So much better than last weeks

Today I have mostly been taking photos of Scamp

7  days after doing those mile reps we did them again tonight.

Tonights times (last weeks in brackets)
5:27 (5:29)
5:22 (5:22)
5:20 (5:24)
5:27 (5:29)

Just 8 seconds faster over 4 miles might not seem a lot but as Paul Daniels said - every second counts.

As always, I was unable to hold onto the coattails of the Milly/Jason Holmes/George Thompson group tonight. For the third rep I vowed to run three laps right on their shoulder and I managed to  OK. Hopefully next time I will be able to run with these lads for at least one full mile.

a Worthwhile Weekend of Wunning

as Bugs bunny might say.

Being my long easy run weekend (as opposed to long-ish but very hard run weekend), I saw no good reason not to do a race on the Saturday and then train long on Sunday.

Many of Scamps sticks have clouted me on the leg!!

The race was the Mid Lancs Cross Country League meeting at Hyndburn. I just scraped inside the top 50 of 280 odd finishers. Superb course for a XC - lots of mud, lots of switching back and forth between trees, several little banks to climb and descend. Many a complaint was heard afterwards about spikes being ruined on the footpath which had to be crossed several times per lap. Indeed , Millys were not only missing the actual spike but on both shoes the round plastic area holding the spike was completely ripped from the sole of the shoe! I was pleased to have used my fellshoes - they are all I have got anyway and its on only very wet and sloping grass when I feel they might let me down.

My long run was 18 miles. I couldn't get anybody to join me so after putting it off until 11AM  I
left the house advising Janet that I should be back in 2 hours and 6 minutes. I returned to the house at 13:06. It wasnt quite a precise as that though because the first and last mile are not measured. My actual timed run was 16 miles which I completed at 6:50 per mile. At the end I stopped my watch but continued running the same effort to home. So overall it was a one mile warm up, a brief stop to retie my lace then 17miles non stop. I didnt need to put much effort in to get these splits, in fact, I ran faster for the last 5 miles than any previous. But then if I was trying hard this couldnt be classed an easy long run.

Today is 14 weeks to VLM (Virgin London Marathon). Apart from the change I already mentioned in the midweek, I will maintain a very similar training pattern to recent weeks.

In other news - that annoying cough that is troubling my sleep is on the wane. I now only cough in the night for about 10 minutes before falling back to sleep. I'm pretty sure its nothing to worry about as my chest feels absolutely fine and if I was ill then I think this weekends racing and two hour run within 24 hours would have seen me in trouble. Janet got one of those peak flow metre thingies from somewhere - its me new favourite toy. I can almost blow it off the top of the scale, but then some would say I was always full of hot air.

The last 5 miles

Since mid November - following the Brampton 10 mile race - I have ran my 5 mile circuit many many times. Sometimes because I couldn't be bothered to do a 'proper' training run but more often because I didn't see any requirement to run further. I always ran it briskly but not flat out and I always hoped for a 30 minute time but never got inside 30:30.

With last nights mile reps in my legs I struggled a bit tonight with 31:30. That's it now though - no more of these for a few months. A longer slower run will replace this on a Wednesday night, and any other night when I might have done the brisk 5 I will be more likely to now do a recovery run instead to help get over the ever increasing marathon mileage.

Oooh, now that HURT

Track session with Border Harriers.
Four by one mile.
5:28
5:22
5:24
5:29

This was the first time since mid November that I have done anything remotely like reps. I didn't really get a proper warm up and actually missed the first one starting, then having to run it 10 metres behind the others from the start and of course falling back every lap.

The average pace for the Four was good considering the time gap since I last did them and that I am currently spending about 2 hours a night lying awake coughing. Its VERY annoying to be feeling absolutely fine in myself but having such an annoying cough whenever I am hot.

At present I am enjoying training more than I can ever remember enjoying it. No sooner have I got one good session or run in the bag than I am eagerly awaiting it being time to go out and run the next one. Right now for example, less than 60 mins since completing the track run, my legs are feeling pretty ropey, but  I can hardly wait for Wednesday night to come so I can run the 5 miles brisk that I have planned.

I think I am enjoying it so much because I am running so well these days. Theres nowt like running fast to make you want to try harder, get fitter, so you can maybe run even faster still. Several small niggles have more or less gone away for now - both Achilles, often inflamed and tender after running, are behaving themselves. The mildly annoying groin issue that often makes itself known as left side stiffness after long runs hasn't bothered me in a while, and even the long term plantar fasciitis soreness can scarcely be felt when I first step on the floor upon getting up from bed each morning.

As long as there are people older than me who can run faster than me I will never give up striving to become fitter, faster and stronger.

And yet despite all this positivity I am considering NOT bothering with a strict training plan for London Marathon. I know that looking at all those miles, sessions, goals and totals written down will be daunting. and that by mid March I will be wishing I had chosen an earlier marathon. I think I have learned enough over the years to train well and run a good 26 mile race purely from week by week training rather than long term planning. I also fancy adding in a few more races than normal in the run up to London. I would usually only do the Buttermere race and possibly a half marathon and maybe a fell race at Easter. But this year I intend to do the Trimpell 20 miler as well as Buttermere, and I'm also doing the Northern Cross Country Champs and hopefully the nationals too in London.

Most of all I know the importance of taking it easy inbetween hard training sessions. Yesterday was a very easy 45 minutes with Milly and his cronies.  And yes tomorrow will be fast, but it's only half an hour, and Thursdays run with Plucky, whilst pacey, only really bites a bit in the final 15 minutes.

Easy day

Popped into Gelt Woods this morning. A few lads were doing a long run there and I decided I may as well have an hour with them. As they tackled their first lap I walked Scamp and took a few photo, then I joined in for lap two. It was pleasantly warm once we got going - tee shirt and shorts were all that were required.

After almost one hour of running I had to choose whether to do another lap with Plucky or go home. I certainly felt like doing another 30 minute lap but opted for the sensible alternative. Little to be gained in terms of fitness from doing the extra but with it would be an increase in the likelihood of injury and fatigue.

On the fourteenth day of Christmas,

I ran fourteen miles. Day 365 will be tough

Actually it was 16 miles today but only 14 were timed, with a mile jog to/from the start point. This was to be a bit of a test to see where I was in terms of ability at this point some 15 weeks out from the Marathon.
A tailwind start wasn't ideal as I knew I needed to be pressing on to gain time that would be lost later, but, with no wind in my face the sweat poured down from my temples and I overheated quickly. I was on about 6:17 pace which was OK I guess, but once I turned at 7 miles the headwind made its presence felt with several miles over 6:30 being recorded. The last 4 miles were horrible but I simply pushed ever harder to cross the line in 1:29:30 which is 6:24 per mile.

Windy times

Not having 'officially' started my proper marathon training schedule yet I am quite happy with that result. Next week I will return to the long slow stuff with at least 18 miles at (hopefully) sub 7.

Since last weekends race I only ran twice prior to today. Both times were for one hour with Plucky. Its not measured and we neither have a Garmin but Im sure it would be no slower than about 6:35 pace - it certainly felt quite brisk and coupled with being at night and through the town, dodging cars etc, both were very worthwhile runs.

A racing start to 2012

So far in 2012....

Races - One
Days - Two
Pounds paid out to enter races - Five
Race position - Seven
Miles ran  - Eight
Standards - Nine
Pounds won in race prizes - Fifty

I didn't expect much of the Nine Standards Fellrace really. It was simply a means of getting a tough run under my belt for training purposes. I ran 14 miles the day before it, cut back from 16 to avoid being too tired to race, but at a decent 6:45 pace nevertheless.

After the initial melee to get through the twisty streets and lanes and out of the town onto the quiet road that sees the climbing start in earnest I was in 10th place.



I easily moved up the field when we got to a short downhill section still on the tarmac, and was in 5th at one stage. Once the fell proper was underfoot I was re caught by a few runners, two of whom stayed ahead of me to the end. It took a bit of daredevil descending by me to stay on the shoulder of multi fell champion Pippa Madams, but I knew I would leave her behind once we regained the tarmac. A few glances over my shoulder in the last 2 miles allowed me to see I was being chased down by several lads. Nobody actually caught me but its a bit disappointing to not have stretched my lead and came close to catching those ahead, especially as I am supposed to be first and foremost a road runner and the last two miles were on  tarmac.

I had a strange niggle in my right leg whilst walking Scamp before the race and considered not running at all. It hurt a bit whilst running uphill but running the 4 miles downhill I more or less forgot about it until I finished when it hurt LOADS more. I knew it was just some soft tissue tendinitis, not skeletal, so I figured a days rest and some ice would be all that was needed to sort it. Today I cant feel it at all, though my legs are quite tired generally.

It seems weird seeing the photos of me in my Keswick AC vest. I joined as a second claim member because Border Harriers have no real fell presence. The £6 pounds to join the club and £19 for the vest I paid out has been exactly reimbursed with a £25 prize for first team yesterday. I also got £25 for 2nd vet 40. Nobody enters races for the prizes, lets face it they are usually comprised wine and biscuits and sometimes sports shop vouchers, but if they were as good as this every time it would almost be worth turning pro.




Million thanks so Penriths Stu Stoddat for the race photos