Kielder 10k - 41:46
I ran the Kielder 10k today and got some pretty decent hillwork into the bargain. Before the event I'd consider using my 3 stage goal targets. However, because I'd heard the race was hilly I didn't want to set myself targets that would be blown away as soon as I saw the course. That turned out to be a good move because although I put a lot of effort into the run the constant undulations meant that I finished a good 3 minutes out side my 10k PB.
It was quite a small field and I was determined not to get carried away in the opening stages. The race started and I ran what felt like a comfortable pace. I didn't feel as if I was pushing it even though I was cruising along in 2nd place (some way behind the leader already). I checked my watch at the 1km marker and was dismayed to see 3:33. That's 35 min pace and way inside any realistic target. Too fast at the start again. I slowed down and was passed by a North Shields Poly athlete as I ran 4:02 for the next km. If I thought I'd settled into a steady pace I was wrong. The next kilometer was an absolute killer. I barely struggled inside 5 minutes and two more runners passed me on the way. As the other competitors went by me I didn't even try to hang on to them. My 10 week schedule included a 10k for today with a precautionary note of "not flat out". I perhaps used this as an excuse at times during the race when the going got particularly tough.
From there on in it was pretty lonely. On the long straight stretches I could see a couple of the lads up ahead without any real hope (or intention) of catching up to them. For the next 5k I churned out splits of between 4:00 and 4:30 depending on the topography. The early part of the race took in some nice views of the reservoir and then turned in to the forest. It was a pleasant course through the trees with the occasional stream gushing by. Unfortunately my aching leg muscles were commanding most of my attention.
The joy of seeing the 9km marker was briefly washed away by yet another uphill stretch. Happily this was followed by a long downhill towards the finish. As ever I summoned the strength for a fast finish (did I take it too easy during the middle part?) and ran a 3:38 for the last kilometre finishing 5th in 41:46. Terry and the kids were waiting at the finish for me which made it all the better. Elen bounded toward me at the end and was soon asking when she could run a race. The energy she has makes me think she's almost ready to make her debut!
There's a 10 miler in Hexham next week and although I haven't entered I'm considering making myself a late entry. It should be a good event to prime me for the GNR 3 weeks later.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Halfway there
Just over halfway into the 10 week plan. Things are going reasonably well although 1h 25m still looks like a pretty stiff target.
I switched my focus from the full marathon to the half because the training left me feeling drained and my runs were becoming one paced. During the first week of the new schedule I found it difficult to inject a bit of speed into my running. However, a session on the track soon solved that. It was just a short session but 3 x 1200m at 6 minute mile pace did wonders for my whole training plan.
Its hard to tell if a 1h 25m GNR is possible at the moment, but a couple of very good fast paced runs have given cause for optimism. Last week I ran a 5k in Newcastle's Exhibition Park. Using my 3 stage goal-setting plan I set myself the targets of
1) a new PB - (18m 57s)
2) sub 6 minute miling
3) sub 18 mins
It poured down with rain but there was very little wind so conditions were good for running. The field was stacked with good club runners and I got sucked into going off to fast at the gun. I battled hard to keep going but my pace slowed during the middle part of the race. I misjudged my surge for home and went off too quickly crossing the line eventually in 18m 18s, averaging 5:53 per mile. Overall quite pleased with my effort and achieving 2 of the 3 goals I'd set. Although sub 18 mins was a difficult target I think I could have got close to it with a more evenly paced run. In some ways I found the 5k a more difficult event than the half-marathon. With the longer event you sort of settle into a pace and try to maintain it, whereas in the 5k I just tried to push it all the way round. Given that its only the second time I've run in a race of this distance perhaps I'll find it easier with a bit more experience.
I switched my focus from the full marathon to the half because the training left me feeling drained and my runs were becoming one paced. During the first week of the new schedule I found it difficult to inject a bit of speed into my running. However, a session on the track soon solved that. It was just a short session but 3 x 1200m at 6 minute mile pace did wonders for my whole training plan.
Its hard to tell if a 1h 25m GNR is possible at the moment, but a couple of very good fast paced runs have given cause for optimism. Last week I ran a 5k in Newcastle's Exhibition Park. Using my 3 stage goal-setting plan I set myself the targets of
1) a new PB - (18m 57s)
2) sub 6 minute miling
3) sub 18 mins
It poured down with rain but there was very little wind so conditions were good for running. The field was stacked with good club runners and I got sucked into going off to fast at the gun. I battled hard to keep going but my pace slowed during the middle part of the race. I misjudged my surge for home and went off too quickly crossing the line eventually in 18m 18s, averaging 5:53 per mile. Overall quite pleased with my effort and achieving 2 of the 3 goals I'd set. Although sub 18 mins was a difficult target I think I could have got close to it with a more evenly paced run. In some ways I found the 5k a more difficult event than the half-marathon. With the longer event you sort of settle into a pace and try to maintain it, whereas in the 5k I just tried to push it all the way round. Given that its only the second time I've run in a race of this distance perhaps I'll find it easier with a bit more experience.
Friday, July 14, 2006
A shift in focus
In the previous entry I gave myself two weeks to decide whether to commit to the Robin Hood marathon in September. In reality it took less than a week to decide the race is not for me, not this year anyway. After running 49 miles in a week and a 16 mile long run I was suffering from burn out. The following week every run seemed like a chore and no matter what distance I ran it was a struggle even to maintain a 7:30 min/mile pace. The schedule called for 18 and 20 mile long runs in the following weeks and I just didn't have the energy to achieve this. I could keep training and run the race but hopes of a sub 3 hour time are just impossible dreams. I feel deep down it makes sense to target a fast Great North Run in October and shift my marathon focus to an event (hopefully London) next spring.
Its important to take some lessons from the last 6 weeks on the marathon training plan. 3 hours is a stiff target and I just didn't have the training base in which to maintain training at this level. I also ran most of my runs in a very narrow range in terms of pace. The tempo sessions were too slow and the long runs too fast. I never really put my faith in the schedule pacing guide and ultimately I think my long runs were taking too much out of me. Let's face it the World Cup and frequently watching matches with 2 or 3 pints of beer can't have helped my progress either. I need to maintain a healthy balanced diet and make sure that I get enough sleep during the week. Marathon training puts quite a strain on the body and I have to make sure that I take care of myself to achieve my targets.
A very relaxing family break in Wales in mid July helped me to recuperate and then it was straight back into the running. With 10 weeks until the Great North Run it made sense to follow Runners World's 10-week sub-1:25 half-marathon schedule by Bruce Tulloh. This plan puts an emphasis on fast-paced running and I'll have to work hard to make sure I can keep up the pace. At the same time I also have to understand that easy runs should be easy, and a time to recover from the harder workouts. 1 hour 25 minutes is another stiff target to set myself, but I think its best to aim high with a series of stepped targets beneath that. I'd be very pleased to set a new personal best in the GNR (1:26:33) and failing that my next target would to beat my 2004 time of 1:28:42. Bottom of the pile would be to rack up my 3rd consecutive sub 1:30 half marathon.
Its important to take some lessons from the last 6 weeks on the marathon training plan. 3 hours is a stiff target and I just didn't have the training base in which to maintain training at this level. I also ran most of my runs in a very narrow range in terms of pace. The tempo sessions were too slow and the long runs too fast. I never really put my faith in the schedule pacing guide and ultimately I think my long runs were taking too much out of me. Let's face it the World Cup and frequently watching matches with 2 or 3 pints of beer can't have helped my progress either. I need to maintain a healthy balanced diet and make sure that I get enough sleep during the week. Marathon training puts quite a strain on the body and I have to make sure that I take care of myself to achieve my targets.
A very relaxing family break in Wales in mid July helped me to recuperate and then it was straight back into the running. With 10 weeks until the Great North Run it made sense to follow Runners World's 10-week sub-1:25 half-marathon schedule by Bruce Tulloh. This plan puts an emphasis on fast-paced running and I'll have to work hard to make sure I can keep up the pace. At the same time I also have to understand that easy runs should be easy, and a time to recover from the harder workouts. 1 hour 25 minutes is another stiff target to set myself, but I think its best to aim high with a series of stepped targets beneath that. I'd be very pleased to set a new personal best in the GNR (1:26:33) and failing that my next target would to beat my 2004 time of 1:28:42. Bottom of the pile would be to rack up my 3rd consecutive sub 1:30 half marathon.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Off the pace
I rounded off my last blog entry with "Things are looking good at this point". Unfortunately two weeks later I can't really say the same thing. Last week was supposed to be an easier week, but I took this to the extreme. After running Monday and Tuesday I was exhausted on Wednesday and skipped a run. Thursday's planned run went out the window when the wife didn't get home from work until nigh on 9pm. Its not always easy to fit in time to run when you've got two young children. It was Terry's birthday on Friday and I took her away to the Lake District for the weekend. As the schedule proposed a 10k race on Sunday and I'd already completed the Blaydon Race two weeks earlier I decided this wouldn't harm my training all that much. In any case it was quite an active weekend with a 10 mile fell walk through the low clouds on Saturday.
I wasn't too concerned. It seemed a good time for recuperation and as long as I picked up the distance the following week then I'd be right back on track. An easy run on Monday was followed by a fast run home on Tuesday (9 miles, 1:02:17). Again Wednesday night proved difficult, falling asleep on the sofa at 6:30pm convinced me to skip the run. However, I managed to make this session up the next morning with a very slow 7 miles. Saturday was the day of England's (ultimately disappointing) World Cup quarter final. Terry went into work in the morning and I planned to run when she got home and before the match started. Unfortunately I was laying turf in the back garden and by the time I'd finished the lads were almost kicking off. Another run went by the wayside.
Sunday's run was crucial. A 16 miler that would take me up to a respectable 36 miles for the week. Heading out the door at 9am the sun was already beating down. I resolved to slow down my long runs as suggested in the schedule to between 7:15 and 7:30 mile pace. I started reasonably well, constantly around the 7:15 mark. After mile 6 things started to slow and by mile 10 7:30s were a struggle. It was getting really tough, but for the next 4 miles I managed to maintain a pace between 7:30 and 7:40. The hand held feed bottle I'd bought earlier in the week came in very handy, and even though it only holds 250ml, the slurps of Lucozade Sport were like gold dust in the latter stages. The final two miles were a real killer. The weather was very hot and I was running on empty. Mile 15 was run in 8:06 and I dreaded that final mile up the hill on Marine Avenue. I dug deep into my energy reserves and picked up the pace slightly to record an 8:01. I've rarely been so happy to finish a training run, coming home in 2:01:12 - 7:34 per mile pace.
I'm reaching the point where I really have to decide if I'm going to run Nottingham this year. Part of me thinks its too early to attempt a sub 3-hour marathon. Another part of me doesn't want to give up on it yet. I could lower my target and run the marathon anyway, but the whole point of completing this race was too guarantee a good for age place in next year's London Marathon. If I don't feel up to a sub-3 marathon maybe I should just concentrate on a PB in the Great North Run in October. I'll see how things go in the next couple of weeks. With scheduled long runs of 18 and 20 miles I'll get a good idea of what kind of shape I'm really in. Decision day has to be 16th July.
I wasn't too concerned. It seemed a good time for recuperation and as long as I picked up the distance the following week then I'd be right back on track. An easy run on Monday was followed by a fast run home on Tuesday (9 miles, 1:02:17). Again Wednesday night proved difficult, falling asleep on the sofa at 6:30pm convinced me to skip the run. However, I managed to make this session up the next morning with a very slow 7 miles. Saturday was the day of England's (ultimately disappointing) World Cup quarter final. Terry went into work in the morning and I planned to run when she got home and before the match started. Unfortunately I was laying turf in the back garden and by the time I'd finished the lads were almost kicking off. Another run went by the wayside.
Sunday's run was crucial. A 16 miler that would take me up to a respectable 36 miles for the week. Heading out the door at 9am the sun was already beating down. I resolved to slow down my long runs as suggested in the schedule to between 7:15 and 7:30 mile pace. I started reasonably well, constantly around the 7:15 mark. After mile 6 things started to slow and by mile 10 7:30s were a struggle. It was getting really tough, but for the next 4 miles I managed to maintain a pace between 7:30 and 7:40. The hand held feed bottle I'd bought earlier in the week came in very handy, and even though it only holds 250ml, the slurps of Lucozade Sport were like gold dust in the latter stages. The final two miles were a real killer. The weather was very hot and I was running on empty. Mile 15 was run in 8:06 and I dreaded that final mile up the hill on Marine Avenue. I dug deep into my energy reserves and picked up the pace slightly to record an 8:01. I've rarely been so happy to finish a training run, coming home in 2:01:12 - 7:34 per mile pace.
I'm reaching the point where I really have to decide if I'm going to run Nottingham this year. Part of me thinks its too early to attempt a sub 3-hour marathon. Another part of me doesn't want to give up on it yet. I could lower my target and run the marathon anyway, but the whole point of completing this race was too guarantee a good for age place in next year's London Marathon. If I don't feel up to a sub-3 marathon maybe I should just concentrate on a PB in the Great North Run in October. I'll see how things go in the next couple of weeks. With scheduled long runs of 18 and 20 miles I'll get a good idea of what kind of shape I'm really in. Decision day has to be 16th July.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Blazing Blaydon
My training has really taken off in the last couple of weeks, including a first competitive outing of the season at the Blaydon Race. As the song goes "I went to Blaydon Races, twas on the 9th June", which also happened to be the start of the World Cup. With the sun blazing I headed to the Crow's Nest to watch the first half of Germany v Costa Rica before heading doon the Bigg Market for the race. We don't get much hot weather in these parts so I'm reluctant to complain about it, but it didn't half make the race difficult.
I had set myself two targets, the first was to beat last year's time of 36:37 and the second was my PB for the race of 35:27. I knew that a PB was going to take a pretty special performance and these hopes all but disappeared with the hot weather on the night. With the evening sun beating down on my bald head I was never going to be able to maintain the required pace of 6:10 for the entire 5.73 miles.
It's a popular event and the first mile was the usual zigzagging through the crowds of runners and occasionally mounting the pavement. I clocked the first mile at 6:30, and then as the runners thinned out I hit a 6:10 for mile 2 followed by a 5:58 along the flat, straight stretch of Scotswood Road. It was at this point I started to feel the heat. We were running directly into the sun and negative thoughts started to enter my head, including "You're thinking of running a marathon later in the year? Are you crazy?". I battled hard to maintain my pace but mile 4 slipped to a 6:30 and mile 5 an even slower 6:37.
I knew the PB was long gone but hadn't bothered to calculate whether I was on target to beat last year's time. I just dug deep and pushed as hard as I could for the last three quarters of a mile. I was helped through this by another runner going about the same pace as I was. First I passed him, and then he came back and passed me. This continued right to the end of the race and it helped me to a time of 36:08. I spoke with the lad at the finish and we bemoaned the weather conditions. He then professed that perhaps he shouldn't have run so hard given that he was entered in a marathon the following day! Better him than me.
Can't say I enjoyed the race as much as usual, it was such a struggle to maintain my pace in the conditions. However, after the race I took satisfaction in my performance and already looking forward to next year. Reflecting on the race, I really need to work on my mental toughness. Often during races I let the pace slip during the middle to latter stages, but am still able to put on a spurt in the last mile. I need to work on maintaining my pace even when the going gets tough.
I gave myself a day off the following day, but returned to training on the Sunday clocking a 1:20:44 for 11.35 miles (7:07 per mile) in my long run. This past week I’ve managed to fit in plenty of World Cup watching with my training and ran a total of 49 miles across 6 runs. I rounded the week off on Sunday with a run of 13.35 miles in 1:35:15, an average pace of 7:08 per mile. Very pleased with this performance given the weather was warm again and I’d had a few bottles of beer watching the football on Saturday night. Things are looking good at this point.
I had set myself two targets, the first was to beat last year's time of 36:37 and the second was my PB for the race of 35:27. I knew that a PB was going to take a pretty special performance and these hopes all but disappeared with the hot weather on the night. With the evening sun beating down on my bald head I was never going to be able to maintain the required pace of 6:10 for the entire 5.73 miles.
It's a popular event and the first mile was the usual zigzagging through the crowds of runners and occasionally mounting the pavement. I clocked the first mile at 6:30, and then as the runners thinned out I hit a 6:10 for mile 2 followed by a 5:58 along the flat, straight stretch of Scotswood Road. It was at this point I started to feel the heat. We were running directly into the sun and negative thoughts started to enter my head, including "You're thinking of running a marathon later in the year? Are you crazy?". I battled hard to maintain my pace but mile 4 slipped to a 6:30 and mile 5 an even slower 6:37.
I knew the PB was long gone but hadn't bothered to calculate whether I was on target to beat last year's time. I just dug deep and pushed as hard as I could for the last three quarters of a mile. I was helped through this by another runner going about the same pace as I was. First I passed him, and then he came back and passed me. This continued right to the end of the race and it helped me to a time of 36:08. I spoke with the lad at the finish and we bemoaned the weather conditions. He then professed that perhaps he shouldn't have run so hard given that he was entered in a marathon the following day! Better him than me.
Can't say I enjoyed the race as much as usual, it was such a struggle to maintain my pace in the conditions. However, after the race I took satisfaction in my performance and already looking forward to next year. Reflecting on the race, I really need to work on my mental toughness. Often during races I let the pace slip during the middle to latter stages, but am still able to put on a spurt in the last mile. I need to work on maintaining my pace even when the going gets tough.
I gave myself a day off the following day, but returned to training on the Sunday clocking a 1:20:44 for 11.35 miles (7:07 per mile) in my long run. This past week I’ve managed to fit in plenty of World Cup watching with my training and ran a total of 49 miles across 6 runs. I rounded the week off on Sunday with a run of 13.35 miles in 1:35:15, an average pace of 7:08 per mile. Very pleased with this performance given the weather was warm again and I’d had a few bottles of beer watching the football on Saturday night. Things are looking good at this point.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
The trouble with running schedules ...
... is that they often don't fit in with your life schedule. With the Robin Hood Marathon in mind, I began the runners world 15-week marathon training plan. Now an immediate problem is that it calls for a 10k race in week 4, while I already have the Blaydon Race scheduled in for week 2. Alright, so I don't have to stick to the schedule religiously and can switch things like this around. The real problem is trying to fit everything in around the wife, the kids, the social life and most importantly over the next month or so the World Cup!
Things started well last week. I ran 4 times in 5 days from Monday to Friday, mixing things up with slower paced running and tempo runs. Then came the weekend. As preparation for the Blaydon race I wanted to do some six minute miling speed work. I headed to the track only to find it swarmed with some junior running club. Unperturbed I ran on down to the sea front to a spot where I could do my mile intervals. It was 2:00pm and perhaps the hottest day of the year so far. Needless to say things were tough. The first 2 of the 4 intervals went to plan (5:59 and 6:02), the third was a little slower (6:15) and the last was painful (6:35). After that I headed home to watch England demolish Jamaica 6-0 and then on to the Monkseaton Arms FC end of season night out. I picked up the Player of the Year award, with Colin Dougal deservedly voted Player's Player of the Year and Tatey the Top Goalscorer. After this we moved on up to the Quayside in Newcastle, where beer prices are extortionate and cleavage is always on show. I had a good night out, didn't go crazy and got myself home to bed around midnight.
I awoke on Sunday with a very minor hangover but very, very tired and decided to postpone the scheduled 10 mile run until later in the day. As the day wore on the more tired I became. I had every intention of running after the kids were safely tucked up in bed, but by the time 7:30pm came around I could keep my eyes open. Skipping one session a week might not do too much harm but when its the week's scheduled long run that's a recipe for disaster. Hopefully, this will be my first and last missed long run on the road to Nottingham.
One thing I've found useful in trying to fit in scheduled runs is to vary the time of day I go out. Running home from work has proved invaluable. Last Friday I tried another option, running during my lunch hour. There aren't any showers at work, but I planned a short, easy session and hoped a quick towel down afterwards and a splash of deodorant would disguise any lasting odours. I ran about 4 miles amongst the cows on Newcastle's Town Moor. There are a number of paths and I weaved around these until I came to a dead end. Not wanting to backtrack the way I came I headed off over the grass next to the fence and bounded along through the grass. That was until my feet became submerged in a swamp. Just a few feet earlier it had been firm ground but all of a sudden I was up to my ankles in mud, and by the smell of it an ample helping of cow turd. I clambered desperately over to the safety of the path but by then it was too late, my shoes were caked in mud, ditto for my socks and the back of my legs splattered as well. I headed back to work and spent the next half hour in the bathroom trying to wash myself down in the basin, threw my socks in the bin and tied my rampant shoes in a plastic bag before hiding them in the store cupboard until it was time to go home. I think we'll put that one down to experience.
Things started well last week. I ran 4 times in 5 days from Monday to Friday, mixing things up with slower paced running and tempo runs. Then came the weekend. As preparation for the Blaydon race I wanted to do some six minute miling speed work. I headed to the track only to find it swarmed with some junior running club. Unperturbed I ran on down to the sea front to a spot where I could do my mile intervals. It was 2:00pm and perhaps the hottest day of the year so far. Needless to say things were tough. The first 2 of the 4 intervals went to plan (5:59 and 6:02), the third was a little slower (6:15) and the last was painful (6:35). After that I headed home to watch England demolish Jamaica 6-0 and then on to the Monkseaton Arms FC end of season night out. I picked up the Player of the Year award, with Colin Dougal deservedly voted Player's Player of the Year and Tatey the Top Goalscorer. After this we moved on up to the Quayside in Newcastle, where beer prices are extortionate and cleavage is always on show. I had a good night out, didn't go crazy and got myself home to bed around midnight.
I awoke on Sunday with a very minor hangover but very, very tired and decided to postpone the scheduled 10 mile run until later in the day. As the day wore on the more tired I became. I had every intention of running after the kids were safely tucked up in bed, but by the time 7:30pm came around I could keep my eyes open. Skipping one session a week might not do too much harm but when its the week's scheduled long run that's a recipe for disaster. Hopefully, this will be my first and last missed long run on the road to Nottingham.
One thing I've found useful in trying to fit in scheduled runs is to vary the time of day I go out. Running home from work has proved invaluable. Last Friday I tried another option, running during my lunch hour. There aren't any showers at work, but I planned a short, easy session and hoped a quick towel down afterwards and a splash of deodorant would disguise any lasting odours. I ran about 4 miles amongst the cows on Newcastle's Town Moor. There are a number of paths and I weaved around these until I came to a dead end. Not wanting to backtrack the way I came I headed off over the grass next to the fence and bounded along through the grass. That was until my feet became submerged in a swamp. Just a few feet earlier it had been firm ground but all of a sudden I was up to my ankles in mud, and by the smell of it an ample helping of cow turd. I clambered desperately over to the safety of the path but by then it was too late, my shoes were caked in mud, ditto for my socks and the back of my legs splattered as well. I headed back to work and spent the next half hour in the bathroom trying to wash myself down in the basin, threw my socks in the bin and tied my rampant shoes in a plastic bag before hiding them in the store cupboard until it was time to go home. I think we'll put that one down to experience.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Over and out
It started with a goal in 2-1 defeat away to Valley Gardens Middle School back in September 1983. On Sunday, 23 years on, it all came to an end with another goal as we went down 4-2 to Choppington Bomar at the Foxhunters field in Whitley Bay. In all honesty I shouldn't have played. My groin injury has all but disappeared but there are still a few worrying twinges now and again. For us the game was meaningless, but for the opposition only a win would suffice if they were to clinch the league championship. If ever I needed convincing that it was time to retire then the first half provided the goods. A frustrating 45 minutes played in a howling gale on an awful pitch with a poor referee. We'd been no worse than the opposition but somehow had gifted them a three goal lead. Things got better in the second period and Mason pulled one back with a great strike from the edge of the penalty box. The Bomar started to look nervous, but a goalkeeping howler restored their three goal advantage. As the game wore on we started to play some decent football and I was desperate to get on the scoresheet one last time. Then as we entered the last ten minutes the ball was played up to Tate, who nodded it in the air and lined up a volley. However, before he could get himself into position I swooped in taking the ball off his toe. The defence were left standing and I advanced into the box before smashing the ball past the helpless keeper. The champions elect began to look edgy again. Things could have got even more interesting a couple of minutes later but after jinking past two defenders my shot went high and wide. And that was that, Choppington lifted the league title and my football career came to an end. After rejecting a couple of efforts to make me change my mind on retirement I headed home to prepare for the start of a 15-week training plan that will hopefully culminate in a sub-3 hour marathon in Nottingham on the 10th September. Injuries not withstanding I'm optimistic of success but only time will tell. It’s going to be an interesting summer.
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