Next Steps

It's now three whole weeks since M day and only blissful, unstructured, smell-the-roses kind of running has followed. It's been a perfect post marathon recovery break with endless sunshine, cool breezes and clear days to amble about the Dales in shorts and sunnies with no sessions to worry about or mileage to reach. I've been truly lazy, eaten too much, slept late but am now feeling race hungry and ready to plan my next marathon. 

This last week I've tinkered with training plans, dabbled with race entries and today was my first official day back to proper training. It marks the last of 11 days off work; a blogging and training free few weeks and I'm feeling kind of refreshed, though also a bit spacey at the thought of being back working in an office tomorrow.

I've now a second marathon planned for October with lots of time in between to do all the fun stuff over the summer, kicking off with the postponed treat of the Calderdale Way Relay this weekend. We dared not risk racing without a good recce and this is my first time on Leg 4; a real beauty of a route from Blackshaw Head to Wainstalls. 

The 9 mile run was slow and relaxed and gave plenty of time to admire the magnificent, and lush Calder Valley. Once upon a time this place was home and it felt wonderful to be back running across the sweeping moors with the wind in my pigtails and warm sun on my legs. It was a pure delight filled with nuggets of teenage nostalgia. 

This week also sees a return to the much loved Harrogate League; a summer race series starting this Thursday. The race diary is brimming with summer race delights; I'm just not sure when I'll fit all the marathon training in.

Debut

So, I did it. I've really gone and run a marathon. Raced a marathon even. It's now slowly starting to sink in that it's really all over. And I think it's got to be one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Arrangements over the weekend went swimmingly. The drive up was trouble free with a stop off at Tebay for some motorway fare overlooking the Howgills (spookily at the same time as fellow blogger AMcD). We found a great spot in Glasgow to sleep and eat and the second leg of driving onwards to Fort William set up the mood with the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen. The B&B was spot on; just a mile away from the race start and a great porridge breakfast was ordered to set me up for race day.

I was feeling sicky nervous the whole of Saturday; when not obsessively checking the weather forecasts that is. Our hosts assured us it would be fine weather, having narrowly missed some major storms this week. I was thanking my lucky stars that the tormenting winds had eased down to a breeze. So, after a dreadful nerve-wracked night's sleep I awoke well before 7am. The sky was already hazy blue and promised fine weather for race day. I managed to stuff down my porridge (tricky when feeling sicky) and build in numerous loo stops to allow for a more nervy than usual pre-race tummy.  The race start was a relaxed affair with a small field of around 400 runners, all slapping on the factor 20 cream as the sun burned off the early morning haze. I should have taken note...

We were off pretty sharpish and I found myself somewhere near the front 20 or so from early on. There were no ladies in sight but small clumps of blokes, though none that matched my pacing plan. In fact I struggled to find the relaxed clip I'd found in my recent 20 milers. My running seemed to range wildly from too fast to too slow. There was nobody near me to shelter from the breeze and so after mile 3 the race became a fairly lonely ride.


The course info reports a flat and fast route but strangely it felt uphilll all the way! Either an optical illusion or I reckon this was an early sign that I wasn't feeling quite right. The 6.17 pace that felt so easy a few weeks ago felt nowhere near as relaxed and by the half-way turn the guys in front were dropping off pace rapidly. I seriously began to struggle too. It was a challenge not to panic, knowing full well I was too tired for the HM point. I dug in and tried to stay calm, passing another three guys who seemed to be struggling to breathe easy in the heat. By mile 15 I found myself in what I think was 4th place but there were no other runners in sight, only seemingly endless stretches of shimmering straight road ahead. I felt wasted.

Somehow I kept going, taking it a mile at a time. My pace continued to drop off until mile 24 where I felt so slow I was convinced I was nearly walking. The final two miles saw me lose three spots to 7th overall, at which point I seemed to crawl in at 7 minute pace to cross the line in 2.51.33, (missing out on the healthy course record bonus). I'm not sure how I did it. I was feeling slightly delirious and verging on teary. It was a relief not to see M until 26.2; any sooner and I fear I might have collapsed with the emotion.

I don't think I've ever felt quite so bad in a race but somehow still managed a reasonable time, (which I'm now finding really quite encouraging). I'm still not sure what happened. Post race reports indicate the freakishly warm weather was worth at least 6 minutes for many finishers. I just seemed to struggle with the pace from early on. I was first lady by a fair gap and won a big cheque, a weekend away and a bottle of whisky for fastest debut.  Sadly, I didn't get my big silver winner's trophy as last year's leading lady hadn't returned it.

Whatever the cause of my race woes, I'm glad I crossed the finish line. I'm in one piece, with a fine and shiny red blister on my right toe to match my trusty scarlet T6s; the fine pair saw me through the hardest race of my life so far. Until that next one of course. And last but not least, thank you to M. He was a superstar. He's probably cringing as I plan the next big race, what with all my spreadsheet tinkering, fretting and pre-race stress to deal with. But I couldn't have done any of it without him. Thanks M :] Results now here.

The Last Long One

So, I'm back. Hello from me, your fair weather blogger. But there's been far too much to do at work and many miles to run in preparation for M day. And now there's only 18 days to go!

Training over the last few weeks has been patchy, with initial injury worries following the Bramley 20M and then last week a rather doddery me had a very sore ITB. I was left wondering whether I'd gone and messed it all up again. Anyway, after several days spent rollering around on the carpet; biting my fists to stifle my screams (from the eye watering pain of ITB massage), I've now enjoyed a week of niggle free running. I'm now nearing the end of the serious training, finishing with a couple of solid long runs.

I can officially say it was my last long one tonight; a mid week 20 miler with a few miles at tempo thrown in. It was the perfect end to what has been less than perfect marathon prep; a clear, cool and calm evening where the running felt easy, especially for a school night.

This final week of high mileage ends with a good quality threshold run at the Thirsk 10M on Sunday. I'll no doubt be tired from this last heavy week but I'm ready for a bit of a blow out after all the marathon paced running. Then it's two weeks of chilled, relaxed running leading up to the trip to Fort William for M day. I'm getting all excited now it's nearly here.  And then there's all that summer running to come after, with all those lovely summer races...Burnsall 10... Wharfedale HM... Otley 10... I can't wait.

#@%$!

So, here it is. If I type it quick it might not seem so bad. I've only gone and sort of injured myself. I know. What the flippin' 'eck have I gone and done (I hear you virtually exclaim).

I've been dreaming about this week off for ages. A week full of blissful gentle running. A week of sleeping in, eating long breakfasts, slowly recovering from my 20 miler with gentle joggy ambles along countryside paths, clocking my marathon mileage under blue skies in bright, shining daylight. The 20 on Sunday was a great run; an indication of some good prep despite the awful winter and the short training phase this allowed. The race feedback had set me up nicely, hungry for these final 4 weeks of mileage before the taper. I'd planned just easy running, no 'sessions' at least until this weekend. I was so good I even missed a run on Monday as we travelled back 'up north'.

So on Tuesday, a seemingly innocent happy jog on gentle trail turned into a run from hell. Or perhaps being a grown up I should say that it 'ended badly'. Yes I dramatise but I had that nasty-prickly-ripping-pain feeling of a muscle starting to tear and realised my left hamstring, (which had seemed very happy when we set out), had decided to have a major grumble. I think I've got myself a little muscle tear.

It's not a big one, but enough of a problem to halt any running action. I haven't run for 3 whole days. I've iced and stretched and generally done everything possible. Yesterday was a tester; a jog around the track whilst M did his reps. I managed to squeeze out 4 miles with a slight tug of discomfort. I'm now hopeful that I've avoided the worst but will have to carefully build back some miles with less and less time remaining. I'm so frustrated I could kick myself in the head, if I didn't think I'd risk another tear (probably in my right hamstring). 

So, if this blog serves as anything it illustrates WHAT NOT TO DO when training for marathons. I'm the only one to blame. I'm rubbish at stretching and despite walking about with wooden legs all day Monday I still chose to avoid any time looking after these poor legs from which I demand so much. And I'm not getting any younger, evidenced by my first grey hair which I found on Thursday. Nice.

But things could be worse... 

1. I've still got 6 weeks left to do some running; 
2. I've now properly had a break to recover from the 20M race; 
3. I've had lots of time for other stuff (admittedly slobbing, watching films and moping about with a frowny face);
4. I've not actually broken my leg and had a bit more time for blipping;
5. I managed a little run yesterday. 

I'm sure there's more. Watch this space.

Are We There Yet?

The weeks are whizzing by scarily fast and I'm now counting down with only 8 weeks to go to Marathon day. That's only 5 weeks left of full training readers... the other 3 being my sensible taper. How mad is that?!

You'll be glad to know I've been dutifully hitting the streets every day, cranking out the miles with another couple of 80+ weeks. It's been a slog with work being so crazy busy but I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. It starts with a bit of a test next Sunday; the Bramley 20. 

I've raced very little, with the exception of the odd marathon paced shuffle around a local HM. Yesterday I dipped my toes into the greasy mud for the second OK Cross Country of 2011; a frisky little lung burster of about 5k around Cliffe Castle Park in Keighley. These are fab events, organised by Keighley & Craven AC. It was very pleasing to take another 20 seconds off my time in very muddy conditions. M was also looking frisky, shaving another 7 seconds off his course record. Great fun in lovely, friendly company and highly recommended. 

So, the Long One (22) today at a sensible pace felt okay and easier than two weeks ago. I'll be proper racing next Sunday, testing my legs at 20 miles of target pace; 6.18 pace is the plan. M is entered for the 10 miler on the same course so I'll get some friendly shouts amongst the crownds of softie southerners in the second lap at least. And then it's a week off... a week of running in daylight, getting the new camera out to play and lolling about happily. And I really really need it.

Focus

This is a quicky just in case I was presumed dead or missing in action...It's been a long old slog this last two weeks, great training, lots of miles but work has been draining what little life I've had and I'm counting down the two weeks until our next break. The miles have been coming along nicely with a cool  and round 90 clocked last week and some  emphasis on threshold work for the countdown to Lochaber. 

Tomorrow is Dewsbury 10k, not for me but for Mr RB. He's out for a 'time trial' to check the  training is on track for the key race in two weeks time; the Bramley 10M. As for me, I'll be doing the 20 miler the same day. I still wake up with night sweats wondering how I'll ever manage to race the full distance. Somehow I did it last year so I'm hoping I'll squeeze something near target pace out this time round. A long one tomorrow with an interesting tempo mix thrown in. Jack Daniels has some great ideas for livening up the long run. Wish me luck.

Excellent

A full week of no blogging or blipping again; a sure sign  that life's brimming with too much stuff. Another mad busy week of work and marathon training has swooshed by. I'm feeling less guilty about the absence of posts or pics though as the time's been well spent with a second week of the most excellent training. Volume and quality have been achieved in fine balance and I'm feeling back on top and in the driving seat. 

The woes of 2010 are now behind me. I've now clocked two full weeks of 80+ miles and still managed to fit in long intervals, a tempo session, some zippy reps and my LSR today. The plan to run an early marathon in 2011 was in part to give myself less time to faff and worry and instead focus on a solid 12 week build up with the aim of just getting round. Fast times are postponed for marathons 2 or 3; just getting to the start line and experiencing the distance would be a fine kick off to my marathon career after last year's disappointments. So, up to 21 miles this morning leaves me confident that my remaining 9 weeks are time still to consolidate, get comfy with the long runs and build more threshold strength as I adjust to the mileage once again.  

It's a bit of a change for the training plan next week with a race pace injection  to replace the Sunday run. The Brass Monkey Half Marathon will provide a great quality training run and a welcome break from 20+ lonesome miles of long slow running. With a fair amount of training left to do there'll be no easing down or hard racing for me; this is a race paced session in preparation for the Bramley 20M in February. I'm both focused and being sensible and making sure neither the miles or the pace get me carried away. It'll be a real test and probably a struggle not to run hard or race it this year, especially when the leading ladies press on for home. But this is about the bigger picture (as both M & coaching guru B remind me dutifully).

I can at least vicariously enjoy the post race glow as M is set to test his fitness at last after a long succession of cancelled races. He's looking lean and mean and did an awesome 400s session on the track yesterday. He needs a race and some feedback is well overdue. Just how fast can Mr RB go...?

Flat Out

Woohoo it's 2011! A very Happy New Year to all mates, fellow bloggers and random blog visitors. Here's hoping you've enjoyed some fine food, family time, fun and frolics and are nicely set up for the New Year. As for me, it's time for a fresh start with a fresh pair of trainers out of the box and a lovely new training spreadsheet to tinker with. All those little worksheet cells ready to fill up with marathon miles and track sessions; I'm almost salivating at the prospect. 

After sliding around town for a couple of weeks in snow clogged trainers and slush-filled socks we're back to some bare, naked tarmac. Oh Yes. My last dreadmill session on Tuesday saw me ready for anything as long as it wasn't another session on a flippin' machine. I've had enough of running on the spot staring at a wall. Thankfully it was back to the roads by Wednesday after a major thaw and some fine firm ground to run on. It felt great. 

Work has been sleepy and dead quiet creating a bit of space for catching up on projects and getting home at a reasonable hour. I even stretched the mid-week long run up to 15 with some tempo from mid way. The old leggies have since felt a little mashed and were not quite as fresh for today's tough 20 with company. A change of scene was most welcome as running mate Tricky planned a loopy, undulating route starting from Yeadon, taking in Leeds-Bradford airport at least 3 times I think, [or could that be the double vision?]. Another long one in the bag though with only 12 weeks left to go before the taper...result.

So, it's been a bit patchy 2010; punctuated with illness, iron deficiency, a far-too-busy-new-job and then a poorly camera to top it off. I'm hoping 2011 will see better things. I'm now over two bouts of lurgy, the snow has thawed and I've been very naughty and splurged on a new camera (just to be absolutely sure). 2011 should see a very fit and hungry Runningbear, ready for hard racing with a very fine DSLR by her side. Sweet.

Sweet 19

That pesky white stuff is back again. After a few days of hitting the tarmac post lurgy I was starting to get all optimistic that we were over all these major interruptions to training. A hilly 19 miles on ice free roads yesterday was the first long one for a while but a great return to proper training. Seeing the snow again  this morning I'm now starting to get all stressy as the weeks tick by... only 12 weeks left before the taper! We woke up this morning to heavy snow and slushy roads, Ribble 10k is cancelled, the 3rd race in a row planned and postponed.

Ah well. Instead, I've taken to more sofa slobbing; 3 films back to back being the record yesterday afternoon. As Santa missed our house again this year I've been having wicked thoughts of purchasing a new DSLR whilst I'm confined indoors. Some fine deals on Ebay are taunting me; so far I'm resisting the 'buy me now' button but not sure how much longer I can hang on whilst I'm housebound. Oh, to have a super duper camera to play with instead of one that spits out error messages every time I press the shutter button. Have I been good enough this year to deserve I wonder...

Blogging Blues

This is the longest holiday I've ever had from blogging. So much so that I've had several very sweet and thoughtful emails of concern. Thank you to those of you who wrote; I'm really rather touched. The truth is I couldn't bring myself to inflict on the virtual world my daily whining about running too slowly, putting on weight and the painful indecision about marathon racing. Anyway, I thought it was time to resurface. I can at least report that I'm alive and well, sort of.

I've been duly immersing myself in work these last couple of weeks, mostly to block out the ongoing saga that is my marathon decision. After witnessing another fine PB effort from M on May Day I resolved to stop being so soft and get stuck into training again last week. I've been easing down a fair bit on mileage to give myself a proper recovery from that tenacious cold virus and named Sunday as my decision day. I planned a longish run to provide the final measure I needed. A last opportunity to gauge fitness. Unfortunately, it didn't go terribly well.

M had planned a fine and picturesque route to do together. Starting from Threshfield, a river hugging route took us through to Kettlewell with a return route back via Grassington. The day was lovely and sunny; plenty of splendid views of fine rolling hills and flourishing greenery all around. I was feeling rather chipper as I clipped along at a good pace, wondering why I'd been making such a fuss. However mile 10 came and the wheels started to fall off.

It's strange but I seem currently unable to run beyond 10 miles without some kind of funny wobbly attack. It happened pretty much the same way the previous week and had been the main root of my marathon worries. This time it was my last long run before the official 'taper' and there still remains no clear reason for it. A visit to the doc is planned to rule out any obvious causes.

Anyways, I've come at last to the decision to pull out from the marathon. It's been a funny few days coming to terms with the decision, especially after so much effort and energy has been focused on me doing the flippin' thing this spring. I'm now 'taking stock', having a break and running when I feel like it. I need a bit of a break. On the bright side, I've got loads of work done these last two weeks and am on top of the game in my new job.

This marathon business is tough to prepare for, particularly if you have obsessive tendencies and tend to overdo anything you put your mind to. M laughs that I just can't seem to help doing too much of everything, too much work, too much training, too much cake. I'm really not one for half measures or moderation. I'm disappointed I won’t make it this time but am also keen to get it right when I do. A reschedule is planned with an eye on something else soon. For now, a bit of enforced running fun, a return to some low key racing and then I'll most definitely be back.

Local Heroes

The build up this week to VLM has been unbearable as M and I have eagerly awaited the final outcome to the hard and dedicated training of local running mates in recent months. We've been fraught with vicarious nerves as friends have tapered, carbo loaded and finally travelled down South for their big day today, the London Marathon.

The telly was on at 8.30am sharp ready for coverage as the elite ladies set out at 9am. The line-up included some very good GB women who, not quite elite enough for the very front running, still did a fine job of racing to sneak under the European and Commonwealth qualifying time; 2.38. It was a tad frustrating to not know what was going on back there as commentary focused on the leading pack with the odd reference from Marot to Holly Rush, Susan Partridge and Rebecca Robinson battling for forthcoming Euro team placings. 

Meawhile mates Tricky and MH started their own marathon efforts at 9.45am and though there was little hope of telly coverage we were able to track some of the race on the Adidas tracker via facebook; a clever app that provided 5k sized bits of race progress. It was all quite exciting for a Sunday morning...

Anyway, this is a celebratory blog post to personally congratulate our good friend Richard Balshaw, AKA Tricky. Tricky ran his first sub 3-hour marathon today, clocking a fantastic 2:56:47!! Swiftly followed by Mark Harris in 3:03:56! MH nursed a dodgy foot through the  last week of taper and then through the race itself but still managed a very impressive time despite limping into the finish. Well done boys, you're an inspiration! Other superb runs include Spen runner Kevin Ogden in an awesome 2:45:06 and ex-club mate Jon Sinclair finished in 2:55:22. Very well done all. Results here.

London Calling

A quickie post to wish all our fine running mates and Runningbear blog readers a fantastic racing weekend. In particular, our very best wishes go to mates Tricky and MH for London on Sunday; we'll be watching your splits guys and sending out those good running vibes. Plenty of scoffing now to fatten yourselves up for the mammoth effort on Sunday morning. Good wishes also to Kevin O from Spen too; Kevin is in smoking hot form for a good marathon this year.

It's also the weekend of the Three Peaks Race; a 23.3 miles course of tough racing, part navigation across 3 Yorkshire peaks! We'll be out there at the final mile shouting the poor sods in as they stumble down the limestone pitted descent into the finish; it was a gory sight last year. We'll be keeping our eye firmly on ex club mate Graham P for a fine run tomorrow. 

A final extra good luck to UC  and Charlie and Kate for their turnout at the Fling Ultra Marathon this weekend, both are set to ran for far longer than I'd ever attempt, good luck guys & hope nothing falls off.

Long Runs & Lurgy

After the Easter efforts of my pretend race session and M's near PB on Good Friday morning the day then deteriorated into what has since been a bit of a lurgy filled few days. The scratchy throat that I thought was the result of leaving the central heating on too long turned into a bit of a baby monster of a cold that has turned me into Mrs Sniffles the last couple of days. Saturday's run was a welcome easy recovery but Sunday was the return of the fast running pal for a long run reunion. A seriously broken collar bone could not hold the man back from marathon training and back he was on Sunday, running like a demon. I sniffled my way along my 20 mile route determined to make it through the various snot stops. I've felt better but a head cold can be beaten and I finished the run dizzily triumphant. A trip to Linton for some face stuffing followed, including a bit of a walk in the gorgeous spring sun. No more tough stuff for a couple of days in the hope the lurgy is beaten off. Better now than on marathon day I say.

24

No, I'm not blogging about any action packed TV series. That was exactly how long my long run was today; I ran 24 miles! (Yes, I'm showing off). I felt steady and strong for the most part but pretty pooped by the end as yesterday's intervals were still lingering in the old legs. The route took in 11 miles of fairly muddy towpath and then the hellish Hollins hill climb yet again. I was encouragingly a tad quicker than last time too with an average of 6.50 minute miles for the whole run, slowing a bit in the final 8 running into the usual brutish headwind that always seems to lay in wait on the home straight.

I felt pretty spent but in a good and buzzy way and after a tough training week I'm feeling the strength of this marathon training malarkey. Another hefty week of mileage is planned but with a slight ease down for Friday and Saturday to give me some reprieve before the Wilmslow English Half Marathon Champs race this Sunday. Though I've been fantasising about a medal the half marathon will strictly be a 'training race' so little chance of bringing any shiny stuff home. I'll still want to run hard and fast but these heavy legs will no doubt struggle; some mental gymnastics will therefore need to be done before race day so I don't give myself too hard a time. For now though it's time for pasta and pudding and the all important task of refuelling and recovery.

A Ritzy Weekend

The weekend kicked off in great style with the arrival of my fab new kit from Brooks. A boxful of running goodies included new trainers, track spikes, some very cool training gear and my extra spangly Brooks race outfit. I've even got some podium wear; a rather fetching Brooks retro bomber jacket, made for looking one's best at those all important presentations. Feeling super stylish I laid out my neatly folded running goodies ready for the early start on Sunday.

Saturday was also treat filled; a belated birthday trip for M to the Ritz for afternoon tea provided a much needed carbo-loading opportunity. The short journey via Waterloo Station was followed by a suspenseful cab ride for M. We arrived at the Ritz in our best frocks for a proper afternoon tea. The outing promised unlimited supplies of perfectly cut sandwiches, fresh cream scones and the most beautiful cakes my eyes have ever seen; all of this in the most sumptuous Art Deco surroundings.

I sipped my Assam from lovely bone china tea cups whilst M attacked the cream scones. It was surprisingly filling; the four of us only making it through three tea stands before we were well and truly beaten! I was secretly wishing I'd prove to have better endurance on race day. A walk via Trafalgar Square burned off a bit of cake before we turned back for home and some pre-race resting up.

At 6am on Sunday the alarm sounded and we wolfed down our improvised and unappealing hotel room breakfast; I never fancy eating with a nervy race tummy but the race made it all the more important to force down the fuel. We set off early with Old Man Teasey as our support and arrived at the race start in plenty of time.

The Tempest 10m and Spitfire 20m are combined races sharing a 10 mile loop starting from Dunsfold Aerodrome. The course loops through undulating country road before turning back onto pancake flat airfield at miles 8 and 18. I wasn't quite sure what kind of warm-up to do on my first 20 miler but it was nippy and breezy and my ultra sleek Brooks kit lacked any cosy feel. After some delay we were off to a fast start but the advertised course was unexpectedly undulating and windy, making pacing tricky, particularly with a mix of 10m racers in the pack to add to the racing confusion.

There were no ladies to be seen as I settled in with a couple of blokes; a brief chat reassured me their plans for sub 2.45 marathon pace was about right. I'd spotted M up ahead and tried to avoid any chasing. The race pace was surprisingly laid back and relaxing, very different to the usual experience of lung-bursting and eyeball-popping hard work over 10k. I ran strong as the miles ticked by eagerly until mile 8 and the turn back onto the airfield; the windy blast nearly ground me to a halt.

A battle over the next mile or two saw me eventually wave a big 'well done' to M on his fantastic second place position at the 10-mile finish. I ran on to start my second lap and was by this time feeling a wee bit lonely, having left my racing company behind. I pressed on into the wind and kept on clocking my miles; the pacing was all over the place. The going was good but getting noticeably harder as the wind still blew and my legs remembered all the hard work they'd done this week. By mile 17 I was starting to tire and braced myself for the final windy blasts up to the finish. The wind seemed to have gained in strength or else I was that bit weaker, but once again my pace plummeted as I battled against the tormentor, focused and determined on the final push.

I came to the finish having run the last 12 alone, placing 9th overall and winning as first lady by a healthy margin. I was chuffed to have survived my first 20M race relatively unscathed and enjoyed the comfort of being met by M and his Old Man over the line. A good race result I think. The final time of 2:06:21 saw me average 6.18 over a fairly tough course. I'm happy with that, as was M with his run after a tough training week; our first and second places got us both in the prizes, though sadly no presentation was to be had on the day. I'll have to save the new outfit for another time. Results here.

23 Sunny Miles

A tough week of training this week culminated in my longest ever long run. I ran 23 miles. Yes, 23 MILES. You read that right. I'm very proud. That's the longest distance I have ever run. Ever in my life. I was struggling to find an interesting route, the long flat 22 last week was mind numbing and not so scenic. Today I opted for something a bit prettier in the hope it would distract me from the potential slog. Starting out from Silsden with a few miles on the canal down to Shipley, it was then a left turn for the long haul up the dreaded climb on Hollins Hill (or more aptly named Hollins Hell), before a swift descent down through Guiseley to Burley and on to the Skipton Road home.

It was a great route choice, a bit tough, a bit muddy and some challenging hills but some fast miles in between. I felt surprisingly good after yesterday's time trial and think I'm building good strength after putting in all these road miles over the last few weeks. Average pace was 6.48/mile for the 23 which was a surprise after a couple of very slow miles on the climbs and muddy bits. I felt pretty human until 22 then had to work a bit on the final push home. M was very impressed and I was very happily fussed over for finishing my longest run ever. It was a great boost to the confidence that I can do this long stuff after all.

Blackberry Test

I'll spare you the excuses from my longest ever blog skive, other than to say that I think I can safely confirm that I'm earning my new salary. That's all I'm saying on the matter for fear of being a bit moany when I should be glad of such a nice job, or even having one at all. I've been putting in the miles alright this last week and the dodgy foot is happy as long as it's road bound. The long runs are making a noticeable dfference to fitness; an easy 5 this morning saw me running 6.30 pace for the middle miles on the flat with a fairly low heart rate. That, or I've a big problem with my Garmin.

Sunday was my first 22 and run at a bit easier pace, (the fast running pal has broken his collar bone!), so it has left more juice in the legs than usual for the quality Tues night session. A trip to Seedhill for some alternating MRP and threshold miles should stretch me nicely. M's back too with a return to V02 work with his new improved bum cheek in all its glory. Oh, and one week to go before we'll become fully fledged masseurs too.

@~@~Sent from my BlackBerry~@~@

Not Just A Pretty Face

I've been thinking through the practicalities of running, no... racing 26.2 miles. In particular I've been thinking about how mashed my feet could be racing the full 26.2 miles in skimpy little racing shoes.

I've been doing my marathon shoe research and thought I'd invest early in some research testing and ordered a couple of racer-trainers with my pile of race vouchers yearning to be spent. The new shoes were delivered to the office this week.

The beauties have been perched patiently atop my piles of files and boxes of books as I pack up ten years of working life in Leeds and move on out to HQ. I start my new job proper on Monday (yikes). The Glides have been itching to get out of the box but my Sunday shenanigans and trashed quads have focused my mind on a gentler approach; the plan is to slip on the lightnin' slippers for the odd recovery run first.

Last night was the medium long run. The original plan was to include a bit of tempo but I was just too wasted after Sunday and all that intervals work on Tuesday. I managed another 14 miler at a steady 6.50 pace but squeezing in any tempo or even marathon paced miles would probably have been a step too far. Sometimes I reckon it's knowing when to hold off that's the smart part of training too.

Dreadmill Daze

After the frustrations of Sunday I was determined to make my first quality session this week count. An easy 5 on Monday night gave the very tight quads time to calm down and relax before my weekly visit to the track for some interval action. Tonight's session was a change of tack; a mixed pace session of alternating marathon pace (6.10) with steady aerobic pace (6.50) 1k efforts; completing 16k in total. After a couple of laps warm up with M by my side we set out at 6.50 pace for the first steady rep.

The mental arithmetic alone was sufficient challenge as we worked out our pacing sums through each 200m split. By rep 2 we began to notice an icy glint on the track and after 20 minutes of running it was clear that the temperature was plummeting and the track had just completely iced over. It was incredible to see running surface transform in such a short time. I could have cried. The constant cold weather up north is a right pain in the a*** and I'm starting to lose my patience. I managed to slip my way around a third rep before agreeing with M that it was another bum cheek injury waiting to happen. Thankfully after a quick chat with the bloke at the desk we'd wangled our way into the gym to finish off the session on a machine. A great decision it was too.

The treadmill felt tough at first, mentally more than anything else as we stared at our spot of whitewashed wall or the few red digits on the miniature screen. After rep. 4 things started to feel good and the rhythm of running started to feel pretty smooth and hypnotic. I ended finishing the full 16k with plenty of juice left over and averaged an excellent pace for the total 10 miles. It's a bit bonkers I know, but I'm beginning to wonder if intervals on the treadmill might be quite a good thing. No wind or rain or ice to contend with and no easing down the pace when things get tough. I can't believe I'm writing this but, I actually quite enjoyed it. Yes. Really.

Silly Hills

I really should think it through a bit more before I start wittering on about 'wanting to be pushed' and training with faster partners to get 'dragged along' and experience greater training benefits. I certainly did experience the 'training benefits' today. I was a bit daunted by today's long run prospects. Not only did I know the pace was gonna be challenging over this 20 miler, I also knew it would be very hilly. Stewart M had forewarned me that this was a bit of a toughie but it would 'make me strong' for my marathon adventures. Most people would have heard the alarm bells ringing and the sensible sirens sounding loud and clear. He's such a nice bloke that I was somehow reassured that it would all be okay.

I pulled up bang on the button at 10am eager and a bit nervous for the start for this long pack run. After a bit of a bender last night celebrating XC success one or two were a bit ropey and so bowed out of the full 20M. We were joined too by Nigel B from Keighley who is a very useful runner [he got me round the brass monkey HM last year in 76mins] but he was also turning back at 10M. It then sunk in that I would be alone again chasing Stewart at eyeball popping pace but this time on the horriblest, hardest and never-ending hills out of Bingley to Oxenhope, on to Haworth and back.

It was hilly alright. It was silly hilly. All of this whilst trying to respond to the pleasant chat and marathon talk. You can imagine I'm sure. My legs were pretty much blown half way round and the knowledge of another hilly 10 to follow was a mental challenge that would make a Mensa member's eyes water. Anyway, my determination and eagerness to be fit and strong for my first marathon somehow got me round. I was even feeling reasonably human up to mile 19 but then the last one, with the last sting of a climb just finished me off. To top it all I have no Garmin record to show off how good I did. Mental calculations approximate around 6.55 miling average today. Not so bad going given the climbs that were conquered and the massive training week I've had. So, another biggie in the bag, another week running strong, another run with the fast boys survived. Thankfully a recovery week next week. P.s. Well done to blogger boys at the Dewsbury 10k today, great runs were had in what was a very classy field, (congrats MH), results here.