March 2011

[marathondan]

Week 14 – 5 weeks to go

A blip this week, but still a pretty good week overall.

Tuesday night – 9.15 miles tempo run, completed in 75 minutes, which I was pretty happy with. Audio inspiration came from the uptempo playlist. Track du noir: the ever-reliable N’Trance / Set You Free, with honourable mentions to White Wedding, TV Song from the excellent Lardpony, and a surprise hit for the Beach Boys’ Surfin’ Safari.

Friday morning – I set the alarm for 6.00 for my 5 miles fartlek. I wanted to get it out of the way early, to allow maximum recovery time before Saturday night’s long one. The legs were particularly creaky at that time of day, and after a half mile or so it was clear that the left hamstring was giving me problems. It had been stiff for several days, but it wasn’t warming up. I stopped for a stretch and walk, but it didn’t seem to improve. So, to push through and try and run it off, or try and rest it in advance of the long run? I opted for the latter, the long run being far more important to get through. I logged a 1 mile easy jog and walked the rest of the way home. My dear wife worked in lashings of Deep Heat for me in the evening, and after a good night’s sleep the offending muscle was much looser by morning.

Saturday night – the 18 miler, my longest run of the campaign so far. I was feeling relaxed, apart from the slight worry of whether the hamstring would hold up. I got out of the door by 7.30 pm, which is a much better policy than my normal practice of leaving it till about 9 pm. I felt relaxed and comfortable, and it all went pretty well. Inflight carb loading was provided by a mix of fruit jellies and flapjack bites, both of which went down very well and I think have secured their place as snacks of choice for race day, in place of gels. (I don’t think I’ll notice the extra encumbrance.)

As expected, the left hammie did start to tighten up after around 12 miles, so I switched direction for the last lap. This meant I was mainly facing right-to-left cambers, slightly reducing the impact on my left leg. It was surprisingly effective, and I finished with the hamstring improving. Having successfully reversed my circuits to pre-emptively avoid possible PF, I guess I should now start to alternate directions to even up the load.

The Marathon Talk podcast was as good as ever, keeping me going for 8 miles or so. News item of the week was amateur runner Yuki Kawauchi, who came third in the Tokyo marathon in 2:08:37. I can’t find the exact quote, but apparently he said something like he goes into each race knowing that if he dies on the course it will not be a bad thing. The piece does mention that “he fainted a few steps across the line and was taken away to the medical area in a wheelchair, unavailable for a post-race interview.” Apparently this is his normal post-marathon routine.

Regarding their resident fancy dress record holder, it turns out to be actor Tony Audenshaw. At 3:13 for the world marathon record dressed as a baby, I won’t be troubling him any time soon.

Track du jour: Chumbawumba doing their inimitable thing with about 500m to go. Honourable mentions to Jump (the proper version, Andy) and Asian Dub Foundation’s New Way New Life.

28 miles for the week. Only 14 for the long one next week.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

A big effort there Dan, you're doing well.

Lardpony sounds like a band some of us at RC should adopt as a mascot (present company excepted, clearly). Can't find TV Song on YouTube though - will have to take your word for it on that one.

Enjoy your step back week.

[marathondan]

Lardpony sounds like a band some of us at RC should adopt as a mascot (present company excepted, clearly). Can't find TV Song on YouTube though - will have to take your word for it on that one.

There's an audio version here (click "Play direct from Lardpony"). Clearly not the most polished band in the world, but the album "The Greatest Invention Ever" is a lovingly created collection of shameless geek-pop.

[marathondan]

Week 15 - 4 weeks to go

Well, the long slog is nearly over. That is, the slog of you having to read my uneventful weekly reports. There's very little of interest to say. I did three runs this week, the longest was 14.7 miles. They were hard in places, but I got through them.

This coming week is the max week: planned runs of 5, 10 and 20 miles. A stomach bug has been through the family this weekend; I seem to have escaped but I feel about 90% healthy - not sure if that's real or psychosomatic. So I might cut back this week a little, which would be a shame as I feel the max week is something of a badge of honour.

Thoughts are turning more to improving the costume (suffering from lateral instability at the moment) and maximising my fundraising. This pesky training is a bit of a distraction.

Weekly total - 29.2 miles

[marathondan]

Week 16 – 3 weeks to go

I canned the short fartlek after feeling slightly iffy earlier in the week, so it was a week of two very different runs.

Thursday night was the best tempo run I can remember in a long time, 10 miles at a decent pace, finishing strongly and feeling like I could have easily gone on and completed a good half marathon. It suddenly felt like I was hitting peak fitness, and all the training had been worthwhile.

Sunday night called for 20 miles. What a comedown. In fact you might as well read the entry for the same run in 2009, as it was pretty much the same. Plenty of walk breaks, and I seriously considered giving up around mile 16. However, I pushed on, and decided that two miles from home I would switch from the podcasts to the tried and tested feelgood soundtrack, which has consistently carried me home over the last few months. I struggled and shuffled to the landmark point, hit the skip button... and just got a succession of Radio 4 presenters / Tom Williams introducing their programmes. I cycled through a couple of times… where was the music? The answer – still on my hard drive, I’d forgotten to copy it across. Arse arse arse. There was nothing left for it but to shuffle, walk and limp the rest of the way home.

But all is not as bad as it seems:

1. Thanks to my meticulous records, I can see that I finished 45 secs faster than exactly the same route in 2009 – when I went on to run 3:57 in London. So I shouldn’t worry too much.

2. I know the cause of the problem: shoes. I always resent shelling out for a new pair of shoes every year just because the cushioning has gone, and this year I foolishly got it into my head that I could slightly modify my footfall and eliminate the need for heavy cushioning. But that takes careful planning and exercise, you can’t just throw it into a marathon programme and hope it will work. I checked my logs, and my current shoes have done over 550 miles, so the cushioning must be battered. No, I don’t like having to wear cushioned shoes, and there are all the old arguments about them causing more injuries than they prevent, but I have to remember that for someone of my build (6’4 / 200+ lbs) I wouldn’t be able to run marathons without them. They’re a necessary evil. Steve Asics (or whatever their CEO is called) has got me by the balls (of the feet) and we both know it. So it’s off to the shoe shop this week to get some last minute new leather.

I can categorically say that it was the pins that were the problem. Engine-wise I still felt strong, which is great, but the quads were just shot from the pavement-hammer.

Otherwise… great excitement as the race pack has arrived, and thoughts turn to logistics. The costume has had its final structural test (shoulder pads – check) and I won’t put it on again until race day now, because the paint flakes off every time I remove it.

Hopefully this run has just checked my over-enthusiasm at the right time.

Miles for the week: 29.4

[stillwaddler]

before you shell out absolutely loads for new shoes, check out Sports Direct...I got my asics gel kyanos from them for 70 quid instead of 115, they are really fast on delivery too if you don't have a shop near you.

Well done for getting through the 20 without the aid of motivating music. Are you looking forward to the big one yet?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Yes nice work Dan. A great tempo run and you got through the 20 without chucking it in, which all augurs well for race day. As for shoes it looks as though you have no choice but to get some newies and get your feet and legs used to them before the big day. You should be OK. Given the Cecil B. deRock costume you'll be labouring under, some cushioning will most likely be a good thing.

All the best!

[marathondan]

before you shell out absolutely loads for new shoes, check out Sports Direct...I got my asics gel kyanos from them for 70 quid instead of 115, they are really fast on delivery too if you don't have a shop near you.

Trouble is, my current model (Gel 1120s) are no longer made, so I really need expert advice to make sure I get the right replacement model. Having said that, the last time I bought them from a shop (rather than eBay) they were "only" about £70. (Then I managed to bag 2 pairs on eBay for £80!)

Well done for getting through the 20 without the aid of motivating music. Are you looking forward to the big one yet?

It didn't feel well done at the time, but I guess in the bigger picture it's not a disaster. My confidence is slightly knocked, but yes I'm getting really excited about the 10th.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Trouble is, my current model (Gel 1120s) are no longer made, so I really need expert advice to make sure I get the right replacement model.

Not stupid are they, these shoe makers?

[marathondan]

Not stupid are they, these shoe makers?

Nope!

I'm wondering whether a good policy would be to keep the newest shoes for long runs only (say 10 miles plus) and use older ones for shorter runs. That may sound like nonsense but I think the risk of leg-hammer damage is only great on long runs, maybe unless you're running 6 times a week (which I will never be). Then maybe I could eke the lifetime out to 2 years. Of course this would require a new field on the spreadsheet...

[ladyrunner]

Of course this would require a new field on the spreadsheet...

Hi Dan

Well done on your recent training for March. All sounds very promising for the big day in two weeks time and I hope that your hamstring doesn't cause too many problems on the day.

You seem very organised with your spreadsheet ... you put me to shame. I could not tell you even which month or year I bought my trainers and definately do not know how many miles each pair has covered. I don't even know how many miles I ran or walked last week but could probably work it out from memory, but once a couple of weeks has past there is no chance that I can remember. It is terrible really ... I should keep a log of my training. !!!

Sorry that I won't be around to see the costume as I'm off on holidays to Holland incorporating the Rotterdam Marathon (same day as Brighton). I will hopefully see it in the local newpaper though

Julie

[marathondan]

Thanks Julie. Hamstring seems fine now, I think it was just a blip (famous last words).

Re the spreadsheets, I guess it just depends if you're the kind of person who likes looking at lots of numbers. I find it helps motivate me.

Good luck in Rotterdam! Are you run / walking? What time are you aiming for?

[ladyrunner]

Hi Dan

The plan is to run round. I'm hoping for around 4 hours. It will be interesting to see if I can do this as I have only done 2 long training sessions. Last wednesday I did approx 18 miles in 3hr 15 and on Sunday I did approx 15 miles in 2hr 30.

This is similar to the training that I did for Amsterdam last year when I ran 3hr 48. Maybe that was just a fluke??!!

I've been keeping fairly fit though out walking/running 4 times a week.

Julie

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Last wednesday I did approx 18 miles in 3hr 15 and on Sunday I did approx 15 miles in 2hr 30.

Gadzooks! I'm feeling quite inadequate. Great running LR! All the best for Rotterdam - make sure you write us a race report!

[marathondan]

This is similar to the training that I did for Amsterdam last year when I ran 3hr 48. Maybe that was just a fluke??!!

I think we all know that wasn't a fluke Julie! Good luck for beating 4 hours.

[marathondan]

Week 17 – 2 weeks to go

News from Taper Central.

Spring is sprung alright. It’s been a glorious week in southern England, warm enough for three runs in shorts and t-shirt (including finishing after 10pm on Sunday night). I treated Wednesday’s effort as a recovery run from Sunday’s fairly disastrous 20 miler – just 3 easy miles, with one big hill thrown in.

Thursday I picked up some new shoes – Asics Gel 1160s to replace my previous 1120s. The sales guy was quite honest that they’re a straight replacement for the previous model, so next time I might just go straight to a discount retailer without seeking expert advice. Although at £75 they’re at the lower end of the cost range, and to buy a pair of shoes that gave me problems would be a disaster.

Friday morning I was up at 6.00 for five miles tempo, cut down from the prescribed 8 but I still wanted to take things relatively easy. It was a beautiful morning and I was in brand new shoes. It still felt somewhat hard going, but on finishing I found it was the first time I’d completed that route in under 40 minutes this year.

Sunday night the long run tapered to 12 miles. Such a run can never be truly easy, but all things considered it was pretty comfortable. By Monday night I was feeling fully recovered and ready to run again. I guess if I could sustain 25-30 miles a week all year round I’d feel this good all the time.

There was some interesting stuff on the Marathon Talk podcast – in elite half marathon news, the world record was within 7 seconds of being broken, and there was a British winner in the New York City half. There was a very interesting technical discussion on the use of caffeine before and after races (and also some interesting stuff on the mechanisms of fatigue), which I heartily recommend you listen to (listen here - fast forward to 35 mins if you don’t want to hear the whole show) and the first part of an interview with run / walk marathon guru Jeff Galloway – although he hasn’t got onto the interesting stuff about technique yet.

Thoughts now turn to completing the costume: shoulder padding, paint touch-ups and decoration.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Great work Dan - 8km under 40 minutes is really steaming in my books - well done mate. Glad you found the new shoes OK, too.

Not too long to go now!

I have a couple of Galloway's books, and I have to say he has a very convincing argument for the run/walk method. Even so, I can't quite bring myself to fully embrace it.

And re the half mara record... I'm wondering if Gebrselassie might not have another crack at regaining it? That would be fun to watch!

[Sweder]

Great work here Dan. Despite my recent work-enduced absence I've followed your progress with keen interest. Those spooky phantom injuries like to pop up and wail at us from time to time, don't they? Like you I have hamstring hypochondria just before a big race. It's no bloody fun.

Just to say I've volunteered to help out at the JDRF chewering zones at London and Brighton this year. The BM zone will be 'somewhere opposite the West (decrepit) Pier'. Hopefully I'll not manage to completely miss you this time : )

Good luck, and as God said to Moses, keep taking the tablets and watch out for that taper madness.

[marathondan]

Just to say I've volunteered to help out at the JDRF chewering zones at London and Brighton this year. The BM zone will be 'somewhere opposite the West (decrepit) Pier'. Hopefully I'll not manage to completely miss you this time : )

OK, I'll look out for a decrepit old wreck around that area. Hopefully you'll be able to spot the 9ft pink erection some distance off (assuming it hasn't been snapped in half by the wind) and the JDRF crowd should be quite easy to spot.

Good luck, and as God said to Moses, keep taking the tablets and watch out for that taper madness.

I don't seem to go in for taper madness any more. Three spring marathons in a row now and the winter training has become pretty routine. I'm looking forward to getting some free time back. Getting very excited about the big day now though.

[ladyrunner]

and the first part of an interview with run / walk marathon guru Jeff Galloway – although he hasn’t got onto the interesting stuff about technique yet.

Thanks Dan for that link to the Marathon Talk interview with Jeff Galloway. It made very interesting listening especially as I do tend to now use the run-walk-run training technic for my Downland long runs and did for the 3hr15 run that I completed last week. I don't have any set time of when I switch from running to walking, usually it is when I hit an incline I walk. Maybe this is why I finished feeling pretty good. In the past when training for marathons I can remember finishing 2.5-3 hour runs in a very tired and fatigued state.

I'm starting to wonder whether I should try the run-walk-run technic for Rotterdam. He says for training at 8 minute mile pace to run 4 minutes and walk 35 seconds. I was thinking more along the lines of run 8 minutes then walk 45 seconds. Normally I suffer mentally and because of tiredness between 30-35km when I want to give up - maybe this would help.

Are you going to be trying the run walk run technic at Brighton??

Any thoughts anyone on 8 minutes run/45sec walk?

Well done on a good week of training and it's good news that your legs have recovered. It sounds like you are ready.

Julie