Nice and slow

I am running the Three Bridges relay tomorrow so best take it easy. I run the loop of Blackfriars, North Embankment, The Tower, Leadenhall Market and London Wall.

Yesterday I biked to and from work, and a punchy lunch time run all with a hang over. I could feel it in the legs. Got overtaken a couple of times by fat blokes. Knowing I have a job to do in the 3 Bridges, I let it go.

34" very slow but nice

Recovery Run?

It was the England Vs. Germany game the day before and I had a few drinks to get over it. So I would be crazy to do any exercise today. I therefore cycled to and from work and went for a run at lunch time.

Not too much to say on the run. Beautiful day, a loop down the Victoria Embankment, Charing Cross and back over Blackfriars. The first 20 minutes ran at looney pace and then I took it easy. Probably good practice for the Three Bridges.

33" fast then slow

Run home from work

I try and do it once a week but this has fallen into some disrepair lately with the amount of business I am under. As I approach my marathon attempt next April then it is something I will need to revive.

I set off in the new Asics Gel Race Shoes. Straight away my back starts hurting. I have had a sore back strangely since I gave up caffeine. I am sure the same thing happened last time. Strange. It's probably lugging the kids round in reality.

The otherside of London Bridge, I consider quiting and getting the train. This is the way I have always dealt with injury. Stop, clam, up and hold back. Recently I have been toughing it out and each time the injury has backed down.

In Bermondsey I take a short cut through a dodgy estate. At the barriers to stop cyclists (an effective narrowing) there is a local gang looking for trouble. They spot me, I quickly dodge left, hurdle war and fly off and top speed before any fun can begin.

The sore back is slowing me down. I can't effectively flick of the pavement. I keep going though. 9 minutes running, 1 minute walk break.

On the Old Kent Road there is a Brazilian Bar with a load of fans standing outside enjoying the sun after the Brazil Match. I dodge through them, and they seem friendly and good natured.

I tough it out up Beckenham Hill, dodging through the golf course, remembering the Beckenham 10k. Finally I reach my road and it is a gentle roll down hill to my house.

It is the first time I have run home to the new house. The time should be appalling as I have not been doing the long runs recently. My back was in pain the whole way and I had been doing the relatively easy 1 minute walk breaks. It was also one of the hottest days of the year. In the end the time was about usual.

I'd said to Sam at work that I was looking forward to this. Having carved out two hours to just relax, run and enjoy. And despite the back pain it was good.

Back to longer runs, it's good to be home.

18km 2"10

Worn out! Is it the coffee

I am feeling tired and considering going out with the running club for the mid-summers run tonight. This sounds like a little bit of running with some drinking.

I decide to go for a slow run in the aquas. I start off okay, down London Wall, The Tower, back along the river to Southwark Bridge. It is all fairly slow. Then I suddenly fatigue. I feel shattered. I struggle to drag myself back to the office.

In the end no mid-summers night party run. The kids are kicking off about going to bed and I do feel tired.

Not sure why so tired, possibly yesterday reps, or the quick hour on the bike to Biggin Hill the night before. Maybe it is the caffeine detox I am on(have just been having too much coffee lately. I think it may be causing me to struggle to get out of bed)

30 minutes, aquas, slow, fatigued.

Hill training in the city

When I was timer at the Hare and Hounds by Blackfriars Bridge I noticed two runners doing intervals. Starting on the VE embankment and then running up on to the bridge. The ramp providing a nice hill. Then a slow walk breaking into a jog.

I decided to give this a go. It takes me a minute to run to the top. Another two minutes to jog back. A ten minute jog there, 6 reps and a 10 minute jog back. A nice little workout. I also feel fast as I do them.

Only the pollution worries me!

40 minutes, hill intervals

Embankment intervals

With one eye on the upcoming races I go for a personal interval session. I gently jog down to Victoria Embankment. There I do 6 sets of 2 mins on, 30 second stand/walk, 30 seconds jog.

The weather is beautiful and despite the pain of the intervals it is still fun. I jog gently back. After a while I decide that. I can't be bothered with the gentle jog and pick up the pace.

A good start to some upcoming sessions of pain.

35 mins 6 2min intervals

In the flats

As much as I love running in the aqua shoes, they are tough on the feet in the concreted city. At the weekend I got some racing flats. These Asics Hyperspeed 4s have a gel layer. Richard at the running club has Asics Pirahnas which are similar but not gel. I bought them into work today with the explicit aim of trying them out at lunchtime.

I set off to do a loop down Victoria Embankment across Charing Cross Foot Bridge and back across the wobbly bridge and back to the office.

The first thing I notice is that my feet do not land as soundly as in the aquas. With no padding, when you land, you have landed. The gel absorbs your stride and you do a microseconds of wobbling until you are set. On thing I do notice is that I seem to be running fast. After a while my legs ache in some different places. Not sure on the gel and I wonder if the Pirahnas would have been a better choice. Still, early days.

On the Southbank I relent on the pace. Best to take it easy in the new shoes. The walkway around Blackfriars is a mess so I miss out the wobbly bridge and go back over Blackfriars instead.

At the end I am more tired than when I run in the aquas but less than other shoes. Without the constraints of a race it is hard to tell the effect on my speed.

Over the last few months my running style has changed. It seems remarkable that you can change something you have been doing for so long.

The two big races of the summer are coming up, Corporate Challenge and the Great City Run. Time to start increasing the interval training.

30"38 (20 mins fast,10 min medium)

Errands

I am the timer on Friday's Hare and Hounds and had to go and collect the stopwatch from Geoff at lunchtime. I decided to combine this with a run. I was going to go with PWR tonight but with Robyn starting work again and the world cup on, a lunch time run seemed better.

I go in the aquas and they feel as comfortable as they did yesterday. I meet Geoff at Tudor Street on the Victotlria Embankment and after a couple of minutes of chat I am off again.

Next errand, a headphone extension cable so that I can hear the football on my PC at work. I run back over to the electronics shop on the other side of Bishopsgate. A couple of minutes buying and I head back down London Wall to the office.

Running in the aquas gets easier and more comfortable and enjoyable each time.

25 mins in aquas, punctuated with two reasonable stops.

Recovery

Still felt exhausted from the Bluewater 10km when I woke this morning so there was no way I would be running today.

Lunch time and I decide to go running. I wear the aqua shoes knowing it will contain my pace.

It feels fantastic running in flat shoes. I run smoothly, quietly, floatingly with hardly any noise. I see my reflection in a couple of shop windows and like my form.

I run down to Blackfriars, down the Thameside Path, past the Tower and back down London Wall.

The whole way loving every minute. Running in these do not tire me. I couldn't race in the aquas so at the weekend I bought the flattest racing shoes the shop had to offer. They have "gel" but are flat. I can't wait to start working with them.

I really was sad as I made my way back to the office. Flat shoes, seem to mean elevated mood.

33" medium pace. Aqua shoes.

Bluewater 10km

By some bad planning it was England's first game in the world cup the night before this race. Lots of beer and BBQ food I tried to match each beer with water. In the morning I loaded up with sports drink. All not good for project 79.

It was too early a start for my family to support me and they are still in bed as I leave. I turn up at the car park at Bluewater but no fellow Petts Wood Runners to be seen. I wander round slurping sports drink. Eventually I head for the start. The time bandings are strangely close together the 55 mins right next to the 50 mins. And as I know, there is a gulf between those times. Eventually a group of 7 Petts Wood Runners gather. We chat and wish each other luck. It seems to be the trend that they just start these races with no warning.

I am wearing my light weight racing shoes but they are still very padded. After a couple of km my legs ache. I mostly wear flat minimal shoes now, maybe it is all the padding?

I have run this course previously, and even the organisers describe it as undulating so I take it easy. A smart move. Half way round I decide to focus on just getting round.

7km I see Emma in front. A club member who runs in the same group but is much faster than me. I feel encouraged. When I am not really pushing hard, hard, hard I avoid looking at the watch to prevent me giving up. 8km in and I sense the hills at are an end. I start to open up. My form is tidy and flowing. This is fun. I see a big hill but I can see we turn off before we go near it. Someone shouts
"Come on Petts Wood"
"Glad we're not going up THERE!"I reply
"You are!" they joke

The final couple of kms are straight and flat. I notice something I had never noticed before. When you ride a bike you learn that it is controlled from the hips, not the handle bars. It's the same with surfing, all in the hips. The best mental image is canooing. This is something I had never noticed with running. As I run I can feel something in my hips helping my legs turn over. It is early days but there is something in this. More playing with my form to investigate.

I keep pushing for the finish. 200m to go, I look to the sky and engage the sprint muscles. I jab the Garmin as I cross the line. Just past the finish I see the rest of the club for a quick chat. As I get back to the car all that energy drink and gels combined with last night has had an unfortunate effect on my gut. I sprint into Bluewater and only just make it to the toilet. The second race of the day! I spend the rest of the day "Uncomfortable"

A hilly course with less than ideal preparation. Yet still a pleasing time, well under 50 minutes. Last week the hills were bigger and it was a lot hotter I had run 53"

10km 49"15

Ahead of the World Cup

Bluewater 10km on Sunday so I want to take it easy today. To be honest, it's England Vs. USA in the world cup the night before so the time is not going to be good on Sunday.

Back to Today, and a loop down to Blackfriars, along the Thameside path, up at the Tower of London and back down London Wall.

All in all, a nice lunch time run at a reasonable pace. The footwear was my long time loved running shoes. To be honest the padding felt nice. As my feet become smarter I think I can run in the running shoes without spoiling my hard won gains from the minimal footwear. Just need to not get too comfortable.

With the World Cup, and yet some important. 5kms coming up I need to keep the training up and the beer down. Also, project 79.

28 mins @ a reasonable pace

Water fountain to Water fountain

There is a run I do on Hayes Common that starts from a water fountain, a run through the woods, round a water fountain on the far side of the common and back. Hence the name. I've tacked a little bit on the front to boost the length but in principle it is a raw concept.

The twist is that is a long slog uphill there and then downhill back. The hill is not that noticible until you run. And then you doubt yourself. Why am I so unfit? Why is this so hard? And then you reach the turn, and your spirit turns. The return journey you fly with ease. I have been running this route for ten years probably on and off (mostly off to be honest) and it is always the same. And I love it for that.

Today I do it as a late evening, kids in bed but before dinner run. It would have been easy not to do it, but I made time.

Today's footwear de jour? AstroTurf football shoes. Never thought I would go running in them. I find them a little too padded but reasonably flat.

The woods are beautiful and the birds delightfully noisey. It has rained earlier but now it is clear. In the end I am sad to get back to the car.

Sometimes life it feels like an uphill slog. But usually you are doing it for the delayed gratification of a downhill blast.

35 mins medium pace.

Project 79

On my lunchtime recovery run down to the Wapping canals I muse on how I could get faster. I weigh 86kg. According to BMI it should be 79 maximum. The lowest I have been as an adult is 81kg.

The wisdom appears to be 2 seconds a mile faster for each pound you lose. 7 kg is 15 pounds. So that would be 30 seconds a mile quicker. I know these things are not linear but that would knock 3 minutes off my 10 km time.

The question is could I lose the weight? My main weakness is that I like a beer. One you have had a beer then all you eating goes awry.

It has to be worth a go. And if not now then it will probably not happen. I have dubbed this project 79. I expect some foul moods from when I am hungry. I will need to stop finishing the kids leftovers. The cheese will need to be cut. The nightly twirls are probably a no-no as well. At least I am getting enough exercise.

The advantages are that it will be kinder to my knees. The hard part will be ensuring I get enough but not too many calories. I do believe in a set point theory. When your body sets on a weight it tends to hold it. I have been holding 86kg for sometime. Will I be able to shake the inertia?

I think some weight training would also help.

So here is to project 79.

I had been running down to the Wapping canals as I was in a bad mood. It is where I run with my bad moods. I run out of time before reaching Tobacco dock, the usual turning point. But maybe I have reached another turning point and I return with fresh vision.

40 minutes, half marathon pace (It was a tough race yesterday)

Beckenham 10km road race

I knew this would be hard having run half the course as part of the  
assembly league last year. I remembered the hill up to Ravensbourne.

I set off and it is already hot and humid. I set off fast and after  
2km realise I will not be holding this pace. I dig in over Beckenham  
Hill, already knowing this is going to be one of the days where you  
just are looking to finish.

On the second lap a female runner is holding my pace and we start the  
climb up to Ravensbourne. I feel like I am at walking pace but she is  
steadily and soundly dropped.

This is the end of the hills with around 3.5 km to go. I ease in to a  
steady pace and eventually start to relax and enjoy.

On the last 3km I start joking with the marshalls:
"You okay to wait while I bang out another couple of laps?"
Just past the McDonalds at Downham:
"I'd be okay if I hadn't stopped for a Mc Donalds"
The Marshall laughs and responds
"it was probably those 2 Big Macs that did it"

As I turn into the finishing straight some one is just in front of me.  
I decide to race them to the finish. I easily sprint past them with a  
typically strong sprint finish.

The time was not great and the course seems to be 150 meters short.  
Still hugely enjoyable and a good workout.

10km (9.85km really) 52"40

Beckenham Road 10km

I knew this would be hard having run half the course as part of the
assembly league last year. I remembered the hill up to Ravensbourne.

I set off and it is already hot and humid. I set off fast and after
2km realise I will not be holding this pace. I dig in over Beckenham
Hill, already knowing this is going to be one of the days where you
just are looking to finish.

On the second lap a female runner is holding my pace and we start the
climb up to Ravensbourne. I feel like I am at walking pace but she is
steadily and soundly dropped.

This is the end of the hills with around 3.5 km to go. I ease in to a
steady pace and eventually start to relax and enjoy.

On the last 3km I start joking with the marshalls:
"You okay to wait while I bang out another couple of laps?"
Just past the McDonalds at Downham:
"I'd be okay if I hadn't stopped for a Mc Donalds"
The Marshall laughs and responds
"it was probably those 2 Big Macs that did it"

As I turn into the finishing straight some one is just in front of me.
I decide to race them to the finish. I easily sprint past them with a
typically strong sprint finish.

The time was not great and the course seems to be 150 meters short.
Still hugely enjoyable and a good workout.

10km (9.85km really) 52"40

Lunchtime run today after a couple of days off from too much beer and cycling.

I go for the Nike frees. Yet they feel chunky and padded. I run down across Tower Bridge, down to the Wobbly Bridge and back via Bow Lane. The first 23 minutes are run very fast. Then I remember that yesterday I was fatigued, so best to take it easy.

I run the rest slower. The weather is nice. Someone posted on their Facebook today that it was "so much better today, than yesterday". Better, worse, fast, slow, padded, minimal. Everything is relative.

31 minutes, 23 fast, 8 slow. Around 6 or 7 km