Training Log Archive: MikeS

Just a short easy jog at lunch. Felt a bit too much like hard work!

On the bike at the gym.

On the treadmill. Not as bad as I feared it would be.

Not much improvement in the legs today, and felt pretty lethargic at work.

I'm broken. My quads have seized up badly, and I can't walk down stairs. No blisters or chaffage from yesterday, but I do have sunburnt shoulders!

Having had a chance to reflect on yesterday, I'm really pleased with my achievement. I guess that after the training had gone well I was maybe hoping to run the second half a little bit faster. But I was taking my body well beyond anything it has done before and I didn't know how it would react.

I made the time I was aiming for, so can't ask for more than that!

It's all good experience for the next one...

Event: London Marathon
 

Race time 2.44.28, watch time 2.44.21. I made it. It was hot and hard and the last three miles really hurt.

C • boobies 16

So, the story of the day...

Woke up at 6.30 and looked outside to see a cloudless sky. There was the potential for it to be a warm one. Had a light breakfast and left the hotel around 7.30. Took the underground the Charing Cross, then the train (with one or two other runners!) out to Blackheath.

As the start arena came into sight, with all the trucks, banners, hot air balloons, giant TV screens and people, I started to get very excited and the enormity of what I was about to do started to hit me. I made my way into the Championship start area, which was quite quiet and relaxed, and found the other Hallamshire guys.

Before I knew it, we were all summoned and brought out to the start line. I stayed towards the back of the group, as I didn't want to get dragged off too fast. The gun went, I took the advice of Dave Harrison and did the first mile about 10 seconds slower than target pace, in just over 6.20. I got settled into a nice rhythm and by the end of mile three was just ahead of schedule in 6.13 average. This was also the first cheering spot for Emma and Clare.

I then just focussed on maintaining my rhythm, and not getting dragged into racing at this early stage of the race. Before I knew it, I had reached Cutty Sark at just over 6 miles, and there was great support with huge crowds even at that stage. It got a bit quiet between 9 and 11, but then Emma, Clare & Ant were there to give me a cheer and a boost.

Crossing Tower Bridge was pretty amazing, again with loads and loads of people. I was still feeling really good and I went through the half in 81.48, 52 seconds up on schedule. Going through 15 all was well, and I was running strongly. 20km to 25km was my fastest 5km of the race. I was up to 6.12 average pace.

All through my training, I had been preparing myself for the section from 15 to 19 through Canary Wharf as being the toughest. However, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, although the twists and turns took their toll and my average pace dropped out to 6.14.

I had also thought that once I got to 20 miles, the crowd, and the excitement of completing a marathon would carry me through the last 6. I couldn't have been more wrong. This was where it started to get properly hard.

I felt like I was slowing down a lot, but at the same time I was passing lots of other runners, which at least kept me feeling positive. By the time we reached Tower Bridge for the second time at just after 22, I was really struggling. I was looking at my watch far too much to make sure my pace wasn't falling off. The watch became a hindrance.

I just kept thinking that I had done all the hard work, all the long runs, and that I was fit enough to finish and get my time. 20 minutes left, 15 minutes left, 10 minutes left.

It was a great lift getting cheered by Rich & Louise at 25 miles, and Rich shouted at me to 'run tall' so I re-focussed on my running technique. I turned the corner at Parliament Square, where Emma was (but I didn't hear her) and onto Birdcage Walk. Got a shout from Joe Mercer somewhere down here as well.

Birdcage Walk seemed to go on forever, and I didn't even notice Buckingham Palace as turned onto the Mall. I could see the clock, and I knew I was going to make it. It was such an amazing and emotional feeling to finish, and also to have achieved something that you have worked so hard for.

But it's true what they say. The marathon is two races, a 20 mile one and then a 6 mile one. And the 6 mile one is a hell of a lot tougher!

Mega respect to Rob for an amazing time (and by all accounts a pretty 'explosive' finish), and to Andy P for a top run.

Finally, and most importantly, a massive thank you to all those people who cheered us on, especially Emma. Emma has put up with an awful lot while I've been doing the training, but has always been so supportive.

For those who like this kind of thing, my splits were:

5km:
19.28
19.33
19.17
19.22
19.12
19.33
19.37
19.49
(8.37)

10km:
39.01
38.39
38.47
39.28
(8.37)

Half:
81.48
82.28

Easy run around Russell Square and the surrounding roads before breakfast. A lot of other runners had the same idea!

Travelling down to London, to the hotel, then out to Excel to register, back the hotel, out to Leicester Square to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert, then back to the hotel again. Lots of walking and underground trips. Glad registration is done, and I can spend tomorrow relaxing.

Three mile run at lunch with 4 * 20 second strides. Felt ok. Just looking forward to Sunday now, and some time off work!

Another nice run in the sun, with 2 * 1 mile at marathon pace with 2 minutes running in between.

C • have a good one on sunday. ... 11

Lovely run in the sun at lunch. Hope it's not that warm on Sunday!

4 * 1 mile at tempo pace (5.45s) with a 1 minute recovery. Legs felt OK, but it was a bit soon after breakfast for my stomach.

Week 1: 52 miles
Week 2: 59 miles
Week 3: 60 miles
Week 4: 58 miles
Week 5: 57 miles (day off / snow affected week so under target mileage)
Week 6: 62 miles
Week 7: 65 miles
Week 8: 62 miles (including race)
Week 9: 68 miles
Week 10: 73 miles
Week 11: 75 miles (including race)
Week 12: 81 miles
Week 13: 57 miles
Week 14: 37 miles

8 miles brisk (6.27s) and then 2 miles cruise to warm down. Ran out to work and back. Really paranoid I'm going to get ill this week.

Run at lunch.

3 sets of 1 mile cruise, 1 mile at marathon pace. All felt nice and comfortable.

Probably due one, and things were too crazy at work to get out.

Easy recovery run at lunch.

JK Relays. 3rd place.

Ran third leg for the SYO 2nd team with my brother, Bryn and Rob. Dave and Bryn ran really well on the first two legs and set me off in third place, just behind Craney and Mark Nixon, and just ahead of ShUOC.

I knew that I had no chance of keeping up with those two, especially as they ended up having the same gaffle. So I went out to run a solid leg and send Rob out with the best chance of bringing us home for the bronze medal.

I think I succeeded, and had a steady run. A couple of small misses after the spectator control, but nothing major. Managed to pull out a slightly longer gap over the fourth placed team at the end of the leg. Then Rob did the business on last leg and got us our medal. Top stuff.

It was a tight race between our first team and Edinburgh for the victory, but unfortunately the fresh legs of Scott just had a little bit too much for Oli. Still, two teams on the podium isn't too bad!

Warm up and warm down.

I have looked at a number of marathon training schedules, and none of them mention running an M21E classic orienteering race two weeks before. So I decided to give JK day 3 a miss, and have a day chilling out at home and go for a run on the roads round Dinnington.

Ended up doing an out and back route, picking the pace up on the way back. An undulating route, no proper hills, but lots of gentle ups and downs and not much flat. Ran the first 7.5 miles in 6.45s, and then the second 7.5 miles in 6.25s. Such an amazing morning for it, almost wish I was doing the orienteering!

Week 1: 52 miles
Week 2: 59 miles
Week 3: 60 miles
Week 4: 58 miles
Week 5: 57 miles (day off / snow affected week so under target mileage)
Week 6: 62 miles
Week 7: 65 miles
Week 8: 62 miles (including race)
Week 9: 68 miles
Week 10: 73 miles
Week 11: 75 miles (including race)
Week 12: 81 miles
Week 13: 57 miles

JK Middle. M21E. 23rd place.

Disappointing. My lack of orienteering really caught up with me today and I was scrappy and hesitant. I also didn't trust my own navigation which led to my significant mistake at 12. I was going to the correct place, but lost confidence and turned round, eventually relocating off number 5.

I had started off OK, and caught my 2 minute man Rich Robinson at 8, having seen him for the first time at number 4. We were running together until I made my mistake at 12, then I never caught him again and he went on to beat me by 30 seconds.

On the positive side, my running through the terrain wasn't as disastrous as I feared it would be, but I was playing on the safe side, not being too aggressive, and trying to go round the stuff that looked really rough. Basically I was being a wimp.

Still, better than last year's complete disaster!

Warm up run along the road outside assembly.

Warm down run along the same road.

Event: JK 2009
 

JK Sprint. M21. 10th place.

My first orienteering race since the prologue of the ShUOC chasing sprint in November, so I was worried that I would be pretty rusty. I was at the start, where I was just running to the control and not planning ahead. Fortunately, I wasn't punished and then as I got into the race and the map I began planning ahead and flowing better through the controls.

The course was pretty straightforward with a couple of route choice legs, although even looking at the map now I don't think there was much between them. No mistakes of note, and only a couple of small hesitations. Pleased with my run, and the result - by best ever M21 JK placing!

Decided to run back home after the race to get a few more miles in. I wasn't quite sure how far it was, and this was at the upper end of my estimations. I also didn't pick the most direct route. The rain that had been threatened all day started after 2 miles, and got heavier and heavier, and my pace increased in tandem as I wanted to get back as soon as possible.

Completely by chance, I ended up running past the end of the street where one of my best school friends lives. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit, and it was worth it just for the look on his face when he saw me peering through his front window!

Thought it was going to be another crazy day at work, so got up at 6.30 and went out for a quick run.

Work wasn't as bad as I thought, and I managed to get out at lunch. 0.1 miles of strides at the end of each mile.

Just ran out of time. Felt strange not running.

2 * 3 miles at marathon pace with 3 minute jog between.

Warm up, warm down, and jog between.

Easy run at lunch.

Nice recovery run with Rich. Round the top of the ski slope, through the graveyard, Hillsbro Park, Malin Bridge and back along the tram tracks.

Week 1: 52 miles
Week 2: 59 miles
Week 3: 60 miles
Week 4: 58 miles
Week 5: 57 miles (day off / snow affected week so under target mileage)
Week 6: 62 miles
Week 7: 65 miles
Week 8: 62 miles (including race)
Week 9: 68 miles
Week 10: 73 miles
Week 11: 75 miles (including race)
Week 12: 81 miles

Last long run - done. Parked at the same place as two weeks ago (when I ran with Rob & Andy P) but this time ran down to Fairholmes, did two laps of Derwent & Howden Reservoirs and then back to the car. Nice morning for it, and lots of people out running, walking and biking.

Wasn't worried too much about the pace today, but it ended up being quicker than I thought. Still felt strong at the end so was able to run the last couple of miles a bit faster. Route.

The last seven days of training have been great, just what I wanted for my last hard week. Time to think about tapering for the big day.

RTW.

Run at lunch with 0.1 miles of strides every mile.

Track, and a tough one tonight. 3 * 3km with 3 minutes recovery. Ran them in 10.00, 10.02 and 9.59. I think the first and last were actually 3k pbs! Then I ran an 800m with the rest of the group (2.35) and then a 200m (34) to get the interval distance up to 10k. Really pleased to get this session out.

C • Tough 2

Work to track, and then the run home with my guts in a bit of a tangle.

Run at lunch. Got lost trying to cut across the golf course.

On the roads from home after work. Lovely evening.