Faster

Firedance

tang1 wrote: »

Well done TG, enjoyed the report. Lucky you weren't running with us Saturday, we were there 2 hrs early just to play it safe!!

this is definitely the way to do it, just ask BG,

well done TG, super racing, super report but eh yeah, better race prep next time

actually, I often wonder who those people are that come steaming past over half way in race, they're you!

tailgunner

Thanks folks. A huge lesson learned regarding race preparation - I was extremely lucky to come away with a good result on the day.

I like to think I take my running pretty seriously, so when I'm racing, the very least I could do is actually turn up on time... I'll put it down to inexperience and make sure I never find myself in that kind of situation again. Felt like such a knob blasting past people who were walking during the first mile.

Anyway, back to the grindstone.

Sunday, 6th February 2016

3.11 miles
30:28
9:48/mi

I had notions of doing a longer run, but my legs were in bits so I kept it short and sweet.

Monday, 7th February 2016

5.6 miles
51:44
9:14/mi

My calves and quads were still quite sore, so I probably should have kept this at recovery pace (or taken a day off). It was a gorgeous evening though, and it's been a while since I went for a run just for the sake of it, so I ignored the watch and let my legs dictate the pace. Ended up with something that could almost be called a session - 4 miles at marathon pace with a warm-up and cool-down.

My legs are in much better shape today, but it feels like I have some bruising in my right foot since the race. I have a habit of striking with my forefoot when I'm running at faster paces, so I'm guessing that has something to do with it. The racers have less cushioning than I'm used to as well.

I was going to push tonight's planned interval session out to tomorrow anyway, so I'll see how the foot feels after a rest day.

tailgunner

Wednesday, 9th March 2016

5.5 miles
54:23
9:53/mi

Scrapped the planned interval session in favour of a few easy miles. I wasn't completely happy with my foot, but that's only the first of many excuses I could list off. Just had no motivation for it whatsoever.

Given the weather conditions, I probably would have been wasting my time attempting anything other than an easy run anyway - the slow pace was not for lack of effort - so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea in hindsight.

I'm in two minds about whether I should give the session another crack tonight, but with 6 miles at HM pace on the plan for Saturday, and 14 miles on Sunday, I'm leaning towards writing it off.

To be honest, I knew in advance that this was going to be a bad week for motivation, so as long as I keep up the mileage and get back on track with the sessions next week, I'll be happy enough.

tailgunner

Thursday, 10th March 2016

4.06 miles
38:52
9:35/mi

Perfect conditions for doing intervals, so I made the considered decision of not doing them. Not even sorry. I did do a few strides at the end though.

Rest day today, and then a HM pace run tomorrow. I had initially been planning on adding an extra mile onto the five that Higdon prescribes for this, but I think that might be overkill. Anyway, I've (foolishly) only been doing a half-arsed warm-up and cool-down for this session lately, so if I do it properly tomorrow, I'll still end up with the extra mile.

tailgunner

Saturday, 12th March 2016 - 5 miles @ race pace

6.5 miles
56:20
8:40/mi

8:15/mi was the rough target for race pace, but I never really locked into it. Any lapse in concentration meant that the pace drifted out, but I'll put that down to the slight hangover I was nursing. Ran the fifth mile a little quick to drag the average up a bit. Is that cheating? Probably.

I was happy enough with it anyway. The effort felt hard, but controlled, and I definitely could have kept it going for a few miles. Also got a decent warm-up and cool-down done for a change.

Splits:

8:16
8:20
8:11
8:19
8:05

Sunday, 13th March 2016 - 14 miles easy

14.01 miles
2:15:32
9:41/mi

It was cold and overcast when I was heading off, so I put on a base-layer and a hat. Half an hour later, the sun was out, I was sweating buckets, and cursing myself for not having some water before I left.

Anyway, I got it done, and while it felt like an awful slog towards the end, the splits suggest otherwise, and I actually had quite a strong finish over the last 3 miles.

I used my racing shoes to try them out on a long run, as I had myself convinced that they're half a size too big. I think it's just that I'm used to more cushioning though, as I had no problems with them at all. They feel like they're broken in now, so I'll put them away until the half marathon.

A little over 35 miles in the bag, and no niggles to report, so not a bad week.

tailgunner

Monday, 14th March 2016 - 6 miles easy

6 miles
1:00:39
10:06/mi

The plan was for a rest day, but it was looking like I might struggle to fit this in tonight so I said I'd get it out of the way. My legs dictated the pace, which was very, very slow for the most part, and I was more than happy to go along with that. Legs felt nice and refreshed after it, but the rest of me is bate. This is the climactic week on the plan though, so no surprises there.

tailgunner

Wednesday, 16th March 2016 - 45 minute tempo

5.32 miles
45:00
8:28/mi

Loved this. I don't know what it is about tempo runs, but I always really enjoy them. Averaged 7:55/mi over 30 minutes for the faster bit, which is pretty much spot on for "near 10k pace".

tailgunner

Thursday, 17th March 2016 - 4 miles easy

4.18 miles
40:10
9:36/mi

Not much to report. Threw in a few strides during the last mile to keep things mildly interesting. Nice evening for it.

tailgunner

Saturday, 19th March 2016 - 5 miles @ race pace

6.5 miles
55:43
8:34/mi

The plan was to run a little faster than my target HM pace, which I haven't fully decided on, so I mainly went by feel. No individual splits because of how I set it up on the watch (i.e. arseways) but I ended up with an average pace of 8:08/mi for the 5 miles, which seems about right. I think I cheated with a sprint finish again though.

Sunday, 20th March 2016 - 15 miles easy

15.02 miles
2:25:25
9:41/mi

A long run of 15 miles is probably excessive for half marathon training, especially at the pace I run, but I think it'll stand to me mentally. If not for the upcoming half itself, certainly for marathon training in the summer - even now, the idea of running 18 or 20 miles doesn't seem as daunting as it once did.

Anyway, I really didn't enjoy the 14 miles last week so I had every intention of making this as easy as possible. Got up early and had some porridge (I never eat porridge, so this was officially a Big Deal). Waited an hour or so, then had a glass of water and set off. I didn't bring any fuel or water with me, but took some money just in case.

The result was a much more pleasant experience than last week. I had a slight dip in energy levels shortly after the halfway point, but that's not unusual for me, and it didn't last long. My legs started to feel heavy after 10 miles or so, but I was well past half marathon distance before it got tough.

I realised near the end that my average pace was going to end up a touch slower than last week, so I decided I couldn't be having that, and legged it for the last half a mile to try and beat it. I was only able to match it in the end (barely!), but it's a good sign that I had something left in the tank at that stage.

So that's peak week finished with 37 miles. I have 6 miles easy to do tomorrow, intervals on Wednesday (a million 400 reps or something) and then the taper begins. Can't wait.

tailgunner

Tuesday, 22nd March 2016 - 6 miles easy

6.22 miles
1:01:25
9:52/mi

A nice, easy trot around the usual route. My feet and lower legs started feeling sore after a couple of miles, which is becoming increasingly common with the shoes I was wearing, so after 463.2 miles, I think that will have to be the final voyage of the good ship Asics GT-2000 3.

tailgunner

Wednesday, 23rd March 2016 - 10 x 400 @ 5k pace

6.22 miles
57:21
9:13/mi

The last big session on the plan. And with 10 days to go till the race, the last opportunity for any real fitness gains, so I had every intention of nailing this one.

Sadly it didn't go to plan. Felt sluggish on the warm-up, which I put down to having a big lunch a few hours before, but then felt a stitch brewing as soon as I launched into the first rep. By the second rep it was almost unbearable, and I had to stop for a few minutes after the recovery.

The stitch seemed to ease off, so I started into the third rep, but it immediately came back with a vengeance. I walked the recovery and stood around for another few minutes, feeling very demoralised.

I was starting to feel cold at this stage, and was in two minds about scrapping the session, but eventually I decided that I couldn't face the idea of another abandoned interval session hanging over me, so I kept going. Managed to get another couple of reps and recoveries done before I had to stop again, and the stitch eventually eased off after that, so at least the last few were okay.

I doubt I gained much from this session physically, but from a mental perspective, I'm glad I got it done.

Splits:

1:52.8
1:53.4
1:53.1
1:51.3
1:51.8
1:53.7
1:50.9
1:51.8
1:52.8
1:50.5

Thursday, 24th March 2016 - 3 miles easy

3.11 miles
30:19
9:45/mi

Won't have time to run this evening, and I want to take tomorrow off, so I got up early to get this done before work. Not much to report - legs felt fine.

I'm officially tapering now though, so I expect all manner of phantom niggles to introduce themselves over the next week or so.

tailgunner

Saturday, 26th March 2016 - 3 miles @ race pace

4.5 miles
38:47
8:37/mi

It was very windy out, so the effort was a little higher than I'd have liked. Ran it well ahead of target pace too, so it should feel a lot easier on the day hopefully.

Splits for the 3 miles at race pace:

8:11
8:08
7:57

Sunday, 27th March 2016 - 8 miles easy

8 miles
1:15:05
9:23/mi

I was amazed at the diversity of weather conditions I experienced over the course of an hour and a quarter. Wind, rain, sunshine, and hailstones, though I can't quite remember the order in which they featured.

tailgunner

Tuesday, 29th March 2016 - 4 miles easy

4 miles
38:00
9:29/mi

I had been wondering whether a 10-day taper was enough, but my legs had the same bouncy, floaty feeling as the week before my last half marathon, so I think that bodes well.

My right foot was sore during the first mile, but I seemed to run it off after a while. Hopefully a phantom niggle. Calves and hip flexors felt a bit tight as well, but I was able to sort that with some foam rolling.

Wednesday, 30th March 2016 - 30 minute tempo

3.48 miles
30:00
8:37/mi

Including 15 minutes at 7:52/mi pace. Found this much harder than the last tempo run, despite it being half as long. I'll put it down to the wind.

Foot was a little bit sore again, though not as bad as the day before. Not sure what's going on there. Still hoping that I'm imagining it.

All good otherwise. A couple of easy miles this evening, and that'll be that.

tailgunner

Thursday, 31st March 2016 - 2 miles easy

2 miles
18:44
9:21/mi

A mile down the road and back, with some strides at the end. Foot felt fine.

So that's me until the race on Sunday. In terms of a target, sub-1:50 is what I've had in my head since the start of the plan, and I think training has gone well enough that it's a case of how far under that I can realistically go.

If I were a sensible chap, I'd aim for 1:49:59 of course. Unfortunately McMillan is teasing me with 1:47:45, so I guess I'll see how sensible I feel on the day.

Month|2015|2016
Jan|7.86|103.61
Feb|14.7|116.6
Mar|23.53|127.35
Apr|32.91
May|45.88
Jun|42.65
Jul|23.26
Aug|84.29
Sep|106.61
Oct|56.17
Nov|81.45
Dec|55.33
Total|574.64|347.56

mbarr

Good luck this weekend TG, with the mileage and long runs you have been putting in you should have a great race!

tang1

mbarr wrote: »

Good luck this weekend TG, with the mileage and long runs you have been putting in you should have a great race!

+1 to this, hope all goes well for you TG. You have put the training in.

Firedance

yes good luck TG! you've done the work - you go out at 1:49 pace and pick it up after a few miles if you're feeling good.

annapr

How's the preparation plan for the weekend, TG? . Best of luck with it!

tailgunner

Well the start time is meant to be 10am, but sure these things are always delayed so I'll probably rock up about quarter-past. Be grand.

:pac:

jake1970

best of luck Sunday!!

Kennyg71

Best luck Sunday TG, have a good one.

The Muppet

Have a great race tomorrow TG.

ThebitterLemon

Run Faster.

G'luck

TbL

tailgunner

Tough day at the office, but was very happy to finish in 1:49:36.

Report to follow tomorrow, if I can remember any of it!

tailgunner

Pre-race
Not much of a story to tell here, which is probably a good thing. Suffice it to say that I arrived at the race village, porridged and watered, and in a remarkable turn up for the books, early.

So with that, I went for a jog down the road, couldn't find my way back, and am still lost in the outskirts of Reading now. Send help.

Joke!

I was too scared to leave the race village, so I made do with a light jog where I could find space among the thousands of people milling around. Attempted a couple of strides, but I was in danger of breaking an ankle on the gravel surface, so I gave up in the end and headed for the start-line.

After a bit of confusion as to why the 1:20 pacer was in the middle of my starting corral, I lined up about 50 metres back and mentally went over my race strategy. As it turns out, I don't read so good, and I was actually behind the 1:50 pacer. Oops.

The plan was to go off at a sensible 8:20/mi pace, and then push on after a few miles if I was feeling good, hopefully catching the pacer around halfway. It was a sunny day, and already quite warm, but conditions were pretty good apart from that, so I was feeling confident. The A-goal was sub-1:48, but I'd happily settle for sub-1:50.

Miles 1-2
There were over 16,000 people running, so I was prepared for congestion. And congestion I received. Now, I wouldn't ever judge someone for running slower than I do (I'm slow myself), but there were dozens of people ahead of me who had no business being where they were - some were actually stopping in their tracks and walking - and it was a serious effort to avoid colliding with people. I wasn't watching my pace, and the first mile came in a little hot at 8:11.

The second mile was more of the same - basically surging forward where I could, being forced to slow up where I couldn't - and came in at 8:12. At least I was consistent. The pace was starting to feel hard already, and I knew I was going to suffer for it later unless I reigned it in. Fortunately the congestion had eased, and I was able to settle the pace.

Miles 3-4
If I needed any help slowing the pace, the third mile presented, for my running pleasure, an enormous hill. Now, I live in Oxford, which is an area far too posh for hills, so I wasn't quite sure what to do with this one. I looked around for an escalator or ski-lift or something, but couldn't spot any. Was I expected to... run up this hill? On my own two legs? In all seriousness, I had done my long runs on the most undulating route I could find, but I wasn't prepared for anything like this. So I wasn't the least bit surprised to see 8:30 flash up on the watch for mile 3.

I was a long time getting my breath back after that, and took on water from the next station, having politely declined the offer of prosecco from a priest earlier on. No joke. The rest of the mile was uneventful and came in at 8:12. I was well ahead of target pace, and with three of the first four miles coming in much too fast, and the hill taking an awful lot out of me, things weren't exactly going to plan...

Miles 5-7
We were running through the university campus now, which was probably the nicest part of the course. The support was great throughout the race, but I really noticed it here. Loads of people were handing out jelly babies and orange slices, and some had even set up their own water stands. Brilliant stuff. I took my first gel around here somewhere, and kept sipping away on water - it was getting very warm now. Mile 5 beeped at 8:20.

I wasn't feeling great by now, mainly due to the heat, and then I overheard someone mention that there was another huge hill coming up. I was considering packing in the old running after that, but fortunately the hill turned out to be a downwards one, so I ended up with a gravity-assisted 8:12. Mile 7 brought us through some twists and turns into the town centre. I spotted my girlfriend here, which gave me a nice boost, and I finally caught the 1:50 pacer. The watch buzzed at 8:21. Things were improving.

Miles 8-11
The improvement in fortunes didn't last long, and at this stage I had reached a sort of No Man's Land of Reading itself, the race in general, and my mental fortitude. I took a gel in mile 8 (8:26), there was another bollocks of a hill in mile 9 (8:27), I died a death in mile 10 (8:26), and there was another downhill in mile 11 (8:18) which brought me back to something that loosely resembled life. Seriously though, those four miles were an absolute festival of suffering, and I thought I'd never get through them. I think part of me is still out there.

Miles 12-13 (+0.1)
After some mental gymnastics in trying to work out what sort of time I was on for (the current estimate was somewhere between an hour and a generation), I gave up and just kept moving. With two miles to go, I knew I'd be able to maintain the pace till the end. I just couldn't seem to convince my brain, which was whinging and moaning and screaming at me to stop. Or walk. Or at least slow down. It didn't help that people around me were doing these very things. Mile 12 came in at 8:27.

It was properly hot now, and I was seriously dehydrated, despite doing my best to keep sipping water throughout the race. I didn't feel thirsty, but there were other tell-tale signs - a slight headache, a touch of dizziness, and a general feeling that I was about to keel over. On the upside, my legs felt grand. Fair play legs. I passed an "800m to go!" sign, and even managed to up the pace a bit. Mile 13 buzzed at 8:24.

I turned into Madejski Stadium (home of the mighty Reading FC) as my watch ticked onto 1:49:00. I panicked a bit here, because while I could see the finish line, it seemed like it was much too far away, and I was moving much too slowly. I don't think you could call it a "sprint finish", but I mustered every last fume of energy I had left, covered the last bit in 1:10 and crossed the line in 1:49:36.

Post-race
I made the classic mistake of running too fast for the first half of the race, suffered badly for it in the second half, but still managed to come away with a time I'm very happy with. My racing career is still in its infancy, but I can't imagine that sort of thing happens very often, so I'll claim this one as a good race.

Maximus Alexander

Very well done, am I right in saying this is your debut HM?

tailgunner

Thanks! This was my second HM. I ran 1:58:45 about six months ago, in a much more consistent performance!

Murph_D

tailgunner wrote: »

Thanks! This was my second HM. I ran 1:58:45 about six months ago, in a much more consistent performance!

Big improvement then, well done!

Kennyg71

Well done in PB, sounds like you really tuffed it out, great running.

mbarr

tailgunner wrote: »

Thanks! This was my second HM. I ran 1:58:45 about six months ago, in a much more consistent performance!

Excellent improvement. I think it's easy to consider a performance a more consistent one if you were running within yourself a bit! Miles 8-11 are so hard in half marathons.

Did you stay with the pace group when you caught it or push on ahead? From my experience running just ahead of a pace group you feel a bit like a fox chased by hounds, it's horrible!