Target 26.2 - First Timer Steve's Journey to Paris

SamMurphyRuns wrote (see)

Hi Steve,

another busy week, then? Hope you're all set for the long run tomorrow - don't stress too much over the paces: I'd rather you got the distance done comfortably than sweated over the exact pacing prescribed - as long as the general trend is speeding up not slowing down. 

And just to let you know that the plan has changed for the training day, as Sarah and Alex both have races on the Sunday so we thought a 5km time trial the day before was a bit unkind. But rest assured we have something 'fun' in store 

Hi Sam,

Yes, afraid so - it's becoming a somewhat familiar story, isn't it?! Here's the journey we had to do to get to the hearing: AA Route Planner

Thanks, I really enjoyed the long run in general - it felt surprisingly easy throughout and I felt like I had bags of energy all the way to the end but I have definitely done something to my knee... currently RICEing for all I'm worth!

Hmm... 'fun' you say. Fun for who?

ps thanks for slipping a parkrun into my plan for week 14 - can't wait!

PAUL FORDE wrote (see)

Hi Steve, I've just caught up on the posts from the past week and think you're doing fantastically well. My first ever half is Silverstone next week and wondered if you have any more races lined up before Paris?

Thanks Paul, I appreciate it - the great thing about it all is that not only do I seem to doing pretty well with times and so on, but I'm also enjoying every minute. I was worried it was going to be a bit of a slog and that the long runs would really drag but that hasn't been the case at all so I've been delighted.

Good luck at Silverstone - let me know how you get on! What's your race plan re times, fuelling and so on? Are you going to try carb-loading the day before as Ruth recommended? It isn't particularly enjoyable stuffing your face all day but I felt full of beans right through the race so it's definitely worth a try to see how you get on with it.

I don't have any more long races lined up but I do have a parkrun in a couple of weeks so the plan is to try and take another minute or so off the 5k PB!!

Tenjiso wrote (see)

I've had to restrict myself from following too many threads - it eats up too much time.  That's why I just pop in occasionally to see how you guys are doing (which is very well by all accounts!).

My training is going to plan so far, with just seven more weeks to go to the marathon .  This morning I ran 22m (my longest training run ever) and have now hit peak weekly mileage (56m).  The emphasis for the next month is on more speedwork (not as fast as yours, I hasten to add!).  I followed your lead recently and ran strides outdoors.  Soooo much more fun than doing them on a treadmill.  You've also got me rethinking my strategy for gels on race day.

Keep up the great work!  You've obviously got the speed, so with a bit more endurance you'll have it cracked for sure.

I know exactly what you mean about trying to keep track of all the threads... It'd take over your life if you let it!

Glad the training is going well - you're doing loads more miles than I am... Crazy how close the marathon is, isn't it? Yes, the strides are fun outdoors - it's nice just to have a quick blast at the end of a run and get the legs turning over a bit quicker. I also feel like a "proper" athlete when I do them at the track!

Thanks for your kind words - I've been amazed at how it is all going. Long may it continue

Training - Week 10

Saturday - Rest day

Actual - Rest day

The plan here was to catch up on my missed run from earlier in the week but the best laid plans of mice and men and all that meant that it just didn't happen. This time I was in Suffolk. Seriously, if they gave out the equivalent to air miles for me driving up and down the country, I could happily give up work and live on them!

Training - Week 10

Sunday - 17 miles with 7 at 9:35m/m, 5 at 9:05m/m and 5 at 8:35m/m

Actual - 17 miles

I yet again get to say that I have just run the furthest I have ever run! This training plan is just one achievement after another for me and it is great to keep achieving what for me are big goals pretty much on a weekly basis. It is very motivating for me and it is great to keep hitting new PBs and doing distances I have never managed before...

I did a bit of impromptu carb-loading at the pub yesterday evening (beer has carbs in, right?) so I'm sure Ruth will be very pleased with my dedication 

I felt fine this morning and was going to go straight out and do the run but we had family coming over for lunch and I had a few things to sort out so I ended up leaving the run until late afternoon/early evening when they had gone.

I took three gels with me and took them at 40 minute intervals. Again they were the SIS caffeine gels and I had no problems at all - they really do seem to help me!

The weather was... well, I'm not going to beat about the bush - it was bloody freezing! I was layered up but the wind was biting and my face felt frozen throughout the whole run. I've had a bit of the sniffles over the past week and my nose ran constantly throughout the run. I wiped it so often that it got pretty red raw and tender - not something you tend to bear in mind when setting out for a run!

The first seven miles were particularly easy - after all the super-fast mileage of the last few weeks, the 9:35m/m pace felt very slow and sedate and I was breathing as easily as if I were out for a Sunday stroll.

After 7 miles, I upped the pace from 9:35 to 9:05m/m and again felt pretty good. At about mile 10 I started to feel a pain in my knee, kind of like the joint had been over-worked or was inflammed or something. This is the same knee that I fell on and hit pretty hard a couple of weeks back so I don't know if maybe it was feeling a little abused and the miles were starting to tell on it.

I did that batch of five miles without further incident and headed into the final 5 at the 8:35m/m pace. I felt really good and strong and didn't have a problem upping my speed to the prescribed pace. The only problem was the knee, the pain in which was now becoming increasingly noticable. Around mile 14 or so it was really getting pretty bad and I seriously considered bailing on the run - the only thing that really stopped me was the fact that I was a fair old distance away from home so I would have to just walk the distance on the knee anyway! It didn't seem to hurt more to run faster on it than slower so I decided to just carry on and get home as quick as possible so that I could rest it.

In terms of everything else, I actually felt pretty great. I didn't at any point feel like I was flagging and I am certain (knee aside) that I could have gone further if I had needed to. I also could have gone a lot quicker but I really tried hard to stick to the pacings until the last two miles when I did speed up a bit.

I finished the run feeling good and feeling very positive although by time I had got home, got up the stairs and had a shower, my knee was really quite sore - I've been looked after and strapped up, elevated and iced and not allowed to move anywhere. I actually need the loo right now but I'm sure I'll get told off for moving the second I get up!

Tomorrow is cross training so I will see how it feels and maybe hit the pool or something similar that is low impact. I'm also going out for dinner on a date tomorrow evening (unusual on a monday, I know - long story!) so I'll make sure I choose something healthy in the restaurant, Ruth, promise...

...

Here are the mile splits for the run, which took a total of 2hrs 33mins 10secs, meaning an overall pace of bang on 9:00m/m.

Miles 1 - 7 target 9:35m/m

Mile 1 - 9:34

Mile 2 - 9:35

Mile 3 - 9:33

Mile 4 - 9:36

Mile 5 - 9:34

Mile 6 - 9:32

Mile 7 - 9:32

Miles 8 - 12 target 9:05m/m

Mile 8 - 9:01

Mile 9 - 9:01

Mile 10 - 9:06

Mile 11 - 9:02

Mile 12 - 9:04

Miles 13 - 17 target 8:35m/m

Mile 13 - 8:30

Mile 14 - 8:38

Mile 15 - 8:23

Mile 16 - 8:07

Mile 17 - 7:19

As you can see, I was Mr Consistency through the first two phases, held the pace nicely for most of the third phase then had my usual little play at the end (partly because I was feeling good and wanted to speed up and partly to get home quicker and get some ice on the knee!).

I haven't uploaded the Garmin Connect info yet, but will do hopefully either tomorrow or tuesday.

congratulations on your longest run to date!  Hope the knee improves quickly.

Morning Steve, is the pain over the front of the kneecap where you landed on it? It's probably a bit bruised on the bone behind and has gradually got stiffer. If the pain behind the kneecap don't strap over the knee as the compression can increase the symptoms. Yes lots of ice but also get the foam roller onto the quads and ITB to release all the muscles pulling the knee tight.

I see you saturday so hopefully we can sort. Keep me posted.

Hi Steve, fantastic pacing on the long run - well done. Worrying to hear about the knee though as we're just coming into peak mileage weeks.  I'd just revised this week's plan a bit, due to the missed runs last week - but we'll have to obviously see how things go as you must not run through pain. If still painful tomorrow, then a cross-training session might be in order, if the available options are pain free. Same for Wednesday. If you are cross-training, try to replicate the session as far as possible. Eg. for Wednesday, you'd do a warm up equivalent in length to 2 miles of running then the time equivalent of 4 miles at an effort that feels like tempo (fast), then a final cooldown. 

Here's the rejigged week:

Week 11 w/c 25th February
Monday CROSS TRAINING
Tuesday 5 MILES COMFORTABLE + 3 x accel strides
Wednesday 2 MILES WARM UP THEN 4 MILES FAST (TEMPO) 1 MILE EASY (7)
Thursday REST
Friday: 5 MILES out and back: out (2.5 miles) comfortable, back at steady pace.
Saturday TRAINING DAY (4 miles marathon pace plus some speedwork - APPROX 7 MILES)
Sunday LONG RUN – 2 hrs 15 mins easy off-road
MILEAGE 37

Anyone thinking of aiming for 4.30 at London? If so, I might see you there! I'm pacing the 4.30 group from the red start. That's 10.18 minute miles. Will try not to knock anyone over with my pacing banner 

Great pacing Steve, well done!

Sam - I'm sure you'll do better than the 4:30 pacer at my marathon last year, who only finished a few minutes behind the 4:15 pacer   I guess he forgot he wasn't racing.

Tenjiso wrote (see)

RUTH MCKEAN wrote (see)

Parisian meals are not typically carb heavy

Snails have 0.12g carbs, and frogs legs have zero carbs. High in protein though 

And watch out for their horse burgers - I've heard they contain beef! 

Steve

Hope to have some menus with me on Saturday! See you then, have a good week.

Ruth

jenf wrote (see)

congratulations on your longest run to date!  Hope the knee improves quickly.

Hi Jen, thanks! This run and the half last week have really given me a great confidence boost so looking ahead with a very positive frame of mind...

sarah asics pro team wrote (see)

Morning Steve, is the pain over the front of the kneecap where you landed on it? It's probably a bit bruised on the bone behind and has gradually got stiffer. If the pain behind the kneecap don't strap over the knee as the compression can increase the symptoms. Yes lots of ice but also get the foam roller onto the quads and ITB to release all the muscles pulling the knee tight.

I see you saturday so hopefully we can sort. Keep me posted.

Hi Sarah,

I think the best way I can describe it is that it felt more like the whole joint was over-used/abused and there was (and still is) a particularly more noticeable and sharper pain running down the rear of the knee, which is a little odd.

My general impression is that it feels more like an acccumulation of miles and general wear and tear, coupled with giving it a good bash last week rather than anything more serious.

Hopefully it is as simple as that!

I RICE'd all evening yesterday and I have a support on it today.  It is still sore but there has been some improvement since yesterday so that can only be a good thing! Having said that, if I had had a run scheduled for today, I definitely don't think it would be up to that... I'll have to see how it goes tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday

SamMurphyRuns wrote (see)

Hi Steve, fantastic pacing on the long run - well done. Worrying to hear about the knee though as we're just coming into peak mileage weeks.  I'd just revised this week's plan a bit, due to the missed runs last week - but we'll have to obviously see how things go as you must not run through pain. If still painful tomorrow, then a cross-training session might be in order, if the available options are pain free. Same for Wednesday. If you are cross-training, try to replicate the session as far as possible. Eg. for Wednesday, you'd do a warm up equivalent in length to 2 miles of running then the time equivalent of 4 miles at an effort that feels like tempo (fast), then a final cooldown. 

Here's the rejigged week:

Week 11 w/c 25th February
Monday CROSS TRAINING
Tuesday 5 MILES COMFORTABLE + 3 x accel strides
Wednesday 2 MILES WARM UP THEN 4 MILES FAST (TEMPO) 1 MILE EASY (7)
Thursday REST
Friday: 5 MILES out and back: out (2.5 miles) comfortable, back at steady pace.
Saturday TRAINING DAY (4 miles marathon pace plus some speedwork - APPROX 7 MILES)
Sunday LONG RUN – 2 hrs 15 mins easy off-road
MILEAGE 37

Hi Sam,

Thanks, I really tried to behave on the pacings and was pleased with how consistent they were!

I will see how the knee feels tomorrow and make a judgement call... Hopefully it's nothing to worry about and I won't have to miss any (more!) runs.

Tenjiso wrote (see)

Great pacing Steve, well done!

Sam - I'm sure you'll do better than the 4:30 pacer at my marathon last year, who only finished a few minutes behind the 4:15 pacer   I guess he forgot he wasn't racing.

Thanks Ten, thought I'd show that I was able to stick to a pacing just for once

The 8m/m pacer at Dorney Lake spent the first six or seven miles at 7:55m/m and didn't seem to slow down! Unfortunately I missed his finish time...

Although I reckon with my pacings from the 17 miler, they should use me as a pacer!

RUTH MCKEAN wrote (see)

Steve

Hope to have some menus with me on Saturday! See you then, have a good week.

Ruth

Hi Ruth, are you taking me out for dinner then??

Look forward to seeing you Saturday - as you may have noticed, I'm pretty easily pleased when it comes to food...

Hi Steve, hope the knee is feeling better. I have no idea what time to aim for at Silverstone having never done a half before but the plan is just to get out there, enjoy it and see how I get on. I definitely plan on boosting my carb intake in the couple of days leading up to the race...does cake count?!

Blimey I go away for a week and it feels as if I've stumbled into the Good For Age thread by mistake!

Which parkrun are you planning to run?  I might be biased but Chelmsford has PB written all over it, almost completely flat and on paved paths for the majority of the route the only thing you'll need to be careful of is the wheezing bearded bloke you'll most likely be overtaking on the first corner

Great work Steve, keep it up!