Back into it

Distance: 4.5 miles

4.5 miles tonight, with a big hill in the middle. My running’s been averaging about 20-something miles a week for a couple of weeks, so now time to increase the mileage a bit.

Loch Ness 10k - a late, late, late update

Better late than never…. The last few months have been a blur as I’ve finished off my dissertation to complete my politics MA degree. Now that’s handed in and finished for good, I’m planning to get back into regular blogging.

The Loch Ness 10k went ok, ending up with 43:31:

7:10
6:35
6:47
6:53
7:04
7:07
1:52

Two minutes faster than my Stirling 10k time and a minute slower than my PB. A fair reflection on my fitness at the time I think. Reflecting on my 10k training, the big thing which was missing from previous cycles was a weekly long (properly long) run.

The plan for now is some base training to build the mileage back up, and then embark on another 10 regime.

Catch-up

Last week was a mixed bag of mostly steady running, interrupted in parts by a particularly busy period at work. I really need to get at least part of my week’s running done in the morning or at lunch. Leaving them all until the evening is just inviting something to get in the way, which it frequently has of late. Anyway, less than a week left until the Loch Ness 10k. No big predictions from me about this one - I’ll just be happy to better the disaster I had at Stirling. Best guess is I’m in about 43 minute shape.

Tonights run was 6 miles of 1 mile easy, 4 miles of 3 minutes interval, 3 minute jog, 1 mile easy.

Intervals went as follows:

1 - 6:55 pace
2 - 6:43 pace
3 - 6:45 pace
4 - 6:14 pace (I wanted to overtake someone who was walking on the path - amazing the difference an incentive makes)
5 - 6:32
6 - 6:49

6 miles

Distance: 6 miles

An easy six miles tonight. I had originally planned a semi-long run, but other things got in the way, which is one of the drawbacks of evening running. Not much to report. Felt comfortable, not fast, and not slow.

Intervals

Distance: 7.5 miles

Tonight’s session was 1 mile warm up 5.5 miles of 2 minutes hard with 1 minute jog, 1 minute hard with 30 second jog, and 30 seconds hard with 30 seconds job repeated. I wasn’t feeling 100% during the day - still a touch of the cold I think - but I was fine once I got out running.

Winter is definitely on its way to Scotland - it was gloves weather this evening, and it’s starting to get dark at 5 o’clock. I’ thinking about moving at least some of my weekday runs to the morning or lunch-time.

Easy 6

Distance: 6 miles

An easy 6 miles today. No stiffness from yesterday’s 10k, and just the remnants of a head cold, so it wasn’t too bad a run. As of tomorrow I’ll jump straight back into the JD training plan.

Stirling 10k - 45:27

Today I ran the Stirling 10k and ended up with a very disappointing 45:27. I’ve been suffering with a cold for the last few days, but even then to be a full 3 minutes down on my time from a year ago is a bit disheartening. The weather was awful for spectators (pouring rain) but decent for running. I felt OK in the first couple of miles, just maintaining a steady effort around about 7 minute miles, with the intention of speeding things up in the second half and hopefully breaking the 42 minute mark. But I just couldn’t break out of a steady pace today into a fast one, and my steady effort gradually returned slower and slower miles. I think it is reasonably telling that my final mile was also my slowest. Anyway, there’s no point in getting down about it, these things happen. I have the Loch Ness 10k in October, and will concentrate in getting a few decent weeks training in before then. Maybe some more reflections later.
Splits below with with 2006 times in brackets

1 - 7:05 (6:4
2 - 7:06 (6:44)
3 - 7:20 (7:03)
4 - 7:24 (7:02)
5 - 7:18 (6:50)
6 - 7:29 (6:53)

Due to a combination of illness, holiday and work my blog hasn’t been updated in a while, but normal service should be resumed now.

Threshold

Distance: 8 miles

Tonights session was 1 mile warm-up, 3×2 mile threshold, and a mile warm down. Threshold splits went as follows:

1 - 7:42 (wind against)
2 - 7:45 (wind against)

3 - 7:28 (wind partly against)
4 - 7:24 (wind behind)

5 - 7:35 (wind behind)
6 - 7:32 (wind behind)

I’m fairly happy with this workout. I felt strong and in control, but was definitely stressing my system. And despite the usual strong headwind and tailwind which I have to contend with, I managed to keep the pace reasonably consistent. I am definitely feeling the benefit of the few days I took off to rest my shin.

9 miles

Distance: 9 miles

Last night I did two loops of my local circuit. I didn’t feel fast but I did feel fairly strong. I wasn’t really fatigued at all towards the end.

Easy run

Distance: 5.5 miles

An easy 5.5 miles after yesterday’s repetitions. It was raining, and I got soaked.

Beginning of week 5 of Stage 2 - Repetitions

Distance: 6.5 miles

This morning was back to repetitions - 10×350m with a jog/walk recovery of the same distance. It was a nice morning for this workout; only a light wind, and a bit of drizzle to keep things cool. I find this an interesting workout. As per Jack Daniels instructions, I try to concentrate on form rather than going flat out, but the last 50 metres or so is inevitably a fight against tying up and losing form. The rest period is the saviour - it always provides just enough time to make me feel like doing just one more when I am close to giving up.

My interval splits (below) were fairly consistent and, interestingly, are several seconds faster than the same session when I did it 3 weeks ago. I was running the course in the opposite direction, so it is possible that there is a slight uphill or downhill depending on which way I run it.

1 - 73
2 - 73
3 - 73
4 - 73
5 - 74
6 - 75
7 - 72
8 - 73
9 - 71
10 - 73

More miles and a few days off

I finished week 3 of stage 2 of the training plan with close to 50 miles. Unfortunately, I also ended it with an extremely tender shin and decided it was time to rest it. So, apart from a couple of easy 6 milers, last week didn’t involve much running.

Week 3’s mileage below:
Saturday: 6.5 miles
Sunday: 5.5 miles
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday 8 miles
Thursday: 4.5 miles
Friday: 9 miles
Total: 47.5

Intervals

Distance: 8 miles

Tonight’s run was made up of 1.5 mile warm up, 5 miles of 3 minute interval + 3 minute (walking) rest, and 1.5 mile warm down. That resulted in 8 3-minute intervals with average pace as follows:

1 - 7:01 pace
2 - 6:50 pace
3 - 7:00 pace
4 - 7:07 pace
5 - 6:52 pace
6 - 6:49 pace
7 - 6:51 pace
8 - 6:47 pace

When I did my last interval session two weeks ago, I set off way too fast and struggled to finish the intervals in the second half of the run. This time, I set off at a deliberately conservative pace. Perhaps too conservative, given that I sped up in the second half and still felt well in control, but I am sure I got much more out of this week’s session. If nothing else, it is some useful data to compare future interval sessions against.

6 miles

Distance: 6 miles

An easy 6 miles today to split yesterday’s threshold session and tomorrow’s intervals. Bit windy, but my legs didn’t feel as heavy as expected. Other than that, not much to report.

Threshold

Distance: 8 miles

Tonight’s run comprised 1 mile warm up, 3 x 2 miles threshold efforts with 2 minute rests (I probably took a little longer, walking back on myself to make as many of my threshold miles on gravel as possible), and 1 mile warm down. Splits for the threshold went:

7:33 (wind behind)
7:41 (wind behind)

7:40 (wind behind)
7:47 (wind against)

7:38 (wind against)
7:51 (wind against)

I am fairly pleased with these times. There was a fairly strong wind again tonight so the outward threshold miles felt fairly relaxed and comfortable, and the inward three a little less so. But the in to the wind miles were not as much a struggle as I feared and I felt a little stronger than on the last couple of threshold sessions I have done. Still, I’d like to these threshold splits drop below 7:30 before I get close to running a 10k race.

My shin has felt a little tender this evening, but I guess that’s no surprise after 6 miles at a higher intensity than normal.

5.5 miles

Distance: 5.5 mile
Pace: 8:45-ish

Today was an easy run after yesterday’s repetitions. I didn’t enjoy it much. I think I was a bit dehydrated when I woke up, and my legs were a bit heavy the whole way round. Anyway, ’tis done, and I am looking forward to the threshold session tomorrow.

Repetitions

Distance: 6.5 miles

Today’s run consisted of 1 mile warm-up, a mixture of 200, 400 and 800 reps with equal recovery distances, followed by 1 mile warm-down. I didn’t feel great when I woke up this morning but soon got into things once I was running. Because of the restrictions of my location, my 400 reps again weren’t quite 400m (about 350m, and today because of some people camping, probably closer to 340m), but the splits are recorded below for posterity anyway. If nothing else, I was churning out fairly consistent runs:

1: 71
2: 71
3: 69
4: 71

12 miles

Distance: 12 miles

Tonight I ran 3 loops of my big hill route. I felt a little tired the third time I went up the hill, but overall I am quite happy with the run. In fact, the worst part of it was the chafing. I will definitely need to do something to ease that on my long runs.

That ends week 2 of phase 2:
Saturday: 6.5m (repetitions)
Sunday: 5.5m
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday: 6 miles (threshold)
Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: 12 miles
Friday: rest day
Total: 45

6 miles

Distance: 6 miles

Tonight was an easy 6 miles recovery after last night’s threshold session. My legs weren’t sore, but it took about half a mile before I felt comfortable and began settling into a rhythm.

Threshold

Distance: 6 miles

Tonights run was 1 mile warm-up, 4 miles continuous threshold, and 1 mile warm-down. The threshold splits went as follows:

1 - 7:42 (wind behind)
2 - 7:44 (wind behind)
3 - 7:46 (wind against)
4 -7: 52 (wind against)

It was fairly windy tonight so the first two miles were quite relaxed and the second two (and the last in particular) a little strained. Overall I felt OK considering this was my first multiple-mile threshold run in quite a while.