M 11.5 miles (6:26mm), 5.5 miles (7:17mm)
T 10 miles (6:48mm), 5 miles (7:17mm)
W 16 miles including 4X15mins (5:55mm), 6 miles (7:15mm)
T 10 miles (6:35mm), 5 miles (7:08mm)
F 8.5 miles (6:39mm)
S 27 miles progressive long run (6:24mm)
S 10.5 miles (6:25mm)
Total - 115.9 miles (6:34mm)
Aerobic Efficiency 987 beats per mile average
Average Weight 144.7 Lbs
Average RHR 34 bpm
Pleased to have another big week in the bag. In fact this was my biggest week ever in terms of mileage and to be honest it's probably good that I'm to have a cut back this coming week as I have started to have that feeling of invincibility which comes with being very fit. The danger with that feeling is that sometimes you are tempted to push yet further and end up breaking so hopefully this week with reduced mileage will see a bit of consolidation before I ramp up again for three weeks. It also brings August to an end and I've managed to clock up 452 miles (another milelage PB!) with one rest day.
Really happy to have seen the weight continue to drop with just over 2lbs lost and I'm pretty sure I shall get to my lightest racing weight ever in time for the marathon. I have been counting calories most days using the myfitness pal app and seem to be managing a calorie deficit of about 5-600 calories per day (although it must actually be closer to c1000 calories per day given the weight I'm losing) without feeling too hungry and being fuelled enough for my sessions. I'm looking pretty skinny to be quite frank. Hopefully a member of my family shall tell me I am looking ill soon then I know I'm in good shape. ;-)
Aerobic efficiency has come down again another 16 beats per mile. In fact this week there were only three runs out of eleven that averaged over 1000 beats per mile.
So to the sessions Wednesday was a 4X15mins marathon specific session where the goal was to hit around MP or above. I achieved it and it was also nice to gradually get quicker with each fifteen minutes with paces of (5:37, 5:32, 5:29, 5:24). I will say I did do a bit of a boo-boo on the third rep and accidentally pressed lap on my garmin bringing a premature end to the 15 minutes (it was close enough at 14:38!) but I made it up by adding another 30 seconds on the end of the final 15! This was a real test for me but I do feel very strong and think I am getting to be where I want to be. Anything quicker than 5:40 is quicker than marathon PB pace. I would love to see that down towards 5:30s for race day, but we shall see.
Saturday and the long run I decided to do a full distance. It ended up being over distance in the end. I realised that I was going to finish at about 26.8 so Runner's OCD took over and I had to make up the additional 0.2 to get a nice round 27! It was a pretty decent run and although it was a similar pace to last weeks 25 my legs didn't really complain too much until right at the end with a big 2 miles uphill from 23-25. I did this run unfuelled as I feel it is good to try to get the body more efficient at burning fat as fuel in prep for the marathon. I made sure I had a good feed shortly after I got back though and the legs felt fine for this morning's 10 miler which wasn't too shabby pace wise either.
Next Sunday is the Vale of York half marathon which I'm really looking forward to given the shape I'm starting to feel I'm in and tempted to give the PB (69:46) a go if the conditions are good.
Sunday 31 August 2014
Sunday 24 August 2014
Yorkshire Marathon - Week 3: 18/8 - 24/8
M 11.5 miles (6:33mm), 5.5 miles (7:25mm)
T 10 miles (6:52mm), 5 miles (7:26mm)
W 14.5 miles including 20 mins, 4X3mins, 20 mins (5:56mm), 5 miles (7:30mm)
T 10.5 miles (6:43mm), 5 miles (7:24mm)
F 8.5 miles (6:46mm)
S 25 miles progressive long run (6:26mm)
S 9 miles (7:04mm)
Total - 110.2 miles (6:43mm)
Aerobic Efficiency 1003 beats per mile average
Average Weight 146.9 Lbs
Average RHR 34.6 bpm
This week has been really interesting (well, for me at least) as it has been the highest volume of running I've ever done in a week and I've also gone through everything one should feel when training for a marathon; shattered, strong, quick, slow, ruined legs, grumpy and happy.
There has been another improvement in my beats per mile average although the drop wasn't as much this week as in previous weeks which is understandable as it starts to level out as I get close to my fittest. I hope there will still be a gradual improvement over the coming weeks but I would be suprirsed if it drops more than another 30beats per mile over the remaining time I have before the race.
It was also pleasing to see my weight continue to drop a little after last weekend's BBQ excesses with me losing 1.5lbs. I kept forgetting to take my resting heart rate first thing in the morning but largely remembered to take a reading just before I went to sleep and that averaged 34.6beats per minute from the five readings I took.
And so to the week's training. Monday was fine and I was still feeling pretty sprightly but then on Tuesday I had an enormous amount of fatigue. Not necessarily in the legs but I just felt completely worn out so my 10 miler on Tuesday morning was taken at an easier intensity but to be honest I couldnt have put much more effort in if I'd tried! Wednesday was a marathon specific session of 20 minutes at marathon pace and the first bit came in at 5:40mm and then with 3 mins jog recovery it was on to 4X3mins hard with 2 mins recover (link above). Now, I had no idea how these would go seeing as the legs are never that quick anyway but especially now when I was in the throws of marathon training and generally feeling pretty shattered. I was very surprised to see those come in at under 5:00mm pace, with the quickest at 4:52mm. That's basically as quick as I can run so to hit 4 reps after a decent tempo stint was quite pleasing indeed. The session then finished with another 20 mins MP which came in at a ratther sprightly 5:31 pace. It is fair to say that that was probably faster than my current marathon pace but if it happes to be that on race day I would be very happy indeed as it would mean a sizeable PB! It was also nice to have a good 14.5 miles done in an over all decent average pace.
Truth be told, Thursday and Friday were a bit of a struggle as the legs were doing their best to recover from Wednesday and then even on Saturday going out for my long run they didn't seem too keen! The plan was for a step up from the 22 I did last week and move up to a 24 which I had diligently mapped out on the computer and uploaded to my Garmin. Unfortunately the mapping had thought there was a through route where there wasn't so I ended up running 25 miles instead.Never mind, I'll probably be thankful I've done a 25 considering I'm planning a full distance 26.2 next week. It was a pleasing average pace and I picked it up in the second half as my legs actually started to feel a bit less mangled. Also, as it was over a reasonably bumpy route it was a good one to have in the bag.
So, I've made it through this week and this coming week is planned to be another big one before I take a cut back week with a half marathon race in a couple of Sundays time to start to gauge what sort of shape I'm coning into and what I might be able to expect come marathon day.
T 10 miles (6:52mm), 5 miles (7:26mm)
W 14.5 miles including 20 mins, 4X3mins, 20 mins (5:56mm), 5 miles (7:30mm)
T 10.5 miles (6:43mm), 5 miles (7:24mm)
F 8.5 miles (6:46mm)
S 25 miles progressive long run (6:26mm)
S 9 miles (7:04mm)
Total - 110.2 miles (6:43mm)
Aerobic Efficiency 1003 beats per mile average
Average Weight 146.9 Lbs
Average RHR 34.6 bpm
This week has been really interesting (well, for me at least) as it has been the highest volume of running I've ever done in a week and I've also gone through everything one should feel when training for a marathon; shattered, strong, quick, slow, ruined legs, grumpy and happy.
There has been another improvement in my beats per mile average although the drop wasn't as much this week as in previous weeks which is understandable as it starts to level out as I get close to my fittest. I hope there will still be a gradual improvement over the coming weeks but I would be suprirsed if it drops more than another 30beats per mile over the remaining time I have before the race.
It was also pleasing to see my weight continue to drop a little after last weekend's BBQ excesses with me losing 1.5lbs. I kept forgetting to take my resting heart rate first thing in the morning but largely remembered to take a reading just before I went to sleep and that averaged 34.6beats per minute from the five readings I took.
And so to the week's training. Monday was fine and I was still feeling pretty sprightly but then on Tuesday I had an enormous amount of fatigue. Not necessarily in the legs but I just felt completely worn out so my 10 miler on Tuesday morning was taken at an easier intensity but to be honest I couldnt have put much more effort in if I'd tried! Wednesday was a marathon specific session of 20 minutes at marathon pace and the first bit came in at 5:40mm and then with 3 mins jog recovery it was on to 4X3mins hard with 2 mins recover (link above). Now, I had no idea how these would go seeing as the legs are never that quick anyway but especially now when I was in the throws of marathon training and generally feeling pretty shattered. I was very surprised to see those come in at under 5:00mm pace, with the quickest at 4:52mm. That's basically as quick as I can run so to hit 4 reps after a decent tempo stint was quite pleasing indeed. The session then finished with another 20 mins MP which came in at a ratther sprightly 5:31 pace. It is fair to say that that was probably faster than my current marathon pace but if it happes to be that on race day I would be very happy indeed as it would mean a sizeable PB! It was also nice to have a good 14.5 miles done in an over all decent average pace.
Truth be told, Thursday and Friday were a bit of a struggle as the legs were doing their best to recover from Wednesday and then even on Saturday going out for my long run they didn't seem too keen! The plan was for a step up from the 22 I did last week and move up to a 24 which I had diligently mapped out on the computer and uploaded to my Garmin. Unfortunately the mapping had thought there was a through route where there wasn't so I ended up running 25 miles instead.Never mind, I'll probably be thankful I've done a 25 considering I'm planning a full distance 26.2 next week. It was a pleasing average pace and I picked it up in the second half as my legs actually started to feel a bit less mangled. Also, as it was over a reasonably bumpy route it was a good one to have in the bag.
So, I've made it through this week and this coming week is planned to be another big one before I take a cut back week with a half marathon race in a couple of Sundays time to start to gauge what sort of shape I'm coning into and what I might be able to expect come marathon day.
Sunday 17 August 2014
Yorkshire Marathon - Week 2: 11/8 - 17/8
M 10 miles (6:55mm), 5 miles (7:27mm)
T 10 miles (6:47mm), 5 miles (7:34mm)
W 14 miles including progressive 10 miles (6:05mm), 4 miles (7:26mm)
T 10.5 miles (6:44mm), 4 miles (7:27mm)
F 8 (6:48mm)
S 22 miles progressive long run (6:30mm)
S 10.5 miles (6:32mm)
Total - 104.3 miles (6:44mm)
Aerobic Efficiency 1020 beats per mile average
Average Weight 148.5 Lbs
Average RHR 37.5bpm
This week was about building the mileage a little both with the Wednesday session and the Saturday long run. All in all it went well and I can feel my fitness improving every run with all my easy general aerobic runs steadily getting quicker for the same heart rate which is a very positive sign and so there has been big strides made in terms of my aerobic efficiency.
The Wednesday morning run was really tough, especially towards the end. I had increased the length of the hard bit to 10 miles from 8 this week with the intention of increasing the pace a few second each mile. Although starting a bit slower this week by the time I was 8 miles in of high aerobic/lactate threshold running it's very difficult to keep increasing the pace which I think is what makes this a very good marathon specific session. Especially as probably half of it was slightly quicker than my current marathon pace would be. This session is all about trying to replicate how you're going to feel in miles 22-26.2 in the marathon. From experience I know that at that point it generally feels like you're sprinting, even though in some cases you're actually coming to a standstill! I just about managed it, which was rather satisfying and always nice to have the big session banked by 7:30am!
I've decided to monitor my weight and resting heart rate quite closely to see if I can see any gradual improvements over the weeks. My weigh in is every day at the same time, after run, after mini-breakfast and I shall be taking an average over the week such are the fluctuations day to day. Hopefully over the weeks I will see my weight gradually dropping to somewhere around 10 stone. I think my lowest racing weight before has been about 10 st 3lbs and it would be nice to get down to that if not a little lower. My resting heart rate is already quite low (I'm measuring it as soon as I wake up each day) so it says to me that there is an underlying level of fitness there still form the spring. I would be surprised if that got down much lower although I have seen readings as low as 33 bpm in the past.
The Long run on Saturday was really encouraging if a little early to start. We had our family 'summer' BBQ so I had to be back in good time to get stuff prepared. My HR started off really low and took ages to get going, I think this was partly because the first few miles were downhill on an out and back course. But I finished the run feeling very strong, the legs were a touch tired but it was a big improvement on last week in terms of pace and also the hart rate over the whole run. Sunday's run was another easy/steadyish run and although I felt quite sluggish probably due to the fact that I had eaten my weight in Polish sausage at the BBQ it was OK pace wise and in terms of HR was very efficient.
As I mentioned last week a good sign of my improving fitness is my aerobic efficiency which I measure using a HR beats per mile average. Once it gets below 1000beats per mile average then I am getting into pretty good shape. This week has seen an improvement from 1059 beats per mile down to 1020 so I'm definitely getting there. I can only really put it down to consistency of mileage over the past three weeks running. Consistency as any runner will know is their best friend.
T 10 miles (6:47mm), 5 miles (7:34mm)
W 14 miles including progressive 10 miles (6:05mm), 4 miles (7:26mm)
T 10.5 miles (6:44mm), 4 miles (7:27mm)
F 8 (6:48mm)
S 22 miles progressive long run (6:30mm)
S 10.5 miles (6:32mm)
Total - 104.3 miles (6:44mm)
Aerobic Efficiency 1020 beats per mile average
Average Weight 148.5 Lbs
Average RHR 37.5bpm
This week was about building the mileage a little both with the Wednesday session and the Saturday long run. All in all it went well and I can feel my fitness improving every run with all my easy general aerobic runs steadily getting quicker for the same heart rate which is a very positive sign and so there has been big strides made in terms of my aerobic efficiency.
The Wednesday morning run was really tough, especially towards the end. I had increased the length of the hard bit to 10 miles from 8 this week with the intention of increasing the pace a few second each mile. Although starting a bit slower this week by the time I was 8 miles in of high aerobic/lactate threshold running it's very difficult to keep increasing the pace which I think is what makes this a very good marathon specific session. Especially as probably half of it was slightly quicker than my current marathon pace would be. This session is all about trying to replicate how you're going to feel in miles 22-26.2 in the marathon. From experience I know that at that point it generally feels like you're sprinting, even though in some cases you're actually coming to a standstill! I just about managed it, which was rather satisfying and always nice to have the big session banked by 7:30am!
I've decided to monitor my weight and resting heart rate quite closely to see if I can see any gradual improvements over the weeks. My weigh in is every day at the same time, after run, after mini-breakfast and I shall be taking an average over the week such are the fluctuations day to day. Hopefully over the weeks I will see my weight gradually dropping to somewhere around 10 stone. I think my lowest racing weight before has been about 10 st 3lbs and it would be nice to get down to that if not a little lower. My resting heart rate is already quite low (I'm measuring it as soon as I wake up each day) so it says to me that there is an underlying level of fitness there still form the spring. I would be surprised if that got down much lower although I have seen readings as low as 33 bpm in the past.
The Long run on Saturday was really encouraging if a little early to start. We had our family 'summer' BBQ so I had to be back in good time to get stuff prepared. My HR started off really low and took ages to get going, I think this was partly because the first few miles were downhill on an out and back course. But I finished the run feeling very strong, the legs were a touch tired but it was a big improvement on last week in terms of pace and also the hart rate over the whole run. Sunday's run was another easy/steadyish run and although I felt quite sluggish probably due to the fact that I had eaten my weight in Polish sausage at the BBQ it was OK pace wise and in terms of HR was very efficient.
As I mentioned last week a good sign of my improving fitness is my aerobic efficiency which I measure using a HR beats per mile average. Once it gets below 1000beats per mile average then I am getting into pretty good shape. This week has seen an improvement from 1059 beats per mile down to 1020 so I'm definitely getting there. I can only really put it down to consistency of mileage over the past three weeks running. Consistency as any runner will know is their best friend.
Sunday 10 August 2014
Yorkshire Marathon - Week 1: 4/8/14
M 10.11 miles (7:11mm), 4.15 miles (8:00mm)
T 10.27 miles (6:59mm), 4.44 miles (7:57mm)
W 12.38 miles including Progressive 8 mile tempo (6:14mm), 4.07 miles (7:50mm)
T 10.09 miles (6:53mm)
F 8.43 miles (6:54mm)
S 20.22 miles progressive long run (6:38mm)
S 11.16 miles (6:46mm)
Total 95.3miles (6:55mm)
Aerobic Efficiency 1059 beats per mile average
So, it's been a while since I wrote a blog. I thought it might be worthwhile in starting it up again for a few weeks as I build towards the Yorkshire Marathon in October. There is a possibility that I may not end up running the race due to the fact that my wife, Hania is expecting our second baby just the week before the race. I was not planning on an Autumn marathon this year as I decided a couple of years ago that I really only fancied training for one per year, such is the commitment required and also the focus that one needs to have on it. I also came to this conclusion as I was keen to get quicker over the shorter distances but the reality is that the shorter distances just don't inspire me as much. I find training for them much harder mentally and I tend to have a catastrophic loss of mojo regarding 5ks and 10ks, etc. Having dabbled at a few over the summer, I just don't seem to run well in them when I'm not training for a marathon. I guess what the whole thing has taught me is that I AM A MARATHONER. I need to be comfortable with this and do my best to improve at this event as much as possible as that is where my relative strength lies, without a doubt.
I ran Edinburgh Marathon earlier this year and snuck a PB of 2:28:32 which I was really pleased with given the weather on the day. There was a massive headwind for the first 17.5 or so miles and I was also injured in the lead up to it with pelvis, glute and hamstring problems. I suspect on a stiller day that performance would have been a couple of minutes quicker. I ran this as a back up having been focused on Manchester but coming down with a quad injury just two days before the race which may or may not have been connected to the other issues I have been struggling with. Injury wise, I don't feel I am completely fixed, I get sciatic pain down the back of my left leg and my glutes are always causing me bother but I can run that is the main thing. After about 12 sessions of physio I am still not right so I am just focusing on what I can do which is trying all sorts of strengthening exercise in the hope that it'll get better eventually.
Anyway, the plan for this marathon is to really focus on getting decent length runs in most days with a couple of key sessions per week. The long run, where I will be building up to 30 miles and also a midweek marathon specific session which I have basically robbed off Steve Way, who is a bit of a Lege. The workouts look really testing but just the sort of thing that brings me on a lot. i.e. working around and slightly above marathon pace intensity but with a decent chunk of mileage in the sessions. It is likely they will be up to 18 miles in total.
So this first week of 10 having done a 65 mile week last week was just about plodding the miles out, getting my first 20 miler done and a decent progressive tempo run in. All went well and although the Wednesday session was tough ( I really had to concentrate on the last couple of miles to keep the pace increasing!) and the 20 miler on Saturday felt really hard towards the end (uphill and into a headwind) it was a successful week. In fact I did an 11 miler this morning which felt really comfortable and there wasn't much residual tiredness in my legs from the weeks training. I am even trying much more consciously to recover properly from my runs in terms of eating shortly after finishing a run, even having a milk shake in the hope that a dose of protein will help the legs feel better for the next session. Although it's only early days in this build up, I genuinely think I can feel the difference!
One thing that I have occasionally kept an eye on before is how many beats per mile my heart rate goes overt the course of a run. Having looked at my figures in the buildup to previous races I know that as I get down towards and below 1000 beats per mile I am starting to get in pretty good shape. In fact just before Manchester I was averaging about 970 beats per mile which tells me I was probably in brilliant shape had it not been for the annoying injury that came as quickly as it went! I am going to track it as an average as each week progresses in the hope that it'll show my fitness improving as I approach race day. Even this week I have seen a gradual improvement and about a 20 beat drop from last week alone.
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