A rob-less interval session

No Rob W or Rob B at the interval session tonight.  Just me and Jenny from the usual team.
The session tonight is 1600m, 400m recovery.  3200m, 800m recovery, 800m, 400m recovery and 800m.  I get there early and run a few warm up laps.

We then get into it and bang the out.  Possibly with the marathon training I get stronger as time goes on.  We do some warm down laps, a little bit of stretching and then off to enjoy the feeling of satisfaction.

1x1600 (400 recovery), 1x3200 (800 recovery), 1x800(400 recovery), 1x800

Run home from Canary Wharf, alone on the edge of a bonk

Paul is still out so I do the Wednesday run home by myself.  I soon feel tired but keep plugging.  I'm teetering on the edge of a bonk but I resist the temptation to stop for refuelling.

Finally at Downham I pickup some pace.  Despite the tiredness I feel like I am running well.

14.4km 1:47:27

Round the Marina

A gentle jog at at lunch time.  I head down on the way to Wapping but divert for a lap of the Limehouse Basin.  Around Docklands they have boards telling you the history of the area.  I pause to take some of them in.

The pace is very gentle.  I know I am running home tonight.

4km 25:00

Back from Lewisham Quickly

After yesterday's loss of confidence, tonight it back on to the tempo run from Lewisham.  My usual partner on the run Paul is out.  Probably will not be fast with yesterday's 2 hour run.

I start off and feel good.  I feel powerful and focussed.  The only problem is that I get caught at every set of traffic lights.  Pedestrians dawdle.  My shoe lace comes undone.  Each time I diligently stop and then pick up the pace again.  It's a shame else it would have been a good time.

At home I am hot and sweaty despite the cold weather.  I look at the watch.  The time is very quick.  I think it is a PB on the route.  It appears to be.  It looks like the form is still there.  Wonder how fast it would have been without all the interruptions?

8km 39:353

An hour out and back at the half way point

I'm half way through the training.  Something the Karen said at Park Run kind of hit home.  I need to make sure that I don't peak to early.  I was going to run 20 miles this week, but I think maybe a little easing off before another big push towards the taper.

After the 5km PB on Saturday I celebrate Saturday night with some wine and a few beers with my wife for her birthday.  I soon decide to have Sunday off.  This means Monday night I need to do a long run.

I decide to do an hour out and an hour back at any pace.   I head out through West Wickham and into Shirley.  The pace is terrible but the effort high.  This does not feel good and the confidence sags away.

At the far end of Shirley I run out of Road.  I turn left up towards the Windmill and the steep hill.  I only have 10 minutes left of the hour.  Before long I am nearing the top of the hill.  It's not until I run down the hill that I realise how far I have gone.

Then gradually on the way back I pick up the pace.  Down Shortlands road I am flying.  Best not to read too much into this run.  I've reached the half way point.  I've had a bit of a break now to crack on and make it happen.

19.2km 2:03:00

Marathon Training Park Run PB

I know  I am running well because of my Cat and Canary 5 mile time trial time.  I calculated I must have run a 5km PB during that.  Today my wife cries off Parkrun with a twinge.  I decide to go instead and run a PB.  Get some payback for all the marathon training.

It is cold, 1 degree maybe and there are snow flurries.  I will be running in my coat and hat and gloves.  But still I am confident of a PB.  I do my track warm up.  Soon we are off.  We are running the winter Bromley Park Run Course which is basically 2 and 3/4 laps without going near the middle of the park.

After about 0.5km I see Brian from the club leading from the front.  This inspires me.  

Running on the track teaches you one thing.  Never to waste a single step.  Each and every single footstep is beautifully crafted before being precisely placed.  

I get into a battle with a fast lady runner.  On the slight hill I power past her.  On the downhill she elegantly flows past me.  On the last lap I don't catch her on the uphill and it looks like she will escape.  As the finish nears I put together a powerful sprint and I manage to sweep her up and cross the line ahead of her (Though she gets the same time)  She is the second lady in the entire race.  The wining lady finishes second to Brian.  I finish 30th overall.

A lot of people are disappointed with their times.  I am ecstatic (obviously).  I casually ask what effect the wintry weather had and the consensus is around a minute.  I am trained for a marathon.  I ran a hill session last night.   I wonder how much lower I can get this with some specific training...

5km 21:17 

Sneaked in Friday Night Hill Session

My wife has gone to see her friend in Essex for her birthday.  I get back from work and know that she will not be back for an hour or so.  I don my running kit and go and run the hill just outside my front door up to the church.

I do a 5 minute warm up and then get into it.  I have my favourite podcast on.  I do a 5 minute warm down and back to make the most of my free time before the tired kid return and I have to carry them to bed.

1:30 Hill repeats for 30 mins with jog down recovery.  Also 5 min jog warm-up and cool-down .

Freezing Cold Intervals

I battle away from work and across London's public transport network.  I get to the track, run a couple of warm-up laps with Paul.  I meet up with Rob and Jenny to run 12x400 with 200m jog recovery.

We are mean to be running 1:40 but a couple slip to 1:36 and some even faster.  Tonight I err on the side of caution.  After a few laps, and despite the gloves, my hands are freezing cold.  My running jacket has some extra bits you can put over your hands as temporary gloves.  I do this as well.  I now can't see my watch, so rely on Jenny and Rob's timing.  Soon my hands warm up.

Before long the 12 laps are done and we can go into the warm for some stretches

12x400m with 200m jog recovery

Frozen hands run all the way home from work

I meet up with Paul.  We are going to run all the way home.  He has Tonbridge Wells Half and I am feeling tired.  I have a weird pain in my ribs from bed last night.

We set off.  The other side of the tunnel we decide to go the Deptford road.  At Deptford, Paul leads us down a path and we go past Elverson Road.  We then run the same route as yesterday, as far as Sydenham.  Rather than run through the industrial estate we head towards Foxgrove Road.  Paul peels off and I continue back home.

My hands are absolutely frozen cold despite my gloves.  I get home and have to run my hands under cold water to warm them up.  I take the time to terrorise the kids first.

Not so fast tonight, but the route was longer.  The pace was still enough for a good workout.

15.1km 1:25:18

Rattle Tempo Run back from Lewisham

It's a bit of a regular date now and I meet Paul for the DLR to Lewisham before a tempo run home.  We are both nursing sore legs from long runs at the weekend.

As we set of I hear a rattle.  It is my lunch box with a spoon in it.  It rattles all the way home making quite a noise.

At Beckenham I split from Paul, put the headphones on and finish the mile or so back to my house

9.76km 50:30

Monday night hills

After yesterday's rest day, I took the day off today before a hill session tonight.  I do a 5 minute warm up and get stuck in.  Legs are still slightly tired.  Still yesterday I didn't feel as bad after the long run despite going further and faster than the previous week.   The Saturday night is working for me.

Tonight, I decide that I probably should do a warm down rather than squeezing an extra rep.  So I do 30 minutes of hills and finish with a 5 minute warm down.

6km 30:00 Hills

19 Mile Saturday Night on the A205

I "liked" doing my long run on the Saturday night last week.  It means when I get back I can go to bed for a bit of a recovery.  If I get up early and do the run then I have to go straight into my day.  So I decide to repeat the trick this week.

I decide to run the South Circular (A205) again and see if  19 miles was enough to make it to Clapham and back.  The pace was pretty similar to last week but perhaps a little faster.  My previous marathon attempts I had not run the long runs as fast I have so far.  I have been reading about how you should do a long run and then try and do the last 4 or 5 miles at race pace.  I really don't know if I can get up to race pace on a training run.

On the way back around Forest Hill, there was a sudden dramatic drop off in pace which could perhaps be explained by the Garmin playing games.  By the time I was through Forest Hill I (or the Garmin) was back on track

Towards the end I really have to push myself.  My lungs are fine but the legs are becoming disagreeable.  Possibly due to the race yesterday.  Still tomorrow is a rest day and I can do my Monday run in the evening to stretch out the recovery process.

For a laugh I also weigh myself, knowing I will have lost a lot of fluid.  75.5kg which is the lightest I have ever been in adult history.

19 miles (30.4km) 2:47:32

Cat and Canary PB

It's the work 5 mile time trial.  I haven't done it for a while.  All the marathon training has got me in top shape.  I bring the racing shoes thinking a PB could be on the cards.

Only two things that can slow me down, last nights tough interval session and a bit of a hangover from Valentines night.

I set off an focus.  Before half way I have caught some of the other runners.  I follow Steve B round the lake, he takes a short cut but I stick to my route.  By the time we leave the park he is gone.  I must be way ahead of schedule.

Then a runner flies past me.  He doesn't disappear though.  He sits the rest of the race about 200m in front, just out of touching distance.  The worst thing is the pain in my sides possibly an after effect of last nights boozing.  Another runner zooms past me at top speed

About a mile and half out my shoe lace comes undone.  It is an issue with my racing shoes and something I'll need to work on before the marathon.  I don't stop and keep pushing.

I put together a finish which is enough to keep Scott at bay.  At the finish I get my ticket and it is 5th.  The time is sensational.  I am shocked 35:31.  A PB by at least a minute and half and about two and half faster than my target time.

When the results come out there are other really good times.  From my point of view it is good to see the training paying dividends.

8km (5 Miles) 35:31 (PB)

Valentines Day Intervals

I had bought my lovely wife chocolates and champagne.  Her gift to me was letting me slip out for an hour or so to run track intervals with the club.  And what a gift.

I really am relishing these interval sessions.  Tonight 6 x 800.  The talk was of fabled Yasso 800s.  These are where you run 10x800 and the time in minutes (e.g. 3:30) predicts your time for the marathon in hours.  Tonight we were only doing 6x800.

I run with the usual gang of Rob W, Rob B and Jenny.   Jenny bangs out a perfect 1:41 lap followed by another perfect 1:41 lap.  It's my turn to lead and so I bang do a 1:31 and a 1:30.  Not so good in terms of running an even pace across the session.

After each session, I am raring to go for the next one.

The final interval I go for it and drop everyone else.  I think not doing the lunchtime recovery run helped.  I do a 1:30 and a 1:28.

At the end we stretch.  I love the banter, the camaraderie, the in-it-together of the track sessions.  You turn up, there's a plan and you do it.  I frequently catch myself smiling.

There are some very fast runners, and some very determined slower runners.  But all those who turn up get that knowing respect of obsession.

6 x 800 with 2 minute

Flecks of snow run back with Paul

I'd arranged to run with Paul back from Lewisham.  He wanted to get back to run in a timed event with his club.  We set of at a decent pace and maintain it all the way back.  We go through the industrial estate, further West than I would usually go but I am glad of the extra mileage.

Paul peels of at his club.  I keep the pace going and push all the way back home.  At home I stop my stop watch it stops dead on 50:00.

9.92km 50:00

Wapping on a cold day

A gentle recovery jog down towards Wapping.  Lots of people overtake me.  I'm not bothered.

5km 30:00

Tempo Run To Facilitate Pancakes

I have a release at work tonight but I want to get home for pancakes with kids.  Usually I would run my tempo run with Paul home tonight.  Instead I decide to go at lunchtime.  As it is a tempo run I decide that a loop around the Greenwich Observatory could be in order.

I forget my gloves and it is 2 Celsius and sleeting.  I tuck my hands in my jacket.  I then go ahead and beast it.  Until I get to the Hill up to the Observatory.  Which is a slog.  I look at the men mending the road.  At the top I re-engage beast mode.

I cross the bridge across Millwall Docks and turn the corner.  Smack bang into another run also running at high speed.  To both our surprise we are both fine and head off.

At the finish I can feel the burn.  A good tempo run.  I always hold off doing the Greenwich run as I struggle to fit it into a lunchtime.  When run at this pace it isn't such a struggle.

8.2km 41:54

Monday Night Sleety Run

The Long Runs take it out of you.  So I had yesterday as my rest day.  Last week I had to do an extra rest day.  I am tempted at lunchtime to run but instead sort out Valentines day gifts for my wife.

Tonight I get the kids in bed and go for a steady/easy run.  I don't want to push too hard and impact the tempo run tomorrow.  But I do want to keep the running momentum up.

I decide to head out towards Petts Wood.  It is cold and sleety.  I never really get past Bromley Common before turning back.  About three quarters of the way into the run I suddenly feel really good and I flow.

A good solid run.  Hopefully a little more recovery and I should be good to tempo back for some pancakes.

8.4km 44:37

Saturday night long run round Dulwich

I've had a look at the weather it is going to be rainy tomorrow.  So best I do my long run tonight(Saturday).  I'm not in the mood to run laps of Shortlands Park.  I try and think of a flat route.  I seem to the think the A205 (aka the South Circular) is flat.  It would be funny to go and run somewhere like Clapham where I used to hang out in my earlier days. I think an out an back route to complete 18 miles.

I am a bit weary but after getting 2 out of 3 kids in bed I head.  I am loaded up with 3 good podcasts.  I get to Catford where I join the A205.  Then I get to Forest Hill.  Forest  Hill is one of the biggest hills in London.  There is a radio transmitter on the top.  You can see Wembley on the other side of London.  I clamber over the hill and into East Dulwich.  Suddenly I realise I am on my way to Peckham.  I didn't think the A205 went that way.

On the spur of the moment I decide to turn off.  My friends used to live in East Dulwich when it was a real dump (long before it was trendy)  I used to rollerblade or walk back to Herne Hill Station from their house.  I decide to retrace my old steps and head for Herne Hill before heading for home.  If I still have mileage left to burn I can do some laps of Shortlands Park.

As I get to Herne Hill, I notice that I can rejoin the A205.  I am confused.  Intrigued I follow it back and end up at Forest Hill.  I had missed the turn by Horniman's Museum down towards Dulwich Park.

Once I am up over Forest Hill it is good as it is a nice downhill roll to Catford.  The run back from Catford I know well.  Except that I know when I get back I will need to do a few laps of Shortlands Park.

Through out the night my pace has been good.  It has seemed to sit just over 9 minute miles.  I don't feel like I could ever run faster but I know race day I will.  Last year I ran 17 miles at 8 minute miles and I had not done anywhere near this level of training.

At Shortlands Park I calculate around 3 and a bit laps should see me up to 18miles.  I really push myself and soon I am flying up the hill back to home.  In the end I am 0.2 short of the 18 miles but I had run over Forest Hill.  It's not been a real struggle and I've had many more hard long runs.

I have run a mile further that last week, over hills, some of them pretty big but at a fast pace than last weeks flat effort around Shortland's Park.  I've also had a hard week with 2 tempo runs with Paul and a vicious Interval Session.  I really feel like I am on track.

28.48km 2:41:35

Friday night hills before Chinese

It is Chinese New Year and my wife has bought some Chinese food to have.  First I have my Friday night hill session.  I do a 5 minute warm-up and then get into it.  Half and hour of running up a steep hill to the Church.  Each rep takes about a minute and a half.

I can feel yesterday's effort in my legs, but towards the end I get into my rhythm and soon I am done.  It was an effort to get out, but now it is done I feel proud.

Hills 35 mins, 30 mins running up hill for 1:30 and then jogging down.

Round Millwall Dock

I'm feeling tired with all the mileage.  I wasn't going to do my usual easy lunchtime 5km.  But it was so slow at work and I was bored I decided to go.  I went out and ran round Millwall Dock.  I stopped to look at one of the historical signs.  It said that ship repairs were often done here including work on the boilers.  My old Grandad was a blacksmith who worked on boilers for ships in the docks.

In the end I was glad to get out for a run.  Being near the water was quite pleasant.  There weren't many other people around, so it was nice to get some space.

4.5 27:30

Rainy, Sleeting, Snowy, Freezing cold track intervals

I didn't think I would make it to the track tonight as the kids are sick.  My wife pulls it all together and I am able to escape.  It is raining quite hard.  We do the warm up laps and get ready to go with 2x1200 followed by 4x800.

Rob W is with a friend and does not join our group.  Jenny is absent.  Rob B is there and Pete joins our group.  A group of the fast ladies also join including Karen.  After a couple of intervals they drop to their own group apart from one fast lady runner.

At one point I lead the 800m interval.  When you lead you have to run diligently or risk letting everyone down.  This I do.

It is now snowing heavily.  I am soaking wet and frozen cold.  There's no other option other than to keep going.  On the last 400m I push myself.  I open up into a sprint.  Rob B catches and passes me before the line.

Nights like tonight build physical strength but they also build mental toughness.  The next time I am minded to skip a session I will think about tonight, and know that by skipping I will have wasted tonight's effort.  Also on the big day, I'll be able to remember the effort put in.

Intervals 2x1200m 4x800m with 200m walk/jog recovery

Billingsgate Loop with Samuel

Samuel at work has been running consistently and is getting faster.  He is now targeting a sub 25 minute 5km.    As I am about to do my gentle 5km recovery run he decides to come with me.

We run the Billingsgate loop.   He is in shorts and a T-Shirt.  I am wearing hat gloves and coat.  As we near the bridge to work, Samuel seems disappointed at the shortness of the route.  I point out that we are going to do an extra little bit to make it up to 4km.

A very gentle pace on a cold day.

4km 25:00

An embarrassing bonk, soon resolved

As agreed yesterday I meet Paul at work for the run home.  We decide to run along the A21 with him peeling off at some point.

I start off fine.  Paul looks sharper today at is back pushing the pace on.  This is good as it pushes me on.  It's nice in the foot tunnel as it is out the wind.

Suddenly around Catford, I feel hungry and can feel the bonk coming on.  I don't want to stop as I sense Paul is in a hurry.  In the end I have to say that I need to stop.  I shoot into the newsagents and get a drink and some winegums.  I neck them and am soon back in business.

At Beckenham Hill Paul peels off.  I suspect the pace is going to slow.  But somehow it doesn't.  Not sure where it has come from but I really feel my arm action has improved.  This seems to power me along.  And I start to motor, even powering up the final hill to home.

1:13:58 13.6km (8.5 miles)

Reverse Billingsgate

A couple of times I have run out past Billingsgate before looping back round and back to the Office via South Quay.  At lunchtime I decide to do the route in reverse but at an easy recovery pace.

I run the route and it is rather pleasant.  Problem is I have only done 17 minutes.  I bimble around the Canary Wharf estate to make it up to the half hour.

Not as cold as I was expecting.

5km 29:00

Tempo run not as bad as expected.

Paul and me get the DLR to Lewisham.  We navigate the road and are off.  Paul had done 19 miles at the weekend, and where usually he pushes the pace tonight he drops to my pace.

I do not feel to bad and the miles soon fly by.  Before I know it, Paul has peeled off to his house and I have to run the last 1.5km back.  The hill by Clare House taxes me a little, but I power on.

On the run down the hill to my house I am flying.  In fact I can't move my legs fast enough to keep up with the pace I want to be running at.

Unlike last week where I suffered after the long run, today was fine.  I think having the 1.5 days rest definitely did the trick.

8.5km 48:51

N,E,S,W run

At lunchtime I decide to go for a gentle pootle to see how the legs are ahead of tonight's tempo run.  I stand outside the office and I am a bit paralysed as where to go.  I can NW and to Wapping or NE towards Billingsgate.    I can go SE towards The Dome.  In the end I go SW and down towards the launch site of the Great Eastern.  I never quite get there as the pace is very, very tame.   It is freezing cold along by the river especially with the wind.

I will be running back with Paul tonight on the Tempo run, the legs still feel a little weak from Sunday.  Gulp.

5km 28:30

Early Sunday Morning Long Run Running Laps

I get up a 6:30.  I head down to Shortland's Park (As I shall call it)  And I run laps.  I've done this previously.  It's good because it is flat.  It also forces you to run a steady pace (no hills)

At the start it is dark.  After 45 minutes I am struggling.  I do various things to distract my self.  I switch direction, I stop for a drink, have a banana, have some sweets.  Each time I get back onto pace.

Unnoticeable to me, the sun comes up and it is light.  I'm surprised as I feel like I am slowing as tiredness kicks in but I'm not.  I run a steady 9.5 minute mile pace.  This is good as it is faster than my previous marathon's long runs but I can't imagine stepping up the pace but come marathon day I will.

Eventualy I realise that there are only a couple of miles to go.  I bang them out and head home for coffee and two bacon sandwiches.

27.4km (17.1 miles) 2:40:42 (5:51/km 9:25/mile)

Saturday Night Easy

Saturday night and I am planning to get up early tomorrow to do my long run.  I decide a gentle run to Hayes and back will do for tonight.

It's a clear cold night and a stand alone run it would be pretty easy. It's just the thought of tomorrow that is dragging it down.

A pretty even split will tells a tale as it's uphill on the way there.

9km 51:04

Friday night hills

The usual Friday night hills.  The hill virtually outside my front door.  Tonight I do a 5 minute warm up first.  I then diligently run.  The quads are slightly sore have never really recovered from the long run on Monday.

I should run for 35 minutes but at the bottom of the hill I notice the time is 34 minutes.  I know my wife will have my dinner waiting so I call it a day.  I really feel these sessions are helping with my strength and form

1 minute hill repeats with jog recovery 35mins

Gentle lunchtime run on the Cat and Canary route

I have my usual Friday night hill session tonight but after last nights good intervals I decide on a nice easy jog.  Sometimes part of the struggle is coming up with the new routes.  Today I decide to run on the Cat and Canary Route (The work's once a month 5 mile time trial route) which goes down the Regents canal.

The pace is easy, after just short of 15 minutes I turn and head back.  I can't help picking up speed.  The river looks beautiful and all is good

5km 29:30