And so the Chester marathon came around a little too quickly and my unstructured training (a common mistake in my background) somehow left me with having stepped up to the start line without having put in a run of more than 10 miles since the 6hr event at Cannock Chase, 10 weeks previously. In the end, I don't think this hurt the performance although it might have helped to shake out the issue that did derail the event instead. The race was going pretty well, I'd set off for the first few miles within a couple of seconds either side of my race pace for my 4 hour target (amusing myself as people pushed past me while talking about they were hoping to hit 5 hours). For the first time I even managed to take a gel while maintaining a decent running speed instead of dropping to a walk, but it might be another contributing to the problem later. At about the halfway mark some GI issues struck and I popped into the next convenient convenience but from then on these continued until the finish line. Whenever I pushed the pace at any level everything felt like it was going to go south. Ho hum. Anyway the finish line eventually appeared, about 15 minutes late, but painlessly and this time I crossed it somewhat more graciously, with a genuine smile and barely a pause before I wandered over to the alcohol vendor.
The recovery from Chester marathon was relatively simple, probably another sign of not working hard enough. Thus 20 days later I was practically on the other side world in the pre-dusk darkness on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii awaiting the start of a somewhat tougher challenge of Peacock 50k race through the mountainside. A steady hike up the mountain from the start, running the flats and downhills, hiking the uphills. Electrolytes in a handheld with S-Caps taken at each of the aid stations, water in the hydration pack. In general I was pretty happy with my race management but I hadn't been able to put in any training that prepared me for the types of climbs and descents on the course, other than running up and down flights of stairs, it was difficult to imagine what local options I had to really help in that department, and so I was fully expecting the leg cramps that started to set in with around 8k (of 54k as it turned out) to go. It didn't make the finish any easier however being that it entailed a descent of the tough first climb to the start/finish aid station before making a return trip to the top and the mountain to collect a peacock feather and returning to sea level one final time. The cramping legs made the extensions required for the descents extremely difficult and the change in form resulted in numerous blisters around the heels of both feet. So close to getting away from the race with no damage at all. Oh well. By the time we flew back from Hawaii a week later, the worst damage had healed and I doubt most people would have noticed the slight hobble I had as we toured the island. My favourite holiday location so far (must return) and also my favourite run up to this point and it helped to confirm the type of runs I'd like to do more of in the future. Finding a way of training for them will no doubt continue to prove challenging.
It was also around this point that I was disappointed to find that I'd missed out in the ballot for the Virgin London Marathon once again. It was my goal race for 2013 and so I was deciding on an alternative when the slight hope of getting a place through my running club, Rugby and Northampton Athletics Club, and so I held back on entering, Luck was on my side and so 21st April 2013, along with forty thousand others, I'll be running around the streets of London. Awesome. But I am embarrassingly aware of my two failures to meet my marathon targets already. With the entire club aware that I have been given one of the places, these things weigh somewhat heavily on my shoulders, but my limited experience of running has shown me that I find it somewhat to easy to cut training sessions here and there or decide on a slightly easier pace and get back to the warm house. Serious marathon training is just around the corner but in the last six weeks, I've avoided cutting any key training sessions, something I need to continue into the taper just three months away.
And so we're almost up to date. It is no coincidence that this is just before the start of the new year and my mind is turning to the planning of next year so here we have the the key races in my thoughts for 2013. Not all of them are booked just yet and they certainly don't all have the same level of importance.
Wellingborough MT Series (15k) - 20th Jan, 3rd Feb, 17th Feb
Virgin London Marathon - 21st Apr
Northants Ultra "Shires and Spires" (35M) - 2nd Jun
Love Life, Love Running 6hr - 21st June (approx)
adidas Thunder Run 24hr - 27th-28th Jul
Snowdonia Marathon - 26th October
And of course, I have some goals in mind for these events.
Sunday 30 December 2012
Sunday 9 December 2012
And a bit more background
And so 2012 rolled in, I started to try and run a little more regularly. I didn't try hard enough.
I'd trailed sessions with a couple of the local running clubs. I looked at the usual factors, regularity of sessions, location, accessibility of coaching,etc. and any of them would have worked but in the end chose Rugby and Northampton AC because they are the only local club with a track. I can't honestly say why that mattered much, bearing in mind I was running a couple of times per week and looking to train toward longer distances, but maybe it added something that wasn't available elsewhere. After joining in February, the regular Thursday club night has been the training session that I have been most likely to get in each week.
I'd set PBs in 2011 for all distances that I'd run. Not a big surprise being my first year of running, but going into 2012 I had some loose goals to better those. Seriously, only my second year of running so that was bound to happen you'd think. Somehow that half-marathon PB eluded me (that somehow almost certainly relates to poor training). I'd also been looking to run my first marathon and first ultra in 2012. I had goals in mind for the marathon, a sub 4-hour, and for the ultras I wanted to go a little beyond the marathon distance and see how my body reacted. No goal for the ultra other than crossing the finish line in one piece and smiling.
After missing out on the ballot for London, my first marathon ended being in Milan. The time of year being April worked for me and I wanted it to be something a little more special than simply covering the 26.2 miles. I wasn't planning on it being the last one and by the time I was booking it, my head had already moved to the idea of getting into ultras. The training didn't go too badly and I'd spent a lot of time running my planned marathon pace and put in a number of long runs that left me feeling reasonably comfortable with a month to go. Unfortunately a couple of things happened in the three weeks before the race and it resulted in just a couple of runs during that time but more importantly, really poor sleep to the point where I could barely keep my eyes open at the best times. During the race, it was already feeling like hard work after 10 kilometres and it went down hill from there. Despite running further than 23 miles in some of the training runs, within 20 miles I was already dropping to walk breaks which my disappointment allowed to grow in length. With very cold rain falling, it was downhill from there as the legs tightened and things spiraled. I'd like to say I was just pleased to finish in the end but anyone who saw my face as I jogged slowly over the line would know that was a lie.
Happily, and the only positive I took from it, my legs recovered from their tightness relatively quickly which was useful as I'd booked my first ultra, 35 miles around the villages of Northamptonshire, for five weeks later. The ultra went better, primarily I think due to my nervousness about the undulating course and the more severe distance which gave me permission to take it much easier from the start. Most unamusingly, it turned out to be a bit of a heatwave and the exposed sections became harder work as the day progressed but I didn't have any doubts that I'd finish comfortably. Probably my only regret is that neither I nor my running partner had the nerve to say hello to Ian Sharman at the start. A sure sign that I'd not worked particularly hard was being able to take a minute off my previous years time at the Corby 5M EMGP race three days later (also a sign I'd not run hard enough at Corby in 2011....).
And so by the middle of 2012 I'd run my first marathon (unenjoyable) and my first ultra (excellent). With a few other events in mind here and there, I'd decided to try a couple more ultras during the year and I really wanted to fix that missed target for my marathon time. I picked up my training a little more (baby steps here), improved my 10k PB, and during July ran the Love Life, Love Running 6 hour event. A great little trail event with a family-friendly feel and overnight camping. Another event where I was happy with my effort and general race management, stopping at my midway point to eat a jacket potato.
It was here that I booked Chester in October for my second marathon and booked a somewhat more interesting event for my next ultra, the Peacock 50k. Still short as ultras go, but this one would be up and down mountains. Oh, and it was in Hawaii. That Hawaii location was definitely a bit of a draw.
I'd trailed sessions with a couple of the local running clubs. I looked at the usual factors, regularity of sessions, location, accessibility of coaching,etc. and any of them would have worked but in the end chose Rugby and Northampton AC because they are the only local club with a track. I can't honestly say why that mattered much, bearing in mind I was running a couple of times per week and looking to train toward longer distances, but maybe it added something that wasn't available elsewhere. After joining in February, the regular Thursday club night has been the training session that I have been most likely to get in each week.
I'd set PBs in 2011 for all distances that I'd run. Not a big surprise being my first year of running, but going into 2012 I had some loose goals to better those. Seriously, only my second year of running so that was bound to happen you'd think. Somehow that half-marathon PB eluded me (that somehow almost certainly relates to poor training). I'd also been looking to run my first marathon and first ultra in 2012. I had goals in mind for the marathon, a sub 4-hour, and for the ultras I wanted to go a little beyond the marathon distance and see how my body reacted. No goal for the ultra other than crossing the finish line in one piece and smiling.
After missing out on the ballot for London, my first marathon ended being in Milan. The time of year being April worked for me and I wanted it to be something a little more special than simply covering the 26.2 miles. I wasn't planning on it being the last one and by the time I was booking it, my head had already moved to the idea of getting into ultras. The training didn't go too badly and I'd spent a lot of time running my planned marathon pace and put in a number of long runs that left me feeling reasonably comfortable with a month to go. Unfortunately a couple of things happened in the three weeks before the race and it resulted in just a couple of runs during that time but more importantly, really poor sleep to the point where I could barely keep my eyes open at the best times. During the race, it was already feeling like hard work after 10 kilometres and it went down hill from there. Despite running further than 23 miles in some of the training runs, within 20 miles I was already dropping to walk breaks which my disappointment allowed to grow in length. With very cold rain falling, it was downhill from there as the legs tightened and things spiraled. I'd like to say I was just pleased to finish in the end but anyone who saw my face as I jogged slowly over the line would know that was a lie.
Happily, and the only positive I took from it, my legs recovered from their tightness relatively quickly which was useful as I'd booked my first ultra, 35 miles around the villages of Northamptonshire, for five weeks later. The ultra went better, primarily I think due to my nervousness about the undulating course and the more severe distance which gave me permission to take it much easier from the start. Most unamusingly, it turned out to be a bit of a heatwave and the exposed sections became harder work as the day progressed but I didn't have any doubts that I'd finish comfortably. Probably my only regret is that neither I nor my running partner had the nerve to say hello to Ian Sharman at the start. A sure sign that I'd not worked particularly hard was being able to take a minute off my previous years time at the Corby 5M EMGP race three days later (also a sign I'd not run hard enough at Corby in 2011....).
And so by the middle of 2012 I'd run my first marathon (unenjoyable) and my first ultra (excellent). With a few other events in mind here and there, I'd decided to try a couple more ultras during the year and I really wanted to fix that missed target for my marathon time. I picked up my training a little more (baby steps here), improved my 10k PB, and during July ran the Love Life, Love Running 6 hour event. A great little trail event with a family-friendly feel and overnight camping. Another event where I was happy with my effort and general race management, stopping at my midway point to eat a jacket potato.
It was here that I booked Chester in October for my second marathon and booked a somewhat more interesting event for my next ultra, the Peacock 50k. Still short as ultras go, but this one would be up and down mountains. Oh, and it was in Hawaii. That Hawaii location was definitely a bit of a draw.
Monday 26 November 2012
Some background
(and there will be much more background to come)
It was two years ago when I decided I might actually enjoy running. Up until then it had always been something I would do as part of a charity event, usually hauling myself and my partner around a 10k in a little over 70 minutes with walking and jogging tending to feature equally during the second half, or as the warm up for a gym class.
It was the latter that caught my imagination. I'd been getting to the gym a little while before classes for some time, warming up on the treadmill, but I had apparently fallen into the habit of running 5k. Despite it being there on the panel in front of me, I wasn't particularly good at pacing and so I'd often need to take a walking break before finishing. Through December 2010 I managed to take that 5k time on the treadmill from just over 30 minutes to just over 26 minutes. Times were not consistent and it was lucky that I recovered quickly from these efforts or the gym classes would have been even more compromised by my turning up as a sweaty mess.
Going into 2011 I started running a little outside. I took part in a three race series of multi-terrain 10k runs, covering the first half with my partner before kicking out during the second half, improving my pacing each time so that recovery breaks stopped featuring and managing to break the hour during the second run of the series. From here, new targets appeared, a sub-25 minute 5k (achieved with the help of Milton Keynes parkrun), a sub-55 minute 10k (achieved during an undulating race from one of the local villages), and so the first half of 2011 continued. Progress with moderate training and very little structure. During the second half of the year I signed up for a few half marathons and although never in any danger of not finishing them, never quite achieved the sort of times I would have liked, and worse still, no particular improvement as time passed.
And so 2011 finished with more than a dozen 5k races, the same for 10k races and a half-dozen or so half marathons. Outside of those events, training was, well unstructured would be a polite way to describe.
It was two years ago when I decided I might actually enjoy running. Up until then it had always been something I would do as part of a charity event, usually hauling myself and my partner around a 10k in a little over 70 minutes with walking and jogging tending to feature equally during the second half, or as the warm up for a gym class.
It was the latter that caught my imagination. I'd been getting to the gym a little while before classes for some time, warming up on the treadmill, but I had apparently fallen into the habit of running 5k. Despite it being there on the panel in front of me, I wasn't particularly good at pacing and so I'd often need to take a walking break before finishing. Through December 2010 I managed to take that 5k time on the treadmill from just over 30 minutes to just over 26 minutes. Times were not consistent and it was lucky that I recovered quickly from these efforts or the gym classes would have been even more compromised by my turning up as a sweaty mess.
Going into 2011 I started running a little outside. I took part in a three race series of multi-terrain 10k runs, covering the first half with my partner before kicking out during the second half, improving my pacing each time so that recovery breaks stopped featuring and managing to break the hour during the second run of the series. From here, new targets appeared, a sub-25 minute 5k (achieved with the help of Milton Keynes parkrun), a sub-55 minute 10k (achieved during an undulating race from one of the local villages), and so the first half of 2011 continued. Progress with moderate training and very little structure. During the second half of the year I signed up for a few half marathons and although never in any danger of not finishing them, never quite achieved the sort of times I would have liked, and worse still, no particular improvement as time passed.
And so 2011 finished with more than a dozen 5k races, the same for 10k races and a half-dozen or so half marathons. Outside of those events, training was, well unstructured would be a polite way to describe.
Sunday 25 November 2012
A beginning
And so the first post.
It may not be an obvious stage to start a blog; it isn't as if I have just started to run. The last two years have contained varying volumes of running with various amounts of effort. I'll elaborate on where I am, how I got here and where I am heading, at least at the moment, during the next few weeks
It may not be an obvious stage to start a blog; it isn't as if I have just started to run. The last two years have contained varying volumes of running with various amounts of effort. I'll elaborate on where I am, how I got here and where I am heading, at least at the moment, during the next few weeks
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