Marathon Weekend - A Race of Two Halves

This post is a bit late as I‘ve been ill since returning from London but here’s my account of the Marathon weekend . . . be warned, it’s going to be a long read!  The run itself didn’t go completely to plan, but I’m not going to let that spoil what has to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

On Saturday morning we left Weston on the train at 9:45 and arrived into Paddington at lunchtime.  The kids love trains so this was the perfect start to the weekend for them and it was only going to get better as they were going to get plenty of trips on the tube and DLR while we were there.

From Paddington we got the tube to Canning Town which was only a few hundred yards away from our hotel.  We checked-in, dumped our stuff and got the DLR to The Excel where I had to register and pick up my running number and kit bag for marathon day.  After registration we went to the CLIC Sargent stand and met up with their running team.  They gave us some CLIC Sargent T-shirts, hats & clapper balloons for the kids to wear when watching the Marathon and Ben wrote me a nice good luck message which was stuck up on the wall at the Expo and was later transferred to the venue of the CLIC Sargent runner’s reception.  The kids were getting a bit tired by this point, so my Mum & Auntie took them somewhere quiet so that I could go and visit the trade stands for half an hour where I picked up a VLM branded coat, a new massage stick and a few other bits & pieces.  I was very good and resisted the temptation to upgrade my Garmin, although after speaking with one of the Garmin reps, I now know exactly which watch I need to get now.

When we got back from the Expo, we quickly freshened up before going to the Italian restaurant next door to the hotel for an early evening meal.  There were loads of lovely sounding dishes on the menu that I normally would’ve had, but I was good and avoided anything rich or spicy and just had a rather bland pasta dish.

After dinner I went back to my room and set about getting all my gear ready for the following day and packing it into the official kitbag.  After pinning my number to my vest and attaching the timing chip to my running shoes I was ready to settle down to sleep, but I was far from tired for some reason.  I couldn’t sleep, so I put Match of the Day on the TV and at some point it must have got boring because I nodded off while watching it and woke during the night with the TV still on.

The next morning I woke at 5:20am, 10 minutes before my alarm was due to go off, and opened the curtains to see what the weather was like.  Clear skies over London . . . GET IN !!  After applying the necessary nipple tape and Vaseline to all the appropriate areas I was ready to get into my PINK outfit.  I left the tutu and wig in the bag until Greenwich, but the rest of it had to go on before I went down to breakfast.   Breakfast was the first part of the day that didn’t go to plan.  I always have porridge and a banana as a pre-race breakfast and the hotel didn’t have either on the menu.  At first I thought this wouldn’t be a problem as I’d bought an emergency ‘porridge in a pot’ with me, but I added too much water to it when I went to make it so I couldn’t eat it.  I had to resort to toast and jam and a rather battered banana that I had left in my bag from the journey to London.

After breakfast we got the DLR to Greenwich.  It was during the walk through Greenwich with all the other runners that everything started to feel very real, especially when you start to spot some of the elaborate fancy dress costumes that some runners would be wearing.  At the top of the hill in Greenwich Park I had to say my goodbyes to my Mum, Auntie and the kids as they weren’t allowed in the runner’s assembly area.  When I entered the red assembly area first stop was the toilets.  I’d heard about problems with queuing so I wanted to make sure I was able to visit the loos at least once.  I needn’t have worried though, because I didn’t have to queue at all that morning.  After getting the rest of my outfit on I dumped my kitbag on the lorry and went to find where the entrance to my starting pen was.  I had been allocated Pen 3 out of 9 based on my predicted finish time and to my surprise pen 3 was right at the front of the park only about 30 yards from the Greenwich Park gates.  Safe in the knowledge that I knew where I was going later on I went back to the main assembly area where I watched Jonathan Edwards interview several runners live on the BBC.  At 9:15 I went for another quick pit stop, before going over to my Pen ready for the off.  There was still 30 minutes to go before the start, but I like to be there early to avoid the crush.  In my pen I met a fellow CLIC Sargent runner who had already run 6 marathons in the week building up to the VLM and not surprisingly he was feeling very tired.

Before I knew it the countdown for the start of the Marathon was ringing in our ears and the horn signalled the start.  Wow, I’m now actually running in the London Marathon.  From my starting position it only took 2 minutes to cross the start line and I was up and running.  The first half a mile was quite slow (8:30-9:00 min/mile pace) as people were dodging and weaving to run at their required pace, but after this I was able to settle down to my target pace.  My race plan was to run at 7:50 min/mile for the first 15-18 miles and then think about upping the pace slightly if I felt ok.  During the second mile I had a quick chat with a fellow pink wig & tutu wearing guy and we were discussing how warm we thought the wigs were going to get in these glorious sunny conditions.  We came to the conclusion that it would be warm, but we really shouldn’t be thinking about it so early in the run.

At somewhere between miles 2 and 3 a vicar was stood on the kerb side throwing holy water over the runners and because I was running quite close to the side of the road I got a face full . . . cheers!!  Apparently he does this every year, but there was another ritual that I hadn’t been warned about before the run . . . the hand slapping.  Most of the kids on the side of the road were holding their hands out waiting to be slapped by runners as they go by and because I was running close to the kerb and the fact that it was my first marathon, I found myself getting rather carried away with this and any hand that came out I slapped it.  I kept this up for more than 8 miles and later on in the race I fear this was to be the cause of my downfall due to running with one foot higher than the other.  Running around the iconic London marathon landmark of The Cutty Sark was every bit of a buzz as I was expecting.  The cheer from the crowds was a very ‘hairs up on the back of the neck’ moment.  Shortly after The Cutty Sark I knew I would be able to see my kids for the first time during the race.  When I spotted their CLIC Sargent clapper balloons I made a dash over to see them and gave them a big hand slap before running on.  It was only a short reunion, but it gave me a good burst of adrenalin.  The next major landmark for me to focus on was reaching Tower Bridge at the 12.5 mile point.  Now that I had seen my kids, I was a little more relaxed and moved away from the side of the road and concentrated on nailing my target pace.  I had gone a little quicker than I should’ve done during miles 3 & 4, but other than that I was bang on, give or take a few seconds per mile.  I don’t know why but I really enjoyed miles 7-12 and then I remembered what was coming next . . . Tower Bridge.  CLIC Sargent had an official cheering point on the bridge and I wanted to make sure I was on the correct side of the road to see them.  Turning the corner that brought Tower Bridge into view was another goose bump moment and a major adrenalin boost.  I powered up the slope to the crest of the bridge and then when I spotted the CLIC Sargent team I veered carefully across the road to run close by them.  I was desperately trying to take all these moments in, but everything goes so quickly.

I was now at the half way point and feeling good.  I was on target with my pacing and thinking about spotting the family somewhere on the Isle of Dogs.  At about the 13.5 mile point the lead Elite men’s athletes went by on the other side of the dual carriage way.  Without wanting to state the obvious, they are moving very quickly.  I don’t think I could keep up with one of them for more than 100 meters and they manage that pace for 26 miles.

I was expecting to see the kids again at the CLIC Sargent cheer point at the Millwall Firestaion at about mile 15, but they weren’t there.  My wife and sister in-law were there, but I didn’t see them.  I was slightly down hearted about not seeing the kids but I knew that if they weren’t there they would be somewhere between 17-18 miles.

At 16.5 miles I got an unexpected boost as my friends Martin & Charlie gave me a big shout out.  They asked how I was feeling and I gave them the big thumbs up.  I was feeling great and I started to think about when I was going to up the pace.  I decided that I would wait until I’d done 19 miles because of a slightly quicker pace that I’d set at the beginning of the run.  Unfortunately at 17 miles things started to go pear shaped. As I was running up a slight uphill section through a water station my left calf suddenly tightened up completely out of the blue.  When I reached the top of the incline I stopped at the side of the road where I stretched it out for 30 seconds.  I hated myself for stopping as I’ve never had to stop during any run, but I knew it was for the best.  When I got going again I felt okay and was able to maintain a pace 20 secs /mile off of my target.  Not great, but not the end of the world for a sub 3:30 time.  A double disappointment was that because I was worrying too much about my calf I missed seeing my kids at 17.5 miles.  They saw me though, so they were happy.  A little further on there was a steel band playing which lifted my mood as I love that kind of music and when I watched the TV coverage of the marathon when I got home, I saw myself on TV running by at this point when Peter Storey was interviewing the chap from Emerdale dressed as a school boy.

Unfortunately at about the 20 mile point I had to stop again on a downhill section as the IT band on the side of my left knee was now starting to tighten up as a result of my calf problem.  Now I was getting worried, because with 6 miles to go I knew the rest of the run was going to be painful.  I was receiving plenty of encouragement from the crowd to keep going at this point and then I heard a friendly voice saying “Come on Dave” running by me.  It was Helen, a friend of Martin & Charlie who I’d seen earlier.  I picked myself up and got going again.  My pace was good again, but I knew it wouldn’t last as things started to tighten up gradually.  At about 21 miles the sub 3:30 Runners World Pace Maker ran by me and I thought I’d try and latch onto him until the finish, but alas my calf tightened up badly near mile 22 and I had to stop again.  I’ll never forget the reaction of the crowd that I got here.  I was in a really bad place mentally and was beginning to doubt whether I was going to be able to finish.   The chanting of my name was deafening whilst I was stretching out and when I got going again the cheers I got were even louder.  It sounded like I’d scored the winner in the Cup Final at Wembley.  This gave me a real boost and I knew I had to finish no matter what and I remembered why I was doing this run and how much money I’d raised for them.

The next 4 miles was a very stop start affair.  As well as my calf and IT band, my groins and hips on my left side had started to tighten up as well.  I was offered a massage by a St. Johns Ambulance crew member and a VLM official, but I stupidly said I’d be ok both times.  Maybe if I’d taken one of them up on their offer my final 10K wouldn’t have been so painful.  To make things worse every time I stopped, an old guy running in a mankini would go past me, and then I’d overtake him only for me to have to stop again.  This happened on 6 occasions, and I still don’t know if I finished ahead of him.  Big Ben was a very welcome sight as I knew that meant there was only a mile to go.  I was determined to enjoy my moment on The Mall, so at the 600m to go marker on Birdcage Walk I stopped for a final stretch out before attacking the finish.  As soon as I went under the 385 yards to go banner I got a major adrenalin rush and I felt like I was coming off the bend in a 200m race and really went for it up The Mall with a sprint finish, arms spread wide above my head.  All thoughts of my injuries were totally forgotten during those few hundred meters and I crossed the line in 3 hours 44 minutes 40 seconds.  I’d done it !!!  When I stopped a few meters after crossing the line I couldn’t move.  My groin had totally ceased up and I was in agony.  The medal must have super healing powers because as soon as that was put around my neck I was able to walk again . . . gingerly.

After picking up my kitbag and having a quick rest in The Mall with my feet up I walked very slowly over to Trafalgar Square to meet up with my family.  They were still near Big Ben, which meant I had some time to kill, so I perched myself under the Olympic countdown clock and reflected on what I had just achieved until they arrived.

I went to the CLIC Sargent post marathon reception where I had a very welcome massage and plate of pasta.  I also spotted the message that Ben had written for me at the Expo which had been stuck to the wall in the reception venue.   The support I have received from the CLIC Sargent running team has been fabulous from the start and it was lovely to meet some of the team in person.  My marathon fundraising total for them currently stands at over £5000 and on top of this we are hoping to raise over £1000 this weekend at an event we are holding at the kids local football club. 

We eventually left the reception at about 5:30pm and there were still people on the course running along The Embankment.  One of the Rhinos was walking very slowly along the road and unfortunately for them this area of the course is completely different at this time of day when all the crowds have gone.  It must feel very lonely out there with nobody about to cheer you on.

Luckily we were staying on for one more night in London so we were in no rush to go anywhere.  Our route back to the hotel let us give the kids a look at a couple of the sights they’d wanted to see.  We were catching the DLR from Tower Gateway so they got to see Tower Bridge and the Tower of London which they were both very happy about.

Needless to say, we all slept very well that night and I managed to wangle a late 2pm checkout with the hotel receptionist, so no need to rush about in the morning.  When we did finally leave we finished the weekend with a quick trip up to Stratford on the DLR to take a look at the Olympic Stadium before heading straight on to Paddington to catch our train home.

So after 14 weeks of training covering 454 miles in 62 hours, many visits to the chiropractor and physio, 6 toe nail casualties and 3 blisters,  would I put myself through it again . . . YOU BET!! . . . I’ve already set myself a reminder to enter the ballot on 30^th April.

1 Week To Go and a Grand National Winner !!!

Week 13, Session 1 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)
               Session 2 - Recovery Run (5.5 Miles)
               Session 3 - Progression Run (9 Miles - Last 4.5 miles @ Marathon Pace)
               Session 4 - 5 x 5 mins Thershold Intervals (7 Miles)
               Session 5 - Long Run (7 Miles)

Well, this time next week it'll all be over and hopefully all the hard work in training will have paid off.  I'll have a medal in my hand and hopefully, all being well,  I will have finished in the sort of time that I have trained towards - although just getting over the finish line is my main priority.  More importantly though, I will have raised a large sum of money for CLIC Sargent.

Last weeks training felt a little bit harder than I was expecting during a taper week and I've been suffering a bit with a cough and sore throat.  My legs have felt a little heavy and some of the distances didn't feel as easy as they have done over the past months.  I've been reading that it isn't unusual to feel like this during the taper and the body can get withdrawl symptoms from all the hard and long running that it's been doing throughout the rest of training.

It felt quite weird going out for a long run on Wednesday, but it made sense to do it early so that it wasn't too close to marathon day.  It's also feels strange to call a 9 miler a long run when in recent weeks 18-22 miles constituted a long run.  The last 35 minutes had to be run at marathon pace and I'm glad to say my target pace felt comfortable - well I should hope so, beings as I'll be running at that pace for several more hours on Sunday.

On Saturday I took the boys to football training where I had to get into my PINK marathon outfit for a photo with all the kids and coaches at the football club.  This is for an article that is to be published in the local paper this week to promote my marathon attempt and the sponsored 'mini-marathon' that the kids at the club are going to be running to help me with my fundraising for CLIC Sargent.  It was a very cold and wet morning and although the kids didn't seem to mind as they were running about for 90 minutes, all the parents couldn't wait to get home in the warm.

On Saturday afternoon I went out for a threshold interval session, although I wasn't keen.  It was horrible outside despite the fact the rain had stopped, but I knew I had to do it.  I took the intervals a bit easier than usual because I didn't want to risk picking up an injury and because I was feeling a little under the weather.  When I got back I was just in time to sit down with the kids to watch the Grand National.  Earlier in the day we all picked a horse and I placed a cheeky little bet on each one.  My eldest son Ben picked a horse that fell at the second fence and he wasn't best pleased because he is very competitive, but his mood improved alot by the end when he saw that the horses that my youngest son Kieran and I picked were at the front and in with a chance of winning.  After jumping the final fence it was clear that mine wasn't going to win but Kieran's was neck and neck with another at the front.  It was a photo finish and you should've heard the noise when it was announced that Kieran's horse 'Neptune Collonges' had won at 33-1 . . . needless to say we were all very happy, especially as a few minutes later I realised that my horse had finished 4th winning us a bit more money.

When I got back from my run on Sunday we decided to treat ourselves to a Chinese takeaway for tea with some of the winnings from the previous day.  Naughty, but nice !!  Even naughtier was that I had the left overs for lunch today at work when I'm supposed to be cutting out carbs for a few days . . . ooops, that'll have to wait until tomorrow.

The comming week doesn't involve much running.  A short interval session on Tuesday to keep sharp followed by a session with my physio after work and very short recovery runs on Thursday and Saturday.  We're travelling to London on the Saturday and we've identified a little park near the hotel that I can run in, but if we get back late from the Expo I may have to give it a miss.

It's all getting very real now and it's great reading all the feelings of excitement, nervousness, apprehension etc, from other VLM runners on the forums and blogs, knowing that I'm not the only one out there feeling like that.  I just wish this week would fly by, so that I can get on the train on Saturday for what should hopefully be a great weekend !!

Week 13 Summary - 32 miles : 4hrs 21 mins

Session 1 - Recovery Run - 3.5 Miles
Session 2 - Recovery Run - 5.5 Miles
Session 3 - Progression Run  - 9 Miles with last 4.5 miles @ Marathon Pace
Session 4 - 5 x 5 mins Thershold Intervals - 7 Miles
Session 5 - Long Run  - 7 Miles

Lovin' the Taper . . . Even Time to PARTY!!

Week 12, Session 1 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)
               Session 2 - Recovery Run (5 Miles)
               Session 3 - 5 x 5 mins Thershold Intervals (7 Miles)
               Session 4 - Recovery Run (3 Miles)
               Session 5 - Progression Run (11.5 Miles - Last 4.5 miles @ Marathon Pace)

This was the first week of the 3 week taper in my training plan designed to keep the legs fresh but at the same time keeping them turning over.  I still had 5 sessions to run but 3 of them were short recovery runs and the long run was half the distance of the longest runs I completed in March.  I even treated myself to a night out on the 'lash' with the lads . . . naughty I know, but I figured that 3 weeks out form the marathon I could get away with it.  I won't do it again before the big day!!

Tuesday and Wednesday's recovery runs were pretty uneventful except for the battery in my Garmin running out after a mile on Wednesday, but it did feel good running 'blind'.  I've read that it's good to run without a pacing device every now and then, but I never tend to unless it's forced on me.

Because of the taper, Thursdays interval session contained much shorter intervals than I have been running recently, but there were a couple more reps to do and the recoveries were much shorter.  Each rep was 0.75 miles run at threshold pace with 60 second recoveries, which did feel really short considering some previous workouts that I've done letting me have up to 3 minutes rest.  I've been suffering with a sore throat for about a week and before this run I wasn't feeling great, but as the problem was above the shoulders I decided I was good to go.  The first half of the run was into a strong headwind and my legs felt very heavy and during the first interval I was begining to think that I'd made the wrong decision to run.  The second interval wasn't much better, but as I got into the third I turned for home and had the wind behind me.  This made things much easier and I completed the final 2 reps much quicker and felt good for it.  In the afternoon I started to feel rough and I was affraid my sore throat was finally developing into 'man flu'.  This was not a good sign considering I was going out in the evening for a night on the town with some of my mates.

One of my mates has been working over in China for about 8 months and he is back for a couple of weeks and Thursday was the best time for us all to catch up, so there was no way I was going to bail out of this one.  As the night went on it became clear pints of ale are the ideal medicine to cure 'man flu'.  I'm blaming the G&T's that we had later on for the reason I was feeling much worse the following morning !!

Despite having a bit of a hangover on Friday, I had a great day out with my 2 boys.  I'd promised them a trip to the cinema to watch 'Pirates' and there was no way I was going to let them down.  We started with a trip into town on the bus (I certainly wasn't legal to drive), where we got some lunch before going in to see the film.  It was brilliant and the kids loved it.  I was fighting to stay awake a few times but that was due to the late night I'd had not anything to do with the film.  After the film we ventured onto the Weston seafront and had a game of crazy golf and then played in the park before venturing home on the bus again.

Due to the Easter holiday, there was no football training for the boys on Saturday and my eldest son was keen for me to sit and watch the 4th Harry Potter film with him.  He's Harry Potter mad at the moment, so we had a lazy Saturday morning in our PJ's, which is the first I can remember in a long time.  In the afternoon I went out for a 3 mile recovery run which is the shortest distance I've run all year.  It rained on me a little, but I wasn't out for long, so it didn't matter.

On Sunday my parents came over for a hectic morning of pressie opening and Easter egg hunting in the garden with the kids and we had a great time.  In the afternoon I had to go out for a progression run.  It felt quite weird not preparing for it like I had been preparing for the long runs that I had been doing over the last month or so, but for some reason 11.5 miles didn't seem like it was worth the effort.  It was a pretty good run and I enjoyed it even more becuase I was listening to comentary of Man Utd beating QPR which made them go 8 points clear of Man City in the Premier League.  The final 4.5 miles were run at marathon pace, although when I picked the pace up I was going too quickly and I found it quite hard to adjust to my target pace.  I'm hoping that I get more used to it on the remaining marathon paced session that I've got between now and the day of the marathon.  I completed the 11.5 miles in 1 hour 32 minutes, which was a little quicker than I intended.  My knees were feeling a bit sore during and after the run, but I think that is just wear and tear after the all the miles run in March.  Hopefully the reduction in mileage over the next couple of weeks will sort that out.

Hope you all had a great Easter !!

Week 12 Summary - 30 miles : 4hrs 5 mins

Session 1 - Recovery Run - 3.5 Miles
Session 2 - Recovery Run - 5 Miles
Session 3 - 5 x 5 mins Thershold Intervals - 7 Miles
Session 4 - Recovery Run - 3 Miles
Session 5 - Progression Run  - 11.5 Miles with last 4.5 miles @ Marathon Pace

Last of the Long Runs . . . Bring on the TAPER!!

Week 11, Session 4 - 3 x 3,2,1 mins Fartlek (7 Miles)
               Session 5 - Long Run (21 Miles)

This weekend was a story of firsts and lasts.  On Saturday I had to run the first Fartlek session of the training program and on Sunday I ran the last really long run before marathon day.

After a morning with the kids at football training I took them to my Auntie Gills’s for “one sleep”.  This would enable me to do my long run first thing on Sunday morning while Teresa was at work.  After having lunch with my Auntie I returned home so that I could go out for a Fartlek run.  I found it quite strange that I was being asked to run such a hard session the day before my final long run, but I have to trust my training program.  I had to run 7 miles with 3 x 3, 2, 1 minute fast intervals continuously with 90 second recoveries after each quick section.  My legs felt quite heavy early on, but I put that down to all the carbs I’d had the previous day to ensure I had enough energy for Sunday’s run.  I didn’t run the quick sections quite as quick as I normally would because I wanted to make sure I was in a good state for the long run.  By the end I was really enjoying the run and felt quite fresh, and the fact that I was listening to commentary of Manchester City dropping points in the Premier League was improving my mood no end.

Saturday night was spent drinking lots of water and getting more valuable carbs in me ready for the long run which was forecast to be a hot one.

On Sunday morning I got up at 6:30am for breakfast so that I would be ready to drive out to the Yatton, where I would be starting my run at 9:45am.  After doing a few chores about the house and a quick phone call to the kids I got on the road.  It was a glorious morning and I was really looking forward to my final long run of the training program.  I had decided to run an out and back route along a disused railway line called The Strawberry Line from Yatton to Cheddar which I’d never done before.  It’s a very popular route for runners and families out for a day of cycling and I bumped into a fair few other VLM runners out on their final long run.  It’s a very scenic route out through the countryside venturing through orchards of several cider farms, restored railway stations and villages.  I kept asking myself why I hadn’t I run this route before.  After about 7 miles I had to run through a particularly long and dark tunnel.  I couldn’t see a thing except for a few silhouettes of people in the distance.  I was a tad concerned about turning my ankle over as I couldn’t see what the ground was like, but luckily I emerged safe and sound and I continued on my way to the Cheddar reservoir.  After running for an hour and a half I turned around.  Before I set out I estimated that I would cover 20 miles in the 3 hours I had to run, but at the half way point it was clear that I was going to be running 21 miles because my pace had been slightly quicker.  I arrived back at Yatton Station in much better shape than I was in after last week’s 3 hour run although my hips and knees were still aching a bit.  I completed the 21 miles in 2 hours 58 minutes.   After doing a few stretches and glugging down a recovery shake whilst basking in the mid day sunshine I got back in car and headed home.  When I got back I celebrated with a COLD bath . . . well maybe celebrated is the wrong word!!

So that’s it for the long runs.  Although I enjoy them, I must say I’m glad they’re over for a while and that I’ll get my Sunday’s back.  Tuesday will be the start of the 3 week taper to race day.  I’ll still be covering over 30 miles a week, but the length and intensity of each run will certainly be dropping.

Week 11 Summary - 44.5 miles : 6 hrs 12 mins

Session 1 - Recovery Run - 3.5 Miles
Session 2 - Recovery Run - 5 Miles
Session 3 - 3 x 10 Mins Threshold Intervals - 8 Miles
Session 4 - 3 x 3,2,1 mins Fartlek  - 7 Miles
Session 5 - Long Run - 21 Miles

A Trip to the Physio and A Bit of HOT Speedwork !!

Week 11, Session 1 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)
               Session 2 - Recovery Run (5 Miles)
               Session 3 - 3 x 10 mins Threshold Intervals (8 Miles)

It's about time . . . for the first time in about 4 weeks I've found the time to get a mid-week blog entry sorted.  This will mean I can keep the end of week post a lot shorter as I think last weeks entry was a bit like War & Peace !!

After Sunday's 22 mile run when my hips really ceased up towards the end, I was interested to see how well I could move first thing on Tuesday morning for my first recovery run of the week.  I got up a little gingerly because I could feel that my right hip was still a little sore and hit the road at 6:45am.  I took it pretty easy for the first mile and then found my usual recovery pace for the rest of the run.  Interestingly, my hips felt better whilst running than they did walking about which I took as a good sign and I figure there's no injury to worry about.

On Tuesday after work I had an appointment with my physio so that I could have a lower body sports massage to help loosen me up after Sunday's long run and to speak to him about my knee troubles that I had the previous week.  He agreed that it was caused by a bit of tightness in my IT band, so towards the end of my hour with him he "stripped" both of my IT bands.  When I had this done for the first time last year I had never felt pain like it, so I knew what was coming.  Funnily enough, the one that was giving me grief last week didn't hurt as much as the other one when he stripped them.  The work I did with my "Stick" last week must've helped that.  Although this treatment hurts like mad at the time, it feels fab immediately afterwards.

On Wednesday morning I got up early again and went out for a slightly longer recovery run than I'd done the previous day.  I probably shouldn't have gone for a run so close to having my physio the previous day, but it was the only time I was going to be able to fit it in that day.  It was a lovely and sunny Spring morning, although very cold, and because I needed to go for 5 miles I was able to get out into the countryside.  The route I took is lovely and peaceful that time of the morning and I get to see lots of wildlife.  My legs felt fine, but I did make a concious effort to take it easy.

Today I went out at lunchtime for an 8 mile threshold interval session and boy was it hot out there! After a 1.5 mile warm up I had to run 3 x 1.45 miles at tempo pace with 3 minute jog recoveries between each. This run was only going to take 60 minutes and I normally don't take water out with me when running unless I'm out for longer than an hour, but today I made an exception as it was roasting.  I loaded up 2 of my little water bottles into my 'speed belt' and I needed every drop, even if I did use the dregs of each to spray over me to cool me down.  It was a good session despite the heat, but I was glad when it was over so that I could get back to a cooler office.

A well earned rest day tomorrow after 3 back to back days of running, before a Fartlek session on Saturday followed by my final really long run on Sunday and then the taper starts.  I'll be quite glad when the long 2-3 hour runs have finished so that I get more of my Sunday's back !!

THE BIG ONE . . . and An Injury Scare !!

Week 10, Session 1 - Recovery Run - (3.5 Miles)
              Session 2 - 3 x 10 mins Threshold intervals (9.5 Miles)
              Session 3 - Missed Session  - (Recovery Run 5.5 Miles)  
              Session 4 - Progression Run (22 Miles - Last 8 miles @ Marathon Pace)

Well, the past week certainly had it's up's and downs, that's for sure !!  After pushing things a little too much early in the week I thought that I was suffering from a reoccurance of the knee injury I had before Christmas and I thought it was going to threaten my long run on Sunday, but luckily things turned out okay and I completed THE BIG ONE !!

After running further than I'd ever gone before last Sunday (19 miles) my legs were feeling remarkably well first thing on Tuesday morning when I got up at 6:15am for my early morning recovery run before work.  It was a lovely morning and when I got back I felt so good that I decided I was going to cycle to work.  Unfortunately this was a bad decision, because even though I was feeling okay, I really should've just stuck to the planned excercise and not pushed it 2 days after running 19 miles.  On route to work I pushed away too hard from a junction due to being stuck in the wrong gear and I felt a sharp pain on the outside of my left knee . . . I was not a happy chappy!!  I took it very easy for the rest of the journey into work, but was cursing my luck all the way.  For the rest of the day I had a dull ache around my knee and it felt like it did when I was injured last year.  Amazingly I didn't feel any pain during the cycle ride home, but I knew something wasn't right.

When Thursday came I wasn't suffering anywhere near as much and I decided to go out at lunchtime for the scheduled interval session to see if the knee would hold up.  The session actually went remarkably well although I did run the first interval quite carefully early on.  Each interval was 1.45 miles long with 90 second recoveries and those recoveries felt pretty short after a threshold interval of that length.  My interval paces were very consistent, although a little slower than I've been running during similar threshold sessions in previous weeks.  Despite not being restricted by any knee pain during the run I could still tell that there was a slight problem with it, and when I'd completed the run it tightened up quite quickly.  

I soon came to the conclusion that this wasn't a reocurrance of my previous injury and that it was tightness in my IT band.  This I could deal with at such an early stage by massaging it with my "Stick".  This is an amazing thing that I use to masage my legs, glutes and neck before and after most runs.  Using this as a preventative maintanence tool saves me loads of cash on regular visits to the physio.  Using this 3 times a day for the following 3 days appear to have sorted me out.

Saturday was a very busy day as it was Kieran's (my youngest son) 5th Birthday.  He woke early, as expected, to open his presents and because his Nanny Sylvie and Auntie Katie were staying with us for the weekend he was even more excited than usual.  After the mass present opening session we all had to quickly get ready for football as both of my boys play regularly on Saturday mornings. Kieran had training at the Priory Soccer Development Center and Ben (my eldest) had a match for the Priory Pumas U7's.  The boys play football for an amazing football club and they have agreed to help me raise money towards my marathon fundraising target by holding a 'mini-marathon' that the children of the club can take part in by being sponsored to run laps of the pitches.  At Saturday mornings training session we launched the event and I stood up in front of the children and parents dressed in the pink outfit I intend to run the marathon in.  It was a very hot and sunny morning and I certainly hope conditions aren't the same on the 22nd April, because running in that wig in that heat will not be a pleasant experience.  Ben and Kieran's Auntie Katie was also introduced to the children, because the invaluable help and support that CLIC Sargent have given her since being diagnosed with leukaemia is the reason why I've taken on the challenge to run the marathon to raise maoney for them.

After lunch Kieran had a birthday party at a local pub that contained a large soft play area and when that was all over the Grandparents and Aunties stayed on for a lovely meal while the boys continued to play.  This ended up being quite a late night and by the end of it all we were all shattered and I thought it best that I didn't go out for a late run to test my knee only 12 hours before I was due to do my long run.  So this was to be my first missed session of the training plan.  I was hoping to complete 100% of the workouts in my marathon training, so I was a little dissapointed, but I told myself that its better to get the following days long run done in the best shape possible  rather than take it on tired.

So Sunday was THE BIG ONE, a 22 mile progression run.  The clocks went forward which was a little unfortunate, because it meant an hour less in bed, but I managed to get up and have breakfast at 7:30 and got out the door for 10:00.  It was very hot and sunny, so I went out armed with 4 water bottles on my running belt and several ISO gels.  The first 14 miles of the run were run at my usual long run pace and the 2 hours that it took to run that section seemed to fly by,  however, for the second week running I had to make a pitsop for a wee at about the 7 mile point. This is worrying me a little, as I won't want to stop during the marathon.  I think I'm going to have to sort out my pre run hydration better.  I had to run the final 8 miles at my target marathon pace and miles 15-18 went well and I kept finding myself running quicker than I should've been going, but the final 4 miles were different altogether.  My hips and groins really started to cease up and got steadily stiffer as I went.  My pace stayed the same (except for the final mile), but I felt very uncomfortable, especially when I had to navigate any tight bends.  In the end I managed to complete the 22 miles in 3 hours 1 minute  which was bang on target, but one thing that concerns me a little is that I would've really struggled to run an extra 4 miles with hips and groins feeling like they did at the end.

So, a good week in the end, with hopefully just an injury scare rather than anything serious.  I'm off to the physio tomorrow evening to see if he can work some magic on me to loosen up my IT band properly and to see if he can give me some advice on getting my hips and groins stronger.  

Next week is the highest mileage week of the training plan ending up with a 20 mile run.  Then it's the start of the taper . . . thank goodness for that !!

Week 10 Summary - 35 miles : 4hrs 47 mins

Session 1 - Recovery Run - 4 Miles
Session 2 - 3 x 10 Mins Threshold Intervals - 9 Miles
Session 3 - Missed session (Recovery Run - 5.5 Miles)
Session 4 - Progression Run  - 22 Miles with last 8 miles @ Marathon Pace

Bye Bye Kenyan Hills !!

Week 9, Session 1 - 3 x 8 mins Threshold Intervals (7 Miles)
              Session 2 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)
              Session 3 - 3 x 8 mins Kenyan Hills (7 Miles)
              Session 4 - 6 x 3 mins 10K pace Intervals (7 Miles)
              Session 5 - Long Run (19 Miles)

I'm begining to sound like a bit of a stuck record, but yet another busy week meant no mid-week blog entry.  So for the third week running here's a summary of the whole week . . . and what a week it was.  The going has certainly started to get tough now.  The total weekly mileage jumped considerably this week and all but one of the runs were 'quality' sessions.

My first session of the week was a Tuesday lunchtime interval session where after a warm up I had to run 3 x 8 mins at threshold pace, which for me equates to intervals of 1.2 miles each with 90 second recoveries between them.  It was a great session considering I ran 16.5 miles 2 days earlier and I managed to sustain an even pace for each interval.  I was also glad to report that the blister under my big toe didn't give me any grief either and I only covered it in vaseline this time rather than a blister plaster (thanks "Mrs Old Bird" for that tip).

After an early morning recovery run on Wednesday, Thursday lunchtimes run was my final Kenyan Hills session of the training program.  As I've mentioned previously I've really enjoyed running these sessions (most of the time) during this program, but I am glad that they are over now because they take alot out of the legs, which you don't need when the mileage is ramping up as much at it is now.  I actually thought that I was going to have to abort the run during the first rep as I was feeling extremely 'leggy', but after the 3 minute recovery jog I felt refreshed and managed to complete each of the following reps at a better pace.

I was supposed to run my 4th session of the week on Saturday, but there was no chance of me fitting it in, so I went out at 9 o'clock on Friday night instead.  So far during the training I have always had a recovery run before a long run, but this week I had my first 10K paced speedwork session scheduled.  I had eaten quite a large meal earlier on and I was a little concerned as to how well I'd cope with running a speedwork session with that inside me, but I was pleasantly suprised at the pace I achieved.  I was wearing a pair of trainers that were only about 20 miles old and they felt great.  I don't usually wear a pair with so few miles in them for a quality session like that, but I really need to protect the mileage in the other pair I'm rotating them with, so that I have a decent mileage in them for marathon day.

On Saturday night I was out at my Mum & Dad's Ruby Wedding Annivesary party.  It was a great night out meeting up with many friends and family that I hadn't seen for a while and the kids really enjoyed themselves too.  The only downside to it all was that being out until after midnight wasn't the ideal preparation for a long run the next morning.  I should've been guzzling water all night rather than Guinness!!  I was good though, and limited myself to just a few pints.

Due to the late night I slept in a little longer than I initially planned, but I thought the extra sleep was more important that trying to force myself up at 6:30 to eat breakie just to time the run to match the marathon start time.  Instead I got up at 8:30 ready to fuel up before going out at 10:30.  This only gave me 2 hours rather than the usual 3 hours to get all the necessary food and fluids in, which I was to pay for a bit later on.

It was a gorgeous day for a long run and I set off in a great mood listening to a podcast that I'd downloaded earlier.  After about 4 miles though I felt like I needed a wee, but I've had this before and managed to ignore it and carry on to the end of a long run regardless.  However, over the next couple of miles it was becoming increasingly obvious that I was going to have to make a pitstop, because I was going to be running for a couple more hours and it was getting uncomfortable.  Luckily I new that at 7.5 miles I was going to be running past a toilet block, so when I reached it I dived in for a minute.  This was a first for me, because in all the years I've been running, I've never had to stop mid-run, but this had to be done.  So now I see why the experts advise not to take on fluids (other than small sips) within the hour before a run and I won't be making that same mistake again.  Apart from that mishap, the rest of the run went really well except for getting caught in a small shower at about the 11 mile point.  My knees and feet started to ache after about 15 miles, but I'm hoping that this is just them getting used to running distances that I've never run before.  I completed the 19 miles in 2 hours 41 minutes, which is right in the middle of my target long run pace band.

Next weeks long run is THE BIG ONE !!  22 miles with the final hour at marathon goal pace.  It's going to be very interesting to see how that goes next week, because I'm not so sure I would've wanted to add an extra 3 miles to yesterdays run . . . I'll just have to trust the training plan !!

Week 9 Summary - 43.5 miles : 5hrs 57mins

Session 1 - 3 x 8 mins Threshold Intervals - 7 Miles
Session 2 - Recovery Run - 3.5 Miles
Session 3 - 3 x 8 mins Kenyan Hills - 7 Miles
Session 4 - 6 x 3 mins 10K pace Intervals - 7 Miles
Session 5 - Long Run - 19 Miles

Blisters and Sci-Fi !!

Week 8, Session 1 - Recovery Run (4 Miles)
              Session 2 - 3 x 15 Mins Marathon Pace Intervals (9.5 Miles)
              Session 3 - Recovery Run (4 Miles)
              Session 4 - Long Run (16.5 Miles)

Another busy week and yet again I didn't get chance to write a mid-week blog entry, and I couldn't face sitting at my laptop to write my end of week entry yesterday after my long run.  So here it is . . .

This week started off with a bit of recovery after the Half Marathon the previous weekend, so there was no fast paced sessions, but the mileage still increased.  I was pleasantly suprised at how good my legs felt on Tuesday's early morning recovery run.  Usually after a race my legs are feeling a bit sore for a few days, so I must be doing something right during this training program.  I'm certainly more focused on my post run recovery, nutrition and stretching.

On Thursday lunchtime I had to take an extended lunch break to fit my marathon paced interval session in as it was going to take 75 mins to run it and then there's the 15 mins either side getting ready/showered etc.  The workout involved doing a mile warm up followed by 3 sets of 2 miles at my marathon target pace with 5 mins recovery (0.5 miles) between each set and a mile cool down.  I was going really well for the first half of the run, but then it felt like I'd got a little stone stuck in my sock under my big toe.  It was really annoying, but no matter how much I wiggled my toes about mid run I couldn't shift it . . . and there's no way I was stopping to sort it out, because I never stop mid run unless I get held up by traffic.  My pace dropped off a little during my third interval because of this, but I still maintained my target pace as my first two reps were a little faster than I should've been going.  When I got back to the changing rooms I was desperate to get my trainers off so I could get that stone out, but to my horror it wasn't a stone, it was a blister!!  I have done all sorts of sports such as mountainering, hill walking, football, running and have never suffered with blisters, so this was a real suprise. It was caused by a little hole that had developed in my running socks and the friction of the bare skin rubbing on the orthotic in my running shoe turned into a blister.  Arghhh . . . I didn't know what to do with it.  Should I pop it or leave it.  After getting some advice from the lovely people on the Real Buzz forums I decided to leave it and cover it with a blister plaster.

Saturday's recovery run was going to be a test to see if covering my blister with a plaster was going to be suitable for the long run on Sunday.  Luckily the blister had subsided a bit and wasn't painful to walk on at all and the run went hassle free, so I was good to go on Sunday.

I'd taken the kids over to my mum's for 'one sleep' on Saturday afternoon, so I was free to get up early on Sunday morning, to get fueled up and hydrated a few hours before my long run.  I planned it so that I would be running at roughly the same time that the marathon sets off so I was out the door at 10:00am.  Conditions during the run were weird to say the least.  It was glorious sunshine when I left home, but the closer I got to Weston the more foggy it got and by the time I got to the seafront I couldn't see more than 50 yards in front of me.  Then I had a really surreal moment  . . . I was approaching the Grand Pier and I could see loads of Storm Troopers walking towards me through the fog with blasters raised and as I got closer Darth Vader, Chewbacca and a Dalek came into view.  There was some sort of sci-fi event being held on the pier.  At that point I was wishing I wasn't running because my boys would've loved me to have taken them to see Darth Vader.  A few miles later I was back out in the sunshine, but after 11 miles my route took me up onto Sandpoint with a nasty little climb back up into the fog.  Going cross country up there in thick fog made navigating my way accross the hill very tricky indeed and I had to slow up a bit to make sure I kept on route.  After dropping back down to sea level I was back running the final few miles under blue skies and sunshine.  The knees started to ache a bit after 14 miles, but that was too be expected after some of the climbs I had on the route.  In total I ran 16.5 miles in 2 hours 21 minutes and my blister gave me no trouble at all, although it has come back again.  I fear I have another toe nail casualty as well, making it 3 for the training so far . . . mmm, how many more can I lose before Aprill 22nd.

It's been a very enjoyable week of running, but that is all going to come to an end next week.  Week 9 contains some very tough sessions and the weekly mileage will go over 40 for the first time.  I'll end the week with an 18-19 miler which is unknown teritory for me. 


Week 8 Summary - 34 miles : 4hrs 44mins

Session 1 - Recovery Run - 4 Miles
Session 2 - 4 x 15 Mins Marathon Pace Intervals - 9.5 Miles
Session 3 - Recovery Run - 4 Miles
Session 4 - Long Run - 16.5 Miles

Half Marathon Week . . . Halfway There !!!

Week 7, Session 1 - Recovery Run (4 Miles)
              Session 2 - 4 x 5 Mins Threshold Intervals (6 Miles)
              Session 3 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)
              Session 4 - Race Half Marathon (13.1 Miles)
              Session 5 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)

It's been a busy week and I didn't get chance to write a mid-week blog entry, so I'll cram it all into this post.

Week 7 marks the halfway point of my training program for the marathon and this weeks running was geared up for a small taper to the half marathon that I ran yesterday.  I've been getting quite used to a routine of an interval session on a Tuesday, followed by a hill session on a Thursday and long run on Sunday with one or two recovery runs inbetween, so this weeks jiggling about of days felt slightly strange.

I decided that fitting recovery runs in at lunchtimes on Tuesday and Thursday would be too much hassle as I'd have to take an extended lunch just to fit a 30 minute run in, so I got up early in the mornings and did my runs before work instead.  I hate it at the time, but it's worth the effort in the end.  I did my interval session at lunchtime on Wednesday instead.  This was a good session, but I found it a little harder than it should've been as I think my legs were feeling the after effects of a hard 4 miles at the end of Sunday's long run.

On Friday evening I travelled to Tewkesbury where I'd be staying overnight to reduce the travel time on the morning of Saturday's race.  Tewkesbury is about two thirds of the way to Stratford-upon-Avon which was where I was running the half marathon.  When I got there I spent a relaxing evening getting all my kit sorted out, stretching etc.  The toughest part was resisting the urge to go down to the hotel bar for a sneaky pint, but I knew it could end up turning into a few, and I didn't want to risk mucking up my performance in the race.

I woke in the morning to find it chucking down with rain, which was disappointing as I really didn't want a wet race.  Luckily the race wasn't until 11am, so there was still chance for the weather to clear up.  After a quick breakfast in the hotel I got on my way.  As usual I arrived at the race far too early and I was one of the first to check-in and pick up my chip & number.  As time went on it was becoming increasingly obvious that I was going to be the only one in fancy dress.  So after an early warm up I hid in my car and got changed into my outfit and didn't emerge until I needed to go to the start line for the briefing.  It didn't take long for the MC to spot me and then the banter started and continued thoroughout the race.  The race started under blue skies and sunshine, so I'd got my wish of no rain and I was very happy.  It was very windy, but I wasn't going to grumble about that.

All in all it was a great race.  It involved running 4 laps of a course at the Shakespeare Raceway and the home straight was down the drag strip.  I managed to finish in 33rd place overall (16th in my category) in a time of 1 hour 35 minutes.  The main aim for entering the event was to see if I could cope with running in a big wig and the rest of the fancy dress that I plant to wear in London and I didn't find it too bad at all.  The only issue I had with the wig was when I had strong head/cross winds.  I've only ever entered big city races before, so doing a smaller event like this was a pleasant change.  The outfit went down really well with most people there . . . I received plenty of support from the organisers, marshals, kids and other supporters, although I did hear a few groans by some guys as they were overtaken by the 'big pink fairy'.  So after all this I concluded that I will definitely be wearing all of the outfit in London.

I used today's recovery run as an oportunity to start to break in my new pair of trainers.  I'll just use them for recovery runs for a few weeks, before rotating them with my other pair on quality sessions.

A bit more recovery early next week, before getting back into the full swing of training.  I've no more races planned before London, so I can concentrate on the matter in hand.

Week 7 Summary - 30.21 miles : 3hrs 58mins

Session 1 - Recovery Run (4 Miles)
Session 2 - 4 x 5 Mins Threshold Intervals (6 Miles)
Session 3 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)
Session 4 - Race Half Marathon (13.21 Miles)
Session 5 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)

Week 6 Training . . . DONE !!!

Week 6, Session 4 - Recovery Run - (4 Miles)
              Session 5 - Progression Run (11.25 Miles - Last 4.25 miles HM Pace)

What a great end to the week.  Both of my weekend runs were run in gorgeous conditions and on Sundays long run the weather was so good I was able to run in just a running vest for the first time this year.  Who'd of thought only a couple of weeks ago the ground was solid and we were all wrapped up to protect ourselves from sub-zero temeratures.

Yesterday's recovery run was pretty standard, but I was just happy to get out and feel good after a few tough runs during the week.  Todays long run was a progression run in preparation for next weekends Half Marathon, so the mileage reduced but the final 30 minutes had to be run at HM race pace to get me used to running at that speed at the end of a long run.

In order to prepare for next weekend, I timed the run so that it was at roughly the same time as the race, which starts at 11:00am.  Thankfully this meant I didn't have to get up too early to get my porridge down me, because I didn't get the best sleep the night before as I had to keep getting up to tend to my youngest son Kieran who wasn't feeling well.  As my wife was working in the morning, I took the kids over to my Mum & Dad's after breakfast and did my run from there.  This works out really well as I get to run a more varied route, the boys get to spend time with Nanny & Grandad and they give me lunch when I return.

The run went really well and I was able to comfortably maintain the pace that I intend to race the Half Marathon in.  I completed the 11.25 miles in 1hr 29 mins.  I'm nowhere near my usual HM pace, but certainly well within the required pace that is equivalent to my target marathon time.    I've just got to hope that my wig etc. doesn't slow me down too much.

After the run I made the bold decsion to have a cold bath for the first time this year.  It was agony, so I aborted a bit earlier than I should have done, but at least I did it.  The pain is well worth the reward of a lack of aching muscles the follwoing day . . . I just hope getting out early doesn't stop it working.

Next week is a taper to the race, so it should be fairly easy with just one quality interval session and a couple of recovery runs to do.  I'm looking forward to it as I haven't raced since September before I got injured.

Week 6 Summary - 34.75 miles : 4hrs 42 mins

Session 1 - 6 x 5 Mins Threshold Intervals - 9 Miles
Session 2 - Recovery Run - 3.5 Miles
Session 3 - 5 x 5 Mins Kenyan Hills - 7 Miles
Session 4 - Recovery Run - 4 Miles
Seesion 5 - Progression Run  - 11.25 Miles with last 4.25 miles HM Pace

First Toe Nail Casualties of the Year !!!

Week 6, Session 1 - 6 x 5 mins Threshold Intervals (9 miles)
              Session 2 - 30 mins Recovery Run (3.5 miles)
              Session 3 - 5 x 5 mins Kenyan Hills (7 miles)

Well I'm 6 weeks into the training program and the miles are coming thick and fast and it would appear that Sunday's long run has provided me with my first 2 toe nail casualties of the year.  I think the pounding I gave my feet during the quick sharp decents early in my 14.5 miler are the cause.  I managed to go all of last year without losing any nails for the first time since I started running, but this is the earliest I've ever suffered.  They are currently very purple and sore, but I know the soreness won't last long and then they'll just go 'dead'.

I felt fantastic during Tueday's lunchtimes interval session and that was reflected in my interval times.  They were all comfortably run at 10K pace rather than my target tempo pace.  I know I should've slowed up, but each time I did I found myself naturally creeping back up to 10K pace again.  This is probably because my natural tempo pace is quicker than my target based on the time I'm going for in the marathon.  I decided not to fight it and let myself go for once, because I was feeling good and the music I was listening to just made me want to run quickly.

For the first time since week 1 of the training I have 5 sessions in a week and Wednesday's run was the additional session.  The way I felt on this recovery run couldn't have been any further away from how I'd felt the previous day.  I got up early and went for my run at 6:30am because I knew I couldn't fit it in at lunchtime or in the evening and I felt quite tired.  My toes were feeling very sore and I ended up running the slowest I've run for a couple of years.  It didn't really matter because it was only a recovery run, but I did feel awful.

Thursday lunchtimes Kenyan Hills session was also a bit of a struggle.  I was extremely tired after a late night and a few Guinnesses and that combined with me not having my usual mid morning banana and running the first interval far too quickly I was soon wishing I stayed sat at my desk.  This session involved running up and down a 1 minute climb at tempo pace 30 times including 1 minute recoveries between sets and the thought of doing 24 more after making myself tired after the first 6 nearly made me give up . . . but I am determined to complete all my sessions during this training program, so I soldiered on.  I managed to run the following 3 intervals at the correct pace, but my final 2 were way off the mark.

Next weekend I've got a Half Marathon near Stratford-upon-Avon which is nearly a 2 hour drive from here.  Spending that length of time sat in a car doesn't sound like very good pre-race preparation to me, so today I maded the decision to book a Travel Lodge (nice and cheap) a bit closer to the event which is going to make things much easier on the day.

Today was a welcome rest day after 3 back to back days of running, but back on it tomorrow, albeit a short recovery run.

Week 5 Training . . . DONE !!!

Week 5, Session 2 - 2 x 12 Mins Kenyan Hills - (6.5 Miles)
              Session 3 - Recovery Run (5 Miles)
              Session 4 - Long Run (14.5 Miles)

After last weeks "Easy Week", the training program was certainly back into full swing this week.  Tuesday's early morning interval session that I discussed in my last post was tough going (purely because of the early start) and Thursday's Kenyan Hills session was one of the toughest workouts I can ever remember doing.  By the end of the first rep I was close to max HR and I think one more climb would've finished me off, but after the 3 minute recovery between the 2 reps I was ready to go again and paced the climbs much better - only 3 secs/mile slower, but I made sure I was running at an even tempo pace up the hills.

Somehow, I managed to time my 5 mile recovery run on Saturday really well, because all morning it was cold and windy while I was watching my son's play football and when we got home for lunch it was pouring down.  So I wasn't looking forward to going out for my run, but by the time I went out, the sun was shining and the wind had completely dropped.

When I got back from my run on Saturday and uploaded my Garmin data onto my PC, I noticed that the 2 pairs of running shoes that I'm currently rotating won't last me until the end of training.  So I quickly got online to hunt down another pair of the model I already have.  Luckily, because Mizuno have just released a newer version of my trainers, I was able to grab a bargain £45 cheaper than my other pairs.  At the same time I bought a gel belt to try out, because I think I'll need one for the marathon.  I usually only need to carry 3 gels for a half marathon and they just about squeeze into the pocket of my running shorts, and I'm going to need carry about 7 or 8 for the marathon (I think).

After a nice Sunday morning bike ride with my boys I went out for my long run this afternoon.  I ran 14.5 miles in 2 hours 2 minutes which I was very happy with.  It was slightly quicker than I should've run it, but with some nasty climbs and decents during the first 5 miles I found it difficult to maintain an even pace for the first half of the run.  I'm beginimg to get on top of my fueling strategy for the marathon and I can highly recommend the High 5 ISOGels that I've been trying out eversince being given one in my Cardiff 10K goody bag last year.  I used to use the Lucozade gels and put up with the thick gooey consistency that made them hard to swallow and they didn't taste that great either.  I now use the berry flavour ISOgels and they are fabulous because not only do they taste great, they are much more watery than normal gels and you don't need to wash them down with water . . . although I still have a swig of water afterwards to clear my mouth.

In order to fit the Half Marathon race that I've entered into (a week earlier than scheduled on my training plan) I have had to make quite a few alterations to the plan so that I can get the right workouts in before and after the race.  I thought it was going to be as easy as just swapping a couple of weeks around, but I have had to make changes to 4 weeks of the program.  I won't get back on track until Week 10, but I'm happy with the changes made and the overall mileage stays the same.

All in all, a good week of running.  The mileage has increased a bit going over 30 miles and 4 hours for the first time in the program.

Bring on next week . . . 5 sessions for the first time since Week 1 !!

Week 5 Summary - 33.25 miles : 4hrs 33 mins

Session 1 - 5 x 5 Mins Threshold Intervals - 7.25 Miles
Session 2 - 2 x 12 Mins Kenyan Hills - 6.5 Miles
Session 3 - Recovery Run - 5 Miles
Session 4 - Long Run - 14.5 Miles

An Early Start . . . zzzzzz

Week 5, Session 1 - 5 x 5 mins Threshold Intervals (7.25 miles)

Today was the first run that I had to re-schedule from my usual routine since starting my marathon training program.  I usually like to do my mid-week run's during my lunch break at work so that I don't disrupt things at home too much, but today I was out of the office for most of the day so I was going to need to run either before work or late in the evening.

I decided to take the less appealing option of an early morning run because I'm out most nights this week and need to get stuff done at home in the evening.  So when my youngest son Kieran woke me up just before 6am, I got up, got ready and went out the door fueled with just a handful of Haribo Star Mix . . . I love Haribo, but at that time of the morning they just don't taste right !!

Today's run was a 5 x 0.75 mile threshold interval session with 90 second recovery jogs between each interval.  After an easy paced 1.5 mile warm up I got into my first interval.  Straight away I could feel that this was going to be a tough session as I was feeling far too tired and I was finding it difficult to maintain a consistent tempo pace.  I think the previous evenings core and strength workout out was taking it's toll as well.  Somehow, I managed to get close to my target pace, but because it wasn't run at an even pace it didn't feel good and I was desperate for the recovery section.  Typically the first recovery involved jogging up a bit of a hill, so it didn't feel much like a rest.

I'm happy to say that as the run went on, I started to feel much better (probably due to waking up) and I started to hit my target tempo pace quite easily.  I really enjoyed the run in the end and was glad that I made the effort to get up and do it early.  A real plus point for me was that I noticed how quickly my heart rate dropped during each of my recovery sessions showing how much my fitness is improving.  It dropped from a threshold level (85% working HR) to a zone 2 level (60-70% working HR) in under 30 seconds.

My training program has me scheduled to race a Half Marathon at the end of week 8 and I have finally managed to get entered into one.  Ideally I wanted to enter the Bath Half as it is local to me, but because of the injury I was suffering from at the end of last year I didn't enter it just in case I wasn't going to be ready in time so I missed the entry cutoff date.  I also missed the entry deadline for the Silverstone HM that is on the same day, so my options were now limited.  I've managed to enter the Shakespeare Raceway HM near Stratford upon Avon, which is over 80 miles away and the weekend before I am supposed to race a half, but as my options are limited I can't be fussy about that, so i'll just have to jiggle my training program about a bit.  I running the marathon in fancy dress, so this will give me the oportunity to test it out in race conditions and I should find out if I can handle running in a hot wig!!

A day off tomorrow, before yet another Kenyan Hills workout on Thursday lunchtime.

"Easy" Week . . . DONE !!!

Week 4, Session 1 - Recovery Run (4 Miles)
              Session 2 - 3 x 5 Mins Threshold Intervals (6 Miles)
              Session 3 - Recovery Run (4 Miles)
              Session 4 - Long Run (9.5 Miles)

Four weeks into my marathon training program and I've been given what they call an "easy" week.  Apparently, when training, we should reduce the intensity of our workouts about every 4 weeks to give the body time to recover, but still try and maintain a good mileage base.

So this week the usual Kenyan Hills session was replaced with a short recovery run, the interval session had 5 minute recoveries rather than the usual 2 minutes and my long run was 30 minutes shorter than the previous week.

I think the combination of fantastic weather (cold but sunny), and the drop in intensity of the workouts, have made me really enjoy all of my runs this week.  The extra recovery time at the end of each of my intervals on Thursday really made a big difference to my performance during the quick sections.

I decided to do my long run from my parent's house this morning, which went down well with my kids as they got to play with Nanny & Grandad and I have the bonus of a varied route.  So after a late night out with the lads (not ideal preparation),  I got up fairly early, had breakfast and packed my kit bag before heading over there.  Unfortunately, when I got there I realised that I'd forgotten to pack my running belt that holds my little water bottles, so I was going to have to run without fluids.  This was not ideal the morning after a night on the booze.  Surprisingly though, during the run I found that I didn't miss it too much, but I did start to feel a little dehydrated an hour after finishing despite drinking a fair bit when I got back.

So next week the training kicks on again including extended Interval & Kenyan Hills sessions and a 2 hour long run on Sunday.  The mileage really starts to build from here and I think the magnitude of what I'm taking on is going to hit home over the following few weeks. 

I've also got to get my act together and book myself in for an early March Half Marathon or 10 mile race.  I'm planning to wear a bit of fancy dress including a wig when running the London Marathon, so I need to practice wearing it during an event because there's no way I'm going to try it out during my regular training runs . . . not even in the dark !! 
Week 4 Summary - 23.5 miles : 3hrs 16 mins

Session 1 - Recovery Run - 4 Miles
Session 2 - 3 x 5 Mins Threshold Intervals - 6 Miles
Session 3 - Recovery Run - 4 Miles
Session 4 - Long Run - 9.5 Miles

Week 3 Training . . . DONE !!!

Week 3, Session 3 - Recovery Run (3.5 Miles)
              Session 4 - Long Run (12.5 Miles)

As usual, my Saturday morning was spent on the sidelines watching my 2 football mad boys at the soccer development center.  This week they both had training on the astro turf, which was just as well, beacuse all the pitches were frozen solid and if Ben was scheduled to have a match he would've been disappointed because there was no way it would be played.  Despite the cold, the boys were keen to get outside and play in it because they got what they've been asking for since Christams Eve . . . SNOW !!! 

Unfortunately the snow was turning to sleat by the time I went out for my recovery run later on Saturday afternoon and the wind had picked up as well, which was whipping the sleat into my eyes.  Conditions under foot were also a bit tricky in places because the snow that had settled on the pavements during the morning was turning into slush.  By the end of the run I was soaked, but I was only out for 29 minutes, so it wasn't too bad really.

Sunday was time for the long run . . . I like to make sure that at least half of my long runs during training are run at a similar time of day to that of the race I'm training for.  This ensures the body is ready for it come race day and it also gives me chance to practice my pre-race fueling strategy.  So, I gave up my Sunday morning lie in for an early breakfast and had an hour playing with the kids before going out.  Conditions were fantastic . . . blue skies and sunshine and much milder than the previous few days.  I took a couple of gels out with me for this one because I'd be out for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, but I was gutted to find that I'd lost one on route when I went take my first one out.  That meant I had to adjust my refueling and wait another 20 minutes as I was going to need my remaining gel later in the run.  After about 7 miles my route took me up a tough hill up into the woods, but I'm glad to say that all the Kenyan Hill sessions that I've been doing over the last few weeks appear to be paying dividends, because I was able to cruise up it without any problems.  I really enjoyed the run and I feel that I'm getting stronger all the time.  I'm not getting the aches in my hips that I tend to get when the distances start to increase and my knee is holding up pretty well.  I could only feel a slight niggle in it after about 10 miles, but nothing that makes me feel I should worry about it.  I ended up running 12.5 miles in 1 hour 46 minutes, which was just about the pace I was aiming for.

All in all, it's been a great week of training.  I performed much better than expected during my threshold intervals, I'm begining to really enjoy the Kenyan Hill workouts and I'm seeing the benefits of both these sessions in my long runs.

Next week is scheduled to be an "Easy Week" in my training program.  "Easy" seems a bit of a strange word to use to describe a week when I still have to fit 23 miles into 4 runs.  Surely it should be called " A Slightly Easier Week".  Either way, I'm sure the legs will be appreciative of the reduction in miles.

Week 3 Summary - 29 miles : 3hrs 57 mins

Session 1 - 4 x 6 Mins Threshold Intervals - 7 Miles
Session 2 - 2 x 10 Mins Kenyan Hills - 6 Miles
Session 3 - Recovery Run - 3.5 Miles
Session 4 - Long Run - 12.5 Miles