M Rest
T 5.99 miles recovery (7:20mm avge)
W Rest
T 8.36 miles general aerobic (6:22mm avge)
F 24.16 miles progressive (6:31mm avge)
S 9.8 miles, including Harrogate Parkrun at 5:19mm avge (6:28mm avge)
S Hungover!
Total 48.31 miles (6:35mm avge)
This week was all about ensuring I had fully got rid of the virus that hampered everything last week so I decided on a couple of rest days, Monday and Wednesday. When I went out on Thursday I felt great, legs were really keen to get moving and I felt aerobically very strong. A good sign that the bug had finally shifted, hopefully it has and I can now crack on with a short build back up to Edinburgh.
I needed to get back to long runs and so managed to squeeze one in on Friday morning as I knew it would be difficult to get it done over the weekend as I was to be best man at my best friend Ian's wedding. The run went really well and I did feel strong, but my heart rate was high relative to what I would expect. I put this down to the fact that it was a tapered long run and so my heart rate was happy to work at a relatively high level. Indeed when I'm tapered for a marathon I see that I can maintain a higher heart rate than I would be able to if I was in full heavy training. I guess when the body is in heavy training, it suppresses the heart rate a bit to stop it from working too hard. I'm not 100% sure on the physiology but know anecdotally of other runners who experience the same thing, so it's a good enough explanation for me.
On Saturday there was the opportunity for a Parkrun in Harrogate, and I couldn't resist. My legs were very very tired on Saturday and I wouldn't normally do a tempo effort (or possibly even a bit harder!) so soon after a long run, but felt it was unlikely that I would be going for a run on the Sunday because of the inevitable hangover, and this turned out to be the case. On showing up at the Stray, (also a little fuzzy from a few beers with Ian the night before) I saw a a few familiar faces, John and Dawn Broom and Steve Darby who are all strong runners and regular Parkrun tourists. I had also been notified by John of a very strong runner Mike Burrett who had decided to show up. Mike and I had a great race with him pulling away and me grabbing hold of his heels then forging ahead, then running side by side as he got back on terms. We put in a 3:09 final km which was rather quick but he still had the sprint on me and ended up 5 seconds ahead as I had little to respond with on tired legs. It was pleasing as the conditions were not ideal and although I felt aerobically comfortable for most of it my legs were hammered after Friday's long run.
It is now four weeks to Edinburgh and I have two weeks of big mileage to get in with some tasty looking sessions included, cant wait.
Monday 30 April 2012
Thursday 26 April 2012
Race Week: 16th - 22nd April 2012
M 6.00 miles recovery (7:19mm avge)
T 7.17 miles general aerobic (6:28mm avge)
W 8.06 miles, including 2 miles @ 5:35mm (6:27mm avge)
T 4.09 miles recovery (7:15mm avge)
F Rest
S 2.15 miles recovery (7:23mm avge)
S 11.95 miles , including 11.48 miles at 5:48mm (5:52mm avge)
Total 39.42 miles (6:31mm avge)
After 119 days, 132 sessions, 1262 miles and a couple
of breakthrough races the final 7 days were here. The chance to execute
the race plan and deliver what I know I am capable of.
The week involved no sessions to speak of as I
really tapered my running down to try to bring myself to a peak for marathon day. As I mentioned last week I was a little concerned that I might
have been getting ill but I tried to ignore it
in the hope that it would just go but as race week progressed it soon
became clear that I was indeed ill. Thursday's recovery run was cut
short to 4 miles from 6 as I just felt awful. As Thursday progressed I
got worse and worse and I was starting to wake
up to the fact that the race probably wasn't going to happen. On waking
on Friday I had horrendous flu like symptoms, lethargy, headache, itchy
throat, cough and a very tight chest that I called in sick as I was in
no shape to go to work, I didn’t even get
out of bed until midday! By Friday evening though I started to perk up a
little but was certain by this time that I wasn't going to start the
race and had told Hania as such. I mean how can someone ill enough to
take a day off work on the Friday really be
in a position to race a marathon on the Sunday?!?! Maybe I'm just soft!
As the decision not to race had been made, I
stopped carb loading and got an early night on Friday. Saturday morning
came and although still bunged up and a little bit 'fuzzy' I felt a lot
better but still not in a position to race. As
the day wore on I continued to improve and decided that I would go for a
test jog to see how I felt. Strangely I felt OK. But it was only a two
mile jog and if I was to run on Sunday it would be a different kettle
of fish. 26.2 hard racing miles always finds
you out if you have a weakness. Anyway, I was coming round to the idea
that I would at least start the race but drop out if it really wasn't
going as it should. Like I said before racing a marathon is HARD and
will find you out, if you're not healthy you simply
shouldn't run. Luckily I had Edinburgh marathon booked as a back-up in
five weeks time but would make a final decision about racing on race
day morning.
I woke at 5:30 had breakfast and decided I would go
to Blackheath to start the race. It is an honour to run in the London
marathon, so many 10,000s would love to but never get the opportunity
and even if I expected not to finish it would
be silly not to take the opportunity to have a fun training run. :-)
Lining up just a row behind the elites is
incredible, they really are different beings. Awesome to see and an
absolute privilege to be in the same race as them. The plan was simple
then. Go out, get to race pace as soon as I could and see
how it felt and make a decision from there. Within the first quarter of
a mile I was conscious that it felt quite hard. Not a good sign!
Anyway crack on.... After a mile and a half I had
categorically decided that I would be dropping out of the race. I caught
up with my mate Ben Shearer who was gunning for sub 2:30 (we had been
planning to run together) and told him that
I was going to drop out and wished him well. He nailed the time by the
way with a 2:29:40. So now the decision was that I would run to
Bermondsey (11.5miles) where Hania, Mia, my Dad and Step-Mum Anne would
be. No pressure now, just enjoy it. So I did, I had
a fantastic time. Anthony Jackson, a guy from a Kent club caught up
with me who wanted to be paced at 5:45 per mile so I did this for a
couple of miles before telling him that I wanted to back off. Looks like
he managed to keep that pace to the end so I got
him in a good rhythm. :-)
I had great fun, high-fiving the kids at the side
of the road, showboating to the crowd at the Cutty Sark and even
stopping for a bit of a chat with a friend of mine who was out to watch
the race.
As I approached Bermondsey I was a little saddened
that I was to drop out because London Marathon is such an amazing
experience and dropping out where I planned to arguably missed out the
most iconic bit of the course, Tower Bridge. I told
myself that I could run around to the end and still do a reasonable
time in the region of 2:35-2:40 but at what cost? What would be the
point? I know I can run that fast as I've done it before and I still
wasn't completely better. I wasn't in full health.
No, stopping was the bravest but most sensible thing to do. So I did. I
stepped off the road and gave my daughter a big hug. She didn’t seem
too happy at all the commotion!
So onwards and upwards and now to focus on
Edinburgh Marathon on 27th May. I have been thinking about how best to
shape my training ahead of Edinburgh given I have already tapered and
have come to the conclusion that the best thing to do
is to gradually increase the mileage this week and ensure I am
completely better before embarking on a couple of big mileage weeks
again followed by a c10 day taper. I will do less VO2 Max stuff in this
period compared to the weeks preceding London as I feel
I need to go back and re-bake the cake a bit more rather than continue
to add icing.
Monday 16 April 2012
Week 17: 9th - 15th April 2012
M AM 6.19 miles recovery (7:02mm avge)
T 8.11 miles general aerobic, including 8X100m strides (6:16mm avge)
W 6.01 miles recovery (7:19mm avge)
T 9.14 miles, including 3X1Mile VO2Max Intervals (6:07mm avge)
F 5.11 miles recovery (7:11mm avge)
S 4.1 miles general aerobic (6:27mm avge)
S 13.65 miles, with 6.28 miles @ 5:38mm avge (6:07mm avge)
Total 52.31 miles (6:31mm avge)
Just a very short round-up in this the second week of tapering and I am really starting to feel it; doubts creeping in, phantom niggles, possible lurgy re-emergence!
Runs of note though to start with Thursday's run which was 3X1Mile intervals averaging a fraction under 5:00mm. The last one was very tough indeed and I had to dig quite deep to get it close to 5:00! But close enough to the pace I averaged at the Parkrun last week.
Friday and Saturday were very strange runs in that I just felt rubbish, especially Saturday's which was supposed to be 7miles with 8X100m strides. I decided to cut it short as I just felt very below par and my heart rate was quite high and thought that my body would be pleased with the extra rest. I was very worried that I may be getting the lurgy again as my daughter Mia has had a cold this week since our visit up North.
Then to Sunday which was supposed to be a13 mile progressive run, but I decided to include the Darent Valley 10k into the run and keep a lid on things. This race was part of the Kent Grand Prix and as it was on my doorstep for a change and wouldn't impact on family life too much it would be a good opportunity to get some good points for the club. I did a good six and a half mile warm up which included quite large parts of the course to get a feel for what was to come, jumped on the start line and off we go. I settled into a gentle rhythm and the kilometres drifted by. I was around 10th or 11th by half way and then decided to up the effort. I gradually started picking off runners feeling very comfortable and I decided that I would really put a bit of effort in the last 3k to see if I could get close to the podium. As it turned out I hit the 7km marker in 5th position and then pulled another spot back to 4th. I could see another guy about 70 metres in front but with only a mile and a quarter to go it was unlikely I would reel him in unless I really put the foot on the gas, so I did. I put in a 5:00 dead mile to catch him and fly past him, he couldn't respond and seemed quite shocked that I had seemingly glided past him so effortlessly. It wasn't effortless but I tried my hardest to make it look like it was! After another 200 metres I knew I had enough on him to really pull back the pace and walked over the line for 3rd place. I then did another mile warm down to bring me to just over 13.5 for the day. Another nice confidence booster with one week to go. I then rushed back to get a sports massage from Mike Abousselam at Orpington Sports Massage to iron out any creases and make sure the legs are in good order for next week.I have been suffering a little from a sore glute/tight hip but the massage thankfully seems to have done the trick.
Now to the last week which will be horrible. I will tear my hair out, getting by on little runs all week like a junkie without a fix. My next post will probably be the race report and will probably follow at some point during next week when I've had the time for a few reflections. In the mean time, to whomever reads this I hope you have enjoyed the journey with me; I have had a brilliant time, I have pushed myself harder in training and in races than before, and started to get the sorts of results that I knew I was capable of. I have had a minor set back with an illness but all in all I feel ready. Now I just have to keep a cool head, put the brain into cruise control on the big day and deliver what I know I am capable of.
Target 2:27:59.
T 8.11 miles general aerobic, including 8X100m strides (6:16mm avge)
W 6.01 miles recovery (7:19mm avge)
T 9.14 miles, including 3X1Mile VO2Max Intervals (6:07mm avge)
F 5.11 miles recovery (7:11mm avge)
S 4.1 miles general aerobic (6:27mm avge)
S 13.65 miles, with 6.28 miles @ 5:38mm avge (6:07mm avge)
Total 52.31 miles (6:31mm avge)
Just a very short round-up in this the second week of tapering and I am really starting to feel it; doubts creeping in, phantom niggles, possible lurgy re-emergence!
Runs of note though to start with Thursday's run which was 3X1Mile intervals averaging a fraction under 5:00mm. The last one was very tough indeed and I had to dig quite deep to get it close to 5:00! But close enough to the pace I averaged at the Parkrun last week.
Friday and Saturday were very strange runs in that I just felt rubbish, especially Saturday's which was supposed to be 7miles with 8X100m strides. I decided to cut it short as I just felt very below par and my heart rate was quite high and thought that my body would be pleased with the extra rest. I was very worried that I may be getting the lurgy again as my daughter Mia has had a cold this week since our visit up North.
Then to Sunday which was supposed to be a13 mile progressive run, but I decided to include the Darent Valley 10k into the run and keep a lid on things. This race was part of the Kent Grand Prix and as it was on my doorstep for a change and wouldn't impact on family life too much it would be a good opportunity to get some good points for the club. I did a good six and a half mile warm up which included quite large parts of the course to get a feel for what was to come, jumped on the start line and off we go. I settled into a gentle rhythm and the kilometres drifted by. I was around 10th or 11th by half way and then decided to up the effort. I gradually started picking off runners feeling very comfortable and I decided that I would really put a bit of effort in the last 3k to see if I could get close to the podium. As it turned out I hit the 7km marker in 5th position and then pulled another spot back to 4th. I could see another guy about 70 metres in front but with only a mile and a quarter to go it was unlikely I would reel him in unless I really put the foot on the gas, so I did. I put in a 5:00 dead mile to catch him and fly past him, he couldn't respond and seemed quite shocked that I had seemingly glided past him so effortlessly. It wasn't effortless but I tried my hardest to make it look like it was! After another 200 metres I knew I had enough on him to really pull back the pace and walked over the line for 3rd place. I then did another mile warm down to bring me to just over 13.5 for the day. Another nice confidence booster with one week to go. I then rushed back to get a sports massage from Mike Abousselam at Orpington Sports Massage to iron out any creases and make sure the legs are in good order for next week.I have been suffering a little from a sore glute/tight hip but the massage thankfully seems to have done the trick.
Now to the last week which will be horrible. I will tear my hair out, getting by on little runs all week like a junkie without a fix. My next post will probably be the race report and will probably follow at some point during next week when I've had the time for a few reflections. In the mean time, to whomever reads this I hope you have enjoyed the journey with me; I have had a brilliant time, I have pushed myself harder in training and in races than before, and started to get the sorts of results that I knew I was capable of. I have had a minor set back with an illness but all in all I feel ready. Now I just have to keep a cool head, put the brain into cruise control on the big day and deliver what I know I am capable of.
Target 2:27:59.
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Week 16: 2nd - 8th April 2012
M AM 6.06 miles recovery (7:06mm avge)
T 9.03 miles, including 5X600m VO2Max Intervals (6:13mm avge)
W 15.1 miles progressive (6:21mm avge)
T 7.1 miles recovery, including 6X100m strides (7:06mm avge)
F 6.23 miles recovery (7:06mm avge)
S 8.59 miles, including Hackney Marshes 5k Parkrun @ 5:01mm (6:05mm avge)
S 18.19 miles progressive (6:19mm avge)
Total 70.29 miles (6:31mm avge)
So this week was the first week of tapering and all has gone well. I had an encouraging VO2Max session on Tuesday although there wasn't much volume, with only five reps of 600metres. They were at least very consistent at 1:48 (4:50 per mile pace) for each of the 600 metres. These were I would suggest closer to 3k pace than 5k pace.
The run of note for last week was always going to the result of Saturdays tune up race. It was only a 5k Parkrun but I'd decided I really wanted to push myself and see how quick I could go. Given my VO2 work I had thought that in the right conditions I would be able to do something in the region of 15:30 which would be a big PB (it had stood at 16:22). Luckily conditions were perfect but unfortunately it came clear after the first 50 metres or so that there wasn't going to be anyone to race so it was going to be a solo time trial. I didn't mind though and was prepared for such an event. What can I say other than ouch, ouch, ouch. When you feel your strongest distance is the marathon like me, 5ks don't half hurt. Even within a quarter of a mile, you start thinking that there's no way you can keep this up. The first k ticked by in 3:04.5, and then the second one I ran in 3:03.1. By this time I was really starting to hurt and as I approached the turn around point (you literally have to do a 180 and run around a marshall at 2.5k and run back the way you've come) I did start to lose focus with a 3:12.2 k. By this time I wasn't looking at the watch, there was no point anyway, it was just about digging in. Then the fourth k came and again I struggled, with a 3:13.1 but now it was head down, I could literally smell the finish! I did notice probably halfway through that last k that my form had gone a little and I was slumped a touch forward. I told myself to stand up and as I did I felt my strength come back and it really helped me pull back my pace finishing with a 3:01.5! So I finished with 15:34 and with slightly more sensible pacing, and a stronger mind I should have gone under 15:30 but I am not disappointed as it was such a huge PB and I have not focused on these shorter distances whatsoever so I wonder what I might be able to do with a period of specific focus on them....
Then on to Sunday where I did my last longish run before London. An 18 miler around Harrogate as I was back 'oop North' for Easter visiting my Mum and her Partner and then to my Dad and Step-Mum's who were celebrating their silver wedding anniversary. It was a brilliant weekend and great to see everyone and I promise I tried my hardest not to indulge too much....
T 9.03 miles, including 5X600m VO2Max Intervals (6:13mm avge)
W 15.1 miles progressive (6:21mm avge)
T 7.1 miles recovery, including 6X100m strides (7:06mm avge)
F 6.23 miles recovery (7:06mm avge)
S 8.59 miles, including Hackney Marshes 5k Parkrun @ 5:01mm (6:05mm avge)
S 18.19 miles progressive (6:19mm avge)
Total 70.29 miles (6:31mm avge)
So this week was the first week of tapering and all has gone well. I had an encouraging VO2Max session on Tuesday although there wasn't much volume, with only five reps of 600metres. They were at least very consistent at 1:48 (4:50 per mile pace) for each of the 600 metres. These were I would suggest closer to 3k pace than 5k pace.
The run of note for last week was always going to the result of Saturdays tune up race. It was only a 5k Parkrun but I'd decided I really wanted to push myself and see how quick I could go. Given my VO2 work I had thought that in the right conditions I would be able to do something in the region of 15:30 which would be a big PB (it had stood at 16:22). Luckily conditions were perfect but unfortunately it came clear after the first 50 metres or so that there wasn't going to be anyone to race so it was going to be a solo time trial. I didn't mind though and was prepared for such an event. What can I say other than ouch, ouch, ouch. When you feel your strongest distance is the marathon like me, 5ks don't half hurt. Even within a quarter of a mile, you start thinking that there's no way you can keep this up. The first k ticked by in 3:04.5, and then the second one I ran in 3:03.1. By this time I was really starting to hurt and as I approached the turn around point (you literally have to do a 180 and run around a marshall at 2.5k and run back the way you've come) I did start to lose focus with a 3:12.2 k. By this time I wasn't looking at the watch, there was no point anyway, it was just about digging in. Then the fourth k came and again I struggled, with a 3:13.1 but now it was head down, I could literally smell the finish! I did notice probably halfway through that last k that my form had gone a little and I was slumped a touch forward. I told myself to stand up and as I did I felt my strength come back and it really helped me pull back my pace finishing with a 3:01.5! So I finished with 15:34 and with slightly more sensible pacing, and a stronger mind I should have gone under 15:30 but I am not disappointed as it was such a huge PB and I have not focused on these shorter distances whatsoever so I wonder what I might be able to do with a period of specific focus on them....
Then on to Sunday where I did my last longish run before London. An 18 miler around Harrogate as I was back 'oop North' for Easter visiting my Mum and her Partner and then to my Dad and Step-Mum's who were celebrating their silver wedding anniversary. It was a brilliant weekend and great to see everyone and I promise I tried my hardest not to indulge too much....
Sunday 1 April 2012
Week 15: 26th March - 1st April 2012
M AM 6.18 miles recovery (7:15mm avge), PM 4 miles recovery (7:24mm avge)
T 8.02 miles general aerobic (6:14mm avge)
W 10.9 miles, including 5X1,200m VO2Max Intervals (6:05mm avge)
T AM 15.09 miles progressive (6:13mm avge), PM 4.2 miles recovery (7:04mm avge)
F 8.11 miles general aerobic, including 8X100m strides (6:19mm avge)
S 6.21 miles recovery (7:11mm avge)
S 22.52 miles including 13.1 miles @ 5:30mm (5:55mm avge)
Total 85.23 miles (6:22mm avge)
This week was the last big week before reducing the mileage over the next three weeks to really freshen the legs up in time for the BIG ONE!
After last week's bug I was keen to ensure I hadn't lost too much and was over the illness. In reality I think it's not completely shifted as I am a touch chesty and my heart rate is higher than normal on my runs but it's not been horrendous so I am on the mend. By the time the marathon comes round I should feel brand new. I hope.
I had a big session on Wednesday morning which was supposed to be 12 miles with 6x1,200m at 5k pace. Unfortunately I had to cut the session short to 5 intervals as the clocks going forward has played havoc with my own personal body clock and meant that I suffered 'tummy troubles from the end of the second rep. The less said about that the better. But there was no way I could have done another interval without having an accident. It made for a rather uncomfortable and comical (for the casual observer!) run home, and then when I got home I found my wife Hania in the loo! Still the session was OK, if a little tougher than I would like. The reps averaged I think about 4:57mm pace so not too bad but my form was really going on the last one for the reasons previously mentioned!
Thursday was a run to work which felt OK if again a little harder than normal.
And so to Sunday which was scheduled to be 22 miles progressive but after missing some vital training and a race last week with the bug I decided to do an extended marathon pace session within a long run again and picked Paddock Wood half to do it in. So I got there nice and early, picked up the number and then proceeded to do a good 7 mile warm up at a fair old clip, including 1.3 miles at around 5:33 pace. Jumped on the start line and ready to go. I had been aware during my warm up miles that my tummy was yet again 'gurggling' but I didn't have time to use the bathroom so just hoped for the best. The plan had been to try and get 73ish dead in the 'race' and feel comfortable but in the end I ended up going quicker than I had planned as I was feeling very easy in the early miles. As the race wore on my tummy was getting worse though and I had to hold back a bit to get things back in control. The last 4/5 miles were a bit of a grind and the effort levels by this stage were definitely moving above marathon effort but still somewhat below an all out effort. This is to be expected after a long warm up, the high miles for the week, tummy troubles and the fact that I think I'm still getting over the lurgy. Anyway, I finished in 72:01 which is an official PB - had I been keeping a closer eye on the clock I would have pushed for sub 72, but then I still think I am capable of a lot quicker if I focus specifically on a half marathon. I think that could be the plan for the Autumn. I then did a couple more miles to warm down after a hasty visit to one of the portaloos! I did this race last year in 73:27 exactly three weeks out from London again as part of a long run and although my heart rate was higher this time, it definitely felt easier, perhaps a sign of my improved lactate threshold and VO2max. This can only be a good thing for the big race.
So a strong week's training and some hard miles included there, especially today. Now I need to let it all soak in and over the next three weeks and I need to ensure I get back to doing lots of stretching during my taper to make sure I hit the start line on 22nd April in prime condition.
T 8.02 miles general aerobic (6:14mm avge)
W 10.9 miles, including 5X1,200m VO2Max Intervals (6:05mm avge)
T AM 15.09 miles progressive (6:13mm avge), PM 4.2 miles recovery (7:04mm avge)
F 8.11 miles general aerobic, including 8X100m strides (6:19mm avge)
S 6.21 miles recovery (7:11mm avge)
S 22.52 miles including 13.1 miles @ 5:30mm (5:55mm avge)
Total 85.23 miles (6:22mm avge)
This week was the last big week before reducing the mileage over the next three weeks to really freshen the legs up in time for the BIG ONE!
After last week's bug I was keen to ensure I hadn't lost too much and was over the illness. In reality I think it's not completely shifted as I am a touch chesty and my heart rate is higher than normal on my runs but it's not been horrendous so I am on the mend. By the time the marathon comes round I should feel brand new. I hope.
I had a big session on Wednesday morning which was supposed to be 12 miles with 6x1,200m at 5k pace. Unfortunately I had to cut the session short to 5 intervals as the clocks going forward has played havoc with my own personal body clock and meant that I suffered 'tummy troubles from the end of the second rep. The less said about that the better. But there was no way I could have done another interval without having an accident. It made for a rather uncomfortable and comical (for the casual observer!) run home, and then when I got home I found my wife Hania in the loo! Still the session was OK, if a little tougher than I would like. The reps averaged I think about 4:57mm pace so not too bad but my form was really going on the last one for the reasons previously mentioned!
Thursday was a run to work which felt OK if again a little harder than normal.
And so to Sunday which was scheduled to be 22 miles progressive but after missing some vital training and a race last week with the bug I decided to do an extended marathon pace session within a long run again and picked Paddock Wood half to do it in. So I got there nice and early, picked up the number and then proceeded to do a good 7 mile warm up at a fair old clip, including 1.3 miles at around 5:33 pace. Jumped on the start line and ready to go. I had been aware during my warm up miles that my tummy was yet again 'gurggling' but I didn't have time to use the bathroom so just hoped for the best. The plan had been to try and get 73ish dead in the 'race' and feel comfortable but in the end I ended up going quicker than I had planned as I was feeling very easy in the early miles. As the race wore on my tummy was getting worse though and I had to hold back a bit to get things back in control. The last 4/5 miles were a bit of a grind and the effort levels by this stage were definitely moving above marathon effort but still somewhat below an all out effort. This is to be expected after a long warm up, the high miles for the week, tummy troubles and the fact that I think I'm still getting over the lurgy. Anyway, I finished in 72:01 which is an official PB - had I been keeping a closer eye on the clock I would have pushed for sub 72, but then I still think I am capable of a lot quicker if I focus specifically on a half marathon. I think that could be the plan for the Autumn. I then did a couple more miles to warm down after a hasty visit to one of the portaloos! I did this race last year in 73:27 exactly three weeks out from London again as part of a long run and although my heart rate was higher this time, it definitely felt easier, perhaps a sign of my improved lactate threshold and VO2max. This can only be a good thing for the big race.
So a strong week's training and some hard miles included there, especially today. Now I need to let it all soak in and over the next three weeks and I need to ensure I get back to doing lots of stretching during my taper to make sure I hit the start line on 22nd April in prime condition.
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