Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Weekly summary - 6 weeks to go

A good week, and well on top of the mileage. Mind you I feel a touch tired now after the bank holiday - late nights, long walks, and serious shopping - not conducive to good recovery!

The highlight of the week was our club handicap race. 27:00 - a PB by over a minute and a half. Allowing for the gates and footbridges we cross, that is around 7:10/mile. Very pleased with my progress! The down side though was the worst stitch I've ever had. As I pushed on in the last mile to try to overtake the last of the people ahead of me, the stitch hit hard. I was in agony as I crossed the line. I finished second - I couldn't quite catch the runner ahead of me. My handicap will now get increased, so next month I'll be starting much later - I don't think I will be finishing second!

Next week was supposed to be another 70 mile week, but I took the bank holiday as a rest day - sometimes life has to take over from running!

Monday8.7 milesincluded 5x600m @ 7:15/mile 5k paceLunchtime run - rain, lovely!, evening massage
Tuesday14 milesSlow run but hillyBit tired
Wednesday10 miles6 miles +6*100m sprints am, 4 miles pm 
Thursday5.2 miles3.65 mile club handicap 27:00 + warm up/downTerrible stitch! Good pace despite gates and footbridges (and stitch) - felt good though
Friday6 milesEasy recovery 
Saturday18 milesSlow run 9:16/mile 71%maxHRGood pace despite being quite warm
Sunday0 milesGym session - X-trainer, row, weights, cyclealso 6 mile walk
Total61.9 miles  

Monday, August 29, 2005

How not to recce

Yesterday, I had a very nice 6 mile walk in the Hampshire countryside, recce-ing the route of the Test Way Relay. After an hour of gym first thing in the morning this wasn't the ideal way to spend a rest day, but it was a very pleasant relaxing (!?) afternoon in glorious sunshine. As we like a bit of drama on this blog, I thought I'd share with you the events of last year when I recce'd the same route. Here's the first part of the article I published in our club newsletter:

How not to recce

The Test Way Relay is held each year in early September. It follows the Test Way, a footpath roughly following the course of the river Test, starting at Inkpen Beacon and meandering down through Hampshire to finish in Totton on the South Coast. Teams of 8 run 1 leg each of 3 to 7 miles in length. It’s fun!

The key to running quickly is not getting lost! I can’t over-emphasise this point. In order to do well you have to recce your chosen leg beforehand, to minimise your reliance on map-reading skills on the day. Here’s my experience of recce-ing the third leg for the 2004 race.

My friend and team mate Marilyn had very kindly offered to drive me up to Stoke, north of Andover, to recce my leg from Stoke to Middleton Farm. Marilyn was concerned about her post-injury state of fitness, so was not going to run with me, but drop me at the start point, offer some support en route where the road crossed the Test Way, and then meet me at the end of the leg.

It’s a fair old drive up to Andover, and despite best intentions, I didn’t set off from the start at Stoke until about 7:15pm. Not to worry though: Marilyn would be meeting me along the way, we both had mobile phones with us, I had a map and my map reading skills, and as it was only 10km we would be finished well before dark. So I set off across the fields on what was a beautiful evening – warm, cloudless and still.

Marilyn had warned me about the first tricky navigation test, and I passed with flying colours, heading for the correct exit from the field and I was soon heading for our first meeting point about a mile in. It was reassuring to see Marilyn’s head pop out of the hedge, a quick stop at the car to apply insect repellent, and I was on my way again.

I was now heading to St Mary Bourne in the valley. As I ran I encountered small pockets of quite chilly air. I’d run through them and suddenly emerge into the noticeably warm air the other side, and then go goose-pimply again as I hit the next chilly pocket. I’d never encountered this before. If any meteorologist out there can offer the explanation of how this occurs, I’d be interested to learn.

Back onto the road through the back of St Mary Bourne, where I expected to see Marilyn, but she wasn’t there. Not to worry though. We hadn’t arranged definite rendezvous’s so I cracked on. I later learnt that Marilyn had had some trouble turning the car round in the narrow lane, had arrived late at the road crossing, and had headed back along the trail to meet me, even though I had already left and was heading in the opposite direction. Never mind, we had phones so could sort it out later.

At the next road there was still no Marilyn, but never mind, I pushed on up the hill. I later learnt that Marilyn had arrived late at the road crossing and waited for me, even though I had already left and was heading away from her up the trail.

I was making good progress, but the light was failing fast, and I knew that it was going to be tight whether I made the end point before dark. At the next road junction I was now a little concerned not to see Marilyn, but carried on anyway. I later learnt that Marilyn had arrived late at the road crossing and waited for me, even though I had already left and was heading away from her up the trail. [yes, I did a cut and paste on that last sentence!]

I decided now was a good time to call her to let her know where I was. No answer! Not to worry though! She was probably driving and couldn’t answer. I left an upbeat message on the voicemail telling her where I was and at what time. I was a little concerned though, as I had definitely felt the need for a friendly voice.

At the next, and last, road, with about a mile still to go, there was again no sign of Marilyn. [I’ll resist the temptation to cut and paste the same sentence here, but I’m sure you are getting the picture!] It was now starting to get dark, but I crossed the road, climbed the stile, and pushed on through the field. Trouble was, it was now too dark to read the map properly and I was heading towards some very dark looking woodland. I also couldn’t see where I was treading, and was worried about my footing (my friend Pete had gone over on his ankle on this leg, and badly hurt himself, I later learnt!).

I decided it wasn’t safe to continue, so called Marilyn to get her to pick me up from the road. No answer! I left a slightly more concerned message, then texted the words “Phone me!”. I later learnt that Marilyn’s battery had gone flat; in fact she didn’t get the voicemail messages until 2 days later after the Relay itself!

I should explain that the map was an A4 photocopy. With no colour, it was difficult to see which were roads and which were trails. In the dim twilight that remained, it appeared that by heading east along the road, I could take a right turn and get to the rendezvous only 1.5 miles away by road. Wrong! I was looking at woodland trails – which I was trying to avoid. What’s more, this right turn was actually off the map, and I was having to guess where the roads were. It was actually 4 or 5 miles to the rendezvous in that direction. And further, what looked like a trail on the map, in the opposite direction, was actually a road, and was the quickest route to the rendezvous less than 2 miles away.

It’s often better to make a wrong decision quickly than dither and not make a decision, so with night falling, with no money, no torch, in vest and shorts, a small amount of water, a mobile phone and a packet of tissues, I headed off along a very dark road in completely the wrong direction and off the edge of the map.

To be continued…

In next weeks report: my first ever hitch hike, sober people who can’t locate their own village on a map, an offer of a bed for the night, an offer of money!!, and lots of drunken people all pointing in different directions!

Thanks Marilyn for a great adventure! I in no way hold you responsible!

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Universal Soldier

Each Saturday I do my long run, and each Saturday, often wearing athletic kit, I go into my local Tesco Express and buy 2 or 3 bags of ice. The staff have cottoned on to my routine. Today the young guy behind the checkout said "Are you some kind of Universal Soldier?". I explained that yes, I suppose I was, and explained about my ice baths. Very funny.





Of course, for those of you who have never seen the film Universal Soldier, that anecdote will mean absolutely nothing. Fortunately, I am a fan of the man Barry Norman once called J-C V-D, Belgium's finest actor, the man with the most talented muscles in Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme. If you've never seen the film, it's your loss. Do you really need me to explain?





Well OK, he has a hyped up metabolism (re-animated tissue and all that) and has to be kept chilled when not in action. Go on treat yourself. It has Dolph Lundgren too. What more could you want?

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Another double

I'm not going to blog every double I do, but they are still a novelty and I'm particularly pleased with this one.

Unlike last week when I'd had a rest day (gym) the day before, and a really good night's sleep, this one followed straight on from a tough evening run. Last night I did a very hilly 14 miles (for someone living on the coast, flat as a pancake for 5 miles around, I'm getting more than enough hills lately!). I got home at 8:30pm, had just enough time to stretch, eat, and shower, before it was time for bed at 9:30pm. Having only just eaten, I didn't have that good a night's sleep, but I guess I got 8 hours sleep before getting up at 6am for the first half of the double.

Only a few months ago, I would have had to leave at least 24 hours, preferably a rest day, after a 14-miler before considering another run. I had a certain trepidation about following up a hard run so soon, particularly as my calves felt quite tight when I got up in the middle of the night (bedsocks time!).

I felt great! 6 gentle miles. I even did the 6 100m sprints stipulated in the schedule. Best of all I had a lovely run along the seashore in the only sunshine of the day. Yes, sunshine! Only 2 hours later the rain arrived and stayed all day.

My second run this evening was wet. The 4 miles passed pretty easily though.

Job's a gud'un!

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Seventy!

I did it! My biggest ever weekly mileage!

Despite my fears about how tough it would feel, it actually went really well. I've come out of a few weeks feeling fatigued and perhaps not running my best, to feeling really on top of things.

After my first double, my longest mid-week run, came my longest ever training run yesterday - 22 miles. I ran to our club barbeque in the Queen Elizabeth Country Park - the same destination as the Tuesday night run. Run profile: 22 miles, 600ft climbingIt's a mere 15 miles from home, so I took the scenic route via the birthplace of cricket - Broadhalfpenny Down near Hambledon. I was a little late leaving due to a bicycle puncture en route to dropping off food and clothing at my friends house beforehand (my long runs always have some drama!), making the run a little warmer than I'd have liked. I arrived at the barbie 20 miles later, and bemused my friends with a "can't stop - only done 20 miles - I'll see you in 20 minutes". Apart from the heat, the other feature of the run was the gradient - a relentless climb of 600ft. Here's the profile.

My calves a bit tight today, probably due to the hills, but it's going well. Bring it on!

Monday10 miles6miles am, 4 miles pmMy first double!
Tuesday15.3 milesSlow runLovely run through QE forest
Wednesday5 milesSlow recovery run 
Thursday12.2 milesTempo run: middle 7 at half marathon paceHeld pace quite well despite the heat
Friday5.5 milesEasy recovery 
Saturday22 milesSlow runRan to club barbie - hot, but felt good!
Sunday0 milesGym session - X-trainer, row, weights, cycle 
Total70 miles  

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

A new high

I have to tell you about yesterday evening's run - the longest run I've ever done mid-week, and another step towards the 70-mile-per-week barrier.

My club were meeting at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park in the South Downs at 6:45pm - a bit late for a 15-mile run, and fiendishly hilly anyway. I decided I would set out from work at 5:00pm, run up there, and meet them at 7:30pm after their run, stop for the pub social, and get a lift back home afterwards. It would have been nice to run with them, but it was going to be 15 miles just to get there, and in any case, doing another 500ft climb at the end of a hilly 15 mile run is not my idea of fun.

So I set out, a few minutes late, and headed off over the marshes in an uncomfortable heat. After 6 miles at sea-level, the climb started towards the South Downs 9 miles distant horizontally, and 400ft vertically. By 6:30pm it was starting to cool down and the run was starting to come together. As the run went on, housing estates turned to pretty villages, to agricultural land, to downland, and finally to forest. Though there was plenty of flat running, progress was gradually uphill, the gradient increasing as I neared my goal.

With the increased gradient though, came the reward: the last couple of miles through the forest were staggering beautiful. I was alone on a narrow single-track road, completely free from traffic. To the left of me, shade from the hill, to the right of me the sun breaking over the brow, illuminating the lush carpet of green under the immense trees. Something was managing this environment - maybe man or, perhaps more likely, the deer and rabbits, trimming the carpet and keeping everything neat, tidy, and picture perfect.

The narrow width of the road, and the lack of kerb, fence, hedgerow or other devices meant that you felt part of the forest. This wasn't a dividing line separating the forest into 2 halves with you in limbo between them; this was more like a forest track. You were part of the forest: the light, the shade, the colours, the smells, the silence. Fabulous!

Perhaps this is the true runner's high?

15.3 miles slow. Schedule continues.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Double!

A first for me today - I did my first double!

6 miles first thing at 6:30am, then 12 hours later, another 4 miles. I did get some aching in my ankle after the first run - I am still getting some anterior compartment problems - but a little massage before the second run and all was well.

Despite the second run being 10 degrees warmer, I was running 30 seconds/mile faster, for pretty much the same heart rate. I'm evidently not good first thing in the morning!

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Weekly summary - 8 weeks to go

A recovery week according to the schedule, but I knew it would be tough, as it featured 3 hard sessions straight after last weekend's hard 15-miler. Monday and Tuesday were particularly tough as that is the first time I've done 2 hard runs back to back; I count anything greater than 80% of maximum HR as hard. It left me feeling quite tired on Thursday for our club handicap race, which I'd hoped to run quicker but ran at marathon pace, with HR well under control, despite the heat. A late evening 8-mile recovery run followed by an early morning 15-miler made the long run seem harder than I'd hoped, but it went OK without incident.

All in all a pretty controlled week. Job done.

An all time high 70 miles due next week. I hope I'm posting a positive report in 7 days time!

Monday9 milesSteady run 80%maxHREarly morning run, evening massage
Tuesday9 miles6x600m @ 7:15/mile 5k paceWarm but kept the pace going - tough but fun
Wednesday6 milesSlow run 
Thursday10.8 miles7.65 mile club handicap 63:13 8:15/mile + warm up/downQuite tired, but kept an even pace
Friday7.8 milesEasy recovery 
Saturday15 milesSlow runTougher than I thought it would be (and warmer)
Sunday0 milesGym session - X-trainer, row, weights, cycle 
Total57.6 miles  

The Cardiff pacing plan (maybe?)

I have my pacing plan for Cardiff:

Pacing plan 5km splits
DistanceTimeSplitPace (mins/mile)
5km16:4716:475:24
10km33:2216:355:20
15km49:5416:325:19
20km1:06:1616:225:16
25km1:22:4816:325:19
30km1:39:2216:345:20
35km1:56:1516:535:26
40km2:13:2117:065:30
42.2km2:20:577:365:34
    
21.1km1:09:4969:495:20
42.2km2:20:5771:085:26


Or maybe an hour and a bit slower. ;-)

Well done Paula! Gold at last in Helsinki!



Additional:
I've just seen the team results, and GBR were 3rd behind Kenya and Japan. We beat the Ethiopians! I gather we don't get a bronze medal for that, but what a result! Well done Mara and Hayley!

Monday, August 08, 2005

Weekly summary - 9 weeks to go

Some problems early in the week with anterior compartment problems (I'm now more convinced than ever of this, despite a formal diagnosis), and then just as things seemed to be going better I take the skin off my hands. It hurts! It's at the stage now where it dries over and then cracks. It's just a patch, of slightly bigger than one centimeter square, missing from each palm near the wrist, plus various other minor abrasions - not too bad really. I felt really tired the day after the fall, but soon recovered. My Saturday run went really well, as I've already documented.

So a lighter week than the schedule demanded, but necessary to let my legs recover. I think if I'd been a bit more diligent about massaging and stretching my shins, then I wouldn't have had the problems - a lesson learnt!

Next week is a 'Recovery Week' according to the schedule. 'Only' 59 miles, and 3 sessions of faster running and speedwork - their idea of recovery appears to be to drop the mileage by 10% and increase the intensity - not sure how my legs will cope, but I'll give it a go.

MondayRest Massage - sore ankle
Tuesday3 milesGentle test run in park 
Wednesday5 milesSlow runLeg felt fine but I fell!
Thursday10.7 milesslow runBit tired!
Friday6 milesEasy recoveryV humid - felt uncomfortably warm
Saturday15 miles12 miles at marathon paceFelt good!
SundayRest  
Total39.7 miles  

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Training paces

I'm a long time fan of Greg McMillan's running calculator - it fits my race results very closely. Here's a slightly edited, blog friendly, version of the results, assuming that 8:20 is my marathon pace. It isn't based on any actual race result, however it is quite close to my 5 mile PB, set on a hot hilly course, so it does seem realistic.


Event5K5 Mile10K15K10 Mile1/2 MarathonMarathon
Time22:2237:0446:271:11:591:17:501:43:223:38:00
Pace/Mile7:127:247:287:437:477:548:20
Pace/Km4:284:364:384:484:504:545:10


Endurance WorkoutsPace/MilePace/Km
Recovery Jogs9:50 to 10:206:06 to 6:25
Long Runs8:50 to 9:505:29 to 6:06
Easy Runs8:50 to 9:205:29 to 5:48



Stamina WorkoutsPace/MilePace/Km
Steady-State Runs 7:54 to 8:084:54 to 5:03
Tempo Runs 7:34 to 7:544:42 to 4:54
Tempo Intervals 7:28 to 7:434:38 to 4:48
Time/Interval
Cruise Intervals(mile)7:24 to 7:34
(1200m)5:31 to 5:39
(1000m)4:36 to 4:42
(800m)3:41 to 3:46
(600m)2:46 to 2:49
(400m)1:50 to 1:53


Speed Workouts
 Middle Distance RunnersLong Distance Runners
400m1:36.3 to 1:40.41:38.2 to 1:43.8
800m3:16.4 to 3:25.43:25.2 to 3:34.7
1000m4:16.5 to 4:28.44:22.8 to 4:32.9
1200m5:08.1 to 5:22.15:15.3 to 5:31.3
1600m7:00.5 to 7:16.67:09.4 to 7:25.2
2000m8:56.8 to 9:12.29:05.8 to 9:16.5


Sprint Workouts
 Middle Distance RunnersLong Distance Runners
100m19.9 to 21.820.7 to 22.8
200m41.5 to 45.642.6 to 46.8
300m1:02.2 to 1:11.91:03.9 to 1:12.8
400m1:27.3 to 1:37.11:31.3 to 1:38.2
600m2:16.9 to 2:27.32:23.9 to 2:30.6

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Stats - mega drift test

Time for some stats - we haven't had them for a few months. 15 miles today with 12 miles at marathon pace. An odd run, as I was never more than 1.5 miles from home! I decided to run laps of my 1.5 mile test course, so that I could see how my condition is, and whether I was getting much cardiac drift.

I was a little nervous going into this as I was up till 1am at a barbeque the previous night (thanks Sara - fab!). I had to balance getting a good night's sleep with the need to get up early so that I could run before the temperature rose. In the end it worked out OK as the sun didn't come out until late in the run, and I finished with a coolish 19 deg C. The temperature was rising though - about 4 degrees during the run, so not quite a steady state for what is supposed to be a steady state test.

Overall though I was pleased, as once my post barbie stomach had settled I felt quite comfortable for the whole 15 miles. My pace was on a par with past tests done in much cooler conditions. Also, I never perform well running first thing in the morning - my previous tests were all in the evening.

Once my heart rate had settled, I had very little drift until the last few laps, so I was certainly running at a heart rate I could sustain for a marathon. Could I have run at a higher heart rate? Maybe I need to try a higher heart rate next time I try this run.

1.5-mile continuous laps. 2.2 mile warm up, 0.8 mile cool down not included
LapLap timeMins/milebpm
112:348:22135
212:218:14139
312:218:13141
412:338:21139
512:298:19140
612:248:16142
712:328:21142
812:448:29142


One other thing - I need to get out and race more - I broke my half marathon PB by 4 minutes during the run!

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Not again!

I'm an idiot! Worse than that though, I'm an idiot with running shoes. I say running shoes, but these are clearly the sort of running shoes that would not be out of place in the ring of Billy Smart's Circus. Perhaps I should wear a red nose next time I go out running, so my prat-falls will look more convincing.

I lay on the tarmac today looking up at the Samaritan cyclist, his head framed beautifully by a blue sky and fluffy white clouds (I refer you to the opening titles of the Simpsons). I explained that I was in fact far less hurt than I appeared, despite the blood dripping from severe road rash on both palms. I explained that the main thing was that my legs were unhurt, and in fact had felt quite good up to that point, particularly after a string of recent mishaps. I told him his offer of a tissue was much appreciated, but as I worked "Just through there", pointing at a load of bushes, I'd be fine. I explained that a tree root pushing up through the tarmac was the likely cause, apart from an apparent lack of ability on my part to pick my clown feet up over even the smallest of obstructions. I stood up, and he accepted that I was not in need of immediate medical attention.

I ran off down the road, legs still functioning OK, caused 2 people to somersault as I hit them with a plank, and threw a bucket of confetti over a small child.

5 miles slow. Back on plan.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Weekly summary - 10 weeks to go

A good week or so it seemed. I'd started to feel on top of things and comfortable with the mileage. However, after the Thursday race, I had some discomfort in my right ankle. I've had problems like this before: I think it is a mild form of anterior compartment syndrome, however, unlike the usual symptoms of shin splints, in my case I think a tight shin muscle causes pressure on a nerve and causes a non-specific pain around the ankle area. On the Friday 5-miler, I started out feeling an ache in my heel, later on the sensation was an achey tingle inside my ankle joint on the inside, then it moved to the outside, and then drifted up the leg. The pain, if you can call it that, doesn't seem to come from any one spot: it just drifts around.

I did a bit of massage, ice and heat pack, and things felt fine for the 20-miler. I had some aching going uphill, but by the end of the run my legs felt OK, apart from a little soreness here and there. The following day though, my shin muscles were very tight and sore, and the aching in the ankles was back. I rested rather than going to the gym.

I've yet to convince a physio about this trapped nerve theory, but I'm convinced this is the problem. At my massage yesterday, my physio couldn't deny my shin muscles were tight, insisted the soreness in my ankles was muscular/tendon related, but couldn't identify the problem:
"Does this hurt?"
"No"
"Does this hurt?"
"No"
"Does this hurt?"
"No"
etc...

I've taken an extra rest day, and had an easy run tonight. I just need to wait for my shin muscles to relax a bit. Hopefully I'll be back on schedule in a day or two.

Monday6 milesRecovery run 
Tuesday14 milesSlow run 
Wednesday5 milesEasy recovery 
Thursday11.9 milesTempo run 7 miles slow plus club handicap race29:18 for the 3.7 mile race - felt good!
Friday5 milesEasy recoverySome discomfort in ankle - anterior compartment problems?
Saturday20 milesSlow runWent well but could feel some tightness in calves uphill - ankle sore afterwards
SundayRest  
Total61.9 miles