Training update

So just a month til the big one... and training is starting to get a bit more serious now... although it never feels that way which is a good thing! The weekly mileage is still below 40 miles. This is in part because the mad dog stands by the rule of taking things nice and progressively (and somewhat slowly) so whilst I've been chomping at the bit to get loads more miles under my belt I have restrained from doing so and am probably better for it... i.e. I'm injury free and will hopefully peak for the big 3 in 3 rather than get their and feek knackered from the previous months of training.

One significant change in the training has been the new club run on a Wednesday night. Running with 15 or so other runners from the Leighton Buzzard Athletics Club has been a great change to my usual pattern of runs. Its run at a good pace out front with the fastest looping back every now and then to keep the whole pack together. This means that everyone an run at a pace they feel comfortable wih but not get left behind. Those in the front pack (including me) also get some extra distance in as the loops do add some mileage.

However to accommodate the club run into mad dogs weekly training schedule hasn't been straight forward. However to cut a long (and dull) story short I plan to move my long run from the weekend to the club night. Thus I will run 10 or so miles straight before the club run then join up with LBAC runners and enjoy a good work out for another 8-10 miles then do the usual warm down jog/walk pattern that follows the normal long run. This way I won't compromise the 4 set sessions I run per week, and should stop me from over doing it. We will see how this all goes, as I'm starting the very schedule this week. Can report back on progress in due course!

oh and my new 2XU compression tights arrived today too... as modelled below! :-Da new purchase from my nan's birthday money! :-) these are apparently really good for long distance running reducing muscle fatigue and speeding up recovery! So looking forward to testing them out on Wednesday!

training update

So with less than 8 weeks to go until the Atlantic Coast Challenge my training must begin in earnest once again. My coach Mag dog has as usual after a big race allowed plenty of time for me to fully recover so i have taken it easy in the last few weeks. Last week was 24 mile week with a slow 5, 6 mile hill reps which was full on,fast 5 in the heat and humidity on thursday, and my long slow run yesterday which was 9.5 miles. Met another runner on route and we ran together for 6 or so miler chatting about running and the local running club which i have decided to check out next week. Ok thats it for now as on mobile which groov the easiest to blog on :-)

MK Half Marathon race report

Despite this race being over a week ago now I thought I would provide a short report nevertheless if nothing else to keep a record of my slowest half marathon to date!

Of course there is a good reason for that, in that my 50 mile effort was only a week prior to this so I certainly wasn't racing. I decided at the last moment that I wanted to do this so drove down on the Sunday morning to MK to see if I could register on the day. I paid my £25 and I was all set.

I always knew that this wasn't a race for me hence I'd already set in my mind that I wanted to keep to a steady pace of around 10 minute miles. It was nice to mill around on the start line at the back of the pack with my own thoughts for company, as others around me talked frantically about their race strategy. I absorbed the energy around me, and the little sun that was trying to shine through the clouds as the hooter went to signal the start. And as always happens with start crowds of this size nothing actually happens (especially at the back) for a good minute or two before you are actually going.

MK half Marathon route (uncannily the shape of Britain!!)

The route was described as rural. Well there are obviously different grades of rural depending on where you are. This was Milton Keynes so my expectation were very low (not unfairly so for this concrete jungle of a city). However I was very pleasantly surprised as the course wound its way along the cycle greenways that circle MK. As can be seen from the route image above... but look closer... does it not strike an uncanny resemblence of our shores - GB! weird.

Anyway as planned and with the aid of my garmin 305 I stuck to my race plan and averaged around 10 minute miling for the first 10 miles. Whilst this was an easy pace (and the same pace that I run much of the 50 miler the previous weekend) I could still feel that race in my legs, and I had no want to go any faster. Well not until after the 10 mile mark anyway.

In the last 3 miles I upped my pace looking for around a 2hr finish time (my PB for this distance is 1:32). Its always nice to past runners in a race and this was no exception. And as I thought I was on the final home straight with the finishing arch ahead of me I made a dash for the line only to find out that the course actually continued around the back of the school building and on the field where it doubled back on itself. A bit strange and caught me off guard slightly. For someone else who perhaps was on their last legs and giving it all they had only to have to run another 300 metres was probably quite a shock.

Anyway with the 300 'extra' metres run I finish in a time of 2:02.05 (official chip time). An enjoyable race which in my local city and supporting such a great cause as the NSPCC is cause to come back next year and have a proper go at my PB.