Training Log Archive: Becks

Wow! I don't think in my dreams today's race could really have gone any better. Although 3.15 was my original, naive as hell April aim, training hasn't gone perfectly and my sights were set at the more manageable 3.15 - 3.30 time bracket. But I actually managed to produce a well paced, controlled and tough race, and just about hit my top aim, and I'm dead chuffed.

Was calm at the start, stomach a bit disturbed but as I knew there would be loos every 4km was not letting that bother me too much. Ran a slow first km as it was the only one that was at all crowded, then settled in to 4.35/km pace, with a plan to hold that for at least the first half and then maybe slow to 5.00/km if needed. The first 6 or 7 km was actually pretty tough, but the lore of running had warned me about that, so I pushed a little to hit the times and then they started to come much more easily, with a heart rate being maintained in the high 170s/low 180s. Kilometres flew past, usually around 4.35 with the odd 10 second increase at drinks stations as the drinks were in stupid cups and I had to walk a few paces to get the stuff down me. Lost my jelly babies in a jelly baby massacre at about 8km, and had to change food strategy a bit. Went for bananas at the next three stations (only about 1.5 inches each), then a gel at the start of the second lap (just over halfway). Alternated isotonic drink which was really strong with water at the start, then was gulping down iso followed by water by the end.

Had a bit of a gel high and managed to get as far as 36 km and the long stretch out along the lake before my legs started to hurt. Even so it was bearable and my mins/km only slipped slightly, I still felt I was running strongly. At the turn of the lake section at 37km there was a slight uphill that precipated the real beginning of the end, with quads starting to hurt every time legs hit the floor, then hamstrings starting to tighten. By this time though it was 38km, the people coming in the opposite direction looked worse then I did despite having further to go, and I figured any idiot could run 4km. So I dug in and almost maintained pace, and before I knew it it was the last kilometre, I switched my watch from split time to full time, and I realised how close I was to 3.15. But the legs wouldn't really move any more quickly, I was having to think through each step - pick up left leg, move forward etc etc, and I crossed the line in 3.15.31, which to be honest, is far better than I dreamed I could do.

The stomach was totally fine to the whole way - I think being relaxed before starting about the whole situation helped massively. I could maybe have run a little faster earlier, but if the pain has started at 30km instead of 37 who knows how much I might have slowed down. For a first marathon, I am dead pleased. And the fact that all the good people were in Berlin meant I came 5th, 1st female under 30, and in true Swiss style, won 425 quids worth of good hard cash! Amazing! Especially as I was expecting a voucher for a sports shop for 20 quid.

A fantastic experience, and one to be highly recommended!

Splits as follows:
1 4.46
2 4.20
3 4.34
4 4.44
5 4.19
6 4.56
7 4.23 (swear those markers were slightly wrong)
8 4.36
9 4.37
10 4.30
11 4.31
12 ----
13 9.22
14 4.38
15 4.42
16 4.40
17 4.36
18 ----
19 9.24
20 4.33
21 3.49
22 5.15 (dunno what happened there!)
23 4.35
24 4.36
25 4.47
26 4.36
27 4.39
28 4.30
29 4.35
30 4.47
31 4.31
32 4.44
33 4.48
34 4.42
35 4.39
36 4.41
37 4.43
38 4.46
39 4.58
40 4.48
41 4.43
42.2 4.53

Whew!

C • well done! 12

Quick cruise around town in my race kit for tomorrow to go and pick up my exciting party bag - 8 AA batteries and Max Factor lip gloss! Score. Legs feeling loose, stomach feeling nervous as hell.

5 min spin on the bike followed by another ten minute session on the vibrating platform. Hamstrings feeling so much better now - can't quite believe it!

8 x 400m at just above marathon tempo, with 200m walking between. Aiming for 90 secs per 400. Then jog to the gym to see Jon for some vibration. Not as dodgy as it sounds, honest.

1.34
1.23
1.26
1.24
1.26
1.27
1.26
1.26

Was tempted to try one at full pelt as this was cruisey and wanted to know how fast I could go. But then remembered 26 miles on Sunday and decided that was silly.

C • 26 miles on Sunday 2

Easy spin to keep the blood flowing waiting for Jon.

Stretching session on the vibration pad - strangest sensation ever! Some squats, lunges, usual hamstring stretch and then sitting stretch. Hamstrings not feeling loose but feeling a whole ton better than they did before. Phew.

Warm down jog home. All before 8.30am! Wow.

Cycling in and back - was supposed to do tempo intervals but disaster has struck at work (for Nick, not me) and many many hours at the microscope put an end to that. Will do them tomorrow morning instead.

Cycle in.

Easy run from work down the Water of Leith and back from Stockbridge. Hamstrings are still tight, bah. Gorgeous evening though.

Very easy banter around the field above where the girls were canyoning, then down the river to watch the fun. Bah, hamstrings.

Stretch as the girls were being lowered down a waterfall.

Run from the Alco to Sainsburys to buy huge amounts of sandwich making material. Feeling okay, though persistent theme of tight hamstrings.

The usual gad about town.

A nice easy 40 min cross train at the gym (on a superbly noisy machine), then cycle to work. Hamstrings feeling much happier now.

Cycle up to KB from work - caught Kir and Jess just before the last hill and had a good natter - it is so good to see people back in town again! I can't wait to start o training and sociable stuff!

Couldn't resist a wee banter round the sprint O at KB tonight. Put the HRM to beep if my heart rate went over 175 and cruised round quite nicely. I cannot believe how much more enjoyable it is to have a map in my hand! I saw Spongey too and he made me feel old. I am old.

After being kept up way past three by the idiotic people who live above us (turns out three seperate people from our flat told them to shut up at various points of the day from lunchtime yesterday, and were totally ignored), decided a rest day and early night would be particularly apt.

Cruise round a good hilly poorly measured loop, half on road and half off, Blackford, Craiglockhart, Colinton Dell, Canal, Bruntsfield Links, Meadows, then home. Felt really good, a small amount of stiffness still in the hamstrings but going at a really good pace without too much effort.

Stretchy stretchy.

After three mammoth but actually productive of an actual significant result (yey!) days in the lab and a late night last night, I stayed in bed until 4pm then watched Star Wars. Oh yes. I like this taper business muchly.

Yey actually some running! Boo, it's into the lab on a Saturday! Hamstrings still a little tight but generally feeling alright.

Lots of biking about in the actually pretty nice and balmy evening. September beats August big time.

Into work.

Spent 10 hours on my feet today, got a load done, but by the end my feet hurt too much to run, so I took a cycle down to Cramond and then home, keeping up a decent pace the whole way. It was windy down there!

Just the usual, was going to run but had a stupid long day in the lab and didn't make it.

Going to do one quality session this week, then another at the weekend, so might aswell do it tomorrow! The rain and period pains has nothing to do with it. Honest guv.

The usual.

Into work - heart rate looking fine again.

Cycle to the gym via Mr Ghafoor's. Hamstrings feeling tight and legs pretty tired.

Very easy session on the Cross trainer to get the legs moving, lose some of the lactate but without the impact. Felt much better by the end of it.

C • muscle soreness 1

So, I had a plan for today, and unfortunately didn't quite follow it. After speaking to Kitch was going for 3 x 8min/mile, 3 x 7.30, 3x7, 3 x 7.30, ending with an 8, as he was worried my glycogen reserves would be low having not really trained for a fortnight. I found it so hard to run to pace though. At the start it was so packed that to run at all you had to run out to the side and fast to pass people, then it was my fast section, and then it was tough to slow right down. The vague pattern was alright, but I generally ran faster than I should have. I also stopped to go to the loo halfway through mile 6 in Bellahouston Park, as I didn't make it in the loo queue, thought it would be alright and then realised by mile 2 it wouldn't be! 2.01 to go to the loo as stupid men were occupying them all and not locking the doors (I'm sure you don't save any time doing that as people are constantly opening them on you!), but it enabled me to focus properly for the rest of the run and was definitely worth it. Times and HR are:

1 7.50 179 187
2 7.12 183 192
3 7.16 181 189
4 7.18 185 189
5 7.22 187 190
6 1.30 (2.01) 5.41 187 191
7 6.59 193 196
8 7.06 195 198
9 6.53 196 199
10 7.24 195 198
11 7.22 194 197
12 7.20 194 195
13 6.55 195 199
.1 1.13 197 199

I'm sure that last mile marker was in the wrong place! Fun race once the crowd spread at, Bellahouston and Pollok Park are both lovely, and the Asian guys MCing and giving out oranges on mile 10 were awesome.

I think for the first half of the marathon I will be setting my watch to beep angrily at me if I go over 190 in my heart rate. It seems that this is the threshold beyond which the lactate starts to build and real pain comes. If I can delay this onset for as long as possible, we should be good!

Tried to warm down but stomach too unsettled, so cycled up to Byres Road for a charity shop book scout instead.

Cycle back into Queen Street to go home - the Second Hand Marching Band will have to wait a wee while longer.

Yey! At last, a run! Five neutral paced miles and was running surprisingly okay - HR was high going up the side of the Seat but felt strong and was going at a fair lick (passed a bloke doing hill intervals who looked at me like I was the devil) so not too worried about that. My airways feel almost clear now I've finished - good stuff.

Think I am going to run the Great Glasgow half tomorrow seeing as I've paid a lot of money for it. But not fast, treat it as an exercise in pacing, as it's going to be pretty flat and well marked with mile signs. The plan is to do 5 miles at 8 min/mile, then up to 7.5 min/mile for the next 5, and up to a final 7.15/7 if feel strong enough for the final three, with a couple of miles warm down. These "Great" runs are pretty good events and it should be fun even if I'm not racing properly.

The usual. Didn't feel up to running again, so will do it tomorrow.

And then I had a total mental fit. I got back from the hospital, (which all went fine I think, will know for sure in 6 weeks but there's certainly nothing visible to the eye there anymore), and just really needed a hug, but Rob was busy moving all his stuff and Ebony was getting ready for her show and Andy was in London and I felt worse and worse about my health and my PhD and my general state of being until I got to 1am and felt like I needed to scream. Instead of scaring my slightly jittery housemates I got thermalled up, jumped on the bike, and whizzed around town in the dark for an hour. I had to fit my bike light with a piece of handy on street cardboard halfway around which made me feel that at least if my PhD was going to achieve nothing I still had some handy practical skills, and by the time I got back I read for an hour and Rob was here and I got my hug and fell asleep. Yes, I am a mental.

Cycle into work. Was going to run today but thought better of it after little sleep and last night's mentalness.

Into work - the HR is still a bit high on the move aswell as resting.

Cycle to the New Royal via Mr Ghafoor's. I got soaked to the skin again despite leaving in sunshine three hours earlier. I'm sure this isn't helping my recovery.

From the new Royal to Bruntsfield via the Hermitage. I got very wet, and turned up with lots of lovely mudspatters to have coffee with Mhairi and Helen. It's a lot of fun being out of work during the mid afternoon. Even when you're allowed it feels naughty, and everything is twice as much fun.

Still coughing and headachey. Rubbish.

C • Wish you were here... 1

The usual. Feeling fine on the bike now but still coughing and a bit weak for running.