Rightzone Triathlon

Kingston Breakfast Run….the 16

// April 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // Races

More analysis! With only 2 weeks to go till the London Marathon I ran the Human Race Kingston Breakfast run 16 miles. Results can be found here. Main goal of this race was to run within myself, not hurt myself and to try and run at marathon pace. Racing this race would be disastrous for a good result at London. Could I resist the chase?

So the gun went and I tried my best to hold back. With the new super lighweight Asics Gel Hyperspeed 4 running boots on I was feeling great and went through the first mile too fast. Thankfully it really did feel like I was holding back though so I wasn’t too concerned. I gradually eased back down through the field from 8th to 14th over the next 15 miles. I resisted the temptation to go with people as they came past and went through half way in just a shade over 47 mins.  I averaged 157 on the heart rate (about Marathon pace), averaged a shade under 6 mins per mile and finished with a time of 1.35.55. A time I wouldn’t be happy with if I was racing but given it was a restrained effort I’m more than happy. Leg’s felt great at the end and the only problem was the soles of my feet. Badly blistered from the new running shoes. So I’ll be wearing my training shoes in the marathon itself. Not worth risking the whole thing for 100grammes (the difference in weight between the racers and the training shoes).

In 2008 I ran this race 3 weeks out from the marathon and only managed a short 1.35 when going flat out. I believe for sure I could have raced close to or under 1.34 (my time from 2006). So happy with the result and very little soreness the day after which is exactly what the Dr ordered. I gained a lot of confidence from this run and am chuffed to be able to run this fast whilst holding back. I’m not going to change my marathon race strategy of going out on 6 mins 10s per mile though. I just want to get to 20 miles ready to run the last 6 miles properly.  The marathon is basically a 6 mile race that starts at mile 20. If you can arrive in good shape at that point you stand a chance of achieving your goals. Any other approach is madness. Not to say it’s not possible to PB but doing a massive positive split….but generally it doesn’t work out. See previous marathon results from yours truly.

I’ve been thinking…

// April 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Races

I’ve been thinking about the taper. There’s a slither over 3 weeks to go and today I ran 21.6 miles (3 laps of Richmond Park) with the boys from Thames Turbo. Nice ‘n’ slow at a shade of 3 hours but nevertheless it was a tough run being on the feet for that long. I digress, getting back to what I’ve been thinking.

I’ve been thinking about the taper. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Mark Grattons Hard marathon training programme but have never really tried to follow it seriously. Certainly didn’t think I’d be able to run twice a day every day. However having completed a run every day so far in 2010 I’m thinking that I could probably do this in 2011 if I chose to (which I won’t).

But what I’ve been really been thinking about (god I’m dragging this out) is the taper. Having run so consistently and put in so many miles I’m almost tempted to think that it’s all in the bank and just knock in the 30 mins a day. I know that’s not the right thing to do though. So going back to Mark Gratton’s Hard marathon training schedule I see a nice format for the last 3 weeks of running. Here’s how it looks (beginning Monday 5th April – my biffday)

Mon 5 Apr: 45 mins steady
Tue 6 Apr: 12 x 400 @ 3km pace, 200 jog rec.
Wed 7 APr: 10 miles – picking up pace.
Thu 8 Apr: 8 x 1km @ 10km pace, 2 mins recovery.
Fri 9 Apr: 8 miles steady.
Sat 10 Apr: 5 miles steady.
Sun 11 Apr: 16 miles Breakfast run (@ 6.10 per mile)
TOTAL – 53 miles

Mon 12 Apr: 6 miles steady
Tue 13 Apr 10 x 400 @ mile speed, 200 jog rec.
Wed 14 Apr: 10 miles steady
Thu 15 Apr: Marathon pace fartlek run – hold efforts of up to 5 mins at marathon pace, interspersed with recovery at steady pace (relaxed fartlek style 8 miles)
Fri 16 APR: 40 mins steady
Sat 17 Apr: Threshold run 30 mins
Sun 18 Apr: 11 miles steady
TOTAL – 47.5 miles

Mon 19 Apr: 8 miles steady
Tue 20 Apr: 10 x 200m hard strides in racing flats, 200 jog rec.
Wed 21 Apr: 35 mins steady
Thu 22 Apr: 30 mins steady – start carbo loading with pm meal.
Fri 23 Apr: 30 mins easy – highest carbo intake on this day, high water intake
Sat 24Apr: 30 mins easy – reduce food intake after 6pm, high water intake
Sun 25 Apr: London Marathon – the big day run sub 2.45

Lucozade Half Marathon 2010

// March 28th, 2010 // No Comments » // Races

A windy, cold and flat race at Eton. Placed 4th in a time of 1hr17m18s. Not bad after the biggest week of running I’ve ever done. Certainly wasn’t feeling fresh and struggled to get the HR up to normal levels for this race distance (normally can hold 170 but was down at 161 average). Funnily enough I did think I had a chance of winning at the 12 mile point. I was only 50m behind the eventual winner and was in 3rd place at the time. Finished 40s off the winner in the end and was overtaken by a flying young chap in the last half mile. Reasonably happy but slightly disappointed about not getting under 1.16. Probably the first time I’ve ever raced a half marathon and not had an easy week before hand. There’s discipline!!

Even if you double the 1.17 and add 10 mins that equates to a sub 2.45

On tired legs!

Here’s hoping.

81 miles in 7 days….a personal best!

// March 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // Races

I’ve managed to pump in 81 miles in the last 7 days and that’s a record. At this stage it’s 85 days out of 85 days completed in the 2010 run every day challenge. The stats show 101 runs averaging 54 mins per day in 85 days covering some 620 miles. Average HR is 139 and average speed is 8.0mph. For the first time in any marathon campaign I’ve managed to stay injury free and the result is consistency that is right out of the text book. So what has changed?

I’ve been getting regular physio from Aurelie at www.thetritouch.co.uk
I’ve run every day
I’ve built up fairly gradually (although one could argue a little agressively)
I’ve stretched religiously after every run session
I’ve made sure as much of the running is on soft ground

Here’s the weekly mileage stats

Week 1 – 35 miles
Week 2 – 40 miles
Week 3 – 45 miles
Week 4 – 50 miles
Week 5 – 55 miles
Week 6 – 60 miles
Week 7 – 45 miles (first rest week)
Week 8 – 71 miles (yay!)
Week 9 – 63 (suffered with a cold and stupidly pushed myself into a tiz…and had to back off)
Week 10 – 60
Week 11 – 46 (rest week)
Week 12 – 73 miles
Week 13 – going to be around 60 hopefully.

71 miles in 7 days and 59 days out of 59 days….DONE!

// February 28th, 2010 // No Comments » // Races

The end of an excellent week of training. Probably the best week of marathon training ever I’d say. Here’s how the week looked.

Monday – 8 miles easy (7m30s pace)

Tuesday – 4 miles easy (still tired from the 20 on Sunday)

Weds – 13.1 miles @ 6m53s (steady)

Thurs – 6 miles easy (tired)

Fri – 4.13 miles @ 7 mins per mile AM + 5.43 miles easy PM

Sat – Bushy Park 5k (3.1 miles) in 17.10 (5m29s per mile) + 6.90 miles easy

Sun – 20 miles @ 6.59 mins per mile

GRAND TOTAL 71 miles

Once again thanks to David Rowe for the picture taken at the finish of the Bushy Park 5k. It’s the 19th time I’ve run the race and it’s the equal 2nd fastest time ever in far from ideal conditions. There was a pretty strong breeze blowing up the last mile. I reckon a sub 17 will once again be on the cards. Strange how the PB was set on the 1st run and I’ve not been able to go under 17 since.

I’ve run some 400 miles now in 2010 and the good news is the blisters are going away. So that problem is hopefully behind me now. Naturally there is a new problem. The arch of my right foot is starting to hurt and I’m also getting twinges in the arch of the left. I also have a very strange pain on top of my right foot (furthest right cuneiform bone) which looks like bruising. The pain feels like my foot is trying to snap. It’s not acute and may be due to my running shoes. Speaking of which, with 400 miles on the clock I’ll be getting a new pair of Asics Nimbus. I think little foot niggles are a sign that they need replacing. The exact same niggles have occured in the past and I’m pretty sure the problem was cured by parting with coin.

The main injury that has thwarted two previous attempts to go sub 2.45 in the marathon is behaving itself nicely. I’m continuing to stretch both my Gluts and Hamstrings after every run (in addition to doing the ITB, calf and quad stretches). The deep tissue massage with Aurélie (www.thetritouch.co.uk) is also helping massively I’m sure.

So in we go into week 9 and it’s all fitting into place nicely. I have the G3 10k fell race next weekend, the Dorney Half marathon on the 28th March and the 16 mile Kingston Breakfast run on the 11th April. The half marathon should give an idea as to the marathon potential and the Breakfast run will be an excellent indicator of form based on previous years. Fingers crossed that March will be kind to my body. Mentally I’m tip top and looking forward to the challenge. I’ll be doing some running with James Brown (recently went 1.13 at Wokingham) in the next few weeks, he’s also doing the marathon and it will be his first time at London. Here’s how the weekly mileage looks.

Week 1 – 35 miles
Week 2 – 40 miles
Week 3 – 45 miles
Week 4 – 50 miles
Week 5 – 55 miles
Week 6 – 60 miles
Week 7 – 45 miles (first rest week)
Week 8 – 71 miles (yay!)
Week 9 – We’ll see. Aiming for another 70 and will push for 75 in week 10.

The first rest week of 2010

// February 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // Races

The running streak is still on! 52 runs in 52 days. Having built up the mileage steadily since the 1st of January the body was crying out for a rest week. So this last week I ran 30 mins every day apart from today, Sunday. I had a great deep tissue massage from Aurelie a The Tri Touch on Tuesday which had me completely shattered on Wednesday morning. I'm always amazed how bad you feel the day after a massage but how great you feel the day after the day after.

So 6 x 30 min runs and then today I ran with Alex Brooks, one of the ForGoodnessShakes boys, for 19.5 miles around Richmond Park and Bushy Park. Great stats. 19.5 miles, average HR of 140 and average speed 7m7s per mile. Pretty happy with that and it compares well to previous marathon campaigns. In fact I'd go as far as saying that I'm in great shape at the moment. Alex was great company and as a 2.34 marathon runner and recent visitor to the Hawaii Ironman I was in the company of a seriously talented athlete. In fact I found out the other night, he doesn't boast at all about his achievements so I googled it, that he ran 2.57 at Ironman UK last year. That is storming running. RESPECT! 

Have just entered John Lunts (HumanRace) Breakfast Run on the 11th April. We'll see how the form is there. Previous outings have results in a 1.34 and a 1.35. I'll be disappointed if I can't get near those times. First race of this campaign and my first race in a LONG time will be the 3rd and final G3 10k fell race over at Newlands Corner on the 6th March. I've got a spanking new pair of Brooks spikes ready for that. So no blacked out toes hopefully, a problem I've suffered with in the past.

So another week down (the 7th actually) and 45 more miles in the tank. I'll be pushing to get 65-70 miles in next week. So far so good with regards to the left knee. I'm keeping both my hamstrings well stretched and the massage is helping a lot I think. Also the blisters seem to be under control for the time being. Bring it all on, I'm excited about this marathon build. It really could happen this year, I could finally run the race I know I can and break the 2.45 barrier. There will be some tears if it happens.

44 runs completed in 44 days….but the going is tough

// February 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // Races

Day 44 is done and dusted and I'm nearing the end of week 6. Tomorrow I'll be trying to run 9.1 miles in order to take the weekly total to 60 miles. I'm liking the uniformity of the weekly mileage build. However I'm REALLY struggling with this weeks 60 miles. I've been running tired pretty much every day of the week. I think it's time to introduce a step back week. I'll be taking it easy on Monday and Tuesday but naturally I'll be completing the 30 mins on each of the days. 

Week 1 – 35 miles

Week 2 – 40 miles

Week 3 – 45 miles

Week 4 – 50 miles

Week 5 – 55 miles

Week 6 – 60 miles (hopefully)

What is also making things tough at the moment is the blisters I've got in between both big toes and the adjacent toes. It's very painful and most runs start with taping up my feet. 

Last night I ran 8 miles after work and then only 12 hours later ran 16 miles X country across the North Downs from Newlands Corner over towards Dorking. With snow and ice on the ground coupled with some extremely slippy sections I was glad to complete what was a very tough out and back X country run. Very tired legs. Need to get some sleep now.

38 runs completed and 38 days of 2010 gone

// February 7th, 2010 // No Comments » // Races

Thanks to David Rowe for the picture above. Taken at the Bushy Park 5k on 30th Jan (only managed 17.50 here). Having had pretty much all of 2009 off in terms of exercise I was certainly lacking confidence that a sub 2.45 marathon was possible. Being quite impatient I was quite quick to dismiss the chances given the early stats. Not that it stopped me from putting in the effort. It's amazing how every now and again a breakthrough session confirms that rapid improvements are possible and that the form is starting to head towards what i would expect for this time of a marathon build. I'd normally start in late November so starting on January 1st was pretty late really. 

So what are the breakthroughs? One was today. 16 miles @ 6.53mins per mile for an average HR of 140!!! Contrast that with a 12 mile run on the 23rd of January on exactly the same terrain where I averaged 7.07mins per mile for an average HR of 146.