Back and injured

The ankle has been sore. Me-being-me I can't resist a lunch time jaunt down the Embankment. But my ankle is sore and not right. I could run a marathon on it, but it would be messy.

Spring is here, and I'm fretting on the ankle.

5km 30mins

Back and Running

A couple of evenings of muscle icing lay behind me. I was tempted to go out with the club last night but my wife talked me out of it, suggesting a little more rest.

Today I feel much better. Nothing in the Hamstring and not much wrong with the ankle. The problem with being injured is that you become hyper-sensitive to every ache and pain. Is the feeling in my ankle injury or usual ankle-random-weirdness which I would ignore?

At lunch time I run to St. Katharine's dock and back. I knew it would rain today but the further I get into the run, the heavier it gets. Still, it's good to be running.

It's hard to tell how much fitness I have lost with my time off. However the pace felt satisfactory. Hamstring is back to full fitness. Ankle has weirdness but it probably always has. I could run a marathon with it.

The sub 4-hour marathon is definitely back on. The thoughts are now to what running to do before the big day. I don't want to risk injury but I don't want to lose my edge. Hmmmmmm

5km 29mins

Broken

The ankle has been hurting and the hamstring awkward. This is potentially disastrous for the marathon.

I have been resting since last Tuesday's gentle jog with the club. Today, I decide to test out the body with a gentle lunchtime run.

I head down towards Blackfriars and straight away it does not feel good on both the ankle and hamstring. I hope to run them off but they stay with me all the way down the river to the Tower of London.

The body may be broken, but I am still nimble as I dance through the crowd at Leadenhall. I slink dispirited back down London Wall.

The run and the lovely spring day was the easy bit. The worry of the ankle and the hamstring the hard bit. A visit to the physio is on the cards.

5km 30 mins.

PWR Recovery Run

I decide to follow Martin's advice of taking in a recovery run after the weekend's action. So tonight I run with PWR. I toy with group 1 to keep it really slow, but in the end decide that group 2 at 9.5 min miles will meet my needs.

And it's a good steady, even run. We go up over Summer Hill and back round to Petts Wood. I have a good chat with Laura, who is running though her early pregnancy. I then sit middle of the pack for a steady run. The group has a good friendly atmosphere.

I'm in the aquas to help massage the legs. The legs feel fine but there is a persistent pain in the ankle. I could run the marathon with it, but best keep an eye on it.

I do like the social aspect of running a club, and tonight was a great social run

5.1 miles 56:47

Sore legs at the Reading Half Marathon

This was my race for 2010 and I trained and focussed on it. This year it is a step on my way to the sub-4 hour Brighton Marathon.

But I've been training hard and am in good shape. As you can see from the blog, I have not run at all this week as I have been recovering from the Dunsfold 20.

The start of the race is really well organised. People are put in ability bands. This year I have moved up a band and into the band below elite (Sub 1:45)

The race starts late (sounds like problems on the course). It is crowded at first but I soon settle into my 4:45 target pace as the field spreads out. I have already scouted out the race profile. The first 3 miles are uphill, then flat until 5.5 miles and then 2 miles of climbing. From there it should be all downhill.

The first 3 miles I manage to keep the pace at 4:45. I can afford some slippage and make it up later. But I don't slip. There is a problem though. My legs hurt. In reality I don't think I have recovered from last weeks Dunsfold 20. My hamstring really hurts. I consider stopping to prevent injury ahead of the marathon. I decide to keep going.

I keep clinging on to the 1:45. I know that if I can make the 7.5 mile point it should be easier. But it doesn't get any easier. Around 8 miles the pace seems to be slipping. The mind is willing, the lungs are powering but the legs are rebelling.

At around 10 miles, I stop looking at the Garmin and decide to run pace-blind and just as hard as I can. After the ultra-marathon I'm tougher. I can keep going. But when your legs aren't obeying orders, it doesn't matter how mentally strong you are.

As I near the stadium some idiot, talking on his mobile phone swerves in front of me almost taking me out. I don't know if he was alerting people in the stadium to his approach. The legs are already in a bad mood and having to swerve round him really annoys the legs. I give him a volley of verbal abuse. He looks shocked. And so he should.

Into the stadium I am able to construct a sprint until I make the line. I look at the time. It is faster than last year by a couple of minutes. I should be happier but I have been working so hard this year, I feel it could have been better. Still it's a PB.

I had not run at all this week, but was still jaded. I need to get my legs back and working before the Brighton Marathon.

When the results come out I finish 2196/12483 which pleases me.

13.1 Miles 01:41:22 (PB)

Dunsfold Spitfire 20

I pick Liz up as arranged at 7:15am. She is a good companion is happy to talk running and marathon like only another runner could. We are on the way to the Spitfire 20 miler.

We arrive at Dunsfold airfield and prep our kit. I was always going to run just in my vest and I brace myself for the cold.

They don't stand on ceremony at the start and unexpectedly the hooter sounds and we are off. I had decided to run this event at 3:30:00 marathon pace (5min /km or 8min miles)
I had a strange strategy for this race: I had wanted to blow-myself up, to really suffer pain and misery. This way I would not make the same mistake in the Marathon. The 5min pace would be a 3:30:00 marathon. A target maybe one day, but not really something I could do quite yet.

After a km I am easily warm enough in just my vest. I have my Piranha's on and it will be interesting to see how comfortable they are after 20 miles.

After a few km a lady runner from another local club goes past and (to me) patronisingly says:
"Keep going Petts Wood!"
This annoys me. She is wearing some distinctive clothing(which I will not divulge) which means I can easily identify her. I follow her for another 15 miles, before passing and dumping her. I am medalled up, having a drink by the time she eventually struggles home.

Most of the first lap I am comfortably sub 5 minutes. The last couple of miles are a lot harder. The second lap I struggle and then really blow. The sub-5 minute km average pace drifts out to 5:03. A couple of the bigger hills really take it out of me. However after the ultra-marathon I am stronger, I am more robust. I can switch off, and just keep running. And that is what I do. I keep going, not necessarily enjoying and experiencing, more detached and relentless.

I run past the Compasses pub, on the edge of the airfield. I had noticed this on the first lap and knew that when I reached it on the second lap I would be home.

At the finish I manage an extremely strong sprint given where I have been. I am surprised the second half is not ran massively slowly than the first half.

I go back to get changed and pick up my recovery drink. I make it back to the start to see Liz come home. I bellow at her to get her over the line and she does a decent sprint. Some fellow spectators look shocked. Alas she is 20 seconds outside her time for last year.

I had really enjoyed this run last year. This year it was okay. There was not enough water. They handed water out in little plastic cups which were half full. For a decent race you need bottles. The other problem (not the organisers fault) is the lack of supporters. I like running in front of a crowd as it keeps you going. There is no crowd at this event.

The Pirahna's were fine and I will definitely wear them for the Marathon. The sickly, sweet gels had not given me much of a boost and after the run I just feel slightly sick.

I had suffered, and struggled but it was over 14 minutes faster than last year. I set myself up to learn a lesson about pain and suffering. It's the Reading Half Marathon next week, then a couple of weeks later the Brighton Marathon. That is going to be the dream race.

20 Miles 2:41:40 (pb)

Park run jog

I'm doing the Spitfire 20-miler at Dunsfold tomorrow. I wasn't even planning to do this Park Run but in the end I couldn't resist.

I am disciplined and jog slowly. Eventually Karen from the club catches up to me. She is pace leading the 26 minutes group. Not sure I was even planning to run as fast as that. I end up chatting away to Karen about marathon training and the like. After a while her group starts to drop so she goes back to try and push them on.

I continue at a steady pace. I had decided to ditch the coat at the start and had been initially chilly but by the finish it is a lovely spring day.

In the final run-in I can't turn of my competitive instinct. I decide to sprint and catch a couple of the runners in front (much to their surprise)

A gentle jog on a glorious spring day. Once this marathon lark is out of the way I am determined to come back and give park run a really good crack.

25:15 5km

Quick and Slow at the club

Tuesday night and I'm out with the club. I'm a little tender after last night spent quaffing large quantities of Champagne that my work running club had won over the year.

All day I ponder which group to run with. I rule out 5 and wonder whether it should be 3 or 4. I am also doing the Dunsfold 20 miles on Sunday.

In the end I go with group 4 lead by Emma (instead of James this week) I sit at the front as Jerry torments Emma. The pace is inconsistent and the people at the back struggle.

I then decide to drop to the back of the group and skulk there for a while. I soon move back up through the group.

We go past Jerry's house, Chislehurst Station, and then eventually we come to Summer Hill. A few people go off the front, I'm slow to react but then keep going and fly up the hill.

I drop to the back of the group again. Emma says that the run up Southborough Lane can be done at your own pace. I sink back to the slowest runner. Last night starts to catch up with me and I think about Sunday. Then I decide to go for it. I massively pick up the pace, fly through the spread-out pack and sit at the front. I then slow again and finish at a medium pace.

It was a good decision to run with group 4. Apart from a few crazy charges of my own instigation it was an easy pace.

10.69km 57:52 (5:24/km)

Run to work, not quick but PB!

I was going to go running early with Jerry yesterday morning, but in the end took the kids swimming. This meant today I was due a longish run so I decided to run to work.

I wake up and my legs feel tired. Fortunately I have packed all my kit the night before which spurs me on to get going.

Unlike most runs which are a fixed distance I have special rules for what I consider a PB for the run to work. Short cuts are all fully allowed. It's a point to point race as quickly as possible. Because going down into the Thames valley is downhill I have a separate record for to and from work.

I have recently identified a short cut across Beckenham Place Park. This probably knocks off a km from the run. However the park is shut at night and the last few times I have had to slog over Beckenham Hill and round the park.

This morning it is light and the park is open. However I am struggling and I'm not enjoying my running. I crack on and keep going. The nearer I get to the city the easier it gets.

By the time I cross London Bridge, I am flying again. I gradually chip away at the average pace figure on the Garmin and zoom to the office, weaving through the crowds.

When I arrive at work I realise it is a PB. The short cut is pretty effective, if I can PB off a poor running performance.

16.5km 1:37'00 (5:52/km)

Park Run Fun

After yesterday's run home and a few beers last night I decide to take it easy today at park run.

I have hat, coat, glove and unusually even my Ipod. I run fairly easily most the way round. It is cold and I can feel yesterday in my legs.

As I near the finish line I see some people start to spring behind me. I don't like being beaten so I put in a sprint comfortably seeing them off. I cross the line a whisker over 23:00.

At the start of Park Run it took me ages to beat the 23:00 mark on a full course. Now days on a gentle easy run I am cruising 23:00. When the weather warms up and the ground firms up and the marathon is out the way it will be interesting to see how fast I can go.

23:02 5km

Run home as it gets colder

I plotted to run home tonight. So after I had done my day's work I donned the aquas and set off on the run home. I had a couple of glasses of red wine last night and have felt a little sluggish today.

I run through Peckham High Street and it is still thronging. The first hour is hard. Especially up Peckham Hill.

As I run through the back streets of Peckham, I see a girl, of maybe 22 years, sitting crying on the kerb side. I stop to check that she is okay but she refuses help. She seems to have hurt her ankle and blames her "drunken" friend. In the end I get her moving off home. I set off again, wondering what I should have done. I see a Police van so I stop to see if the occupants are around but after a couple of minutes none appear. I run off, wondering what I should have done the whole way back.

Sunddenly after about 50 minutes my fitness kicks in. At the moment I struggle at the start of runs, and then at the 1 hour mark it all become easy. Brockley is the high point (in terms of altitude of the run) and while not downhill, it does become easier after this.

Initially my legs were a little sore from running in the aquas, but now I am moving effortlessly. I continue to pickup the pace most of the way home and start to enjoy. I fly up Beckenham Hill, somewhere I have previously struggled. Once it is light I will be able to cut through Beckenham Place Park, saving this big hill and maybe half a mile.

Since darkness fell it has been getting colder and colder. I look forward to getting home and out the cold!

I turn down my road and home. The first time I ran home from work I had to go straight to bed. These days, I run home fast, virtually barefoot and hardly notice it.

17.7km 1:46'27

Bad mood

I am in a bad mood. Work in particular is irritating me. At lunch time I decide to fit in a quick run.

I decide to run down the Embankment towards Waterloo Bridge. I start off fartlek-style. Zooming in and out of the crowds. I run like a man possessed. After a km or so I calm down. My furious style has abated a little. I reach Waterloo Bridge and turn back.

I return back to the office, ready to reignite the fury.

On Thursday I had ran this same route, gently, gently in 30:00. Today, running semi-normal but no way pushing it (apart from the 1st crazy km) I did it in 22:21.

4km 22:21 In a fury

Group 5+

After last nights return to form, I decide to go out with group 5 at the club. It is advertised as 8-8.5 minute miles. At the weekend there had been a number of good performances by club members at the Tonbridge Half Marathon.

Tonight we run down to the Keston Mark. A couple of guys at the front keep pushing. The pace seems faster than meant to be. John stops to do his shoe lace and I joke to everyone that we should quickly rush off. John is easily fast enough to catch up.

Then disaster. My shoe lace comes undone. I have to stop. My cold fingers struggle to undo and retie the laces. All the time the rest of the group streak off. I chase after them and eventually battle my way back to the middle of the group.

We run the through the large houses of Farnborough Park. The fast guys at the front take a wrong turn and go a couple of 100 meters off track. This gives a chance for me to push at the front and reset the pace. The last mile or so the pack splits. For the first time I'm not struggling.

The last couple of hundred meters I really sprint hard. I am surprised how fast I go.

I have my non-gps stopwatch on, so I know how long I ran for, just not the distance. Someone tells me it is 12km. Based on that pace I would have run a 1:42 half marathon. My PB is around 1:42. Training runs are never as fast as races...

I've definitely recovered from the ultra and am on track for the marathon.

12km 58:10 (4:50/km)