End of a tough month

February is finally over, and the "tough" month I set myself too (tough by my meagre standards).

On Saturday I was going to do some marathon pace miles - but I just couldn't get my legs to move so ended up doing 9.5m in 7.30s.

Saturday night I had hideous amounts of beer and very little food, but still dragged myself out for a 645am fell run with Richard M. Was still drunk, but managed 12mile fell run across half the Ilkley skyline (ie Round Hill, Beamsley Beacon, Addingham and back).

So 47.5 (generally easy) miles for the week, making my 4-week Feb mileage 211 for the period (exceeding my target by 11).

Generally speaking, I'm fit and well - so have to very pleased with progress so far.

Is rain better than snow?

I guess if you are runner than it is.

This week has been a cut-back week although only cutting back compared to the previous three weeks. It is still a big week compared to what I was doing before Christmas.

Monday was complete rest, Tuesday a steady 8 miles, Wednesday track (5X800m;2x400m;5x800m) 7 miles in total incl warm-up, Thursday 12x400m easy-ish efforts - 6m in total; today an easy 5m. 26m in total for the week.

So I just need to do 10.5m or more over the weekend to hit my target of 200 for the month.

There are lots of races to be had this weekend - Snake Lane - a local 10 miler, Noonstones fell race and the Nationals XC in nearby Roundhay Park.

But for me it will be a 12-15m tempo run tomorrow followed by an steady plod round the moor with R at stupid o'clock on Sunday morning.

Back to Narnia

After a 4m recovery run yesterday, I had planned a longish run today with David B, a fellow Harrier who is doing Boston Marathon in April.

When I woke at 7am, there had been some overnight snowfall, and it was still coming down.

But the conditions weren't at all bad, and of course it looked amazing around Bolton Abbey and through Strid Woods.

My legs were tired from the start, but I struggled round and even survived one fall on an icy patch. Another 18.5 in the bag.

Garmin details here

Week 3 stats:
Miles: 60.5 (163.5 for month)
Weight: I think I'm getting heavier as I'm eating so much !
Units of alcohol: not as many as I would have liked
Injury count: everything hurting but still ok

Another tough (slow) one

Wasn't sure what to do today - I was thinking that a steady medium one with a few MP miles in the middle would be just the trick. But it was cold and windy and I never seemed to get warmed up as I ran along the undulating back road into Otley through Denton.

As I turned at Otley to come back via Burley, the cold westerly hit me hard. I couldn't find my mojo to try and pick up the pace. Ended up doing a slow 14.5 miles in around 8 min/mile ave pace, which is about the slowest average I've ever ran.

Not sure why it wasn't there today? After resting yesterday (or at least not running) I thought today I might feel fresh. But perhaps the accumulation of several hard weeks (by my standards) are catching up with me. But I "listened to my body" and now feel pleased I didn't force it.

Track Again

Another tough session tonight. Legs already tired from 40 miles in the previous three days, but wasn't going to miss it. Not many from the Ilkley/Otley clubs - 6 of us in total plus Coach Andy.

After a warm up and some strides, we had 6 minutes to see hard far we could go. I managed 1.1 miles, averaging 5:26 mins/mile. I wonder how close I could get to a 5 minute mile on fresh legs?

We then had 5 x 1km efforts at 5k race pace, with 200m jog recoveries. My times/ave pace/ ave hr was as follows:
00:03:39 05:48 161
00:03:37 05:46 161
00:03:35 05:38 162
00:03:38 05:41 161
00:03:32 05:36 165

So pretty consistent, if anything getter better.

Overall covered about 7.5 miles for the old mileage tally.

Garmin details here

Langbar - an old friend

Opted for another slow steady one today - one of my favourite stretches of road around here - the climb we call Langbar.

Of course I'm more more used to it on a bike - I've done it maybe a hundred times, including at the end of the White Rose sportive ride as a classic end to a long hard ride.

Not sure it is any harder when you are running, certainly the downhills are tougher, and today I chose to take it really steady going down to avoid any problems with my tired legs.

All in an all a very pleasant run - plenty of lambs out in the fields at the farm at the top on the way down (they always seem to have the earliest lambs of the season).

Another 10.5 miles in the bag, and hoping to summon up some speed for the track tomorrow.

Garmin details here (although battery expired on the way back in)

Another Recovery

Half-term this week, and I have the ultimate pleasure of spending the week with the family as I have taken the week off work.

Lots of family activities and jobs around the house to do, but today I sneaked in a little 5.5 mile "2 bridges" recovery run. My legs are the best they've been after a long run, although I took it very steady, covering the undulating 5.5 mile circuit in 45.42.

I'm going to delay my midweek 13 mile tempo run till later in the week, and maybe just do another steady one tomorrow. I may even go off-road although conditions up on the moor won't be ideal (low cloud and rain, and very boggy).

Garmin details here

24 miler to Arthington and back

Friday saw me finish the working week with 2 x 2.5 mile runs. I had to take the car into the workshop for some maintenance, so had to then get the few miles to the office. I was hoping to go longer on at least one of the journeys, but just didn't have it in me.

I decided to rest Saturday (well, at least not run), and so prepare for today's long 'un.

It was a trip down to Arthington Church again, the now familiar route. I'd been hoping that I could achieve a consistent pace for today's run of about 7:30 min/mile, as this was the long run pace suggested by Daniel's VDOT data.

I must admit that by mile 4 I was already feeling tired - my legs suffering from what for me has been a big mileage week. I thought of turning and heading home then, but decided that would psychologically be a disastrous move, so ploughed ahead.

Got to the turn point at 12m in 01:29:26, ave pace 07:26, with ave HR of 149 (75% max), so spot on.

I started slowing from about 15m, but unlike the 22-miler a fortnight ago with Andy, today I managed to stay running rather than shuffling all the way home. Did the second 12 in 01:35:54, ave pace 07:59 with ave HR 150.

Really happy with this better consistency of pacing compared to any of my previous long runs. The aim is to do these 24miles in 3 hours in a fortnight's time.

Garmin Details here

So after week 2 of my "hard" training month, my stats for the week are:
Miles: 57 (the most ever in my life)
Weight: 11st 0
Units of alcohol: only 5,
Injury count: everything hurting but all ok!

Recovery Malarkey

After the Marathon Talk at the club on Tuesday, it became apparent that the other element that is missing from my regime are recovery runs on my "rest" days.

So today, after last night's tough track session I poodled round a 5 mile course in about 40 minutes.

I don't think it made my legs feel any better though, but one has to try these things, especially when the weight of human knowledge is against my theories.

Tomorrow...wait for it...I'm going to run twice in one day!

Tough Track Session

Despite the snow flurries and ice on the track, tonight's Carnegie session was on.

Not that many there to enjoy Pete's 9km of tough efforts.

3x700, 3x900, 5x300m, 5x500m, 1x400m

each with just a 100m jog recovery in between

..done at 10km pace (for us about 5.40-5.55 min/mile) with the 300s faster at 59s and the 400 at about 75s.

Garmin details here

With 1 mile warm up before and after that's 9 miles of running with 9k of hard efforts.

All niggles feel fine.

Shipley - Leeds #2

Failed to run yesterday as a long day at work prohibited me getting the opportunity. This perhaps wasn't a bad thing as I have some key sessions coming up this week and with my knee worries an extra day's rest was called for.

So this morning was the second of my 13 mile midweek runs from Shipley to Leeds on the way into work.

When my alarm awoke me at 6.05, and I looked out see a dark, cold and windy morning, I did think for a moment about getting back into my warm bed. But I decided it was a session I needed to do.

So after a bike ride down to the station, I hopped on the train, getting off at Shipley at about 7.15.

I'd modified my iPod playlist after last week's run - this time giving it a little more thought. The plan was to start with some melancholic wistful favourites to bring some focus to proceedings. So an eclectic mix of The Pogues, Kanye West and Vivaldi (Winter from the 4 seasons) set me off at a steady pace.

I then had Oasis "Don't look back in anger" to catapult me from the downbeat and kick start my efforts.

I had good solid block of dance anthems and I "locked and loaded" a good marathon pace and stayed with it.

I wasn't watching the Garmin too much but whenever I caught a glimpse of the pace it was 6.xx so felt I was going well.

I was now enjoying a glorious sunrise and the Stone Roses, more Oasis, and some other anthemic rock tunes saw me through the back half of the run.
I eased off a little for the last few miles, and overall for the 13.1 route I completed in 1 hr 31min. This would have been a PB a few years ago so felt really happy with that. Both knee and groin had no soreness, so all in all, probably my best training session for a while.

Mile splits:
8.11
7.17
6.48
6.40
6.39
6.53
6.47
6.43
6.52
6.44
6.42
7.10
7.03

Yorkshire Vets XC and a busy weekend

Have finally found a moment to sit at the PC to try and catch-up with the last few days and to complete my first week of "real" training.

The weekend has been a hectic mix of kids stuff (football matches, school discos, birthday parties, ballet lessons...) and our stuff (Ilkley beer festival, birthday parties...).

On the running side, I managed another steady 7 miles with R on Friday. Yesterday I felt tired but had entered Yorkshire Vets XC Champs and so lined up along some of the county's best to do a 10k 4-lap circuit of Graves Park in Sheffield. I tried to run it as a negative split, and for once didn't go haring off. I felt like I was running strong for the duration, even putting in a big last lap to overtake 4 of my rival V40s to take 9th V40 overall. I was well chuffed with this as I had not tapered or rested for it so was running on tired legs.

There was not a large turnout of Harriers, but our V60 took 3rd place, with Geoff Howard getting 2nd V65.

After far too much beer last night at the local beer festival, I ran a 10k loop to Addingham with my wife today as a nice recovery.

Lots of other Harriers racing this weekend, with the Wadsworth Trog, Rombalds Stride, Dewsbury 10k amongst others.

So after week 1 of my "hard" training month, my stats for the week are (in the style of Bridget Jones) :
Miles: 46
Weight: 11st 1
Units of alcohol: only 12, but at a single sitting!
Injury count: just watching my left knee still

So far so good.

Muddy towpath

Back on the L-L canal again today with Richard. Neither of us fancied intervals and conditions underfoot were wet and slimy after yesterday's snow.

Instead we opted for a tempo run round our 10k route including one big climb out through Gotts Park. Despite my knee being "present" all morning, it felt fine during the run so after the hill I chose to up our pace to marathon-pace (which is Richard's half-marathon pace).

I half-wheeled him all the way back so he was constantly chasing me - this is good practice for him for hanging-on in races, but far less sociable than normal!

We knocked almost 2 mins off our time from last week (which we thought was a good time), and over 90 secs over our fastest across that course, ran in much better conditions.

So a very encouraging run. But in the afternoon, my knee, and most of my left leg was still feeling "fizzy".

I'm still hoping that it is just the accommodation of my joints to the increase in training and will settle down soon, but I am monitoring very closely. No long run this weekend, just a XC on Saturday, and an easy recovery run with my wife on Sunday.

Snow stops play again

Some late afternoon snow saw a last minute decision to cancel the track session today - rather a disappointment as I could have run at lunchtime instead. But these things can't be helped, and on the positive side, the extra day's rest will allow the slight pain above my left knee to settle a bit further.

It would have been wise to rest anyway today, although the chance to burn it up on the track is something I can't resist. The knee niggle seems a direct result from Saturday's run, and I think is just pot-run tiredness rather than anything more sinister.

So have so far ran 20 miles in the first 3 days of my "challenge".

Shipley to Leeds 13m #1

So today was day 2 of my new February plan, and when my alarm went off at 6am I did seriously think about staying in bed.

But I was up and out after some porridge and tea, cycling down to the station to catch the 650 to Shipley.

It was still dark at that time, and even when I got off the train at Shipley daybreak was only just appearing.

My plan was to to try for a 3 mile warm-up and then 10 (or as many as possible) miles at marathon pace (MP). After my easy 3 miles, I had a short stop (ahem), and then set off at 6.50 pace. The conditions underfoot on the canal towpath are not ideal - either uneven and rocky or slimy and muddy. I managed 4 at MP before deciding that I wasn't going to continue at that pace and easing off. I did 1 mile easier, then another faster (about 6.30), I then slowed again for 2 and then a further 0.5 mile at pace before a few miles warm down.

All in all it was a good session, and my plan is to continue with this session once a week. It was a "toughening" session too - cold, wet, lonely, dark - but one to focus on the what,why and how's of life.

Garmin details here, but splits summary as follows (efforts in bold):
1. 3.8 miles, pace: 7:46, ave HR: 144
2. 4 miles, pace: 6:49, ave HR: 163
3. 1 mile, pace: 7:54, ave HR: 155
4. 1 miles, pace: 6:27, ave HR: 168
5. 2 miles, pace: 8:23, ave HR: 153
6. 0.5 miles, pace: 6:45, ave HR: 164
7. 0.75 miles, pace: 8:08, ave HR: 154

Now the training starts

After Saturday's exertions on my 22-miler, and in particular the falling to pieces over the last few miles, I have decided to listen to the wise counsel from Andy from Embsay, and try and do some more training.

We have now entered February, a splendidly shaped 4-week month, and even blessed by the 1st being a Monday. There is such beauty in that calendar pattern that I feel drawn to do what I have not so far done - count miles.

So my target for the month (ie the 28 days, 4weeks or 1 lunar cycle), is to run 200 miles.

I'm going to add a key midweek run to complement the Wednesday track session and my weekend long-run-or-fast-race.

So tomorrow I will be catching the 0650 to Shipley, and then enjoying the 13 mile run to my office. 3 miles at perhaps 8 min mile pace, a short stop should I need to (ahem), and then 10 glorious marathon-paced miles at 6:50.

I will have the Garmin, a slight downhill and a moderate tailwind. Heck, I will even take my iPod and finally get to listen to the 90 min playlist called "Shipley-Leeds" that I designed several months ago but have never used.

I ran a little loosener (7 miles for the Feb count) today with Richard, feeling strong and running a nice negative split.

On Andy's blog I have been nick-named "The Afterburner" - sounds impressive but all too true - a blast of acceleration early on, a sustained pace but then when the fuel has all gone, I fall into a crumpled heap.