London Marathon 2013

So after a near-perfect buildup 21st April was race day.

Before the race I have to be honest I have never felt so fresh. I felt so fresh it was incredible, I felt like a coiled spring, a loaded gun, a massive pocket of energy ready to bounce around the streets of London. The carb load had gone well and for once I hadn't even had a dicky tummy on the morning of the race. I was ready. Confidence was sky high. I had even declared my target to folks I knew. I was gunning for sub 2:25. The weather was perfect. There were no excuses.

I got the train with fellow club mates and enjoyed the banter to the start as the nervous excitement started to build. Got to the Champs start and had a good chat with Ben Martin-Dye, Howard Clark, Rob Downs, Charlie Wartnaby, Stuart Leaney, Peter Tucker, Simon Hart, Steve Way and Chris Minns before being led to the line. It was awesome seeing Mo and the World's best marathoners lining up just inches confront of me. Got myself some BBC facetime (it'd be rude not to). Aidan Adams, a future club mate also said hello to me on the start line.

We pay our respects to the Boston victims which was very emotional and then before we know it Dave Bedford has sounded the hooter and its down to business.

I told myself to go really steady and to try to make my first mile the slowest. It came in at about a 5:40 (I failed) but it was still slower than the average pace I had planned. I was getting into my rhythm and gradually found myself in a nice little group, going through 5k in 17:03. This was fine as the first three miles are downhill and I wanted to hit each 5k in roughly 17:10. It felt alright but just after 5k I went past Steve Way who was unfortunately having to slow to a jog as he had picked up an injury the week before the race and had decided to see how it would go once he started. His training had been  impeccable and he was sure to get a PB and almost certain to get a 2:17 or under based on his form. Gutted for he fella.

The next 5k was about making sure I was comfortable with my running. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and although I know now I was working harder than I should, the pace and rhythm felt fine at the time. I was having way too much fun. showboating to the crowds, giving out high fives like they were going out of fashion. I was, quite frankly having the time of my life! I went through this 5k in 17:09.

After the Cutty Sark it is probably the time that one should be really relaxing into their rhythm and I did this to an extent feeling more comfortable as I went through. Next 5k was passed in 17:09 too!

Now it was all about getting to Tower Bridge, making it to half way before getting down to business with the hard end of the race. Going through the next 5k in 17:15 and hitting half way in 72:20 I was absolutely bang where I wanted to be but it was at this point that doubts started to creep in. The group that I had been running with had quickly disintegrated and there were only three of us left. Paul Marchant who I had run with at Peterborough last year (until he took off about 7 miles in!) and a Polish guy who still seemed incredibly comfortable. Confidence was still high as I kept trying to refer to how I felt during the race two years ago. I was convincing myself that I felt better but in reality I was probably lying to myself a bit! As we reached 15 miles this is were my race started to unravel. I got a bit of a stitch which was manageable but I did have to ease off the pace a fraction meaning Paul again started his march(ant) to glory. As the stitch dissipated I was isolated and then I started to feel a bit of cramp coming on. Not dangerously so but I felt if I forced the pace it would hold me up significantly. At this point of the race I was now just focued on getting to 30k where I would see my wife Hania, daughter Mia and Mum (who had made the trip from Yorkshire on the day to support me). This was all I could focus on but I was starting to be in a bad way. A very bad way. My racing head had deserted me. Thoughts of dropping out came to mind. I did that last year. I wasn't going to do it again. Last year was acceptable, this time wouldn't be. I would accept the end result, even if I hadn't raced it as well as I should have!

This was about hanging on. As I went through 30k in 1:43:31 (17:41 5k split) I knew my game was up but I could still see a familiar figure in the distance. It was Peter Tucker of Blackheath, one of my proudest scalps from Edinburgh Marathon last year (he may not have been completely fit at the time but he has represented England!). I was getting closer to him and as we approached 20 miles I was virtually on his shoulder. He must have been having a terrible patch as I was certainly not running well. It didn't take long though for him to get it together and start pulling away from me.

I hit the return after Poplar High St and saw my mate Ben Shearer at the side of the road (2:29 marathoner who pretends he is retired from marathons). I could see in his face that he knew I was having a bad time of it, but his support was nice all the same!

Now people were starting to come past me and that is so demoralising as it shows that you have not run a good race. Working toward the Tower (30-35k in 18:32) was so hard and having shouts from a few folk I know supporting helped but I was still struggling to lift the effort. I was spent. I was completely gone. Please. Where is the finish??

As I reached the Highway I get all sorts of cheers from mate Rich Hodge, Catherine Charlton, Derek laws, Suzy Yates, Simon kenyon, Dave Farmer. I remember them only vaguely. There were plenty more too but it was just so hard to know who was shouting at me!

Now we hit the City and its all about the Embankment. It's a bloody long way. Calculations going on in my head and despite not being too bad at the Maths generally I have no idea what I'm likely to get. I still think I'll get a PB but the pace is still dropping, I cant hold on! Whatever happens I must get another sub 2:30. Anything else is unacceptable the work that I've put into this campaign! Andy Rayner gives me a shout as I soldier on.

It feels like loads are streaming past me. In reality its hardly any but each one hurts, like a dagger to the heart. And each one slows me still. I try to hold onto their heels but I cant. I hit 40k with a 5k split of 19:19. Oh my goodness, that is awful! If I continue to slow at this rate there is no chance I will get under 2:30! Head down, now is about standing up and being a man. You can lift those legs a little higher, you can get them turning over a little quicker. You will get under 2:30. Don't let yourself down.

Now it's all about getting to Parliament square and seeing the family again. I know they will see my face and know that I am not getting what I want.But I know they will be proud. I see the pride on their faces. I hear their cheers, it lifts me. I have been lifted by the thought of seeing them and that it is nearly all over. Drive on! Nearly there.

By this time I think the PB has gone and as I enter the Mall I can see the clock just going over 2:29. the finish line still looks a mile away, I dig in. There is no point leaving anything out there. Leave it all on the road. I do. as I get closer to the finish I cant quite believe it but there is a chance of a PB! I struggle and strive and get them little legs moving and although I finish my watch on 2:29:34 I know there is a chance I may have PBed given I try to start my watch just before the gun and stop it a little while after! I find out from a friend Tim Aldred on one of the baggage lorries that I have PBed by  massive two seconds! I would have cried if I had any emotion left, I wanted to but there was nothing left. Spent.

Oh my word, that was hard!

Marathons are hard. really hard. I'm not sure I have the mental capability to be a really strong marathoner which is a shame as physically I think it suits me. There are certainly things to work on.

Just a good job when I finish one I get to see this.

Not a fantastic experience truth  be told, but I am proud of how hard I pushed myself. I don't monitor my heart rate during races but having looked at the stats post-race (full details below) my heart rate was 5bpm (185) above what would be expected in a marathon. This just goes to show that I was working way harder than I was capable of! Maybe I should monitor it next time.... keep it a little lower and just accept the outcome was the best I could do!

So scores on the doors were 2:29:31 for 41st place out of c36,000. 72:20 first half and a 77:11 second half shows how painful it was!

All that said, running is ace. The best hobby ever. But it is just a hobby.

London Marathon 2013 Build Up

Last year I gave a week by week account of my build up to the London marathon. This year rather than boring any readers (or indeed myself) week to week I decided to do a wrap up towards the end of my training giving an overview of how it has all gone. That's the purpose of this blog and hopefully it will serve as a reminder for me in the future as to what has (so far) gone right and what could be worked on a bit more.

As a brief reminder I ended up DNFing London last year due to illness but that didn't mean all the training had gone to waste. I had a back up plan of Edinburgh at the end of May which went to plan and I hit my sub 2:30 target. That was done on a pretty warm day and it was also a solo run for the most part but a race I feel I executed very well indeed.

Then in Autumn I had decided that I would focus on the half and try and get a sub 70 time. This was achieved with a 69:46 at Peterborough. I was incredibly pleased with this one as my training had been a bit inconsistent over the summer as I struggled with the occasional niggle. Luckily we had perfect weather conditions and a good group of guys to race against on the day.

My focus was then to take some down time and just run when I felt like it with no pressure on racing or training hard, so I did a bit of easy running through November (159 miles) before picking up the marathon training towards the back end of December (183 miles). At the start of this cycle despite the fact that I had kept the running ticking over, I felt really quite unfit so I knew that it was going to be a long old haul.

Last year I followed the Pfitzinger & Douglas Advanced Marathoning up to 85miles per week schedule virtually to the letter but had decided this year I would follow the up to 105 miles per week in the hope it could eek out a little more improvement! I had always planned to play this by ear though and be less rigid with it depending on how I was coping and the fact that life/work are a priority over my running.

January

January started off with the Kent Cross Country Champs and whilst I wasn't expecting much it just went to prove how unfit I was. The higher mileage in the legs may have had a bit of an impact on my performance too but I finished way back in 27th, four places worse than last year! Quite frankly it wasn't good enough and I was beaten by a long way by folks who I would ordinarily beat on the roads with ease. I have decided that next year I am going to really focus on a solid XC season as I feel it is a real weakness. If I can improve at this I will be a much better road runner because of the increase in strength I will get from it and also the toughness it gives you in terms of pure racing.

January continued quite nicely and managed to get some decent sessions in including a couple of 5 mile tempo runs at about 5:30 per mile and the mileage continued to increase which would all help come April.

Total Miles 381
Avge Pace 6:53 per mile
Avge HR 151
Long Runs 18.5, 20, 20

February

As I moved into February I was starting to feel fit and pleasingly I was also starting to feel pretty fatigued which meant that the marathon training was kicking in nicely. I did a 5 mile tempo @ 5:20 per mile on a very cold and icy Tuesday morning in the middle of a 102.5 mile week that also saw a 13.1 miler, 15 miler and my long run up to 22 miles. Unfortunately this is where my body started to ease off as I came down with a sickness bug the following week that meant four missed running days. It cleared pretty sharpish though and I was back 'on it' the third week of February which tied in with Bradford City's League Cup Final Appearance at Wembley. Naturally I had to get in a big session the morning of the final so did a 22 miler with 12 miles at Marathon Pace. This also saw a 105 mile week which was my biggest ever at the time. Despite Bradford being thrashed in the final it was a day I shall never forget and I ensured I had fully rehydrated with quite a few beers whilst catching up with friends that I used to go to watch the Mighty Bantams with week in week out.

Total Miles 317 (a lot less than planned but understandable due to 6 rest days)
Avge Pace 6:44
Avge HR 149
Long Runs 19, 22, 22

March

The first weekend of March was to be my first tune up race ahead of London and I felt in OK form but still somewhat behind where I was at the same time last year. I actually did the same corresponding race, an early Saturday morning 10 miler in Battersea Park. They run a series of races which are fantastically run all on certified courses and nice and flat so can be good for quick times. On this day Chris Greenwood of Kent AC, a guy that beat me at Peterborough turned up and I thought I would try to hold on to him. Chris had had a really good XC season and was now turning his attention to his first marathon at London. There were also a couple of other very strong runners that I knew I would not be able to keep up with if they were in any sort of decent shape. This turned out to be the case and they ran into the distance within the first mile and a half. I kept Chris in my sights and although I pulled level with him around five miles and feeling strong the recent high mileage started to take its toll and I struggled to maintain pace and gradually Chris pulled away finishing nearly 30 seconds in front. I still finished the day in 4th place with 53:15. Last year I did 52:58 in what was in effect a solo time trial. I feel, having reflected on both performances that perhaps my heart wasn't quite in it this year's race as last and I also hit the race last year fresher and actually fitter so all things considered that actually made this year's a better performance. At least that's what I'm telling myself!

I then continued to build the miles throughout the month and had a great tempo run of 7 miles@5:15 per mile. I also slowly started to introduce some interval training on top of the standard diet of two medium long runs per week and a long run! March also saw my beats per mile heart rate steadily improving meaning I was getting fitter.

Then came my second tune-up race which was a 10k again at Battersea Park. Now, as any reader in the UK will know the weather this year has been absolutely atrocious and although we were now officially in Spring we were greeted with freezing cold temperatures and blizzard conditions. This race was the day before the scheduled Southern 12 stage road relays so it was unlikely that many really top quality runners would show up as they would be racing the next day. As it happened the 12 stage was cancelled due to the weather. Anyway, I lead the race from the front and whilst having an ideal target of sub 32 this proved a little too much for me (finished in 32:05, a PB by 36 seconds) with the weather as it was and the fact that I didn't quite get stuck in as much as I could. Some folk would call this soft others would say I was being sensible as it was not the A-Race. I agree with the latter; there will be plenty of time to do some damage to that PB and I think if I can get in the right race on the right day I can go under 31:30 later this year.

Finally for March would be my last massive session before the big day; a big 22 miler with 14 miles at Marathon Pace (details of this segment below). The plan was to see what came out and use it as a guide for what pace I should run at on 21st April. Quite frankly I had expected the pace to be c5:35 per mile but as it happened it ended up being 5:26 per mile! I went through the half marathon point in 71:12 (my second quickest half marathon ever. In training. On my own!). I don't for a second expect this to be my marathon pace as the effort did feel higher than I would want but it should not be too far away. This has given me confidence that providing the weather sorts itself out and we have a nice cool calm day then I will be brave enough to give sub 2:25 a go (5:32 per mile pace).

Total Miles 433
Avge Pace 6:35 per mile
Avge HR 151
Long Runs 20, 24, 22, 20, 22

April

As we are only a few days into April there is not much to report but I am now officially in taper mode and will gradually be reducing my training with only a few hard runs to come over the next two and a half weeks. One of which will be the Gdansk parkrun this coming Saturday where I will be attempting to break the course record and also go for a PB. I feel in shape for it. 5ks hurt like hell but the pain doesn't last for long so I'm looking forward to giving it a good blast!

All in all, this training cycle started off slowly and I was relatively unfit but I really feel like I am coming to a nice peak and think (touch wood) that I may have timed it absolutely perfectly this time. Last year I felt I may have peaked in early/mid march and although there wasn't a massive drop off in my form before Edinburgh I felt perhaps I was getting into overreaching territory so could have raced better if my race had come earlier!

I am very excited about the marathon and can't wait for what is simply a brilliant day. Sure, it hurts and it's emotional but whatever the result the feeling of toeing the line with those international athletes and pushing myself to the limit in trying to be the best I can be on the day is one of the greatest feelings I could possibly imagine....

Perkins Great Eastern Run, Peterborough

So this Autumn rather than trying to chip away on the marathon PB I decided that I was going to have a ‘rest’ from marathons and instead turn my attentions to a hard and fast half marathon. I have not focused exclusively on a half marathon before rather I have done them as part of my marathon training, either as sub maximal efforts on tired legs or attempted marathon pace sessions in a long run. My previous PB was set earlier this year at Paddock Wood when I did 72:01. Although that was not all out, I don’t think there was much more to give either perhaps one minute at absolute best. That obviously left me tempted to aim towards breaking 70 minutes for the half this autumn.

The build-up to this race had been at best OK but nowhere near where I wanted it to be. I struggled through the summer with a few niggles that for once actually stopped me from running and then life seemed to get in the way a couple of times which meant a few missed runs. I had also struggled a little getting to race weight and was probably about 4lbs over where I would like to be when at my best racing weight. As the race approached though, I had managed to get some decent sessions in (such as this one) that gave me confidence that I could give it a good stab.

Running under 70 minutes means covering each of the 13.1 miles in about 5:20 per mile. I had run a 10k PB two weeks before the race with a 32:41 which is 5:16 per mile so I needed to maintain a slightly slower pace for over twice the distance on the day! A daunting task indeed but one that I was prepared to give a go. I was also aware that the Great Eastern run generally has a reasonably competitive field so there should  be folks to run with who had a similar target to mine.

Hania, Mia and I travelled up the night before so we didn’t have a longish drive in the morning and I was pleased we did. I even managed to have over eight hours sleep and awoke feeling ready for action. Four slices of white bread with raspberry jam and a large cup of coffee later and it was off to the start.

I bumped into a few guys from Kent AC who were gunning for the team prize (they won incidentally) and saw Chris Greenwood who I learned from Stuart Beaney was also going for a sub 70 time. Good stuff. The gun went or was it a hooter? And I am all of a sudden boxed in behind the elite ladies. Did some jinking and quickly get through and tag onto a nice little group which included Chris, Paul Marchant and James Rodgers amongst a few others. The pace was good from the off and we were quickly into our stride with a 5:17.6 opening mile. The group started to settle with both Chris and I at the front and everyone else tucking in behind. At the time, this annoyed me a little as although there wasn’t much wind to speak of nobody other than us really wanted to do any of the work of pulling the group along. I gradually gained more confidence to drop back a few strides and let others take it on occasionally, but Chris remained stoic out in front. The next few miles ticked by in 5:16.6, 5:20.6, 5:18.6. It was at this point that I started to assess how I was actually feeling. Despite being on pace, only five miles (5:18.8) in there was still a very long way to go. But it felt OK so on we go. I remember looking at my watch halfway through the sixth mile and I don’t know if there was any gradient at all but the pace had slipped so I had to work hard to pull the group along back to the tempo we had before. This slight slowing resulted in a slower mile of 5:26.9 but it was OK. Next target was to get to halfway - we went through the halfway point in 34:57 – 3 seconds in the bank! Everything still felt bearable. Just. The seventh mile was back on track with a 5:19.8. As we hit the seven mile marker and started our turn for home Chris suddenly put in an injection of pace and I tried to stick with it for a bit but I was conscious that I was really starting to work very hard to keep hold of him. So he Paul and one other gradually started to pull away. It’s at these critical points in a race where you can look back after the event either with regret or pride at the decision you took. Hand on heart I can say I am happy I didn’t try to hold on as it probably wouldn’t have turned out the way it did in the end had I tried to stick with the pace. Mile 8 was a 5:17.5 so despite the fact that It was the second quickest of the race the others had still put on about another 10-15 metres on me.

The plan now is to really hold the concentration together and just keep focusing. Positive mental attitude. You can do it, you can break 70. So what if it hurts, it won’t for too much longer. This is what those 5am training sessions were for! Get to nine miles, get to ten, just 5k left, etc, etc. I was really starting to hurt but the ninth mile slipped by with a 5:18.7. Good. That’s another mile closer to the target. Through to 10 with a 5:16.1 and I pass one of the chaps who has dropped off Chris’ breakaway group. Went through 10 miles in 53:11. There’s less than 17 minutes of pain left now. Just keep those guys in your sights and keep working. Do it. Ignore your legs. Relax your breathing, try to keep good form. It’s slipping. Through 11 with a 5:23.6. Still fine, there is a bit of time in the bank. Although I’m really struggling with the calculations at this point, the Garmin tells me it’s all OK! How can 2.1 miles seem so far? It does. Keep driving. Focus, focus. I can see another guy in front who is wilting. Pull him in. Hit twelve miles with a 5:20.4 and fly past the guy who went off too quick. It gives me confidence to push on. I finally complete the thirteenth mile with a 5:18.5 and now it’s all about a sprint finish. Why can one always muster a little more when they see those magical letters FINISH emblazoned loud and proud on an inflatable arch? I did and completed the last 0.1mile in 33 seconds (4:52 pace) with fist pumps and “get-in theres” galore. Cross the line in 8^th place and now a proud owner of a PB of 69:46 covering the second half in 34:49 so a marginal negative split. One very happy runner here. Full details below. Check out the heart rate over those last few miles to see how hard I was working.

It was then off to meet Hania and Mia who had proudly cheered me over the finish line. Mia couldn’t wait to take my medal off me though.

Edinburgh Marathon 2012

...

S  26.2 miles in 2:29:33 (5:42mm avge)

Total  BIG SMILEY FACE

I flew up to Edinburgh on Saturday evening and was staying with a friend, Fraser who was also running the race. We managed to get in a sneaky drive of the course as well which is great for seeing all the quirks, and helping you to visualise getting through each stage. It also reminds you of how bloody far 26.2 miles is!

Got to bed in pretty good time, and I had a good four and a half hours sleep before I woke up needing the loo. As soon as I was awake there was no going back to sleep, no matter how much I tried. So I just lay there waiting until it was ready to get the kit on! Needless to say I felt pretty knackered when I got up, but I knew once the day and race got going I wouldn't be able to feel it.

The concern for the past few days has been the weather with the UK enjoying beautiful summery weather. Fortunately it looked like it wasn't going to be too bad on Sunday and I just had to hope it didn't heat up too much. I also told myself that it wouldn't be too hot to negatively impact my race. I only really started to feel uncomfortable because of the heat at about 22 miles.

Anyway, to the start area Fraser's wife dropped us very close to the start and then we had a little mooch down to check out the whole area, Fraser dropped his bag off and I made my way to the 'Elite' start. I spotted Peter Tucker who is a local athlete that runs for Blackheath and Bromley and someone I rate very highly. Unfortunately he has struggled with injuries this year and so was racing on a very compromised build up. We shared what our intentions with each other and agreed that we may run together. As it turned out we did but not until long into the race.

As the start time approached I could feel my excitement building as I focused the mind on the task ahead. Steady there, though. Rmember you need to feel like you're driving with the handbrake on. 

Soon enough we were on our way and I set off very steadily indeed. The first couple of miles are very down hill so I expected to be roughly on pace by this point but having not expended much energy getting there. There were already hoards of folk that had shot off into the distance and I think I was in about 25th position after the first mile (although I missed the first mile marker hence the double tap at 2 miles). I let them go, I was running this my way and I was so committed to running to how I felt. I usually race marathons with my heart rate showing on my Garmin but this time decided to run without it for once and just go completely to effort and not let the heart rate reading have any influence whatsoever I am glad I did as the looking at the data there was a serious spike in the first mile which must have been to do with a very poor contact and had I seen the reading I would probably have been worried!

The race went on and I felt like I was running really well, I was relaxed but running with purpose. I was running at my Marathon Pace. We hit the sea front and there was a definite breeze but it was reasonably refreshing as opposed to particularly draining. Just before half way I started to eat into the gap where I could see Stuart Kerr and another guy up ahead to try and get on terms with them. I manged to catch them just as we went over the timing mats. I split in 1:14:13 unofficially. That was basically exactly as I had planned. Not too fast but not too slow. Just right. I then ran with Stuart and Mr X (who was clearly working way too hard - I assume he ended up having a bit of a blow up!) for a while and then about 15.5 miles I started to open up some ground on them. I then focused on the next two guys up front, one of which was Pete Tucker and an Italian guy called Marco Verado. They were still some way into the distance, perhaps 150 metres but a target nonetheless.

The course at Edinburgh basically turns at 17.5 miles and then you run back to Musselburgh which we had passed about 9 miles into the race. Just before I caught up with Pete and Marco they had gone past Stephen Dawes and I quickly went past him. I got level with Pete and Marco at just after 30k (18.75 miles ish). At this stage I still felt incredibly strong and even felt like I could possibly push on a bit more. But I was glad I still kept it all pretty controlled. Marco and I suddenly had a few yards on Pete and we began to pull away. Marco's Garmin had broken just before the race so he was constantly asking for splits, how long to go and although I wouldn't ordinarily mind, it was getting to the business part of the race where I prefer to just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. It was great running back along the road we had just come as you see all the other runners coming the other way shouting their support. I got to 22 and then I started to feel pretty hot but by this time it was not long to go. Just ticking off the miles. But the legs were definitely starting to hurt and I was conscious that I may be starting to cramp a little so really had to concentrate on my stride.

We reached 24 and I knew that by this time I should come in under 2:30 unless something drastic happened. I don't know if this psychologically made me back off, or if I was truly knackered but I really struggled to get my legs turning over and so the pace was gradually slowing despite aerobically still feeling OK. The legs were just starting to say 'no'! Just keep them going. Marco gradually pulled away. Although my calculations were pretty sound I got to 25.5 and thought it was going to be bloody tight and you're never 100% sure whether your mental arithmetic is that accurate after that long. I still didn't know that I was going to do it until I turned into the final straight and saw the clock at 2:29:10 and had a short matter of 100m 'sprint'. There wasn't much of a sprint but the relief of knowing I had achieved something I'd dreamt of for so long is so incredibly satisfying. I can now move on and focus on the shorter stuff for a period of time. I will come back to the marathon, possibly next spring but more likely in Autumn 2013.

I thought I had finished 9th but the results show me in 8th for some reason. I think it may be because a pacemaker decided to go on and finish the race so his name is not showing in the results just yet. Even so very pleased with 3rd Brit and a whoppingly satisfying PB.
 

21st - 26th May 2012

M  6.07 miles recovery (7:09mm avge)
T  7.19 miles general aerobic (6:22mm avge)
W  8.11 miles, including 2.04 miles @ 5:38 (6:15mm avge)
T  6.21 miles recovery, including 6X100m strides (7:05mm avge)
F  Rest
S  2.36 miles recovery (7:13mm avge)
S  Watch this space......

Total  29.94 miles (6:43mm avge)

Finally here! This week has gone as well as possible given the lack of running and how that plays with your mind in the taper. I have touch wood managed to escape any further lurgies and my carb loading has gone absolutely fantastically well. The menu has been pretty similar for each day and will be for the rest of today although I'll eat my last big meal about 3:30 this afternoon.

For those interested my diet on Thursday and Friday has been

Breakfast
1pint of banana, raspberry, passion fruit and pineapple smoothie
Large bowl of cornflakes
Two crumpets

Morning snacks
1 litre of fresh apple juice
two toasted white bagels with lashings of raspberry jam (a tip from Steve Way (yes, I did plagiarise the format of his blog in creating mine ;-) ))

Lunch
Two large ham sandwiches on Thursday and large sushi & tub of chargrilled chicken pasta on Friday
Yoghurt
Large fruit salad

Afternoon snack
1 toasted bagel with raspberry jam

Dinner
c175g of pasta with a tomato sauce

Lots of water throughout the whole period, and a few salt tablets to get myself as hydrated as possible.

Training wise, I have done very little, and I even decided to give myself a complete rest day on Friday, just to really help freshen the legs up nicely.

I had a good little marathon pace test on Wednesday morning which left me feeling very comfortable of the pace I need to run tomorrow.

So this is it, I will be hitting the start line in the morning, hopefully in peak shape. I feel great, I really do and I'm glad I decided to pull out of London as in hindsight if I had run round I know I would not be feeling how I am today. My confidence is sky high of how the race will pan out. My training has been first class for me and I am  ready to move up a level. The weather looks like it wont be perfect but hopefully it will not be too bad and wont impact the run too much. All I can do is control the controllables and run my race. I wont win the race as there are too many top athletes running, I may not even come in the top 20 but I don't care where I come. This is about running a great race for me. I want to run like I have never run before; stronger, lighter, faster and being brave to hold back when it would be easy to push on and push on when it starts to get tough, but most of all I want to look back on the race and be proud of what I have achieved. This is the next step in my journey, and I truly believe it will be a giant leap forward.

To be continued.....

14th - 20th May 2012

M 6.07 miles recovery (7:18mm avge) AM, 4.16 miles recovery (7:03mm avge) PM

T  10.13 miles general aerobic, including 10x100m strides (6:22mm avge)

W  Rest

T 12.23, including 4.51 miles @ 5:16mm (6:00 mm avge)

F 10.07 miles general aerobic (6:26mm avge)

S  6.39 miles recovery (7:13mm avge)

S  13.18 miles progressive (6:16mm avge)

Total 62.23 miles (6:31mm avge)

So first week of taper and I even decided to put in a rest day! Only reason was I was absolutely shattered from the first day of a two day conference with work and when the alarm went off at 5:00am I figured some days are just meant to be rest days. If there’s a time to take them, it’s in the taper too. It was nice that this coincided with my wife Hania’s birthday as well so it meant I could spend some time with her and the baby before getting up and going to day two of the conference.

Thursday I got up and set off for my last session before Edinburgh and knew within the first 500 yards that it was going to be a good run. Usually after a rest day my legs are somewhat jaded but this time they felt light and springy and really up for a bit of an effort. So after 5 miles of general aerobic running, I started a lactate threshold effort. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the pace under 5:20 per mile and not only was this quicker than I generally do them but the effort did feel very comfortable. I would say that it felt as if I was running with the handbrake on for all the way too. The session ended up averaging 5:16 per mile at an effort which I would suggest was somewhere around half marathon pace effort. This gives me great confidence for the Autumn where my main focus will be to break 70 minutes for the half marathon. I may be in sub 69 shape by that time too judging by this run. I then did a short run home.

Friday and Saturday was just a bit more filler running and then Sunday where I did a progressive 13 miler keeping the effort nice and controlled. I felt like a coiled spring and the legs were eager to get going which is a really positive sign seven days out.

Overall this week has gone really well, I have been conscious not to push the efforts too hard and general and slow mileage has been very disciplined so I have hopefully avoided pushing the envelope a little too far. This week the mileage will drop by another 50% before the big day with only 2 miles at MP and a few strides planned as faster running.

My number arrived this week and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised when this little number dropped through the letterbox.

So far I  have managed to avoid (touch wood will continue to do so) the lurgy although I am ever more conscious of folk sniffling around me. There was a lady who had a streaming cold who decided to sit next to me on the train during the week and then she tried to ask me a question about getting to the tube station on exiting the train. Poor woman must have wondered what on earth I was doing when I suddenly took about three steps back to stop her breathing on me!

7th - 13th May 2012

M  6.23 miles recovery (7:15mm avge) AM, 4.19 miles recovery (7:09mm avge) PM

T  10.15miles, including 5X600m VO2Max Intervals (6:18mm avge)

W  15.11 miles progressive (6:27mm avge) AM, 4.16 miles recovery (7:10mm avge) PM

T 9.04 miles general aerobic, including 8 X100m strides (6:27mm avge)

F 7.18 miles recovery (7:09mm avge)

S 9.56 miles, including Dulwich Parkrun in @ 5:02mm (6:04mm avge)

S 20.11 miles mildly progressive (6:31mm avge)

Total 85.74 miles (6:36mm avge)

Another good week where if anything the focus was really a bit of maintenance before I start to taper down (again!). Tuesday’s intervals session was pleasing so shortly after Sunday’s mammoth 22 miler with MP sections. I tried to keep the pace nice and controlled on these and was pleased to see a decent return for less effort than last time I did these. The legs were however quite tired on the warm down.

Wednesday was pretty much exactly the same as last week with a rather mild progressive run into work. It was a fraction quicker than last week for a similar effort so perhaps I have gained a couple of seconds per mile of fitness (they all count!).

An then Thursday and Friday were slightly easier runs as I tried to freshen the legs up a bit ahead of a Parkrun blast on Saturday morning. I chose to do this at Dulwich which is a relatively new Parkrun venue and I know it to be pretty flat and therefore likely to be fairly fast as I have done some decent long Marathon pace tempo runs there in the build-up. I was pleased to see Richard Ward on the start line as it meant I would get a hard run. As an under 20 Richard was ranked higher than Mo Farah, Scott Overall and Andy Baddeley in the 1,500m rankings so if I could beat him he would be a great scalp for me. He had also done a 15:10 5k earlier in the year. Off we went and I planned to stick close to him as possible, after about 600m I noticed that we were running at 2:55 per k pace which is ridiculous! It slowed down quite a bit after that though and the first k was ticked off in 3:02.7, the second k where we were still fighting for position was a 3:05.1 and then the third marginally slower at 3:06.9. By this point I knew I had the beating of him and now it was about coasting to the finish. My Dad had also sent me a text earlier in the week reminding me not to overtrain so with that clicking over in my mind I didn't have the desire to really push on and try for a PB. The 4th k which was all marginally uphill was a 3:16.4 and then the last k in 3:07.3. I then measured it another 9 seconds long but Garmins are never 100% accurate. I broke the course record with 15:48 (it's only been going five weeks) and was very pleased with the run and actually rate it as a better performance than my 15:34 PB at Hackney marshes. Dulwich is a slightly tougher course and I didn't really go to the well in this one like I did at Hackney (and my Garmin measured it a touch long ;-) ) so all in all I think I am in a better position than I was two weeks before London. This is especially encouraging considering the lack of VO2 Max stuff I have been doing recently which is absolutely essential to fulfil your potential at 5k.

Sunday was a 20 miler at a fairly easy pace. I had wondered whether I needed to do a 20 two weeks out and although I am sure I could have got away with only doing an 18 I really feel I cope better off a shorter taper. And as I said in the past couple of weeks, I had a short time to build my training up before reducing it again for Edinburgh given that I had the benefits of a full and long taper for London which didn’t happen so I have been trying to strike a balance between doing enough but not too much. As we know I didn’t manage to finish at London and this could well have been because I pushed the training a little bit too hard which made me susceptible to bugs – but the reality is we will never know. I have to commute to London every day meaning I have the pleasure of sharing a train carriage with 70 odd people who always tend to be coughing and spluttering so it’s no doubt that I will pick up stuff from time to time! The run went well anyway but the legs were certainly tired after Saturday's 5k exploits.

So this coming week looks quite nice with a c30% reduction in the miles of this week and only one hard run to think of. The cake is mixed, baking and about to come out of the oven, I just need the timer to ping and it’ll be full steam ahead at Edinburgh two weeks today.