Sunday 19th March
Competed today in the Highworth 5 mile road race. This is usually the weekend before, or after, the London marathon. This year, as was the case two years ago, it was the weekend before which is convenient for me as I can use it as my last hard run before a week of next to nothing.
I decided before the race to use as just that - a hard run - as I was planning to do another five miles after the race to bring me up to 10 miles as my last long run. So when I set off I didn't start the timer on my watch, I just concentrated on running hard but enjoying the race.
I didn't look at my watch at all during the race but I imagine the first three miles were faster than the last two. Certainly the last mile would have been the slowest - the hill at the four mile marker would have made sure of that.
In any case I was surprised and delighted with a time just under 37 minutes (36:59 official) as this was more than a minute and a half faster than my previous best at the distance. As I've been concentrating on distance rather than speed I can only put this down to improved fitness and the weight loss.
And yes I did do 5 miles on the treadmill afterwards - in a much more sedate time of 43 minutes. I'm feeling good and confident at this point.
Monday 20th April
Stupidly went out with the running club and soon regretted it. I made it clear that I had done a race the day before and had to taper for the marathon but they still went off at a pace that was too fast for me today. So I let them go about half way, and just ended up doing the Blagrove route on my own, which is about 5 miles.
Tuesday 21st April
Just a very easy jog tonight, about 3 miles. Went from work and jogged up the path which runs parallel with the dual carriageway. Should really take more advantage of this as the path leads to the bottom of the railway path where I start a lot of my runs from. There is a shower at work so really there is no need to head to the gym just to go for a run.
Time to rest and carbo-load now, and started both in earnest with a trip to the cinema. The film was the excellent Let The Right One In, a love story between a young boy in Sweden and a female vampire. It might sound silly, but it really was a beautiful film and I think I liked it because it was an impossible love story between two people who feel alone and ostracised for very different reasons but find some common ground. Don't listen to me ranting on about it, see if for yourself.
Wednesday 22nd April
Complete rest. Can't say I missed body pump. It can be tiring at times, a constant treadmill of work-gym-dinner-writing. Instead went home and did a quality editing session.
Thursday 23rd April
Full body massage with Ali. Felt some aches and pains during the run on Sunday so knew I needed this. He found a great deal of tension in my back, which he got rid of. Another quality session on the book and finished the second round of editing! Still some work to do - need to add in a few scenes and give it at least another read through but am very close to sending it out to agents and publishers now. Really wanted to reach this particular landmark as I feel in a funny way it will give me confidence in the race on Sunday, knowing I have got this far with the book as well as training.
Friday 24th April
Complete rest. Made the last minute preparations for the big day. And a few more donations came in which brings my total up to £1200 with £50 still to come from Dad.
Under the circumstances, it's been a fantastic effort whatever happens on Sunday, even if I say so myself.
Friday 24 April 2009
Tuesday 14 April 2009
Starting the taper
Tuesday 14th April
Speed session tonight but decided to mix it up a bit. 1.6k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes @ 14kph but cut the recovery time back from 60 seconds to 30. It would have helped if I hadn't had to switch treadmills after the first 3 reps because the belt was slipping, but I felt I coped well. It was a lot harder with the shorter recoveries, but that pace is obviously more comfortable for me now.
Wednesday 15th April
Just body pump tonight. Went a tad lighter on some of the tracks. Wasn't tempted to do RPM afterwards. Well, ok maybe a little. But instead I had a 'For Goodness Shakes' milkshake (now is not the time to be skimping on calories) and got myself home and had a quality editing session.
I read later on runners' world it is not a good idea to do any weights in the two weeks before a marathon as it won't help you in the race, will sap your strength, and may even cause an injury. Oh well I won't do pump again before the big day.
Thursday 16th April
7 (11.2k) miles on the treadmill, nice and steady. Resisted the temptation to crank up the pace at the end. Think I may have upset Terry by refusing to join him for a run outside, but it was raining and the last thing I should do is take any silly risks, so why risk catching a cold?
Friday 17th April
Not raining this evening so managed to get outside. Did a five mile jog, very steady. My legs felt very sore, which just goes to show how much they need a week of next to nothing before the big day.
Saturday 18th April
Complete rest. Competing in the Highworth five mile race tomorrow but am thinking it may be as well to jog round as opposed to going for broke and risking an injury.
Speed session tonight but decided to mix it up a bit. 1.6k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes @ 14kph but cut the recovery time back from 60 seconds to 30. It would have helped if I hadn't had to switch treadmills after the first 3 reps because the belt was slipping, but I felt I coped well. It was a lot harder with the shorter recoveries, but that pace is obviously more comfortable for me now.
Wednesday 15th April
Just body pump tonight. Went a tad lighter on some of the tracks. Wasn't tempted to do RPM afterwards. Well, ok maybe a little. But instead I had a 'For Goodness Shakes' milkshake (now is not the time to be skimping on calories) and got myself home and had a quality editing session.
I read later on runners' world it is not a good idea to do any weights in the two weeks before a marathon as it won't help you in the race, will sap your strength, and may even cause an injury. Oh well I won't do pump again before the big day.
Thursday 16th April
7 (11.2k) miles on the treadmill, nice and steady. Resisted the temptation to crank up the pace at the end. Think I may have upset Terry by refusing to join him for a run outside, but it was raining and the last thing I should do is take any silly risks, so why risk catching a cold?
Friday 17th April
Not raining this evening so managed to get outside. Did a five mile jog, very steady. My legs felt very sore, which just goes to show how much they need a week of next to nothing before the big day.
Saturday 18th April
Complete rest. Competing in the Highworth five mile race tomorrow but am thinking it may be as well to jog round as opposed to going for broke and risking an injury.
Easter training
Thursday 9th April
Running club tonight. I had suggested a long-ish run of about 10-11 miles as it would be a nice way to wind down before going home for the Easter weekend.
As it turned out, we only covered 6.2 miles in about 57 minutes. There was the option of carrying on at the 5 mile point with Gerry, but by then I was tired and just wanted to go home and enjoy being off for a few days.
Friday 10th April
Went to Ali's lunchtime body pump class then did a speed session on the treadmill afterwards. 1k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph, 1k cool down.
Went quite heavy on some of the tracks in pump, Ali advised me after the class to always have a good selection of weights handy so I can adjust during a track if needs be.
Saturday 11th April
Body pump again, Rachel covering for Ali today. Ran to the gym from home and back again but didn't do any more cardio than that because I wanted my legs to be fairly fresh for my final long run tomorrow. And I have to admit, I found it hard doing pump two days in a row.
Sunday 12th April
Last long run today before the big day in two weeks. Set off to do my usual 20-miler, the Swindon half route but starting from the gym.
I felt surprisingly strong for most of the run, so much so that as I started the trek along Queens Drive into town I decided I could probably run a bit further, so when I ended up heading through Cheney Manor and along Akers Way, past the lake and along Cartwright Drive to the gym. That must be a good 24 miles and I managed it in less than four hours, despite tired legs and dehydration from enjoying being on holiday.
I'm optimistic now that the hard work will pay off on the big day. Whilst I haven't got a 10k or half marathon PB in the build up, spending long periods on my feet and all the strengthening work should pay off in the last few miles. All I need to do now is taper down, load up on carbs and avoid any nasty bugs and illnesses doing the rounds.
Monday 13th April
Ran to the gym and did RPM in the morning. Thought this would be a good way to get some of the lactic acid out of my legs. Did some core exercises as well as I was more than a little reluctant to go home and do housework for the rest of the day.
It wasn't that bad in the end, it was a lovely day weather-wise so I managed to cut the grass and do some tidying up in the back garden. Summer is coming!
Running club tonight. I had suggested a long-ish run of about 10-11 miles as it would be a nice way to wind down before going home for the Easter weekend.
As it turned out, we only covered 6.2 miles in about 57 minutes. There was the option of carrying on at the 5 mile point with Gerry, but by then I was tired and just wanted to go home and enjoy being off for a few days.
Friday 10th April
Went to Ali's lunchtime body pump class then did a speed session on the treadmill afterwards. 1k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph, 1k cool down.
Went quite heavy on some of the tracks in pump, Ali advised me after the class to always have a good selection of weights handy so I can adjust during a track if needs be.
Saturday 11th April
Body pump again, Rachel covering for Ali today. Ran to the gym from home and back again but didn't do any more cardio than that because I wanted my legs to be fairly fresh for my final long run tomorrow. And I have to admit, I found it hard doing pump two days in a row.
Sunday 12th April
Last long run today before the big day in two weeks. Set off to do my usual 20-miler, the Swindon half route but starting from the gym.
I felt surprisingly strong for most of the run, so much so that as I started the trek along Queens Drive into town I decided I could probably run a bit further, so when I ended up heading through Cheney Manor and along Akers Way, past the lake and along Cartwright Drive to the gym. That must be a good 24 miles and I managed it in less than four hours, despite tired legs and dehydration from enjoying being on holiday.
I'm optimistic now that the hard work will pay off on the big day. Whilst I haven't got a 10k or half marathon PB in the build up, spending long periods on my feet and all the strengthening work should pay off in the last few miles. All I need to do now is taper down, load up on carbs and avoid any nasty bugs and illnesses doing the rounds.
Monday 13th April
Ran to the gym and did RPM in the morning. Thought this would be a good way to get some of the lactic acid out of my legs. Did some core exercises as well as I was more than a little reluctant to go home and do housework for the rest of the day.
It wasn't that bad in the end, it was a lovely day weather-wise so I managed to cut the grass and do some tidying up in the back garden. Summer is coming!
Tuesday 7 April 2009
White Horse Half Marathon
Thursday 2nd April
Complete rest. I actually had a day's leave, as I had arranged a trip with the Sports & Social Club to see the musical Oliver. It was my intention originally to spend the day in London, but I ended up not bothering, for various reasons. Mainly, I can't afford it - the credit crunch has put an end to any unnecessary expenditure - but also I know I'd probably end up spending most of the day in the pub which is not ideal three weeks before a marathon.
As it turned out I had a most pleasant evening with my friends, and being the organiser meant I could choose who I sat with, which was Louise from my department, her boyfriend Ian, Tamara and her nine-year old son, Cameron, who I ended up entertaining during the interval.
Friday 3rd April
Complete rest. Came home from work and had a really good evening, watching England actually win a one-day international and winning a one-day series in the West Indies for the first time. Seeing my new facebook friend Andrew Flintoff take a hat-trick was just the icing on the cake really.
Saturday 4th April
Body pump and core work. Another day's rest might have bee sensible but I was bored of housework and missed out the leg tracks anyway. Plus it gave me an opportunity to learn the new routine.
Sunday 5th April
Competed in the White Horse half marathon, for the third year running. I've always liked the event, but never posted a PB, even though it is a PB course. Two years ago I was recovering from a PB effort at Bath the week before and last year I had tired myself out the week before trying to shed a few pounds.
I knew I would have to have a good time to beat my PB from Chippenham but was fairly confident I could do it. Indeed, I started strongly (too quickly as usual) but managed to maintain a sub 8-minute mile pace. The good news is, I felt comfortable doing it as well. Much more so than at Chippenham.
Where it all went wrong I don't know. I'm sure I passed the 12-mile marker in 1:33 so I was confident then of a 1:42 finish but somehow managed only 1:43:21, four seconds slower than my PB. I can only assume the heavy mileage caught up with me in that last mile.
That notwithstanding, I did feel strong most of the way round and had a pleasant day out. I love the event because it is such good value at £8 and the mug this year was a nicer design than the last two. I also bought a race t-shirt with the names of the runners which was great value as well for £5.
I stopped at the gym for a stretch, steam and shower and had a nice surprise when I bumped into an old friend, James Joel who I haven't seen for a couple of years. We exchanged numbers and will try to arrange a weekend in Bournemouth in the summer (where he lives) so that will be something to look forward to hopefully.
Monday 6th April
Nice steady run this evening, a bit further than usual at nine miles. I am definitely recovering better these days.
Tuesday 7th April
Lovely evening tonight so went outside for a speed session, did an 'old-school' sprints and hill session, 2 sets of 5 sprints and 5 hills. Even though my legs were tired I could tell I was quicker than I used to be. I weighed myself at the weekend and according to the dodgy scales am bang on 15 stone, so nearly 20 pounds lighter than when Ali and I had our famous 'chat'. I think 14 stone would be ideal but boy can I feel the difference.
Wednesday 8th April
Body pump and RPM as usual. Good classes as usual. Really can't wait for the Easter weekend now.
Complete rest. I actually had a day's leave, as I had arranged a trip with the Sports & Social Club to see the musical Oliver. It was my intention originally to spend the day in London, but I ended up not bothering, for various reasons. Mainly, I can't afford it - the credit crunch has put an end to any unnecessary expenditure - but also I know I'd probably end up spending most of the day in the pub which is not ideal three weeks before a marathon.
As it turned out I had a most pleasant evening with my friends, and being the organiser meant I could choose who I sat with, which was Louise from my department, her boyfriend Ian, Tamara and her nine-year old son, Cameron, who I ended up entertaining during the interval.
Friday 3rd April
Complete rest. Came home from work and had a really good evening, watching England actually win a one-day international and winning a one-day series in the West Indies for the first time. Seeing my new facebook friend Andrew Flintoff take a hat-trick was just the icing on the cake really.
Saturday 4th April
Body pump and core work. Another day's rest might have bee sensible but I was bored of housework and missed out the leg tracks anyway. Plus it gave me an opportunity to learn the new routine.
Sunday 5th April
Competed in the White Horse half marathon, for the third year running. I've always liked the event, but never posted a PB, even though it is a PB course. Two years ago I was recovering from a PB effort at Bath the week before and last year I had tired myself out the week before trying to shed a few pounds.
I knew I would have to have a good time to beat my PB from Chippenham but was fairly confident I could do it. Indeed, I started strongly (too quickly as usual) but managed to maintain a sub 8-minute mile pace. The good news is, I felt comfortable doing it as well. Much more so than at Chippenham.
Where it all went wrong I don't know. I'm sure I passed the 12-mile marker in 1:33 so I was confident then of a 1:42 finish but somehow managed only 1:43:21, four seconds slower than my PB. I can only assume the heavy mileage caught up with me in that last mile.
That notwithstanding, I did feel strong most of the way round and had a pleasant day out. I love the event because it is such good value at £8 and the mug this year was a nicer design than the last two. I also bought a race t-shirt with the names of the runners which was great value as well for £5.
I stopped at the gym for a stretch, steam and shower and had a nice surprise when I bumped into an old friend, James Joel who I haven't seen for a couple of years. We exchanged numbers and will try to arrange a weekend in Bournemouth in the summer (where he lives) so that will be something to look forward to hopefully.
Monday 6th April
Nice steady run this evening, a bit further than usual at nine miles. I am definitely recovering better these days.
Tuesday 7th April
Lovely evening tonight so went outside for a speed session, did an 'old-school' sprints and hill session, 2 sets of 5 sprints and 5 hills. Even though my legs were tired I could tell I was quicker than I used to be. I weighed myself at the weekend and according to the dodgy scales am bang on 15 stone, so nearly 20 pounds lighter than when Ali and I had our famous 'chat'. I think 14 stone would be ideal but boy can I feel the difference.
Wednesday 8th April
Body pump and RPM as usual. Good classes as usual. Really can't wait for the Easter weekend now.
Wednesday 1 April 2009
New body pump release
Wednesday 1st April
New body pump tonight, and I like it. Squats - ok track, music a bit cheesy. Chest - good, like that there are no press-ups at the end. Back - similar to a lot of the old ones. Triceps - quite hard using the bar a lot again. Biceps - short and sweet. Nice. Lunges - good, like the mix of lunges and bottom half squats. Shoulders - a bit too much going on here perhaps, frequent changes between press-ups, the barbell, dumbbells and press-ups again. Abs - like it, some opportunities to make it harder for yourself.
Went for a run outside after the class, 5 miles nice and steady, about 45 minutes on my feet. It just made such a nice change to be able to run outside at that time and for it to still be light. British Summer Time rules.
Plan now is to rest until the White Horse half on Sunday (but may do the upper body part of pump on Saturday) as that will be the only flat half I'm doing before London (and probably until Chippenham in September) and my best chance of a PB. Wil then train hard up to and including the Easter weekend and then start to taper down towards the big day. Not long now.
New body pump tonight, and I like it. Squats - ok track, music a bit cheesy. Chest - good, like that there are no press-ups at the end. Back - similar to a lot of the old ones. Triceps - quite hard using the bar a lot again. Biceps - short and sweet. Nice. Lunges - good, like the mix of lunges and bottom half squats. Shoulders - a bit too much going on here perhaps, frequent changes between press-ups, the barbell, dumbbells and press-ups again. Abs - like it, some opportunities to make it harder for yourself.
Went for a run outside after the class, 5 miles nice and steady, about 45 minutes on my feet. It just made such a nice change to be able to run outside at that time and for it to still be light. British Summer Time rules.
Plan now is to rest until the White Horse half on Sunday (but may do the upper body part of pump on Saturday) as that will be the only flat half I'm doing before London (and probably until Chippenham in September) and my best chance of a PB. Wil then train hard up to and including the Easter weekend and then start to taper down towards the big day. Not long now.
Long knackering run
Friday 27th March
Complete rest. Had to take a half day leave and go to the Dentists' in Melksham for a check-up. Visited Dad while I was over there as well, and left with the usual food parcel. Came back to Swindon to watch the cricket and really, really wished I'd gone for a run instead.
Saturday 28th March
Wasn't sure what to do before or after body pump today but in the end I had a novel idea: a quick speed session on the treadmill. 1k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph each followed by 1k cool down. It felt a lot easier than usual, running at that pace, which can only be a good sign.
Did about 30 minutes of core work after the class so a quality session for a Saturday morning as it turned out.
Sunday 29th March
Long run today. Intention was to run an hour on the treadmill, then do the Swindon half route from the gym. Managed the first part but not the second. Ran up the railway path and down Marlborough Road but then wimped out of the original plan and instead ran back along Queens Drive, through town, towards Cheney Manor and along Akers Way before heading round the lake and back to the gym. So I still covered a good twenty miles plus.
The problem was, I just ran out of steam completely in the run outside. Maybe the heavy mileage, coupled with work, the book, and the stress of trying to find new lodgers is all starting to get to me. Maybe time to take a breather after the Downs challenge on 16th May and concentrate on shorter distances.
Monday 30th March
It was my intention to do an easy recovery run tonight but it transpired my old friend Nicole Cutting was covering RPM, so I did that instead. Apart from the obvious fact that it was nice to see her again, it probably wasn't a bad move as 45 minutes of easy pedalling probably got a lot of lactic acid out of my legs. Plus I managed to get my weekly food shop done and still be home by 8pm.
Tuesday 31st March
Another speed session tonight, wanted to make it a quick one as I was showing yet another potential lodger my gaff.
1k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes this time, I did the first two at 14.5kph then the next eight at 15kph. It was hard at first at that pace, but did seem to get easier. Maybe I just need to work on lengthening my stride. Aerobically it certainly didn't hurt as much as it used to.
I checked my weight on Saturday and according to the (admittedly slightly dodgy) scales in the back room I am 15st 2 pounds. My target (set by Ali O'Hara) is to get under 15 stone - 14 stone would be great, to go any lighter would mean having to lose muscle which I certainly don't want to do. So if I'm closer to a healthy weight that's probably why these sessions are easier.
Complete rest. Had to take a half day leave and go to the Dentists' in Melksham for a check-up. Visited Dad while I was over there as well, and left with the usual food parcel. Came back to Swindon to watch the cricket and really, really wished I'd gone for a run instead.
Saturday 28th March
Wasn't sure what to do before or after body pump today but in the end I had a novel idea: a quick speed session on the treadmill. 1k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph each followed by 1k cool down. It felt a lot easier than usual, running at that pace, which can only be a good sign.
Did about 30 minutes of core work after the class so a quality session for a Saturday morning as it turned out.
Sunday 29th March
Long run today. Intention was to run an hour on the treadmill, then do the Swindon half route from the gym. Managed the first part but not the second. Ran up the railway path and down Marlborough Road but then wimped out of the original plan and instead ran back along Queens Drive, through town, towards Cheney Manor and along Akers Way before heading round the lake and back to the gym. So I still covered a good twenty miles plus.
The problem was, I just ran out of steam completely in the run outside. Maybe the heavy mileage, coupled with work, the book, and the stress of trying to find new lodgers is all starting to get to me. Maybe time to take a breather after the Downs challenge on 16th May and concentrate on shorter distances.
Monday 30th March
It was my intention to do an easy recovery run tonight but it transpired my old friend Nicole Cutting was covering RPM, so I did that instead. Apart from the obvious fact that it was nice to see her again, it probably wasn't a bad move as 45 minutes of easy pedalling probably got a lot of lactic acid out of my legs. Plus I managed to get my weekly food shop done and still be home by 8pm.
Tuesday 31st March
Another speed session tonight, wanted to make it a quick one as I was showing yet another potential lodger my gaff.
1k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes this time, I did the first two at 14.5kph then the next eight at 15kph. It was hard at first at that pace, but did seem to get easier. Maybe I just need to work on lengthening my stride. Aerobically it certainly didn't hurt as much as it used to.
I checked my weight on Saturday and according to the (admittedly slightly dodgy) scales in the back room I am 15st 2 pounds. My target (set by Ali O'Hara) is to get under 15 stone - 14 stone would be great, to go any lighter would mean having to lose muscle which I certainly don't want to do. So if I'm closer to a healthy weight that's probably why these sessions are easier.
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