls before discarding the rest. Such frequent feeding stations meant I didn't have to take much in. Only at 8.5 did I take two cups, knowing there was a longer drag to the next water station. The miles went by pretty quicky, and at 7 miles I realised I was feeling pretty good. I had already come past a people who had blown up too early and were walking (after 2 miles in some cases!!) or had faded badly. I picked up the pace, edging the minute mile pace down into 08:49. This gradually came down and down over the next few miles until I was on 08:40 at 11 miles.

I passed a quite a lot of people on the hill section. Even though the hills were nothing compared to the ones I train on, they killed off the pace of some competitors. At 11.5 miles I picked up the pace a little more, and really strided out at the 12 mile downhill. I didn't look at my watch again, and continued to go past people right until the end, even managing a sprint finish to see-off someone who I had already passed, who fancied getting the place back!
I stopped my watch at the finish:

01:52:35 Total Time
08:34 Average Pace

I was really really happy with that. I'd not only cracked 2 hours, which I had more or less assumed I would, I had brought the average pace down to practically 8.5 minute miles. This bodes really well for New York, as it means with a bit more work I can try and run at around 09:00 minute miles for the whole 26 miles. It is going to mean some serious effort and some hard interval sessions, but today has given me a confidence boost and I'm sure I can do it.
I know I could have gone a little faster, earlier on now, but I'm glad I played safe and stuck to exactly my plan for the race. I'll know for next time.

Good Points:
Great finishing time, great average pace. Well hydrated and plenty of energy. I had carb-loaded with pasta for 2 days previous. My 3/3 breathing rythym worked well. I sounded very composed next to the hard breathing, spluttering people I passed. Slipped into 2/2 for the last couple of miles for a quicker pace. GPS timing was invaluable.

Bad points:
No electrolyte given out at the feeding stations. Arrived at the event a little later than intended, sothings felt a little rushed.

How to improve:
Confirm that electrolyte is supplied at NY feeding stations. I'm sure it has to be for that distance, but I want to be sure. Allow even more time in the mornings to get ready, and to travel to avoid being rushed. GPS is a must for NY, invaluable tool.

Three months more training to the NY marathon, I now enter training month 7 feeling happy and confident.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Busy week and Gastric ills!

I was working away until Wednesday this week. Packed up my running kit and took it along with the plan of running on Tuesday evening. I worked in Cardiff on Monday, then Swansea on Tuesday. Imagine my horrow when I realised I'd left a bag containg my trainers at the hotel in Cardiff, when I was getting ready to run in Swansea.

The bag contained my NewBalance 1060's with £150 orthotics installed, plus a pair of Nike Free's, that I drive and do the odd short run in. So over £250 of kit. I phoned up the hotel to be told that housekeeping had gone home for the day at 3 o clock, and would be back in at 7am.

I phoned the following morning at 07:01! By good fortune they had been handed in. I had left them in reception whilst checking out. I picked them up on my way back home on Wednesday night.

On Thursday I ran 6.5 miles at pace. I set out to run as quickly as I could manage, and hoped for 8:30 minute miles. Half the route was off-road through Apedale country park. I have ran this route before but some months ago. I was running at 8:11 minute miles when the path became almost inpassable due to head-high ferns. I waded through and began a hilly woodland climb section but already my time had gone down to 9:11 minute miles, in only one mile.

I emerged from the woodland and back onto a solid packed path, then eventually onto tarmac for the last 2 miles. I managed to claw back some time to get the minute mile time down to 8:47. I was happy with that.

Friday I completed my usual session in the Gym, mostly free weights. Nothing excessive as I'm not built like a tank. I'm currently around 10St 4 ounces, down from almost 11st since January.

On Friday night my girlfriend started to complain of stomach pain and sickness and went to bed. I went to bed an hour or so later, and immediately started to feel the same. A horrible gurgling and churning in the stomach. She was actually sick, but I managed to keep my food down. I'd not slept a wink then at 3am hit on the idea of milk. I had a glass of milk and within half an hour it settled down. I got a 3 hours sleep, but woke just after 6am with the same problem. I drank more milk and again it settled down, but I didn't manage any more sleep. I dragged myself out of bed around 9:45 even though I was just lying there and not sleeping. I went to the chemist and bought some Pepto-bismol. £2.99 for 4 doses! It helped but I certainly did not feel like doing my usual Saturday long walk.

By Sunday morning I was feeling fine, and in the afternoon I did a 10 mile run. I followed the Canal from Scholar Green to Congleton and then back. I set out to run 9 minute miles and did that almost exactly, 8:57 to be precise. Just under an hour and a half for the whole run. This time is shorter than planned becuase of next Sundays Newark Half Marathon on the 13th August 06.

This week I intend to taper to some degree, with short and lower intensity runs, plus plenty of pasta of course. Hopefully i'll crack the 2 hour mark in next Sundays event. Fingers crossed for me, i'll let you know how I got on.