Thursday 29 October 2009

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Monday

Failed to get out for a long run on Sunday owing to the pressures of a family weekend and general tiredness. I decided to make up for this by going out on Monday evening. In the end, I ran 10.8 miles but have no time for the run as the Garmin ram out of gas after the first two miles. The route took me from Ashtead back to Cheam over the usual route. It was very surprising how easy the running seemed without a coat and a backpack and for the first time this year I was floating along at what seemed to be quite a decent pace, despite the hills. The new Ron Hill tights were worn for the first time and were very comfortable indeed. The weather was just about cool enough as I did not run until 6 pm. The gloves had to come off after a couple of miles. All in all, the most enjoyable run of the year.

Friday

Decided to go for a short and slowish run just to have some fun and keep the body moving in preparation for a long run on Sunday night. Did 6 miles at 7.59 per mile around Hyde Park in the sun. No pressure to run fast, in fact I rather enjoyed taking it deliberately slowly and seeing how easy it felt to be running at this pace compared to 8 minute miles some weeks ago.

Thursday 22 October 2009

Massive News

Hello and welcome to my new friends. I expect most of you are here because you are followers of @marleyterrier on Twitter. Marley has kindly allowed me to step out into the spotlight for a few brief moments to give you some good news and to ask for your help in a little bit of fundraising for his doggie chums.

I have been accepted as part of the Dogs Trust team for the 2010 London Marathon on 25th April. Hurray. The last few days have been a very nervous wait for the big news - I was worrying that all these last few weeks of early training were going to be for nothing after they seemed to be telling me that I was in good shape.

Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity and last year they cared for over 16,000 stray and abandoned dogs through their nationwide network of 17 Rehoming Centres. Dogs Trust is working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life free from the threat of unnecessary destruction. They believe no healthy dog should ever be destroyed and that every dog should have a chance to lead a happy and healthy life in a loving home. For further information about Dogs Trust please go to their website at www.dogstrust.org.uk.

My aim in running the marathon is to raise £2,000 for Dogs Trust. I would be delighted if you could help me towards this goal by agreeing to sponsor me. The easiest way to do that will be through my justgiving page here.

You can follow my running exploits here or on twitter as @lonmarathon

Thanks for helping out.

Matthew

Monday night

7 miles in what felt like a quick time....but the Garmin malfunctioned and so I have no idea what time I did. The route was Sutton to Ashtead over the hills and I was mainly interetsed in keeping up a good quick pace and concentrating through the few steep hills. It seemed to work but without the hard evidence its difficult to tell.

One firm conclusion from the run was that my Ron Hill waterproof jacket is really useless excpet on the coldest days. Its simply far too sweaty for comfort.

Wednesday 21 October 2009

So far this week

Monday - one hour weights session

Tuesday - interval training on the treadmill. 40 minutes of alternating patters on 11kph and 14.5kph. Quite tough and sweating like an overworked mule by the end.

Monday 19 October 2009

Last week

So, Wednesday night...arrive back from Belgium by train and go straight to the gym for 12k at a leisurely pace in one hour. Not much to say about that.

Saturday, 12 miles at 7.56 per mile along the bike path from Leatherhead to Dorking. A reasonably satisfactory run over a rolling course with not too many steep hills and no need for traffic stops. Felt good and could probably have pushed the pace but wanted just to do the distance and not try anything heroic. Reasonable recovery on Sunday allowing for an hour of golf and two hours of tennis.

Monday 12 October 2009

Long Run

10.61 miles on Friday night in pouring rain. Course was from Mitcham Junction railway station back to home on the same course as most long runs. Time was 1.31 and average pace was 8.39 per mile, which is a little slow. The run seemed to be quite disrupted due to underfoot conditions and also traffic at junctions and other stops for various adjustments to kit. Pace range was 8.06 for mile 7 and 9.02 for miles 1 and 10.

Tired after the run but recovered fairly well on Saturday.

Thursday 8 October 2009

Personal Best

10km on the treadmill in 45.15. That's a personal best for 10k and was not by any means as fast as it could have been . Training is obviously working. Bring it on.

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Last night

7 miles back home in a slight drizzle, hampered by hills and a rucksack. The Garmin ran out of power about 200 yards into the run so I have no idea how quick or slow it was, but it felt quick and a few of the hills were attacked with gusto (for which I paid in the last mile or two). Felt very tired all evening so I must have done something right. Contemplating a day of rest on Wednesday.

Tuesday 6 October 2009

Weights

Friday: 30 mins weights then 30 mins of interval training - 1 min at 11kph and then 1 min at 16kph. Really tiring. Heart rate did not seem to get above 158, which is odd as it is regulalry at 165 on a long run which seems easier than interval training on a treadmill.

Monday: 60 minutes of weights. Made all the difference last time I ran a marathon, but seems like cheating when you aren't running.

Filled in my application for a place through the Dogs Trust. Fingers crossed.

Thursday 1 October 2009

That's better

Back to something like normal. 10.02 miles round Hyde Park in 1.19.24 at average pace of 7.56 per mile (much quicker than the previous long run at 8.27 per mile). Pace was a bit variable. Slower laps were the steepest.

Mile 1: 7.27
Mile 2: 7.45
Mile 3: 7.38
Mile 4: 7.59
Mile 5: 7.43
Mile 6: 7.58
Mile 7: 8.01
Mile 8: 8.00
Mile 9: 8.10
Mile 10: 8.38

Average hear rate; 154 bpm. Slightly worried by a sore knee for a few minutes after running, but it's now gone away.

All in all, quite encouraging for this stage.

Oh, hell

This is how not to prepare for a training run: don't run for 5 days, go on a boozy business trip to the Netherlands, don't drink enough during the day, select a hilly run, carry a rucksack and run at night on poorly lit roads.

The result of all this is 5.84 miles at 8.05 per mile.



Yes, its true, this is not awaful bearing in mind the hills and the rucksack. However, it was supposed to be a 7.30 per mile run but tempo and concentration were destroyed by three sharp hills. No excuses. Must be prepared to try harder and put the foot down after hills have been climbed.