Next Year

Still thinking about what to do next year. I'll probably sign up for Glasgow/Alloa runs. I'

Consolidation

I've been on a training course all day. So essentially stuck in front of a PC and reading a big manual, spending most of the day static on my backside isn't the best preparation for a running session. I'd eaten enough but was probably short on fluids as I'd just been cramming down expresso coffee and fruit smoothies and they both make you need more water. Despite knowing all this and understanding what it meant I still went out without taking any extra fluid on.

I'd set my watch speed alarm to keep me between 6:00 min per km and 4:15min per km. This is a wide enough band that should mean it rarely triggers even on hills and on the fast side it keeps me to within 15 seconds per km of my fastest 10K average speed.

I set out with an easy 18K in mind and specifically said to Team Kennedy manager "no new Personal Best tonight". The first 5K flashed by in 24 minutes so a bit quicker than my PB from earlier in the week.

After the drop into Ohain there is an uphill section about 400m long, I took this on at quite a quick pace and at the end it drops through the village and takes you to about the 6K mark. I overcooked this part by going too fast and lost some of my rhythm as a result. I'd confused my thinking a bit by getting caught between my original plan of easy 18K and then seeing 5k come off quick and feeling alright. I pulled back the pace a bit and seemed to lose my concentration for about 10 minutes. I felt my foot again getting sore and my legs felt very heavy. I knew that I was hurting myself at this point with little or no likelihood of any benefit to my race next week. I decided then to cut it short and take a differnt route back. I walked for a couple of minutes to reset everything then started running again.

Getting going again was hard but after 5 minutes I'd warmed back up and was in a bit of a routine, hardly 'In the zone' but at least moving. I climbed a hilly section mostly through mud and sand on a small track that had recently been washed away and is still awaiting repair. This made for uneven pace setting but probably good for my balance.

I got back for just over 12K in 1:04. I certainly noticed that as I was running a slow pace effort wise just to get home that on my watch it wasn't too bad a speed wise around the 5:00 to 5:15 per km mark. I think my recent faster paced runs have upped my perception and capabilities to keep a higher average pace.

I need to see how I feel but I think just one more pacy 18K run this weekend and a few shorter faster runs either side and I think I'm finished. I'll stop running on Wednesday or Thursday depending on how I feel. Anything towards the end of the week will be short leg stretchers rather than looking to add to my fitness. I know I get a good bit of reserve strength by taking a few days off training after I've been doing a lot of miles.

18K big run - more progress

Felt pretty good this morning after last nights 10K. Legs were fresh and not in anyway tight, tired or painful. I thought a long session tonight would be on the cards so I had a big curry and fried rice for lunch followed by a fruit salad and a smoothie. A couple of cans of ice tea in the office. I drank about 250ml of Isotonic when I got home and drank a couple of expressos and set out.

First 5k in 25 minutes. 10K dropped off in 51 minutes. I got a real second wind heading past the nunnery at the 11K mark and the climb to the Butte du Lion went past in a flash with little over-exertion but I knew I was working. I headed down the N5 and thought at that point that my time was going to be OK but not record breaking. I had my eye on my 1:33.07 time from last Friday night.

I got to the turn at the farm around 1:15 and thought then that I would be close to the 1:30 mark which was a surprise as I had some juice left in my legs. I really upped the pace and was running 4:30's per km and under until I hit the last hill which I really powered up its whole 500m length, mostly in the 4:40's and 4:50's per km.

I then bust a gut for the last km. I could hardly stand at the end and the watch was saying 1:30:17. Gutted not to have dipped under the 1:30 but my improvement in the last 10 days has been amazing with 1:41 ,1:50,1:33 and 1:30 times for 18K. All in the space of 8 days.

I'm not 100% sure but I think I was running this same distance in around 1:50 in August last year before the half marathon.

Next set of challenges

I've got 2 weeks to go and my last scheduled race will be done. I do still have half an idea on Brussels marathon in October but its dormant at the moment until after Glasgow.

My bike lies in the garage with wheels packed away and i binned my speedos at the end of the holiday in Greece. I need to think about challenges for next year. I don't see me stepping up to a full Ironman distance. I can't see how I'll manage the training over the winter and to be honest it just seems too long.

This team challenge has been offered up by Team Kennedy Manager

Aberfeldy Half Ironman - which is at least a home game for me :0)...a great chance for Chico to get his new bike out and for Stumagoo to learn to swim. :O) Its a full year away.

Any other opportunities and suggestions most welcomed as if I don't put events in the calendar then I won't train during the winter and be back to square one.

Monday night is 10K night

Did 10K after work. Preparation was better as I had a nice healthy salad when I met Team Kennedy Manager for lunch. This was followed by an afternoon treat of fruit salad and fruit smoothie in the office. When I got home I had an expresso, 750ml Isotonic drink and a paracetamol chaser just 15 minutes before I went out.

I wasn't as tight or unco-ordinated as yesterday and right from the start my pace was 4:30's and 4:20's....per km My running felt more balanced and although I was puffing up the hill at 5K around the 5:40's per km I didn't feel it was getting ragged at any point. I finished in 46:55 which is just over 2 minutes faster than last night. I'm not yet up to challenging my personal best of 45:01 for 10K but I'm feeling better. I was tired when finished but not wiped out completely.

I'm still staggered by yesterday's athletics on TV. Its only when you run yourself do you see the enormous gap between professional athletes and the man in the street. Women's marathon in Berlin had them running at a 5K pace of 17 minutes around the 32km mark, so with 12km to go in the marathon they were running 5K in 17 minutes. I don't think I could run a single 5K in 20 minutes never mind running multiple 5K's at 17 minutes pacing.....The mens 10K final was won in just a little over 15 minutes and it was a slow race.

Countdown starts now

Two weeks today till Glasgow Half Marathon, definate ground rush from here on in. I did 10k tonight after a very lazy day reading(Undertones of War by Edmund Blunden), watching the cricket, the football and again watched Kenneth More Sinking the Bismark.

I finished in 49:03 and I felt pretty groggy for the first 7K. I couldn't lift my pace faster than 4:40 per km and even then it felt very unbalanced, I was only comfortable around the 5:30 mark. I got a second wind about 7K and was managing to keep a higher pace much easier but I was glad to finish in what was a very warm evening. My pre run snack of a roll and crisps, packet of fruitella and a choc ice probably wasn't ideal.

Team Kennedy manager dropped off 10K in about 60 minutes including a sore knee episode after 6k :0)...that sub 2 hour half marathon looks in a lot of danger from where I'm sitting. I'm on large with William Hill on a 1:55 finish :0)

Coming up on the rails

Team Kennedy manager has been piling up the miles since our return from holiday. She's dropped 3 x 18K runs and a 13K this week alone. Friday afternoon 18K came in at a very impressive 1:49.18. Like all good fillies near the end of the season she is just coming into form for the big race :O) Its certainly keeping the pressure on me to keep up the training. Well done Alison and keep up the hard work, I think you're in for a great race.

Friday fright night

An 18K run on Friday night, shod in new Asics Gel Nimbus 11 trainers and the temperature was only 20 Degrees. I had high hopes and knew it was finish this training session or my race in two weeks was probably busted due to injury. So plenty of nerves in the lead up.

First 5K were quite quick and I was holding back a bit to try and keep a good finish in reserve, 23 minutes for 5K and I felt fresh. The 10K mark follows easily at 52 minutes. I try to keep the pace up until I get to Butte Du Lion. I'm up the hill past the nunnery and its hard hard work but I know that after that I only have one short hill right at the end. I turn left down the N5 and keep the pressure on and get a nice second wind. I manage to keep my mind from wandering and so concentrate on keeping the pace up

3K to go and I pull out the stops and try and keep the pace as high as possible. I'm looking for a 1:30 time which would be in Personal Best territory. I see with just over a Km to go I'm not going to be under the 1:30 time but I finish in 1:33:07. Thats a good time and with only limited foot pain. Average heart rate was 177 which is very high for me so I was obviously pushing it.

New trainers made a difference and although I didn't get through without some pain I certainly didn't need to stop this time. I found them a little heavier and stiffer than the Nike Zoom Vomero's I've been running with for the last 18 months. I was worried that the stiffer soles would not give me the cushioning my foot needed. However they worked a real treat and felt much more secure on my feet. I had to get a half size larger than the Nikes as they were snug in the shop. A snip at €150.......

I'm going through trainers amazingly fast. I've now got two pairs of Nike Vomero's with perfect uppers and worn out heels. I'll be building a fine collection of 'leisure' shoes if I keep the mileage up. Its a little frightening to think that something that lasts you only about 50 hours of use costs nearly 100quid.

Too much too young(soon)

18K run tonight did not go to plan. I was OK fluid and energy wise but I was very stiff at the start and the first few km's were painful. I dropped 5k in 26 minutes and 10K in 59 so much slower than yesterday. My foot began to hurt badly around the 10K mark and I had to effectively stop running at the 15K mark and walk-run the rest. I finished around the 1:51 mark but last few km's were walk/jogged. Same sore point as before but this time much more intense and pain coming over the top and down to my big toe....not good. I'm going to change my trainers as this resolved it a bit before and I must be near the 500K mark with those ones now.......nice video link to the Specials there..seems a long long time ago "Chained to the cooker cooking current buns"

Welcome to the Pleasuredome

Back from holiday and just over 3 weeks till Glasgow half marathon, my running pack arrived just in time to inspire me to train again. I ran 18K in 1:41:48 and it was very very hard going. I could have went a bit faster as I was lagging the last 3-4k in a dreamy haze. First 5K was 23:35 and 10K was around 52 minutes so a reasonably quick start on my first run back with a slow finishing 8K. I think the hills in the first 12K just sapped the energy from my legs. I started at 76.6kg and finished at 74.3kg so over 2 litres of fluid lost. I suspect I'll be stiff in the morning.

Holiday lazyitis

Just back from two weeks on Isle of Lewis. I managed a 30K cycle and 8k run in the whole two weeks. The cycle was very different in that it was right along the coast with huge atlantic waves breaking on the cliffs and so I had a permanent wind across my face plus the road had no flat sections at all. It was either up or downhill plus dealing with the cattle grids and teh wandering sheep on my bike was pretty bizzarre. The first 5k was torture but I got back into it after that. I could have went longer but the weather was rubbish and I just wasn't motivated to exercise when the girls were having fun at the beach.

As a result of nearly 3 weeks of no exercise I'm starting to get tired during the day and feeling all lethargic again. I've lost all motivation and can't even visualize myself exercising. I haven't went near the scales but I can see soft bits appearing where before there were none.

I therefore managed to drag myself out last night as I have another weeks holiday next week and this will be followed in 3 weeks by a half marathon in Glasgow. 18K in 1hr 46min , I could have ran faster but I wanted to break myself in easily. It was quite hot around 23C but a nice night. I also managed to drag Team Kennedy manger round with me so the 18K is a new record run length for her. Well done Alison :O)