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 !!
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Monday, 26 March 2012
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
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
Monday, 19 March 2012
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
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
Monday, 12 March 2012
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
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
Sunday, 4 March 2012
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)
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)
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