1000 miles and Christmas Day Parkrun

At the beginning of the year my goal was to do a virtual Land's End to John O'Groats.  That landmark passed at the beginning of October so I reset the goal aiming to cover 1000 miles this year.  Tuesday's run finished with exactly 1001 miles recorded.

Wednesday was Christmas Day and Christmas Day parkrun.  It was touch and go whether Evesham would be on or not as the course was underwater on Monday.  Tuesday lunchtime they posted a video showing one of the core team sweeping the mud and gravel off the path - Evesham parkrun was on!

It's a few years since I'd done Evesham parkrun and they'd made a few changes.  There's now a winter route which keeps entirely to the riverside path - good job as the course I knew had standing water on it still.  The path is very narrow and with runners going in both directions, plus dog walkers, over-taking is near impossible for the first mile - I think 10:10 must be the slowest mile I've ever done in Parkrun except for the time I was tailwalker.  Miles 2 & 3 were faster as the runners were more spread out and overtaking became possible.  

Another change was they'd tarmaced almost all the riverside path - and I'd worn my trail shoes 😖.  Not the best combination.

Now the next question - where to go for a New Year's Day double?  

Chipping Norton School Parkrun #1

A baptism of fire (or rather rain and sleet) for the first Chipping Norton School Parkrun.  I spotted it as it popped up as a new NENDY* in my Parkrun Challenges.  The photo, taken just before the start, doesn't show how cold, wet and windy it was to become within a few minutes!

Torrential rain had turned to sleet by lap two and marshalls were warning everyone to slow down on the corners.  The narrow and rutted Glyme Lane, linking the two halves of the course was deep puddles and everywhere churned to mud.

Despite the weather there were 149 finishers, most being tourists from elsewhere with just a handful of people for whom it was their first parkrun - who could blame the rest for staying at home in the conditions.

Not the greatest course in my view as there's too much running round the football field and not enough interesting bits to make it one I'd want to keep going back to - though in spring and summer the small woodland loop will be lovely.  But that's not the point of Parkrun - the point is to get people out in the fresh air, taking exercise and talking to each other.  On the latter it will be successful if the conversations at the first event were anything to go by.

Treated myself to some new sealskinz winter gloves this week.  They were certainly tested by the weather today.  As I expected in torrential rain the water gets through the seams if you're out long enough.  They are still warm but extremely difficult to put back on again once you've fished your bar code out of your pocket.

*NENDY - nearest event not done yet

Parkrun Tourism

A pre-Christmas family visit meant a chance for a spot of Parkrun Tourism at Crosby Parkrun.  It's another very flat course being on the beach, but it's not easy going as there is some soft sand and some compacted sand with deep ripples in it which don't make for easy running.  

Starting on the beach and heading east towards Seaforth the route gives a close up look at some of Anthony Gormley's figures in Another Place.  The look is so close up to two of the figures that they are adorned with hi-vis Parkrun jackets so people don't run into them.  One of the figures marks the turning point where you head back to the start before leaving the beach to run along the "promenade" to run as far as the old coastguard station when another 180 degree turn heads you across the car park and onto a very uneven grass path back towards the start.

Another Place, another Parkrun

Overall a good running week having managed to run 6 of the last 7 days with a couple of interval sessions thrown in.  26.36 miles for the week - though only 158 m elevation gained as most of the routes were quite flat (last weeks Winter Series #2 was 186m elevation in just 10k)

Winter Series #1, 50th Parkrun, and a very wet 51st parkrun

Three weeks worth of catch up's coming up.

First was the start of this year's Winter Series races at the end of October.  I'm not sure a 3 hour flight followed by a 4 hour drive to arrive home at 0500 after no sleep the day before is good preparation for a 10k so I definitely appreciated the relative late start of 1030. 

Despite a little hill (156m of climb in the first two miles) or two (another 30m at mile 6) this series of races becomes more popular each year.  The Stratford Big 10k only has 33m of ascent over the whole course.  

The race itself is around 10k though it's not a PB course with that little hill in it which most people end up walking at least part way.  It doesn't help once you get to the top as it's as steep downhill which hammers the legs as you're braking all the time.

The quirky bit of the race is that you don't get medals or t-shirts at the end but a packet of sausages (veggie ones are available too, as well as chocolate this year).

As the race is so popular parking is a bit of a struggle so I got dropped off and ran back afterwards - back up that hill I'd just run down - another 136m in the first two miles.  Only now I've got a packet of sausages to carry as well - not the easiest item when you're running.

The following week was my 50th Parkrun (actually my 51st as I forgot my barcode one week and didn't get a time - I'm not making that mistake again and now have a barcode in the car).

Obligatory 50th Parkrun photo

It had rained a lot the previous week and there was standing water on the course so it wasn't going to be a PB day.  It actually rained on the morning right up until the start of the run when it suddenly stopped for about 40 minutes before starting again as I was heading back to the car.

I wasn't so lucky on this week's Parkrun.  It was blue skies at 0615 and heavy rain at 0900 along with strong, gusty winds.  It's got to be the wettest Parkrun I've done, full waterproof jacket wet - I almost went for the waterproof trousers too though decided I'd just be too warm and stuck with just shorts.  Usually there's around 200 runners and walkers but this week there were just 65.  The small matter of a rugby world cup final involving England at the same time might not have helped.  The small field meant I got my best ever overall finish position at 16 this week.  

I've also now run at Parkrun at least twice in every month of the year and achieved a bronze level obsessive for 2019 (unfortunately I'll be one run short of the silver level even if I make it to every remaining run unless I can find a Christmas Day run nearby as well).  If I hadn't forgotten my barcode that week I'd have made it.

Total miles for the year so far: 865

John O'Groats

Reached John O'Groats in my virtual run and now heading back south.  The weather is typically bleak for the location, very windy, raining and cold.  Remnants of hurricane Lorenzo

Elevation gained: 10765 metres

New target is 1000 miles by 31 Dec.

Mud Run and Wildlife Parkrun

I've taken Scouts to the mud run a few times but I don't usually get to participate - usually too busy watching them.  This time there were enough leaders & helpers to be able to bring up the rear and have a go - got to make sure we don't leave them to drown in the muddy puddles.  As it had been quite a wet week and it was raining at the time there were plenty of muddy puddles and quite a few small muddy lakes too.  

The first tunnel wasn't too difficult, apart from the stench of decaying vegetation but any idea that you might not get muddy beyond the ankles was gone in the first second.  The trenches were great fun, muddy water that reached beyond the comfort zone and the pond reached right to the shoulders. Odd that the water and mud felt comfortably warm despite the rain and the evening chill.

This is after a swim in the pond!

Saturday was a wildlife themed parkrun and all runners were encouraged to wear a suitable fancy dress.  I'd seen some easy home made spider costumes so I thought why not.  A black t-shirt (worn inside out so the logos didn't show), black running tights, black running socks stuffed with bubble wrap, and a black hat with eight eyes sewn on and voila! one running spider.  Running in the costume was a little warm so I kept the pace nice and easy (though each lap was still 10 seconds faster than the previous one so good marathon pacing practice - only 23 miles to go) finishing 3 minutes outside my PB but who cares.  

As I drove out the site after the post run tea and chat two women who I'd been chatting to waved furiously and yelled at me to stop.  It seems I'd won first prize for the best costume!  Needless to say I had to put my costume back on and pose for a photo.

Running spider

And with that I've reached Wick and 800 miles running for the year.  Only 16 miles to John O'Groats then heading back south again.

Catch up

Just realised it's over a month since I wrote an update.  The highlight of this catch up has to be my PB at the Stratford 10k.  In 2016 I ran 51:34 which was a PB and I was pretty chuffed at the time.  The last two years I'd been handing out water at this event so I was determined to run it this year.  Based on my Stratford Parkrun time I was predicted to run 51:24, so just a couple of seconds faster.  

What actually happened was I smashed my target time and finished in 49:04.  I knew I was in with a chance of getting around 50 minutes at the 8k mark but I was shocked that I got so far under that.  Shocked and also worried that I was about to be spectacularly sick in front of all the spectators at the finish - I don't understand how you can feel fine while running but the moment you slow down you want to throw up!  

Two weeks on and now I'm worried that I'm never going to get anywhere near that time again.  Everything just came right on the day.  I'd done lots of interval work including working my way through McMillans World's Best 5k workout plan followed by the 10k workout plan (which I didn't quite manage to complete).  The weather was perfect too.  12C and no wind whatsoever.  Plus three days in a tent followed by hand digging 90 ft rows of potatoes is obviously the perfect way to spend a taper week.

Since then training has been a bit hit-and-miss.  I did start out with a plan to do some longer interval sessions in preparation for the Stroud Half but the reality is work and life have been too busy to make consistent progress with these.  Add in an enforced two week break in the middle of it and it's not really working.  I still might run the event but the chances of me being able to get under the 1hr 50 predicted by my 10k time seem slim.  

On a positive note I'm now only 25 miles from John O'Groats in my virtual LeJog.

Another PB

My local parkrun has been cancelled two weeks running, first because of high winds (they don't want anyone squashed by falling branches in the woods) and this week because of another event being held at the site.  Both times I'd headed off to Stratford which is a) three times as far to drive and b) flat as a pancake and mostly on tarmac paths.  The course also comes up about 200m shorter on my Garmin than my home event but it's still over the 5k.

The first time I ran at Stratford I took the first lap pretty easy as I'd no idea what the ground would be like.  I then sped up for laps two and three which resulted in me equalling my 5k PB.  This week it was less windy which also helped - no battling into a gale (though no wind assistance on the other side of the course either).  I tried to get a good start and while I was nearer the front I still got a bit boxed in.  Not that it mattered as I cleared the first mile in 8.00 mins exactly.  The next mile was even faster and mile three just a couple of seconds slower resulting in a time of 24:45 - I was so excited to get under the 25 mins that I forgot to stop my watch and had to wait for my official time! 😆

I've also had to re-calculate all my training paces again - that's another 5 secs a mile off each pace.

A few weeks ago I was thrilled that I'd got an age grade over 70% for the first time ever, now it's over 74% - next target 75%?  That will be tough on my regular course with the uneven ground, changes of surfaces and tight twists.  Might just be easier to wait for a birthday and keep running at the same pace

Total miles for the week: 25.93
Elevation gained: 369m
Le-jog: 706.28 (between Kessoch Bridge and Cromarty Bridge)

Messy Week

Some weeks just feel like they mess up your training with lots of bitty things to do.  This was one of them.  Out four nights in a row.  Monday and Tuesday were early evening starts so no running then.  Which meant five consecutive days running starting Wednesday which isn't good and the quality of the sessions suffered - especially Thursday's intervals which was only half as long as it should have been.  On the plus side the new interval paces are achievable without too much pain.

Friday was a run in torrential rain on flooded roads.  So wet that I'd worn my heavier waterproof jacket.  After the run I dropped it in the back of the car to drive home.  20 mins later a big puddle had collected where it had drained.

My usual parkrun was cancelled this week for a cycling event so I had planned to go to Stratford which is my next NENDY* run.  Only I overslept - doh!  So just a gentle three miles later in the day.

Sunday was an easy 10 miles to finish the week.

Stats for the week:

Miles: 22.72
Elevation gained: 331 m
LeJog: 641 miles (just over 1000km and halfway between Dalchalloch and Inverness)



*Nearest event not done yet

Parkrun PB and a holiday

Not content with two first finishers in my age category this week I smashed my Parkrun PB by 49 seconds setting not just a course PB but an all time PB (7 seconds faster than my previous fastest parkrun on a different course).  It's also the first time I've ever got an age grade of over 70%.  So the interval running is finally paying off.  My first two miles were within a second or so of each other, with the third being around 10 seconds slower.  So all I need to do is to run the third mile at the same pace as the first two and that's another 10 seconds off - something to aim at.

As a result of the new PB I've re-calculated all my training paces.  It's interesting to compare my current paces with those from January when I was just coming back from a very low mileage year as a result of injury.  My easy pace has gone from 10:05 - 10:59 to 9:11 - 10:10, with my interval pace going from 8:48 - 9:13 to 8:07 - 8:25.  So what was my tempo pace in January is now more or less my easy pace.

Not a particularly high mileage week as Scouts Expedition Challenge took most of the weekend.  Combined with holiday packing it meant no long run on Sunday.

Most of last week was spent on holiday in Cornwall, so some new running territory.  Some nice easy paced runs on the coast path and local footpaths.  Finished the week back home with an easy paced 9.5 miles on Sunday.

Totals:

Week 1:
Distance: 10.51 miles
Elevation: 68 metres
LeJog: 592 miles

Week 2:
Distance:26.26 miles
Elevation gained:  428 metres

Le-Jog: 618 miles 75% of the way to John O'Groats

Compton Verney Half Marathon

After the very wet Hilly 10k of two weeks ago the weather has done a sudden flip to very hot at times.  It was nearly 20 deg at Parkrun on Saturday morning.  Fortunately it had cooled down a bit for Sunday and was merely in the high teens for most of the Compton Verney Half Marathon.

This was the first time I'd entered this particular event having handed out water to runners for the last 2 years (Scouts were out handing out water again this year).  With one very short exception (where you run 25 yards down a road to turn round a bollard and run back again to make up the full distance) it's actually a really nice route.

The start is in front of Compton Verney House, now an art gallery and park.  The first half mile or so through the park's landscaped gardens is undulating before you get a long downhill section.  If you've studied the route map you of course realise that you're going to have to run back up this in the closing miles of the race.  It then heads off into the countryside along nice quiet lanes.  

I deliberately started right at the back of the field to avoid the temptation to sprint off too fast at first.  There is a small risk of getting blocked but knowing that you go onto closed roads fairly quickly it's not too much of a worry as there is plenty of overtaking room.  I then spent the entire race picking off runners ahead of me.  I find that's a far better way to maintain a good pace throughout than constantly looking at the figures on a watch.  Especially as it automatically encourages you to negative split the race - the further you go the faster you have to run to keep overtaking people.

The organisers, Tempo Events, put out plenty of water stations, including extra drops of water every couple of miles when it's hot.  There were even semi-frozen ice pops being handed out by a marshal this year.  Lovely.

The final hill isn't so lovely.  Although it's not actually that steep or that long coming as it does around mile 12 it's enough to drain the energy from you, especially if it's hot.  I decided to play it tactically and walk up the steepest section of the hill, knowing that it was then pretty much gently down hill to the finish.  The tactic paid off with the final mile being my fastest by a few seconds.

I'd set myself an 'A' target of under 1 hr 58 with a 'B' target of under 2 hours.  In the end I was 7 seconds under my 'A' target so pretty pleasing overall.

This has got to be the biggest and heaviest bit of bling in my growing collection!  The ribbon is about an 1 and a half across

This little chap is nothing to do with running.  I spotted him (her?) soaking up the sun on Saturday afternoon when the temperature hit 30C.  

Totals for the week:

Miles: 24.27

Elevation gained: 187 m

Le Jog: 582 miles (just past Kenmore)

Bourton Hilly 10k

This time last year I'm sure we were sweltering in a heat wave (though memory is a funny thing and not always accurate).  This week has varied from slightly wet through wet to very wet.  The weather theme was a continuation of the previous week where Parkrun had been run in a torrential downpour.  Tuesday evenings tempo run was merely wet in comparison.  

The slightly wet day was Thursday when it was interval training.  Although there was no precipitation falling from the sky it was very wet underfoot with rivers running down the roads.  And the second day this week of drying trainers.

I'd clocked some good (and consistent) interval times on Thursday and Friday was payback day with heavy legs and aching muscles.  The deadlegs continued on Saturday for Parkrun which had the added advantage of cold thrown into the weather mix - long sleeves and gloves in June!  

With a week of heavy rain the parkrun course had standing water in places which was hard to miss.  This week was an easy effort with a time several minutes outside my PB.

On Thursday the weather forecast for Sunday had been dry in the morning with heavy showers after lunch.  This optimistic forecast meant I signed up for Bourton Road Runners hilly 10k race.  The forecast remained optimistic until Saturday evening when it changed to light showers in the morning.  By Sunday it had changed again to heavy continuous rain and the conditions did not disappoint.  Waterproofs were needed to get from the car park to the check in.  

The start was marked by shivering runners huddled under a few trees for shelter.  The race started by heading up The Steeps.  As in previous times (when the event was known as Humph's Hilly Half and there wasn't a 10k option) I walked most of the first mile.  Despite walking I still managed to overtake a number of runners on the hill. 

The heavy rain continued until about mile 3 when it eased to a steady drizzle.  By that time I'd nicely warmed up and was finally able to take off my waterproof jacket.  

The last mile of the race was particularly unpleasant under foot with deep puddles and mud.  Plus the occasional car parked on the pavement.  By the finish I had mud to the knees and my socks and trainers looked like I'd done a cross country race rather than a road race - Muddy is a State of Happiness 😊

Based on my Parkrun PB my predicted 10k time (depending on which formula you use) was between 55 and 56 minutes.  Add in the need to walk on The Steeps and I'd told myself anything under 58 minutes would be good.  In the end I was over a minute quicker than the fastest predicted time which was very satisfying.  Which justified celebrating with a cup of tea and very nice piece of vegan cake at the finish - as well as changing into my nice new, bright orange finishers t-shirt.

The original training schedule (before I had the mad idea of entering a 10k race) said 9 miles on Sunday which meant another easy couple of miles just before lunch.  Overall a few miles down on the mileage target for the week but given the weather not too bad.

This week's stats:
20.76 miles
295m elevation gained
Le Jog: 530 miles - reached Falkirk

And a badge from a week or so ago.  Who knew there was a Global Running Day?

Disruption and another Parkrun PB

Some weeks just don't go to plan.  I'd scaled back my strength training a bit because it was taking too long and all was going well until Thursday when the car needed an unscheduled trip to the garage to get the brakes sorted.  An accident on the way home from work and rush hour traffic meant that Thursday's run and strength session just didn't happen.  I probably could have fitted a few miles in but on Wednesday I'd tried a more advanced hip flexor stretch.  It was very effective but I paid for it on Thursday when a day long meeting combined with 4 hours driving meant everything seized up.

Friday wasn't a lot better between heading out to buy new hiking boots and another trip to the garage when they hadn't solved the noise problem and strength training went by the wayside again, though I did get some running in while waiting for the garage to have a look at the car.

Saturday was Parkrun and another PB - the 4th so far this year.  A full 24 seconds off my previous PB and my highest ever age grade score, so I've awarded myself a big smiley star in the training diary.  I managed to get in a few extra miles on Saturday which mostly covered the miles I'd missed on Thursday, but then ran out of time for any strength work (and didn't get a lot of other jobs done either).

Planning for camp at half term and issuing kit took a big chunk out of Sunday though I did manage to get in an easy 7 and a bit miles.  It had to be easy because after yesterday's tempo runs my legs are feeling it a bit today.

This weeks stats:
Miles: 25.42
Elevation gained: 420 m
LeJog: 485.92 miles (Beattock - crossed the border into Scotland on Tuesday)

2 seconds

Second recovery week and started to increase the effort level on a couple of runs and a slightly longer long run.  

I had been trying to do more strength work but it's taking 45 minutes at a time to do everything which just isn't realistic some nights.  Will have to look at what can be scaled back a bit on those nights.  Funny how there's always time to do a hour plus run but strength work is so boring it just gets pushed out by other things, especially when it takes months and months of doing the same exercise to see any improvement.

Highlight of the week was Parkrun.  At the finish my watch said I'd equalled my personal best.  Usually my watch is a second or two less than the official time so I wasn't really expecting anything.  But when the results came in my official time was 2 seconds less than my watch and a new PB.  Not bad two weeks after a marathon.

This weeks stats:
Miles: 16.97
Elevation gained: 223 metres
LeJog: 460.5 miles (1.5 miles to the Scottish Border)

Recovery Week #1

A very easy week with only two runs and no strength work.  By Monday morning most of the stiffness from the Stratford Marathon had gone and it was fine so long as I didn't sit for too long.  Just 15 mins walking on Monday and Tuesday, then 20 minutes on Wednesday.  Thursday should have been an easy 2 mile run but I'd gone down with a cold so gave it a miss.

Then Parkrun on Saturday at a steady pace and a short trail run Sunday to round off the week.  Parkrun was fine with no problems with putting in a faster paced mile.  It was on the uphills on Sunday that it was clear that the legs still haven't fully recovered, just tired not sore which is good.

Normally after a long run I can eat like a horse.  To be honest I did eat quite a bit on Sunday afternoon starting with 500ml of chocolate soya milk and a protein bar at the finish, then progressing through toast, yoghurt, full cooked dinner, then hot chocolate and flapjack before bed.  Monday though I just couldn't face food.  Looking in my bag and smelling a banana at lunchtime almost made me sick.  My stomach was in a complete knot and nothing would go down.  This continued until Wednesday evening before I could really face food again, but the only fruit that appealed was apples.  So I'm still 1kg lighter than when I started the marathon although now I'm back eating again I don't think that will last long now.


Stats for the week:
Miles:  7.58
Elevation gained: 148 metres
LeJog: 443.53 (12 miles south of Carlise)

Week 16 - Race Week

Lots of travelling for work this week with a trip up to Scotland.  Not ideal preparation for a marathon with the travel, eating in hotels and restaurants and long days.  Good job it was taper week or I'd have got no training in.

Managed a couple of 3 mile runs along the Clyde - very, very flat compared with home.  

Saturday was a very chilly day as timekeeper at Parkrun.  Very glad that the strongest winds went through on the Saturday rather than during Sunday's race.

Sunday was very cold first thing.  Managed to hang on to all my layers until about 20 mins before the start of the Stratford Marathon, then bundled them into my bag and dropped them off.  Lots of people shivering on the start line then discarding clothing over the first couple of miles. 

Plenty of water points but the bottled water tasted vile.  Even flavoured with Tailwind it wasn't great.  But needs must ...

Also a lot more runners in the Marathon this year, so it wasn't quite running on your own once the half split off.  And some support around the course, except on the Greenway where you need it most.  At least I had my head prepared for the lack of support on lap 2 this time.

It wasn't the best race I've ever run (in fact it's my slowest ever marathon time 😢) Possibly a bit undertrained - certainly didn't manage all of the pace work and long runs.  Also started a bit too fast - easy done but it took it's toll later.  Was doing well up until about 21 miles when suddenly I ran out of steam.  It always happens at this point, perhaps I'm just not meant to run marathons.  Ended up running 300 paces then walking 100 until mile 25 which I walked just about all of.  Managed to save a bit for running in the park at the finish but my legs had gone pretty stiff by that point.  

Crossing the finish line was lovely, but within seconds my legs had seized up.  Struggled to walk to the bag drop and then to the car.  Have spent the afternoon eating and drinking - managed to drop 1.5kg during the race.  

As always a really nice finishers medal for this event.

Stats for the week:
Miles: 31.13
Elevation gained: 184 metres
LeJog: over half way to John O'Groats

Week 15 - Happy Easter

A big drop in mileage this week for the taper.  It seems strange to have time to do other stuff than just run.  

Tuesday was 3 miles at target marathon pace.  I've no idea what my target pace is really, so I opted for the faster end of my easy pace.  I doubt I'd be able to keep it up for a whole marathon though, especially going up hill out of Welford.

Thursday's tempo run was just 2 miles (plus a warm up and cool down). Strangely the first mile, where it's running slightly downhill, was 20 seconds slower than the second where it's slightly uphill.  Maybe it's to do with not being properly warmed up as the first mile felt much harder than the second.

I didn't run at Parkrun this week, the temptation to ignore easy injunction would have been too much.  Instead a took a turn at volunteering, handing out tokens and congratulations to the finishers.  There's only so many times you can say "well done" or "good running" in a morning.  

Sunday's long run was just a baby at 8 miles.  It was the first long run of the year in warm conditions (19C) which made it feel quite hard at times even though I wasn't pushing the pace at all.  Forgetting to drink for the first 3 miles probably didn't help, as did feeling thirsty before I'd even started to run.  The forecast is for the temperatures to drop back again next week.

Happy Easter.

This week in numbers:
Miles: 19.03
Elevation gained: 227.38 metres
LeJog: 402.82 (not quite halfway)

Week 14 - Now is not the time to get injured

This was to be the biggest mileage week, but things don't always go to plan.  Early in the week I felt a bit of a "niggle" in my right knee, always one of my week spots that can pick up an injury.  As the program I've been following only has a two week taper rather than three weeks I decided to cut my mileage a few days early and make sure I was completing the strength training.  As they say it's better to arrive at the start line undertrained and uninjured than not to start at all.

Tuesday's run was cut short because a meeting at work over-ran by an hour!  How a meeting can run double its planned length and still be going round in circles is one of the wonders of the modern world.  Thursday's run was cut from 8 miles to 5, Saturday's from 10 miles to 6 and Sunday's from 20 miles to just under 13.  There's nothing magic about running 20 miles in training, especially if you've run the distance previously.  

Parkrun formed 3 of the 6 miles on Saturday, run at a steady pace with each mile 10 seconds faster than the previous one.  Well outside my PB but I'd always intended to take it steadily and the pacing was good.

Sunday's run was at an easy pace, though around 30 seconds a mile faster than I usually do my long run at.  The benefit of 14 weeks training and knowing that it was only 13 miles to run.  If (and it's always a big if with a marathon) I can manage that pace on the day I'll be very happy indeed.

Bluebells in The Warren

Stats for the week:
Mileage - 26.43 miles
Elevation gained - 515m
LeJog - 383.79 (a few miles north of Preston)

Week 13 - Brrr...

The start of April and we seem to have gone back to winter, with temperatures stuck in single figures, heavy rain and dull, grey days this week.  I managed a couple of chilly runs in shorts before reverting to the full longs for Saturday and Sunday, plus hat, buff and gloves.

Bought some tailwind to try this week.  Quite nice, very mild taste.  Used it on Sunday's run and felt pretty good throughout without any feeling of stomach churning that gels can produce.  

Not much else to say really.  Still struggling to fit in the strength sessions and the longer mid-week runs.  Now the schools have broken up for Easter I'm hoping that will improve as there are less demands on time in the evenings.  And by the time they go back I'll be well into the taper for the Stratford Marathon.

Highlights of the week were a close up view of a Red Kite taking off from the ground not 50 metres from home and an even closer encounter with a male Yellowhammer sitting in a hedge at the side of the road as I ran past, both on Sunday.

Stats for the week:

Mileage:  38.02
Elevation gained: 538.81 metres
LeJog: 357.36 - just north of St Helens

Week 12 - March goes out like a lamb?

It's really felt like spring might be very close this week.  Warm sunshine, light winds and everything coming into leaf.  So a shock to the system today to be back to temperatures in single figures (and feeling not that far off zero) and windy conditions.

Tuesday's run was an easy five miles with the average pace smack in the middle of my current target range and each mile evenly paced.  Thursday was too nice an evening for running on the roads so instead of going straight out from work I headed home to pick up my trail shoes.  Despite the slower overall pace the uneven surface and steeper gradients put it firmly in the steady to tempo pace effort category for just over 7 miles.

Holly Walk in evening sunshine

Saturday's mileage has really ramped up at this stage in the training cycle.  The day started with a steady 3 miles at Parkrun.  All the fast runners must have been away this week as I finished 30 places higher than last week despite running 6 seconds a mile slower.  Pleased with my pacing on that one as each lap got progressively faster.  This was followed up by a hilly 7 miles at easy pace.

Sunday's long run was 16 miles this week.  Previous 16 mile runs in this cycle have been a real slog with rain, hail and high winds.  So although it was colder and windier today than earlier in the week it was still good conditions for running.  I've been practicing drinking a little every mile in preparation for the marathon in a few weeks time as I don't like chugging down lots of water when you get to the water stations.  I do need to stock up on gels or something similar - going to try experimenting with some Tailwind on the next few longer runs as I find gels hard to stomach in the later stages of a long run or race and cans of coke are hard to carry for 15+ miles.

Didn't do too badly on the strength training this week managing 3 out of 4 of the planned sessions.  Missed Saturday's due to need to let people into the Scout Hut for a coffee afternoon, bake and deliver a cake for an event at church, walk Marley and then finally lock up the hut again.

Stats for the week:

Miles:  38.86
Elevation gained: 716 metres
LeJog: 319.34 miles (half way between Shrewsbury and Tarporley)

Week 11 - Parkrun PB #3

Another easier week in the training programme combined with a dry week weather wise so I took the chance to aim for a PB at this week's Parkrun.  The ground had dried out a lot and apart from a few rabbit holes and moles hills the ground was nice and firm.  In all a very pleasing run with all three laps run at exactly the same pace, a sprint finish and 1 min 11 secs knocked off my PB for the course.  Still got a bit of a way to go to match my best ever age grade score - for now I'm 99th in the Age Graded League.

Today's long run was in complete contrast to last weeks - warm and light winds with clear signs that spring isn't far away now. Lovely to be running in shorts again instead of wrapped up against the weather.

 

View towards Chipping Campden

It's also time for a bit of spring cleaning.  Marley's three teddies have been through the wash and put out to dry in the sun

Mr Ted, Baby Ted and Mrs Ted.  Mrs Ted is Marley's favourite as she's still got her squeak

Next week it's back to the final big mileage grind in the run up (run down?) to the Stratford Marathon.  Need to find time to keep up the strength training or all the good work of the last 10 weeks will be undone.

Stats for the week:
Mileage: 25.68 miles
Elevation gained: 336 metres
LeJog: 280.49 miles (24 miles to Shrewsbury)

Week 10 - More weather disruption and too much to do

As we approach the peak weeks in the training plan for the Stratford Marathon the volume of running goes up quite a bit.  And that has coincided with a week of pretty windy weather and a hectic schedule.  As always the strength training has been sacrificed and some of the runs cut a bit short on what was intended.

The plan this week was for a total mileage of around 37 miles - 4 miles easy on Tuesday (😀 - that went to plan), then 7 miles tempo on Thursday (😐 - only time for 4 miles, but did run it at interval pace rather than tempo pace).  Saturday morning was very windy with gusts of 53 mph.  And because of that Parkrun was cancelled because of the danger of branches coming off trees 😥.  The plan said 8 miles easy on Saturday which is possible if you do parkrun then one of the local loops which is about 5 miles but there isn't a convenient  mile loop.  I spent most of the day watching the weather forecast and waiting for the wind to drop which it did for a couple of hours so managed to get out for a bit.  

Sunday's plan was 18 miles but again windy, cold and hailstones thrown in 😧.  By the time the watch said 16 miles I'd had enough of being blown around so headed home instead of repeating a two mile loop.  Standing under the hot shower after being out was lovely.

Strength training though was well below what was planned with several sessions missed 😖 because of extra Scout meetings in the evenings.

This week's stats:

Miles: 30.78
Elevation gained: 446m
LeJog: 254.8 (just passed Hereford)

Week 9 - Blown Away

The week's training started well enough with an easy 7 miles on Tuesday, despite still being pretty tired from last weekend's camp.  Wednesday was strength training as planned.  Thursday the weather was pretty wet and it's difficult running with an umbrella so I took Thursday as a rest day and ran on Friday instead - 7.5 miles of tempo intervals, including lots of uphill work.

Saturday was parkrun in the morning.  Very wet and slippy underfoot, torrential rain to start and fairly windy. Not PB conditions but pleased with the pacing with each successive mile 5 secs faster than the previous one and a sprint finish.  Then followed up in the afternoon with a hilly 5 miles of easy running in blustery conditions.  Garmin gave me a badge for wearing out another pair of trainers today (though I think they've still got a bit of life in them for shorter runs).

Sunday - well it was windy, very windy.  16 miles with wind that could stop you dead or push you across the road.  The Met Office site gives sustained winds of 30 - 32 mph with gusts between 51 and 61 mph for the time I was out running.  At one point I heard a tree crash down a few hundred yards behind me.  It also felt very cold.  And I forgot to pick up any gels before I left home - I don't think 2 biscuits at church and a Snickers bar is really enough to run that distance in the conditions we had today.

Totals for the week:
Mileage:  38.73 miles
Elevation gained:  717 metres
LeJog: 224 miles (crossed the Severn Bridge about 25 miles back, 8 miles to Monmouth)

Week 8 - not going to plan

Week 8 turned out to be an even lower mileage than last week entirely due to going to Scout Camp for the weekend.

I'd swapped a few sessions around to move the long run to Friday and a short run to Sunday with Saturday as a rest day.  Up to Thursday it was all going to plan with the exception of missing one strength workout due to packing all the camp gear on Thursday evening.  Then it all went downhill.

A look in the fridge on Friday morning said that rather than going running I needed to go food shopping.  Add in trip to vets to collect wormer and the next thing you know it's 1200 and I need to leave at 1330 for camp.  

I had thought I might get a short run in on Sunday afternoon but by the time I got back, unloaded the kit and put it away and got home it was already five o'clock.  A combination of needing to get out to church and lack of sleep over the weekend put paid to good intentions.

This weeks figures:

Mileage: 14.2 miles

Elevation gained: 120m

LeJog: approaching the Avon Bridge

Week 7 - A short run is better than no run

This has been one of those weeks where you wonder how you'll fit everything in.  With it being half term there was no Scouts on Monday, but we did have a camp planning meeting on Thursday.  Then I had a long trip up north to see family at the weekend (50 miles of roadworks on the motorway didn't make it any easier).  So my carefully worked out combination of short runs on busy nights and long runs on nights I don't have to go out all went to pieces.  

On the plus side I did get to try a new Parkrun this week at Ormskirk.  Very friendly and a nice course with a few gentle slopes for variation and two loops the larger of which is run twice.  The best bit is it's all on nice firm surfaces with just one or two places where there is a bit of loose gravel - which makes it very fast - my best time of the year so far by nearly 40 seconds despite the hills.

This week was planned to be an easy week with slightly lower mileage than last week for recovery.  I cut Thursday's run short by nearly a mile because of being short of time so I upped Sunday's distance from 10 to 11 miles to compensate.  Being away from home meant trying out a new route.  Now not every part of the country has hills and today's 11 miles netted just 20 m elevation gain - I can usually get that in the first half mile!

Cheshire Lines - a flat part of the Trans-Pennine Trail

Looking at the calendar next week looks like it's going to need even more juggling around to get anything like the mileage in.


Totals for the week:
21.98 miles
121 m elevation gained

LeJog: 171 miles ( between Taunton and the Avon Bridge)

Week 6 - Going Further

I miscalculated how far I was planning to run this week when I laid out my training diary and had to add a few extra squares to the graphic I use to keep track of my mileage. 

A good week with all training sessions completed including a rare lunchtime run with a friend.  Not sure it made me any more productive after lunch but it was nice to get out and a glorious day.

Parkrun was a mixed bag.  Course had dried out and what felt like a steady pace run put me 50 seconds off the PB I set a few weeks ago which was pleasing.  Less pleasing was realising I'd forgotten to pick up my barcode 😖 . Lesson learned and a spare barcode is now living in the car.

New shoes are good - ran 14 miles in them today with no problems.  Biggest problem was there are some seriously steep sections on today's run which meant a few bits of walking rather than running.

Garmin actually gave me a badge for today's run - must be a long time since I've run that far in a single session as the badges have been around for a while now.

That's my second badge this week as it gave me one for adding my new shoes on Tuesday.

This weeks totals:
31.53 miles
415 m elevation gained
LeJog: 149.08 miles (between Tiverton and Taunton)

Too Pink!

I bought some new trainers today as my current ones are close to 450 miles and starting to feel a bit thin.  

Why do manufacturers think that dusky pink is a good colour for women's footwear?  Seriously the first time I go out in the rain they are going to turn a dirty grey / brown.  

Won't take long to turn them mud coloured

Other than the colour they're really nice, good comfy fit and not too soft to run in.

Hailstones

It took until Tuesday for me to start feeling better, so a whole week without any running.  Tuesday's easy run was switched to Wednesday and Thursday's tempo run was more of a steady paced effort than tempo.

Parkrun on Saturday was more like Parkswim with big puddles on the course and lots of very slippy mud.  A steady paced effort rather than attempting a PB was in order, especially as I was still feeling a bit under par.  Followed up with another 3 miles to make the target of 6 for the day.

Finished the week with a very chilly 12 miler during which there was rain, wind and hailstorms - hailstones the size of peas really sting even when you're wearing a jacket with a full mountain style hood.  I forgot to take any gels with me so I was pretty tired and cold when I finished- 2 chocolate biscuits and a coffee in church is not enough to run 12 miles.  2 cups of green tea, hummus on wholewheat bread, a slice of fruit cake and a meringue were needed as a restorative.  Closely followed by nut roast, mustard mash and gravy as dinner.

This week's totals:

28.37 miles

418 m elevation

LeJog: 117.55 miles

A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down

I succumbed to a virus this week.  It started as a tickle in the throat on Monday and by Tuesday it was someone banging around inside my skull with a lump hammer, sore eyes, my throat felt like I'd swallowed a load of razor blades and everything ached - even my skin felt achy.  

It's a particularly persistent virus and just when you think it's gone it comes back in a slightly different form.  Yesterday it was dizziness whenever I turned my head quickly, a quite discombobulating feeling.

Needless to say my mileage for the week is a big fat zero 😟

Week 4 and a grim run to finish

Just 6.8 miles today to end an easy week in training.  But conditions were grim.  Heavy rain yesterday afternoon and overnight has turned the ground to deep mud.  Combine that with winds gusting to 40 mph, torrential sleety downpours and temperatures hovering around 4C (and feeling like -2C) and grim just about covers it.  In places the mud was so slippy it was impossible to run and stay upright.  Needless to say there was no one out, not even a dog walker.

Mud, deep, slippy mud!

Unlike last week I was actually warm enough on this week's run.  Long sleeve merino top, merino t-shirt, full waterproof jacket with hood, long trousers, 2 buffs (one as hat, one as scarf) and two pair gloves (one inside the other) just about did it without overheating.  Just some very muddy trainers to wash and dry.

This week's totals:

18.34 miles

226 m elevation

LeJog: 89.18 miles

Parkrun PB #2

2nd Parkrun PB of the year 😊.  Given that this week was a lighter week on the marathon training front (no extra miles in the programme for after parkrun today and a short "long run" tomorrow) and the good pace I'd set running on Thursday I decided to go for a PB.  I also decided I was going to try not looking a my watch and worrying if I was going too fast, but to run by how I felt.  

The course was a bit drier than last week and the weather was a lot warmer.  The combination of all these factors meant I took 58 secs off my PB for this course.  Naturally I've given myself a star sticker in the training diary for this.

Another thing I noticed about today's parkrun was there were 153 female runners in the field of 292 - which means 52% of the participants were female.  Wonder how many of the 1st time women were there because of Jasmine Paris winning this year's spine race?

Running on the Level

Found myself running in Cheltenham today and was surprised at how much difference running on the level, rather than up a Cotswold hill, makes.  A nice 4 miles around the lakes in Pittville Park.

In the Cotswold's tempo effort averages at around 09:22 a mile.  In Cheltenham that came down to 08:31.  Now if only I could run that at Parkrun on Saturday - maybe when the course dries out a bit I might get close.

LeJog: Leaving Cornwall

Week 3

Week 3 of training for the Stratford Marathon at the end of April.  A very cold 10 miles to end the week.  Painfully cold hands and although I thought the rest of me was ok it took a couple of hours to properly warm up.

Snowdrops have appeared and a neighbour has just asked me if it's going to snow next week!

This week's totals:
Distance:  26.39
Elevation gained:  324m

LeJog: 70.84 miles

Parkrun in the rain

It was very definitely wet for today's parkrun.  Big puddles in the car park, wet stuff dripping out of the sky, warnings from the run director in the briefing to take care as the course was slippy in places.  Yet Garmin's weather feature on the run says it was sunny!

The actual weather - if this is sunny what is misty and raining like?

Nice, steady paced run with sprint finish put me 3rd in my age group.  269 participants this morning - pretty good considering the weather.

Chilly

A chilly 1C for tonight's run.  Not quite a frosty badge from Garmin but cold enough to get to the fingers.  Nothing of course compared to the conditions on the Spine Race.