Short tempo run, 3 miles. Desired pace 10km pace (6:30/mile)
Run report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214579834
Didn't quite manage to hit the desired pace this week, possibly due to the mild cold that I seemed to have picked up. Hopefully will be back up to scratch by next week.
25/08/2012
Hanson plan: Day 10
Interval training, 3x1600m repeats, 400m rest, 10k pace -35 to 40 seconds
Desired pace 5:50/mile to 5:55/mile
Run report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213049485
Felt good about this training session. I didn't quite manage the desired pace, and the last interval was way off target, but slowly my mental determination is getting more effective and am having my wins than losses in trying to keep myself running.
The repeats were the longest so far and I think that had a negative effect on my preparation for the session. Overall it was productive and felt that I got something from it.
Desired pace 5:50/mile to 5:55/mile
Run report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213049485
Felt good about this training session. I didn't quite manage the desired pace, and the last interval was way off target, but slowly my mental determination is getting more effective and am having my wins than losses in trying to keep myself running.
The repeats were the longest so far and I think that had a negative effect on my preparation for the session. Overall it was productive and felt that I got something from it.
18/08/2012
Cardiff park run 18/08/2012
Its been a pretty easy week on the running side of things following the marathon last week. I managed to get back in the gym on tuesday and ran 2 miles on the treadmill, but skipped the run on thursday preferring to rest my legs a little more.
Chatting with a friend last night they said they were planning on running the park run today, which in a slightly tipsy state I agreed to do as well!
The park run course is fast and flat taking place in Bute Park every Saturday morning and is organised by a local running club.
I managed to finish the race in a pleasing 19minutes 42 seconds, placing 29th over all, and also managed to get talking to a few people from a local running club which I am going to head along to on thursday.
He is the run report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/211848219
One of the slightly worrying things about the run this morning is that i ran a reasonably quick time, and 28 people were still in front of me!!
Still, it was my first time out after the marathon, so hopefully will be able to make some improvements there over the coming months.
Chatting with a friend last night they said they were planning on running the park run today, which in a slightly tipsy state I agreed to do as well!
The park run course is fast and flat taking place in Bute Park every Saturday morning and is organised by a local running club.
I managed to finish the race in a pleasing 19minutes 42 seconds, placing 29th over all, and also managed to get talking to a few people from a local running club which I am going to head along to on thursday.
He is the run report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/211848219
One of the slightly worrying things about the run this morning is that i ran a reasonably quick time, and 28 people were still in front of me!!
Still, it was my first time out after the marathon, so hopefully will be able to make some improvements there over the coming months.
Marathon #8: Salisbury 12/08/2012
The Salisbury Marathon was a personal race for me in some respects. Whilst all of the marathons throughout this incredible journey have been personal, Salisbury represented an opportunity for me to recover the confidence that the Cambridge Marathon in March took from me.
The Salisbury Marathon (named the 5-4-3-2-1 for the 5 rivers, 4 hills, 3 large country estates, 2 castles and 1 cathedral on the course) would also be a point where I could get a degree of perspective on my recent training and assess, to an extent, whether it had been of much benefit.
Emi and I stayed in Bournemouth prior to the race, an occasion in itself as it is the last time I will ever stay in the house as it has now sold, and we made our way up on the morning of the race, arriving in plenty of time so that we didn't have to rush around too much. Bless Emi, even after 8 marathons she still is surprised by how early we have to get up, but she was an absolute life saver and has been throughout this year.
Also running this race were a few familiar faces from Westbourne Running Club, and so it was nice to see some old friends and catch up on the news. Scott and Kelly were running the 50km ultra and Jacqui was running the marathon with me.
I managed to see Scott and Kelly as they set off as the 50km ultra started 30minutes before the marathon event, and I then had a chance to chat with Jacqui for the first mile or so of the marathon race.
This race was always going to be tough due to the varied terrain and the summer heat. It rained for about 30minutes or so prior to the race starting, and I was starting to worry that it would go the same way as Cambridge, but the rain eased off quite quickly only to be replaced by a slightly muggy heat.
The race itself comprised some beautiful scenery and I managed to snap a few pics as I went round. The course takes you through three private estates which are normally closed to the public which were stunning. One thing that never ceases to amaze me about running is some of the generosity you see demonstrated by the runners and the running community.
This is a picture of one of the "houses" on the country estate, although it looks more like a small castle to me, and its "granny annexe" that is bigger than most houses!
The race went really well for the first 18 miles or so, I ran with my camelbak which was a godsend due to the heat, and was experimenting with using bananas as peri-race fuel which seemed to work pretty well. The support at the water stations was superb and towards the latter stages the stations were laden with a vast array of sweets and treats, so I might have scoffed just a few of those aswell!
After the 18 mile mark my pace started to slow as cramp set up in my left thigh and around the upper part of my left knee. I fully expected this at some point and so had planned for my time to be around the 4 hour mark.
At roughly 2 miles from the end, Scott caught me up. The 50km ultra adds an additional 5 miles to the start of the course, and then joins the marathon course to the finish. It turns out that Scott and Kelly had had a bit of a bet to see which one would catch me up first! Lucky I managed to keep it to just being Scott, but despite the bet, it was good to see a familiar race.
I managed to run with Scott for roughly a mile before I had to drop off. My left thigh was cramping with clock work regularity so I had to keep stopping to stretch it out. The last mile was a toughy and the race was about 1km long, which is always a possibility with trail runs as they are difficult to accurately measure.
I finished in 4 hours 20 mins 26 seconds (race report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210230943) which I am very happy with and some semblance of balance has been restored after the disaster that was Cambridge.
Me and Em waited for Kelly and Jacqui to come in and we sat around for a while after just generally chatting which was nice. The weather was pretty good so it was nice to just enjoy the atmosphere.
Here is a picture of me, scott, and Kelly (www.kellythehungryrunner.com) at the finish:
One other great thing to come out of the Salisbury marathon was that I got a chance to meet another 12-in-12'er that I have been chatting to on twitter. Lee (@leerickards, www.justgiving.com/leeandrach12in12) did Salisbury as his 8th marathon as well, and it turns out that Portsmouth will be his final marathon just as it is mine. Lee is a real inspiration and so all my best wishes go out to him and his 4 companions who are all doing the 12 in 12 challenge!
I have planned to take a week off following marathon #8 before running to the Hanson training plan, and so I'm looking forward to being able to put my feet up and relax!
Once again, thanks for taking the time to read this blog and feel free to drop me a line at rob.tanner@gmail.com, follow me on twitter @tannerstwelve, or visit my justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/tannerstwelve
The Salisbury Marathon (named the 5-4-3-2-1 for the 5 rivers, 4 hills, 3 large country estates, 2 castles and 1 cathedral on the course) would also be a point where I could get a degree of perspective on my recent training and assess, to an extent, whether it had been of much benefit.
Emi and I stayed in Bournemouth prior to the race, an occasion in itself as it is the last time I will ever stay in the house as it has now sold, and we made our way up on the morning of the race, arriving in plenty of time so that we didn't have to rush around too much. Bless Emi, even after 8 marathons she still is surprised by how early we have to get up, but she was an absolute life saver and has been throughout this year.
Also running this race were a few familiar faces from Westbourne Running Club, and so it was nice to see some old friends and catch up on the news. Scott and Kelly were running the 50km ultra and Jacqui was running the marathon with me.
I managed to see Scott and Kelly as they set off as the 50km ultra started 30minutes before the marathon event, and I then had a chance to chat with Jacqui for the first mile or so of the marathon race.
This race was always going to be tough due to the varied terrain and the summer heat. It rained for about 30minutes or so prior to the race starting, and I was starting to worry that it would go the same way as Cambridge, but the rain eased off quite quickly only to be replaced by a slightly muggy heat.
The race itself comprised some beautiful scenery and I managed to snap a few pics as I went round. The course takes you through three private estates which are normally closed to the public which were stunning. One thing that never ceases to amaze me about running is some of the generosity you see demonstrated by the runners and the running community.
This is a picture of one of the "houses" on the country estate, although it looks more like a small castle to me, and its "granny annexe" that is bigger than most houses!
The race went really well for the first 18 miles or so, I ran with my camelbak which was a godsend due to the heat, and was experimenting with using bananas as peri-race fuel which seemed to work pretty well. The support at the water stations was superb and towards the latter stages the stations were laden with a vast array of sweets and treats, so I might have scoffed just a few of those aswell!
After the 18 mile mark my pace started to slow as cramp set up in my left thigh and around the upper part of my left knee. I fully expected this at some point and so had planned for my time to be around the 4 hour mark.
At roughly 2 miles from the end, Scott caught me up. The 50km ultra adds an additional 5 miles to the start of the course, and then joins the marathon course to the finish. It turns out that Scott and Kelly had had a bit of a bet to see which one would catch me up first! Lucky I managed to keep it to just being Scott, but despite the bet, it was good to see a familiar race.
I managed to run with Scott for roughly a mile before I had to drop off. My left thigh was cramping with clock work regularity so I had to keep stopping to stretch it out. The last mile was a toughy and the race was about 1km long, which is always a possibility with trail runs as they are difficult to accurately measure.
I finished in 4 hours 20 mins 26 seconds (race report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210230943) which I am very happy with and some semblance of balance has been restored after the disaster that was Cambridge.
Me and Em waited for Kelly and Jacqui to come in and we sat around for a while after just generally chatting which was nice. The weather was pretty good so it was nice to just enjoy the atmosphere.
Here is a picture of me, scott, and Kelly (www.kellythehungryrunner.com) at the finish:
One other great thing to come out of the Salisbury marathon was that I got a chance to meet another 12-in-12'er that I have been chatting to on twitter. Lee (@leerickards, www.justgiving.com/leeandrach12in12) did Salisbury as his 8th marathon as well, and it turns out that Portsmouth will be his final marathon just as it is mine. Lee is a real inspiration and so all my best wishes go out to him and his 4 companions who are all doing the 12 in 12 challenge!
I have planned to take a week off following marathon #8 before running to the Hanson training plan, and so I'm looking forward to being able to put my feet up and relax!
Once again, thanks for taking the time to read this blog and feel free to drop me a line at rob.tanner@gmail.com, follow me on twitter @tannerstwelve, or visit my justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/tannerstwelve
14/08/2012
Pre-Marathon taper week (6/08 to 11/08)
The one major problem i've found is trying to stick to a marathon training schedule when you're running a marathon every 4weeks!
I try and taper down and just do a few easy runs during the week before a marathon to keep my ticking over but hopefully ensuring that i'll be fully rested for the marathon ahead.
Managed to get two easy runs in prior to marathon #8, here are the run reports:
run #1: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210230972
run #2: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210230961
I felt pretty good at the end of the second run. The last 3 weeks training seems to have given me a little something extra, although it is only 25% of the way into the programme, so the benefits are limited at this point. Still, during the longer runs, I have felt a little bit more confident and the legs haven't been too heavy!
I try and taper down and just do a few easy runs during the week before a marathon to keep my ticking over but hopefully ensuring that i'll be fully rested for the marathon ahead.
Managed to get two easy runs in prior to marathon #8, here are the run reports:
run #1: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210230972
run #2: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210230961
I felt pretty good at the end of the second run. The last 3 weeks training seems to have given me a little something extra, although it is only 25% of the way into the programme, so the benefits are limited at this point. Still, during the longer runs, I have felt a little bit more confident and the legs haven't been too heavy!
05/08/2012
Hanson Plan: Day 9
13 mile long run, desired pace 10k pace + 60-75 secs
Desired pace 7:30-7:45/mile
Run report: http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=3669337
Absolutely blinding run today, felt good throughout despite the welsh hills' best effort to slow me down!
Feeling good about the progress I've felt over the last three weeks, so hopefully will be ale to replicate this next weekend during marathon number 8.
Hills are definitely feeling a bit easier, although still not easy. Managed to keep going most of the time and only had to stop twice due to fatigue.
Am planning in running at an 8min/mile pace on Sunday depending on the terrain. I haven't had a chance to take a look at the course map yet but will do this during the week.
To anyone looking for a good marathon plan, can say at the moment that the Hanson less is more plan seems to be a good guide to get good results.
Desired pace 7:30-7:45/mile
Run report: http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=3669337
Absolutely blinding run today, felt good throughout despite the welsh hills' best effort to slow me down!
Feeling good about the progress I've felt over the last three weeks, so hopefully will be ale to replicate this next weekend during marathon number 8.
Hills are definitely feeling a bit easier, although still not easy. Managed to keep going most of the time and only had to stop twice due to fatigue.
Am planning in running at an 8min/mile pace on Sunday depending on the terrain. I haven't had a chance to take a look at the course map yet but will do this during the week.
To anyone looking for a good marathon plan, can say at the moment that the Hanson less is more plan seems to be a good guide to get good results.
04/08/2012
Hanson Plan: Day 8
Tempo Run, 7 miles, 10k pace +15-20secs/mile
desired pace 6:45-6:50
run report
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/205880971
Bit of a delayed write up on this one. Got distracted trying to put tables in on the other posts and Emi has been up here for the weekend, so the write up got put to one side!
Was pretty happy with this run, managed to keep up a good steady pace for the first 5km. It started to go a bit south from there, but not by much. A 7 min/mile pace is still far faster than I have been used to running over a longer distance previously and so I think it is a step in the right direction.
Am continuing to try and make sure that I always run, regardless of how slow it is, rather than walking when I am training and doing a rest period. What benefit this will give me in the long run is to be seen, but it seemed to be a very common tip in the running crazy book, and the guys involved seem to know what theyre on about!
On a side note, will hopefully manage to get my hands on a copy of this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Running-Faster-Julian-Goater/dp/0736095500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344119112&sr=8-1
and so will be able to pass on any tips it might have :)
Hope you're all having a good weekend!
desired pace 6:45-6:50
run report
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/205880971
Bit of a delayed write up on this one. Got distracted trying to put tables in on the other posts and Emi has been up here for the weekend, so the write up got put to one side!
Was pretty happy with this run, managed to keep up a good steady pace for the first 5km. It started to go a bit south from there, but not by much. A 7 min/mile pace is still far faster than I have been used to running over a longer distance previously and so I think it is a step in the right direction.
Am continuing to try and make sure that I always run, regardless of how slow it is, rather than walking when I am training and doing a rest period. What benefit this will give me in the long run is to be seen, but it seemed to be a very common tip in the running crazy book, and the guys involved seem to know what theyre on about!
On a side note, will hopefully manage to get my hands on a copy of this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Running-Faster-Julian-Goater/dp/0736095500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344119112&sr=8-1
and so will be able to pass on any tips it might have :)
Hope you're all having a good weekend!
02/08/2012
Hanson Plan: Day 7
Interval training
6x800m sprints, 400m rests, 10km pace less 45-50seconds per mile
10km pace 6:29/mile, desired pace 5:44-5:49/mile
Run report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/205881000
The first three splits were pretty good, although really started feeling it in the second half.
I am currently reading a really inspirational book about members of the 100 marathon club, and one of the most common pieces of advise is that in any marathon you should never walk, always try and run no matter how slowly. Part of what I am trying to do with my intervals is to keep running during the rest periods. It's a work in progress, but i'm getting there!
So, despite the slower splits for 4-6, I am counting it as a bit of a win as I managed to run (very slowly!) during the rest periods.
Hopefully as time goes on i'll be able to run a bit faster during the rest periods and hit the split targets as well!
6x800m sprints, 400m rests, 10km pace less 45-50seconds per mile
10km pace 6:29/mile, desired pace 5:44-5:49/mile
Run report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/205881000
| Split | Time |
| 1 | 5:37 |
| 2 | 5:39 |
| 3 | 5:42 |
| 4 | 6:06 |
| 5 | 6:26 |
| 6 | 6:13 |
The first three splits were pretty good, although really started feeling it in the second half.
I am currently reading a really inspirational book about members of the 100 marathon club, and one of the most common pieces of advise is that in any marathon you should never walk, always try and run no matter how slowly. Part of what I am trying to do with my intervals is to keep running during the rest periods. It's a work in progress, but i'm getting there!
So, despite the slower splits for 4-6, I am counting it as a bit of a win as I managed to run (very slowly!) during the rest periods.
Hopefully as time goes on i'll be able to run a bit faster during the rest periods and hit the split targets as well!
01/08/2012
Been a bit lax!
Bumper upload to come with recent runs, have been a touch lazy with the blogging! Sorry everyone!
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