To train or not to train

I sit here writing this on Friday lunchtime, mind not on work, wondering if I should run this evening. My left adductor has been sore for a couple of days now. It will be OK for the marathon, but would running tonight help it recover, or hinder things? - it has after all been tugging on the insertion point below the knee, and my knee feels sore as a result - a rest might be better for my knee. I'm not running tomorrow, despite the schedule having 4 miles, due to the journey to Cardiff, and the need to set off early to meet my friend Paul, who has graciously offered me a lift.

Now what did I do before London in April? Here's where having a blog is really useful: instant access to training data. Now let me see...

Running towards London. Weekly summary - 1 week to go

Ah! I rested on Friday and had a short 2-miler on Saturday. I reckon 2 days rest won't do me any harm.
Now what's this?:
Running towards London. A great final session!

I noted at the time that the few miles I did at marathon pace were a real struggle! Exactly the same happened this week. I only did 2 miles out of 7 at full pace on Wednesday evening, but they felt really tough. My biometrics were OK (I can now write that with a straight face; it still sounds daft science nonsense, but is an accurate statement of the data recorded by GPS and HRM), in fact they were pretty good! 8:00/mile and only 140bpm.

What else can I learn from my blog?

Looking back at my last 13-miler, a week before the marathon, I can see a huge difference in pace:

Compare:London
with Cardiff

That's 25secs/mile difference, allowing for the 2 bpm HR difference. And last weekend was much warmer than April! That's a re-assuringly large difference.

The one thing I really needed from my blog were my heart rate figures from London - they aren't there! How very remiss! Fortunately I have them on my work PC. Here they are:

1	9:26	130
2	8:36	142
3	8:01	145
4	8:25	144
5	8:11	147
6	8:35	146
7	8:32	147
8	8:18	147
9	8:19	147
10	8:30	145
11	8:20	147
12	8:26	148
13	8:30	149
14	8:18	149
15	8:33	149
16	8:31	149
17	8:35	149
18	8:34	150
19	8:58	150
20	8:37	148
21	8:56	148
22	9:02	146
23	9:20	144
24	8:59	142
25	9:31	145
26.2	10:56	148

I definitely went off a little too quick HR-wise. I shall try to keep my heart rate down below 144 for the first half of the race. Hopefully it will be less crowded and I'll be able to run a steadier pace. Has my training enabled me to maintain a higher heart rate though? Hmm.

Another thing my blog doesn't tell me about last time, but I clearly remember, is the feeling that my glands were up all week before the marathon. It's the same this time round. I had assumed that it was a hay fever effect back in April, with the trees starting to bloom, but the fact that I have it again would indicate it's more directly related to training and lifestyle. It occurred to me that another thing in common, other than the effects of the taper, is that I'm taking echinacea. If I'm paranoid about picking up a bug prior to a marathon, then at the first sign of a sniffle I start on the echinacea. In fact I'd probably take it anyway in the week leading up to the race. Does it stimulate the glands? It is supposed to boost the immune system and the glands in the neck are all part of that, so maybe they are stimulated into overdrive? Whatever the reason, I've been paranoid for the last week with thinking I'm coming down with something. Maybe the echinacea is the cause?!

I think I'll rest this evening. When I get home I'll do the final week summary. I think I'd better get on with work!