Well, what a start to a year....
As I have previously stated on here? ....or was it on Facebook, Fetch, FRA Forum, Justgiving page or Linkedin???
I have never spent so much time either running or interacting with cyberspace, and to think all i wanted to do was run a Marathon and raise some money for Charity.
Before you know it your dragged into this strange world of checking your training plan putting on the Garmin and heading out of the door come what may, hell bent on getting in the miles. Then when you get home plugging the Garmin into the Laptop before jumping in the shower, out of the shower onto the Laptop, check the Garmin Stats, logon and start blogging, foruming, fetching etc....
All good though, I have thoroughly enjoyed my running this year and now feel like a proper runner, it's amazing what some proper training does for you.
Friday 24 June 2011
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Help! I'm turning into a Tarmac Bashing Roadie!
Another week come and gone in my ongoing quest to get race fit for the upcoming London Marathon. Last week saw me complete one of my biggest weeks with 3 weekday training sessions topped off with the East Hull 20 on Sunday morning with my "Pacer" Nigel.
This was only our 2nd attempt at a 20 miler and this time we had a strategy! 8 min/miles from Start to Finish and if we still felt good at the end we might extend it a few miles. We got off to a nice sensible pace, but still quicker than 8's. This was also going to be my 1st time using Gel's so I had that to look forward to at 10 miles. The weather was sunny, warm and a little bit windy, off down the main road at the start felt very strange to someone more used to the fells. We soon turned off onto smaller country lanes and got settled into a pace with a few other Marathoners.
The race was essentially a big square lap and after a few miles we started to experience the effects that a crosswind and then a headwind can bring, we also noted that for a flat course this one cetainly had some long drags in it!
A good event, well run and for myself and Nigel another 20 miles in the bag at a very respectable 8 min/miles.
Next weekend is our last Long one! Planning a great big 23 mile lap from home.
This was only our 2nd attempt at a 20 miler and this time we had a strategy! 8 min/miles from Start to Finish and if we still felt good at the end we might extend it a few miles. We got off to a nice sensible pace, but still quicker than 8's. This was also going to be my 1st time using Gel's so I had that to look forward to at 10 miles. The weather was sunny, warm and a little bit windy, off down the main road at the start felt very strange to someone more used to the fells. We soon turned off onto smaller country lanes and got settled into a pace with a few other Marathoners.
The race was essentially a big square lap and after a few miles we started to experience the effects that a crosswind and then a headwind can bring, we also noted that for a flat course this one cetainly had some long drags in it!
A good event, well run and for myself and Nigel another 20 miles in the bag at a very respectable 8 min/miles.
Next weekend is our last Long one! Planning a great big 23 mile lap from home.
Sunday 6 March 2011
Trimpell 20
Brilliant, no better way to describe this. My first road race and what a race to pick. 20 miles on a predominantly flat traffic free course. The weather was good, the marshalling and organising was equally good (thanks to all involved)
My main aim with this one was to see how i would fare under race conditions over a serious distance.Well, I can report that I did OK! Even before entering this I was concerned about my ability to run a consistent pace over a long distance. As most of you will know, distance road races are all about pace. I have to say that i was incredibly fortunate to have recently met a fellow runner who also had a place in the London Marathon, but had never run more than half marathon's so his concerns were similiar to mine. Although as I was about to find out his ability to set a good pace and maintain it was excellent, several times he pegged us back a bit when I was getting a bit carried away. His strategy paid off and we ran pretty consistent 7:30min/miles to finish in a very credible 2:31hrs. (Thanks Nige!)
A great moral booster. London Marathon?.... Bring it on!
My main aim with this one was to see how i would fare under race conditions over a serious distance.Well, I can report that I did OK! Even before entering this I was concerned about my ability to run a consistent pace over a long distance. As most of you will know, distance road races are all about pace. I have to say that i was incredibly fortunate to have recently met a fellow runner who also had a place in the London Marathon, but had never run more than half marathon's so his concerns were similiar to mine. Although as I was about to find out his ability to set a good pace and maintain it was excellent, several times he pegged us back a bit when I was getting a bit carried away. His strategy paid off and we ran pretty consistent 7:30min/miles to finish in a very credible 2:31hrs. (Thanks Nige!)
A great moral booster. London Marathon?.... Bring it on!
Tuesday 1 March 2011
A change is as good as a rest?
Well here I am, Week 11 and still batting out the miles. I have tried really hard to stick to the shedule and on the whole have averaged 4 runs a week.
The biggest struggle has been the midweek speed sessions, of which I have only done one which i felt was a proper session with decent bursts of speed followed by steady recovery. Anyway since my last post, I have managed a 17 miler, it was a hilly 17 miles and I thouroughly enjoyed it too. As I have said in previous posts the long weekend runs have a habit of exacting a big toll on your body and the runs in the following week feel laboured and hard, so it was last week when i really struggled, even my Sunday run (which I usually really look forward to) felt like a struggle, the Garmin told the truth as well, definitely off the pace. Still another 12 miles in the bag.
Anyway, had Monday off and here i am Tuesday night having just completed 7 miles in 50 minutes! Well chuffed! I have an office in the West Midlands and decided to head out from the hotel and just do 3.5 miles out and turn round and come back, first time out on a reasonably dry night, on a reasonably flat (compared to home) run, in my new Marathon shoes. Just a tad over 7 minute miles. A definite morale booster and conclusive proof that the training is paying off.
Onwards and upwards... .that Marathon is looming!
The biggest struggle has been the midweek speed sessions, of which I have only done one which i felt was a proper session with decent bursts of speed followed by steady recovery. Anyway since my last post, I have managed a 17 miler, it was a hilly 17 miles and I thouroughly enjoyed it too. As I have said in previous posts the long weekend runs have a habit of exacting a big toll on your body and the runs in the following week feel laboured and hard, so it was last week when i really struggled, even my Sunday run (which I usually really look forward to) felt like a struggle, the Garmin told the truth as well, definitely off the pace. Still another 12 miles in the bag.
Anyway, had Monday off and here i am Tuesday night having just completed 7 miles in 50 minutes! Well chuffed! I have an office in the West Midlands and decided to head out from the hotel and just do 3.5 miles out and turn round and come back, first time out on a reasonably dry night, on a reasonably flat (compared to home) run, in my new Marathon shoes. Just a tad over 7 minute miles. A definite morale booster and conclusive proof that the training is paying off.
Onwards and upwards... .that Marathon is looming!
Thursday 17 February 2011
Week 7....Week 6 is consigned to history.
Let's just say that i have consigned Week 6 to the archive. I thought that the week had got off to a bad start with my aching legs and demands of the job.
A phone call out of the blue on Saturday morning brought my training / work / life balance woes into sharp perspective. A work colleague whom I have known for 25 years had collapsed and passed away whilst sat in his van on a site in the North East.....two hours later and despite the disbelief over what i had just been told, I'm heading up the A1 to meet the guys on the job, offer my condolences to his family and try to ensure that the guys are all capable of returning to site the following day to continue with the work and stick to the programme! Life goes on eh!
A phone call out of the blue on Saturday morning brought my training / work / life balance woes into sharp perspective. A work colleague whom I have known for 25 years had collapsed and passed away whilst sat in his van on a site in the North East.....two hours later and despite the disbelief over what i had just been told, I'm heading up the A1 to meet the guys on the job, offer my condolences to his family and try to ensure that the guys are all capable of returning to site the following day to continue with the work and stick to the programme! Life goes on eh!
Thursday 10 February 2011
Week 6, It's starting to hurt!
Oh dear..... the week after the weekend before. Felt euphoric on Sunday morning post completion of my longest ever tarmac run (see Sunday Mornings 15 Miler)....here we are Thursday morning sat on the 07.05 to London Kings Cross and my calf muscles are aching bad. Monday night was a rest night, should have run a steady 6 miler on Tuesday night, but late back from work following a very early start I felt nackered so didn't go out! Never mind went out Wednesday night instead....that hurt, my calf muscles felt battered, clarly Sunday had taken it's toll. Never mind onwards and upwards, I have a Marathon to run!
Sunday 6 February 2011
Sunday morning's 15 miler!
Well I did it. 15 miles in 122mins, pretty chuffed really, I have never run this distance on road before. I must admit at 8am this morning I was feeling a more than a bit nervous about it. I know that in my last post I said it was only 3 more miles than my previous long run, but I have to say those 3 miles took there toll this morning.
I felt good on the way out (we ran towards Skipdale from Keighley) As usual we set off too fast although I did feel good all the way out to the turn, which we achieved in slightly less than an hour, doing 7.56 miles!
Anyhow, as I said I started to pay for the fast out leg and by 10 miles i was puttin in an occasional walk! Never mind, pleased i did it and it is very clear to me now that i need to concentrate on pace and pace and pace. Still early days, still got a good 9 weks until rae day. Onwards and upwards!
I felt good on the way out (we ran towards Skipdale from Keighley) As usual we set off too fast although I did feel good all the way out to the turn, which we achieved in slightly less than an hour, doing 7.56 miles!
Anyhow, as I said I started to pay for the fast out leg and by 10 miles i was puttin in an occasional walk! Never mind, pleased i did it and it is very clear to me now that i need to concentrate on pace and pace and pace. Still early days, still got a good 9 weks until rae day. Onwards and upwards!
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