Diary Of A Road Runner

Easy Recovery Run – 5k approx – 28 mins

Easy recovery run after 2 harder longer runs. Ran at a fairly decent medium pace.

Garmin went totally screwball on me at 4k though – started reading 3.22k, then 4.49 and kept jumping all over the place, don’t know if it’s knackered or the satellites were just jumping around?  Got to 4.99k then it jumped back to 4.8 but given the time and pace I think I did about 5.5!

Birchwood 10k 2009 Race Report

My training’s been going well and I had given myself a relatively easy running week in preparation for the race, so was confident of good things. Didn’t get much sleep the night before, really, but was up bright and early and made my way off to Oxford Road station, where I duly caught the train to Birchwood. Things were a little different last year; then, I used the toilets in the train station, until eventually they decided too many runners were using the facilities and pretended they were out of order. This time, the toilets were “closed for cleaning” when I got there and still closed when I left. Additionally, I remember the actual shopping centre being open when I got there last year, at least to walk around and use the toilets in Asda, but it was shut up by the looks of it – maybe the recession. So it was the portaloos or bust

Anyway, on the way to join the queue for the portaloo I saw Dawn and Neil so I waved and went over, and was introduced to Ashley, one of Dawn’s daughters, who was going to do the fun run. We chatted and then went off to catch the fun run, which involved a bit of a stroll out to the finish line at the other side of the area. All the younger runners did really well and Ashley did fantastically

Then it was time to make the portaloo queue this time, and then do a warm up, although the line was so long, my warmup ended up being a bit curtailed, and ended up being a jogged 1.5k instead of a few jogs and walks, but by that point there was only 5 minutes left till the start. I lined up, and then the horn went, and we were off!

Probably, with hindsight, I set off far too quickly. I remember thinking all the people in front of me were going quite slowly and was dashing around a bit to overtake. I did the first k in 4:51 but may have done the first half of that at twice the pace. I didn’t get near that pace again, maintained roughly sub 10 pace up till about 5k, but then by the drinks station I knew I was in trouble when I needed to take double water (stealing, I know, apologies!) and stop to drink it.  I was wilting after that and when the inclines over the motorway came I had just about had it!  I stopped about a K from the end and this bloke tapped me on the arm and said come on not far to go now, and it got me going again, in fact I went ahead of him until I ran out of steam near the end and loads came flying past me. I saw Neil in the finishing straight, and more or less limped to the finish line in a final time of 52:35.  Of course all the info above is with the benefit of hindsight, I had the Garmin set to show only the distance and time of day, but it was tempting to look at the time of day and work out my potential time from the start time, so next time I will keep all trace of time off the display, though I think it was more to do with possibly humidity, or just my recent training catching up with me at the wrong time

But all’s well that ends well.  I saw Dawn come in and finish and found her, then we found Neil and Ashley, and then this lady collared us for some free finishing photos courtesy of http://www.absoluterunning.com/ All the people in the pics ran really well on the day and it was good to see everyone

The results are below, with a nice group photo, together with us doing some mad Usain Bolt arrow posings, Neil would have had my eye out if it hadn’t been for the shades

Nice slow easy 5k Run

Nice very easy paced run. Lower legs were aching and twingeing a little bit from recent high mileage, so decided to make this last run before Birchwood 10k on Sunday. Race Report will follow

My First Proper Intervals Session! 3 quick miles!

First really proper intervals session. I have put it off for some time, but once improvements stopped coming with the running training I was doing, it was time to add something new into the mix if I want better times! Decided to try 1 mile intervals to start with, and try to run each sub 7:50, so within sub 50 10k pace.

1 mile easy warmup

3 x 1 mile at:

7:46
7:34
7:47

with 3 minute recoveries

1 mile cool down 9:18

The middle mile felt the most comfortable and was the fastest. Was starting to really feel it by the end of mile three, but the recoveries really helped, although they seemed to tick down quicker and quicker as the run went on!

The 7:34 maintained over 10k would mean a 47.01 10k, even the 7:47 (which was coasting speed really) would be 48:22 so if I can just string together some more sessions like this, add in another interval or 2, do some shorter, faster intervals, then put it all together on race day, that sub 50 is going to be well and truly shattered. I live in hope!!

5K Time Trial Without Garmin – Running Blind & Slow!

Did a couple of K usual warm up then set off for an experimental 5k time trial, without time showing on Garmin. Felt good at first, going fast, then the invisible force field appeared, I struggled to keep it going and was dead by the end.

When I flipped the read over to show time elapsed, it showed 25:40. First K was 4:39 then I just seemed to slow and was over 5 mins/k thereafter, which I haven’t been that slow over 5k in ages.

Maybe running without the Garmin doesn’t suit me… Maybe my legs have yet to get back to normal speed after my break?

10K slow run that touched Memory Lane

Had a busy day cleaning out carpets and reducing Mum’s house to a completely empty shell, so had lungs full of dust and crap, but went out in the evening to catch up on my running. Intended to run 10k at 10 minute miles pace, so not pacey, and tried a new route, heading up towards Guide Bridge, along South Street and the house where my Mum grew up and my gran lived for over 60 years and where I spent many a weekend, and summer holiday playing. Negotiated random streets then headed back around towards Corporation Road then just made up the last few k’s with random streets.

Felt a bit puffed out half way, but found it difficult to keep going at 10 minute mile pace for the first 5k, and kept having to deliberately slow down. Felt heart was going a bit too fast at times but soon recovered once I had jogged to a stop.

5k Easy Run – getting back into the swing!

Looking back, I ran my recovery run the other day far too fast, so no wonder it hurt especially after a mini break. Did not have the best few days leading up to my second run back. Have had a 24 hour stomach bug thing and not much sleep for a couple of days, and felt like I pulled my hamstring in bed as well, so decided on a 3 mile easy run, easy being 10 minute miles, and managed to stick to the plan and enjoyed running in the rain. Felt I could have gone on, but don’t need to rush back, thankfully legs were fine for running with no twinges. Just need to build it up slowly and peak at optimal fitness for the Moonraker 10k

5k Recovery Run – Bit of a Struggle!

My first run back since the City of Manchester 10k, as I have been busy and had a few days break in Wales. Decided to run to the clock rather than a distance, and not have my pace or distance displayed on Garmin. Seemed to work ok, but I forgot to turn off lap alerts so as soon as I knew I’d done the second k in 4:59 without really trying, I felt I was going fast and it suddenly became VERY hard work, then again it could have been that I had just gone off too fast and haven’t run for 8 days, but at least I made it through the door, was tempted to just have a lazy night in! I had also had a beer or two while away so maybe it rusted my legs as I don’t normally touch alcohol!

5k Tempo Run – 25:50

Have just not been sleeping this week, and felt really tired all day after a night with 2 hours sleep and then a rather hectic day.

However, I had to run for a bus and it felt good, so I decided to get out for a short sharp three mile tempo run. For some reason set off at some weirdly fast pace and fartlekked the first k instead of warming up gently – just felt good so stretched the legs out and threw in a 3:45/k burst but I paid for it later and just ticked round then at just over 5 mins/k to make it an even tempo pace after that, averaging 5:10/k which was just about right, but felt a bit done in and right meniscus was niggling a bit but settled after a bit of a rub. Will rest tomorrow and hope to go for easy run with Laura on Sunday, then may run easy mon or tues before Weds race but if knee is playing up will take the uphills easy as don’t want to ruin chance of a sub 50 in sunday’s flatter course.

5 Mile Tempo Run – 40:01 – PB!

Well the PB’s seem to keep coming in training – this 5 mile tempo run I wanted, after an initial warm up spell, to run at or around 5 mins per kilometer, as I am hoping to run one of my upcoming 10k races slightly faster than that in order to get under 50 minutes.

I set off with a 5:17 k and then sped up slightly, finding it tough to make the pace early on and wondering if I could keep it up for 5 miles. At some points I felt I needed to be going quicker as I felt I was slowing down, but those k’s ticked over in under 5 minutes, so although it was feeling harder, I was actually maintaining the tempo pace as the lactic acid in my legs built up to its threshold. By the last kilometre I thought I may well go sub 40 but that last k seemed quite long and I was feeling maxed out, but maintained the pace and still threw in a 4:48 last kilometre. All in all I had 5 of the 8 kilometres under 5 minutes, and under race conditions I should be able to maintain that pace for another 1.2 miles, which should result in a nice sub 50 either at Offerton (hilly, but who knows!) or the City of Manchester 10k. Did 40:01 for the 5 miles which is 1.5 minutes off my PB a couple of weeks ago