Friday's run was meant to be a 9 mile marathon paced effort and it was but it was really hard work. Another early start and a very cold morning were not conducive to a hard, sustained effort. I was also stupid in not wrapping up properly so I got cold very quickly and my mojo was at a very low ebb. I got the session done but it was thoroughly unenjoyable. Saturday morning was my long run with the aim of getting 20 miles done and Simon was going to accompany me. He's still not feeling 100% but he has the remarkable ability to be able to go out and do a long endurance session on very little miles, but that said he has been very consistent with his biking over the winter which shows. I took was thoroughly wrapped up with time; full Lycra, snood, hat, gloves. The absolute works. I looked like an extra from Ice Station Zebra.
We did a hilly loop that took us up to the back of Bocketts Farm and Denbeighs before running for a couple of miles out to Dorking and then back to Leatherhead, with a couple of 5km loops near Simon's house. The only fly in the ointment was the fact I had to stop at 15 miles for what could only be described as 'gastric issues'. :-(.
The good news was that my last 3 miles were comfortably my fastest and I felt really strong despite taking no energy on board for the rest of the run. Well, I felt strong until the afternoon when my nose started to run and a sore throat flared up, I presume brought about after my cold run on Friday. Thankfully, this week is a rest week, so I am hopeful that I can take it easy and recover.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Thursday, 21 February 2013
A man on a bike
Today was my second ride out on a bicycle this year. After all the work I put into #Turbovember I have hardly turned a wheel and today it showed. I could reel off a myriad of excuses regarding rubbish weather, ill children needing dropping off at grandparents and lack of mojo, but ultimately I have enjoyed getting some running fitness back and with the London Marathon looming large, with the enticing goal of a 'good for age' time within my grasp, biking and swimming have taken a hit. But I need to start doing something now if I am to achieve a pb at the Dambuster tri and I would also like to get my tt times down as I have blogged before, so I need to get a a couple of sessions in to make that a reality.
When I arranged to meet Simon earlier this week the sun was shining and it looked like Spring was here. Que this morning; barely above freezing, a stiff wind and no sun whatsoever. Jeez... Simon promised me a steady pace. He lied. After 30 minutes I was humping all over my bike trying to keep some semblance of forward motion as we took in some of the less demanding Surrey Hills. Despite Simon still not feeling 100% from when we did the Watford Half, he still left me for dead. It was not made easier by the fact I couldn't get into the granny ring and no amount of twiddling the barrel adjuster could get it to shift.
We got lost on the way to Peaslake where we were going to defrost and have a cup of tea at the post office and ended up God knows where, before finding a road back to Holmbury St Mary. It was an embarrassingly slow 45 miles. Proof positive that run fitness does not equate to cycle fitness. This weekend I intend to get the commuter bike back up and running otherwise the tri season will be over before its really begun.
When I arranged to meet Simon earlier this week the sun was shining and it looked like Spring was here. Que this morning; barely above freezing, a stiff wind and no sun whatsoever. Jeez... Simon promised me a steady pace. He lied. After 30 minutes I was humping all over my bike trying to keep some semblance of forward motion as we took in some of the less demanding Surrey Hills. Despite Simon still not feeling 100% from when we did the Watford Half, he still left me for dead. It was not made easier by the fact I couldn't get into the granny ring and no amount of twiddling the barrel adjuster could get it to shift.
We got lost on the way to Peaslake where we were going to defrost and have a cup of tea at the post office and ended up God knows where, before finding a road back to Holmbury St Mary. It was an embarrassingly slow 45 miles. Proof positive that run fitness does not equate to cycle fitness. This weekend I intend to get the commuter bike back up and running otherwise the tri season will be over before its really begun.
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Still here
For the past six weeks I have consistently run five times per week as part of my #Jantastic running and my build to the London marathon. Last year it all ended at approximately five weeks when my foot flared up with a vengeance and at times it has seemed that my old legs might let me down again, but this time it's been my hamstrings and lower back which have been wound tight. However, last week, a funny thing happened . The aches went away. I was disconcerted, sure in the knowledge that my muscles were due to tear themselves to bits, but they didn't. I had my best week's running in a very, very long time. I can only put it down to my body adapting somewhat to the training stress at last.
An interval session, a 9 mile tempo run and a few easy 5 milers were capped off with a 19 mile run on Saturday morning. Up at 6am and on the pavement by 6.15 I was expecting my legs to be tight and sore again, not liking the early start, but instead of the awkward hobble-shuffle I was pretty fluid from the off. Running to an easy rpe I took it steady for 15 miles and then picked it up over the last 4, mainly because that was what I had planned to do but also because if I didn't get to the loo pdq then I was going to have a lot of explaining to do. :-/ I covered those last 4 miles at around 7.05 pace which was good, but the real positive from it and the 18 miles I had run the previous weekend was not a hint of me running out of fuel. Yes, I was tired but not the king of tiredness you get from glycogen depletion. It looks like the speedwork and threshold work is really paying dividends on my long run. :-)
It was the Kingston Phoenix Awards Dinner on Saturday night. I was given a couple of gongs for some handicap wins last year while Simon didn't have enough arms for the amount of trophies that he won. It dawned on me I have not turned a pedal in anger in 6 weeks *embarrassed face*. I've got a duathlon to do next week. Maybe I should think about dusting off the Van Nic.
An interval session, a 9 mile tempo run and a few easy 5 milers were capped off with a 19 mile run on Saturday morning. Up at 6am and on the pavement by 6.15 I was expecting my legs to be tight and sore again, not liking the early start, but instead of the awkward hobble-shuffle I was pretty fluid from the off. Running to an easy rpe I took it steady for 15 miles and then picked it up over the last 4, mainly because that was what I had planned to do but also because if I didn't get to the loo pdq then I was going to have a lot of explaining to do. :-/ I covered those last 4 miles at around 7.05 pace which was good, but the real positive from it and the 18 miles I had run the previous weekend was not a hint of me running out of fuel. Yes, I was tired but not the king of tiredness you get from glycogen depletion. It looks like the speedwork and threshold work is really paying dividends on my long run. :-)
It was the Kingston Phoenix Awards Dinner on Saturday night. I was given a couple of gongs for some handicap wins last year while Simon didn't have enough arms for the amount of trophies that he won. It dawned on me I have not turned a pedal in anger in 6 weeks *embarrassed face*. I've got a duathlon to do next week. Maybe I should think about dusting off the Van Nic.
Monday, 4 February 2013
Watford Half Marathon 2013
After having a rest week I was looking forward to this, my first race of the year and my first running race since Luton in November 2011. I was hoping that the really achy legs I had been suffering with would sort themselves out during my mini-taper and that I would enjoy the run and as it turned out, they did. Having thought about it most of the week I was hoping to run a comfortable 1.35hrs, maybe with a negative split and finish strongly. That was the plan anyway. Simon was running too, although when he came to pick me up he looked like death warmed up; he'd had a cold all week and didn't look in any fit state to run but he was going to take it steady and see how it went.
My first, and as it turned out, only problem of the day was the fact that I had lost my race number and chip, which meant I had to go and get a replacement. This in turn meant that in the results I am listed as Deborah. :-/ The only blip (by my doing) on an otherwise excellent event. And the course was really pretty. Watford hardly conjours up images of rolling fields and rose covered cottages, but it really was. The course would be described as 'sporting' or 'honest'. Uphill to halfway and downhill from then on. A few short-sharp rises and some gentle rollers. It was a really good course.
It's funny how as soon as you pin a number to your chest you're able to work harder than you previously thought possible. I deliberately didn't look at my garmin for quite a while, wanting to get myself tuned into how I felt again, rather than relying on it wholeheartedly. I wanted to get myself into an easy cruise where I was working comfortably and within myself. After a couple of miles I looked up properly for the first time as the field thinned out a bit to see one of the flag pacers just ahead and I realised he was the 1.30hrs pacer. Doh, too fast and a check of my watch showed I was running 6.50 miles. What to do? I felt really comfortable so I thought I might as well go with it and see what happens. I was overtaking quite a few fast starters and some of the people around me were working much harder than I so I presumed their wheels were going to fall off long before mine.
At halfway I was feeling it a bit and I had a mile of 7.07 as I climbed the largest hill and over the next couple of miles I began to reel in the 1.30 pacer and caught him at 9 miles. We had a quick chat, (apparently the side winds were proving tricky) before pressing on. My 'comfortably easy' pace was now becoming a 'comfortable hard' one as I got into a small group that began to push on. My 11th mile was the fastest of the race (6.11) as I broke away with another fella as we entered the park for the final coupe of miles. This fast mile took its toll and I could feel myself beginning to tie-up, although still overtaking a couple of people towards the end.
So how did I do? Well much better than I could have hoped for.
The stats are 164th/1703. 1:28:14 (1:27:56 chip time) That worked out as a 2 minute negative split. I am, as the saying goes, like a dog with two tails. I thought I might be looking at 1:31 ish on a good day but to go well under 1hr30 is well beyond what I was expecting and to do it relatively comfortably is a massive bonus. Two things to work on, however. Hills. I need to build some proper leg strength. As soon as the road kicked up I slowed more than I really should be doing. And two, pure endurance. While I was still running 6.50 miles at the end it was very hard work and I just didn't have the stamina in my legs, so it's really important I get my long runs in and address this. I am delighted, but I still have a very long way to go.
My first, and as it turned out, only problem of the day was the fact that I had lost my race number and chip, which meant I had to go and get a replacement. This in turn meant that in the results I am listed as Deborah. :-/ The only blip (by my doing) on an otherwise excellent event. And the course was really pretty. Watford hardly conjours up images of rolling fields and rose covered cottages, but it really was. The course would be described as 'sporting' or 'honest'. Uphill to halfway and downhill from then on. A few short-sharp rises and some gentle rollers. It was a really good course.
It's funny how as soon as you pin a number to your chest you're able to work harder than you previously thought possible. I deliberately didn't look at my garmin for quite a while, wanting to get myself tuned into how I felt again, rather than relying on it wholeheartedly. I wanted to get myself into an easy cruise where I was working comfortably and within myself. After a couple of miles I looked up properly for the first time as the field thinned out a bit to see one of the flag pacers just ahead and I realised he was the 1.30hrs pacer. Doh, too fast and a check of my watch showed I was running 6.50 miles. What to do? I felt really comfortable so I thought I might as well go with it and see what happens. I was overtaking quite a few fast starters and some of the people around me were working much harder than I so I presumed their wheels were going to fall off long before mine.
At halfway I was feeling it a bit and I had a mile of 7.07 as I climbed the largest hill and over the next couple of miles I began to reel in the 1.30 pacer and caught him at 9 miles. We had a quick chat, (apparently the side winds were proving tricky) before pressing on. My 'comfortably easy' pace was now becoming a 'comfortable hard' one as I got into a small group that began to push on. My 11th mile was the fastest of the race (6.11) as I broke away with another fella as we entered the park for the final coupe of miles. This fast mile took its toll and I could feel myself beginning to tie-up, although still overtaking a couple of people towards the end.
So how did I do? Well much better than I could have hoped for.
The stats are 164th/1703. 1:28:14 (1:27:56 chip time) That worked out as a 2 minute negative split. I am, as the saying goes, like a dog with two tails. I thought I might be looking at 1:31 ish on a good day but to go well under 1hr30 is well beyond what I was expecting and to do it relatively comfortably is a massive bonus. Two things to work on, however. Hills. I need to build some proper leg strength. As soon as the road kicked up I slowed more than I really should be doing. And two, pure endurance. While I was still running 6.50 miles at the end it was very hard work and I just didn't have the stamina in my legs, so it's really important I get my long runs in and address this. I am delighted, but I still have a very long way to go.
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