Thursday, Week 15

4 Miles, Easy

I decided this would be the last run before Sunday, and that I'd skip the scheduled 2 mile Saturday run, which is traditionally skipped as I don't fancy the Holloway Road, but this time because it's a waste of time.

So, last leg stretcher, in sunny warmish weather. Tried to jog along easily but quickly, and got back to the office after 7:26 pacing. I'll take that as an omen as that is exactly 3:14:59 pace.

Just a nervous couple of days left. Like a Karate Kid trying to break a brick, I'm just focusing beyond at the trip to Rome on Monday, but feel like I will reach the Hilton on Sunday morning with no excuses.

Bring it on!

Tuesday, Week 15

1 mile jog, then 8 X 400m fast, then 1 mile jog

Sunday, Week 14

12 Miles Steady

Up early, despite having guests who were still up drinking with Liz 2 hours after I went to bed.

Ran up the hill to Cookridge, then tried to hit my ideal marathon pace (7min 15sec miles) for the next 9 miles.

The first section was much too fast, the second section was too fast, and by the time I got to the canal my legs were pretty tired. I felt I was going at a slightly uncomfortable speed, and got to the ring road at Rodley having done slightly over my goal pace for the last section.

It was then a long slog up the ring road and beyond, before I hit a 6min 15sec final mile.

So in the end, my pacing was all over the place, but at least I've given myself more of an idea for next week. Also, overall my pace was 7min 25sec. This would bring me in just under 3hr 15min - I wouldn't complain.

So, into the last week of training for the fifth year in a row. Just got to stay fit and positive and it'll all be good by this time next week.

Friday, Week 14

4.5 Miles, Easy

Ran this really quickly at work (sub 7 minute miles), in order to get home to take 3 10 year olds to the cinema. What was I thinking?

Thursday, Week 14

1 mile jog, then 3 miles brisk, 1 mile jog

Wednesday, Week 14

6 Miles, Easy

Tuesday, Week 14

1M jog, then 12 x 200m hill with slow jog/walk down, then 1M jog

Monday, Week 14

4 Miles, Easy

Not rain this time. Hail

Sunday, Week 13

18 Miles, Easy

Woke up, got changed then started wondering what the hammering noise I could hear was. And guess what? - it was the rain.

Trying to feel positive, I took off my mp3 player and got out into the wet morning.Actually felt pretty good, and ran well all the way to the Baildon checkpoint in 56 mins - I used to be pleased to go under an hour.

Still raining.

Once on the canal tow path at Shipley though, thing started to slow down a bit. Still felt strong, but I had to run all over the place to avoid the widening puddles. Ended up doing a lot of running on the spipperly wet grass next to the canal, or zig-zagging from side to side.

Still raining.

Beyond Apperley Bridge on the way to Rodley it got even worse and I was just running through mud and puddles with no opportunity to even try to miss them. At Rodley I thought I'd cleverly avoid the cycle trap by swinging round the fence by the canal, not realising that my hands had ceased to be able to grip. Just avoided a dip.

Still raining.

Got to Newlay and by now was back down to the time that I did last year's run in (mind you, I was delighted with it last year). At about the point that the gun was going in the London Marathon 200 miles south, I was stopping to do up my shoelaces, and doing a double take when I saw how black my legs were from the mud.

Back up the hill, and home in a time 30 seconds slower than last year and I'd done the section from Apperly Bridge to Newlay about 3 minutes slower.

Still raining.After 3 sweeps to scrub my legs clean, I managed to make my way downstairs to watch the FLM.

Only 2 weeks to go, and still feeling good.


Friday, Week 13

4.5 Miles, Easy

Soaking wet run AGAIN.

I'm sure it hasn't been this wet in the last 4 years.

All I can say is, after all these wet, cold runs, it had better not be hot on race day.


Thursday, Week 13

10 Miles, Steady

Soaking wet long tempo run back home from work.

Nearly run over 2 miles from home by an idiot ignoring a pedestrian crossing red light. The jog rage kept me going up the hill to Rawdon.

Finished feeling pretty exhausted. I'm still getting a sore throat some evenings, 4 weeks after my cold started. It doesn't seem to be affecting my speed or stamina as far as I can tell, but I hope I'm feeling fully recovered by the 27th.


Wednesday, Week 13

6 Miles, Slow

Tuesday, Week 13

1M jog, then 7 x 800m fast, with 100m jog recoveries, then 1M jog

After a long running teleconference, I decided to do my last set of Yasoo 800's round the Beeston streets, whcih ahd the advantage of giving me more time to do them , but the disadvantage of not being able to compare to the previous years when I've been to the track.

The first two or three repeats were done in sleet, which bounced off my shoulders, laughing at my attempts to get under 3m15s for each circuit.

Felt like I was pushing hard, but it is hard to compare with a track time, as I had to slow down at each corner to ensure I didn't bang into a local, and also had to negotiate litter, pedestrians and worse as I ran.

Finished feeling like I'd pushed quite hard - the repeats were all between 3m11s and 3m19s, but it's hard to tell what that means.

A couple of longer runs now, then 18 miles at the weekend, then I'm only 2 weeks away.

Wilmslow Photos

Saturday, Week 12

22 Miles, Slow

Slept downstairs and set the alarm for 6:40am so I could be out and back by a reasonable time.
Debated whether I shoudl just wear a T-shirt on top, but in the end decided I should wear the base layer too. A good decision.

Out at 7am then and feeling really good for the first time in ages. Up the hill to Cookridge and then across to Otley Road and down to Headingley feeling almost eurphoric.

At Hyde Park the drizzle started, but I was still feeling really good, striding along, and I ran through the centre of the city, arriving at the 8 mile point at the canal after exactly an hour.
By now though, the rain was getting heavy, and it was close to freezing. As I ran to join the canal I hit a patch of black ice and just stayed on my feet.

A couple of miles later, I was completely soaked to the skin. the rain turned to heavy snow and I got a headache that stopped coherent thought. For 30 minutes or so I retreated into my head and just kept running. My mp3 headphones started making crackling noises so I switched it off and didn't even have The Jam to take my mind off things.

Just beyond Rodley I stopped to try to tuck my headphones into my pockets, but had no feeling whatsoever in my fingers and just kept pulling them back out of the pocket.

By the time I left the canal though, things were looking up. I was still soaked through, but the rain had stopped and I felt strong running up the big hill; probably the best I've felt of all the times going up there on my long runs this year. The feeling continued all the way home, and I got back in 2 hrs 54 mins - a quicker pace than my first marathon.

So after a long three weeks or so of negative, tough training I feel like I've turned the corner and started the downhill to the finishing line (where I can see the light at the end of the tunnel).
Two rest days now to start off the taper.

Friday, Week 12

4.5 miles, Easy

Thursday, Week 12

1 mile jog, then 4 miles brisk, 1 mile jog

After a bad night's sleep with a lumpy throat, I was disappointed to see that my tem,po run was a mile longer than I thought.

Went Ok though, and kept it comfortable at about 6:45 minute miles.

Wednesday, Week 12

1 mile jog, 6 miles Fartleks, 1 mile jog.

After a relapse of the sore throat, I dropped this week's 7 mile slow run, and moved my Fartleks to today so I could do them on the way home from work.

My legs felt really, really heavy, and the sprints were more like heavy lumbers culminating in a breathless collapse and a long jog to recover.

Was just about getting into the swing of it when I finished. Yet another negative experience, but it's that time in my schedule.