5 mile tempo run, started off with a sedate 1.5k warmup before kicking up to a faster pace. Tried to push the pace harder at points but never went into real top gear, with a fastest k of 4:54 but some slower ones too, so didn’t manage a sub 40 five mile, but did get a PB by over a minute 
After getting a 5k PB the other day I felt I needed an easier run, but a little longer, so opted for a nice easy five miler, although I guess it ended up being my 5 mile PB even though I wasn’t running for a time.
Good thing was, I ran it much easier than my last five miler, felt better, and did it several minutes quicker, including a couple of later K’s where I unconsciously ran nearly at race pace without trying.
Definite improvments in speed and endurance lately – starting to get excited about the Great Manchester Run now, if I can weave around the Scooby Doos and Marshmallows quickly enough, I may well PB and go sub 50, in fact I know I can do it! Just depends on the speed of the runners around me and if I get crowded I think, but it might work in my favour if I take the outgoing half quite easy then go full pelt on the way back into Manchester
5k time trial with 1.5k warm up jog.
Blasted the first k in 4:40 and felt good, then started to struggle a bit with the heat of the midday sun – kept it going at around sub 25 pace thereafter, but slowed to just under so by the end a sub 24 was out of the question as legs were getting heavier and heavier. So ended up with 24:32 – maintaining that pace for 10k would be hard, but you never know on race day as long as I can reign myself in for the first half then switch up a gear.
Felt good to run in new Adidas Supernova’s – no knee or thigh pain, so I think the cheap Asics I was using were past their sell by date, and had economy cushioning anyway. Have another pair of the cheap Asics which might come in handy for shorter runs or trails to keep my precious Supernovas for best!
This was supposed to be a 6k tempo run, I did a couple of k for a warmup but then shot off rather too quickly on the main run with 4:39 for the first k, slowed a bit after that, and was struggling as I went into the 5th k, so decided to just give what I had left and go for a 5k time, which ended up only 15 seconds off my PB. Couldn’t have run another k at that pace and was breathing very hard, so for my sub 50 10k, I need to find a way to just pace it so I run around 5 minutes per k for the first half, then quicken up to maybe 4:50/k or faster for the second half – or something like that! Easier said than done as sometimes figuring out what pace I’m running at is confusing! The Garmin pace alert thinggy was a bit annoying as I had set it to alert me if I ran slower than 5:10 per k – it kept bleeping at me in the first K despite doing it much quicker, and kept beeping at times even though my pace didn’t seem to be dropping too much, and the splits show I was consistently faster – maybe it did actually keep me on my toes!
Splits were:
4:39
4:53
4:45
5:03
4:54
Average pace 4:51
Best pace 3:31/k
Idea of this run was to run sub 55 10k pace for 6k, therefore doing 5:30 per kilometre, just slightly slower than current race goal pace. Managed this very well, but was tough going at points - even though I can run 5k quite a bit faster, I still need to build up stamina to maintain it for longer – but all being well, come my first comeback race, I should be on course for at least a sub 55 10k . I wasn’t particularly pushing out the boat on speed, but was able to run the last 2k slightly faster, so was a nice even paced run all in all with something left at the end and great stuff to build on now as race day approaches.
Splits:
1 5:28
2 5:30
3 5:33
4 5:33
5 5:25
6 5:18
After 4 days of rest, went out and did 5k time trial and knocked approx 90 seconds off last effort, felt good but much more even – think something may have gone wrong with satellite last time, or maybe I am just improving in leaps and bounds, but I did finish a few streets earlier than Garmin led me on last time!!
Splits:
5:27
5:24
5:08
5:10
5:09
All in all a good run. Sub 26 next!
I haven’t slept much all week and have had some kind of stomach bug. Was feeling really tired this morning and had restless legs again as well as still feeling a bit queasy from the bug/food poisoning or whatever it was.
Although I didn’t feel up to it much, I wanted to get out to keep the legs turning over, so planned a 5k jog. It was freezing, so I didn’t hang around too much but set off a bit quickly to get warm. Did the first k in 4:50 then just decided to keep it going. Fourth k really hurt as the split shows, slowed to 5 mins per k after doing my fastest k split to date of 4:34. Desperation to get under 24 minutes kept the legs going near the end but staggered over 5k as Garmin clocked the last metre and 1 tenth of a second over 24 minutes
Still, a PB despite feeling totally rubbish when I walked out the door, and didn’t do much of a warmup either, so there has been improvement even though I took a week off, which must have done me some good too!
Splits were:
4:50
4:45
4:34
5:00
4:48
This was one of those easy runs that suddenly turned into a time trial tempo run kind of mash up 
I decided to do my 5k time trial route but in reverse, and just run it hard but comfortable and run to how I felt rather than keep checking the Garmin. But at 2k I felt comfortable and couldn’t resist checking the Garmin – and as I felt comfortable and was doing sub 25 min pace, I thought I would push on, and at that point it turned into a time trial. Mid way was a hill I usually coast down, but was climbing it this time and it took it out of my legs, but I ran the last 2k damned hard, so hard it took me a couple of minutes to stop breathing hard when I stopped – and only just broke 25 mins, so the hill bit must have slowed me a bit more than I thought.
I’ve had a week with little to no improvement, which is likely because I have been running quite intensively and now need a bit of a break – will have an easy week leading up to next Sunday’s Trafford 10k, throw in a 5k time trial, but mostly easy runs to keep fitness where it is and not burn too much energy – but on today’s evidence I wouldn’t be able to run the 2 sub 25 min 5k’s that would result in a sub 50 10k, but on the day who knows 
5k against the clock on my usual route – managed a PB by 2 seconds, but more importantly I am running around abouts 24:30 now regularly whereas before I was stuck around 25:00 so there is definite improvement there.
For this run I did a little warm up jog, then set off, but I was overconfident again and set off too quickly, which I paid for in the latter stages. Did the first k in something ridiculous like 4 minutes 20! Was going about 24:00 pace with a k and half to go, but seemed to be going backwards a bit towards the end as my legs and lungs ran out of pace. Still was good to hit full throttle for a few k and if I can pace one of these 5k’s right I will be sub 24 before too long I hope!
Might do an easy run or rest day tomorrow and a long slow run on Sunday, which will make this my most intensive period of running to date, which I need if I am going to get faster and stronger!
Colder days seem to suit me for 5k time trial type runs – just wanted to run 5k as fast as I could today and ended up knocking a little off my PB again, about 5 seconds – felt a bit laboured the first half and got a bit caught up in traffic at the junction near Haughton Green Road, but managed to get across road without stopping. After 3k was 20 seconds under 25 minute pace, but seemed to slow a bit in the penultimate k before putting on another burst for the finish and getting caught up with cars again! Finished 5 seconds quicket than last 5k, was knackered but it felt good.
Am not sure how well I am going to be prepared for Birchwood this Sunday, as with one thing and another may not get too much running in this week. Have been feeling tired after a busy work week last week, and not been sleeping too well – next couple of days am tied up, so may try another 5 k on Friday and a nice easy 5 on Saturday, just to keep the legs loose – I doubt I am going to gain or lose much in the way of fitness with 3-4 days to go, so will just have to see how it goes. I am aiming for sub 53 (no delusions of grandeur about sub 50 – will take it off one minute at a time if I have to!!)
