T 7 miles HA (7:27mm)
W 9 miles (6:28mm), 3 miles (7:36mm)
T 8 miles HA (7:19mm)
F 10.5 miles (7:17mm), 5 miles (7:44mm)
S 6 miles HA (7:24mm)
S 16 miles including Guy Fawkes 10
Total 80 miles (6:52mm)
Aerobic efficiency 1066 beats per mile
Weight 142.8lbs Vs 138lbs pre Toronto
Body Fat 11.18% (15.96lbs) Vs 8.7% (12.06lbs) pre Toronto
Lean Body Mass 84.38% (120.5lbs) Vs 86.78% (119.75lbs) pre Toronto
Water 63.55% (90.75lbs) Vs 67.8% (93.56 lbs) pre Toronto
After Toronto I took a couple of easy weeks one of which was spent away in Poland for Half-Term. Although I took my kit and hoped to get in a few runs, I only managed two. Unfortunately I didn't manage just two cakes! It was lovely to relax and not do any serious training though by last Monday I was itching to get back into things. I had planned to do the Guy Fawkes 10 at the end of this first week, really as it would be a good way of getting a harder run in without beasting myself in training.
Although my bigger target is London in April, that is too far away to be a focus right now as I want to do a couple of other road races and a XC season before then. With that in mind I have decided that I will have an eight week focus on building to Ribble Valley 10k with a hope that I will finally get something more respectable over the distance!
As one can see from the stats above, it looks like my marathon fitness has deserted me. Aerobic efficiency down by just over 100 beats per mile, body fat up by just under 4lbs! This was to be expected given the post-marathon relaxation and although it can be a little frustrating knowing how fit I was just a few short weeks ago, I know that the fitness (and leanness) will come back quickly too given it is all so recent.
I pretty much took each day as it came with the hope that I would get in around 80 miles with a few bits of faster work. Monday I did a progression run and then on Thursday I did 10X1min with 5 mins tempo which were Ok but I certainly felt rusty!
The plan with Sunday's race really was to just run to feel and not worry about the time or pace.
Photo Credit: Steve Bateson. The Start.
Off we went and I quickly dropped into a group with Jack Wood, Andy Grant, and Ed Hyland. Tristan Learoyd of New Marske had made a very early break and pushed on. I didn't fancy going with that pace as I wanted as pleasant a race experience as I could! I knew from experience that Andy and Jack are very reliable runners when it comes to judging effort so decided to stick with them. By four miles Andy had dropped off a bit and so it was left to me and Jack to try and chase Tristan down. There are some mammoth hills in this race and it was remarkable to see the ease at which Jack would pull away from me on the ascents (he is an accomplished fell runner) but I would then catch him on the descents. Tristan still kept his lead of about 30 seconds until the end of the seventh mile when Jack started to open up an unassailable gap from me. I kept asking myself 'how much do I want it?' I couldn't help it but the answer was always 'not that much!' I also suspected had I tried to go with Jack he would have had something in reserve to continue to pull away so I moved my focus to try and reel Tristan in as he seemed to be tiring. And so he did, I could see that Jack had caught him as we approached the nine mile Mark. So I had one mile to try and close a ten second gap. I worked hard up a couple of undulations and let my legs really go on the downhills. As we approached the dip of a hill with no more than 150 metres to go, I drew alongside Tristan. Now I'm not used to being in a sprint finish, and I certainly wouldn't have confidence in beating anyone ordinarily but I just decided to go for it at that stage and put in a big effort up the final testing hill towards the finish at Ripley Castle and just about managed to snatch second place in 56:16 (not quick but trust me it's a very slow course!). I couldn't help but feel a bit for Tristan as he had run a brave race from the start and had it been a 9 mile race, he almost certainly would have won.
Photo Credit: Steve Bateson. Sprint finish, maybe I did want it after all!
So that's the first week back and the first week done as I build to Ribble Valley 10k on 27th December. Hopefully this week will see an increase in miles and a bit more timber shifting!
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