Plan: 1.6 km easy, 6.4 km mid tempo pace, 1.6 km easy
easy miles approximately 5 min/km, Tempo at approximately 4:20min/km
Garmin report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/247871398
Before this run I still had a few twinges in my right calf and shin from the sprint session, I think I may have pushed off awkwardly as I ran across a busy junction and I so i was cautious not to over do it too much on this run.
Towards the end I could definitely feel something twinging in my right leg and right at the end I felt a painful sensation in my left knee, likely a compensatory injury judging by how landing on my right leg felt oddly out of kilter and my right stride seemed a different length to the usual.
Taking a day away from the gym today (thursday) for some additional r&r before the longer 11 mile run tomorrow.
Have been trying to get to bed earlier as well, although rather counter productively I feel far more tired in the morning than I did before! Hopefully in the longer term I will see some benefits in terms of my recovery times, although I can already see some differences in my mental alertness during the day which is promising.
Am going to try and catch some extra miles over the weekend in a 10km cross country race in London which will put me a smidge closer to the 1,000 mile target (which oddly isnt that far out of reach any more!) and take some of the pressure off in case something unexpected occurs.
Cross training this week has taken a bit of a hit so will be getting in a longer cycle ride on Sunday to make up for the lack of mid-week training.
29/11/2012
26/11/2012
Sprints 26.11.2012
5x1000m springs, desired pace 3:43/km
400m rest intervals, no target
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/247099039
Definately struggled towards the end of the run. Think I went off too quickly at the outset as it was downhill and paid for it later on.
Good result although now it's definitely time for sleep!
400m rest intervals, no target
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/247099039
Definately struggled towards the end of the run. Think I went off too quickly at the outset as it was downhill and paid for it later on.
Good result although now it's definitely time for sleep!
24/11/2012
First post marathon run 24.11.2012
Easy 10 mile run to get my legs moving again. Long tempo run, no target for distance or speed.
10 miles, easy pace.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/246226656
10 miles, easy pace.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/246226656
20/11/2012
Marathon #11: A20 Path n Downs 18/11/2012
For most people, a marathon is a huge undertaking requiring thorough planning, hours of intense training and adherence to strict plans and nutrition to ensure the best performance possible.
With that in mind, I rocked up to the start line 10 minutes after the race has already begun with a sense of bemusement and odd unexplainable sensation that today was going to be a good day!
Maidstone is quite a special marathon for me, not simply because it is the closest of all 12 to where I grew up, thus making it the ideal candidate for my family to see exactly how crazy I am, but also because it is a return to my tester course as I undertook this familiar 26.2 mile slog last year to see whether I really could do a marathon (I probably should have given up at this point!)
It also presented an unmissable chance to see whether I had improved at all over the last 12 months or whether the cumulative fatigue of almost 850 miles had left me in a worse position than I started!
I set off in a cloud of embarrassment from the line, running over the all too familiar chip timing mats which marks the start of this scenic but painful in parts course and it wasn't long before I managed to catch up with some of the slower runners.
The beginning part of the course is run on narrow pavements which meant that I had luckily avoided the tailback and congestion that some of the middle runners usually experience, and its unlikely that I would have positioned myself near enough to the front to avoid it if I had started at the right time!
The first 5 miles or so went without much to write about. I had planned to stick to a steady 8 min/mile pace for the race in the hope of getting close to the 3:30 finish time I want to achieve this year, but the course is deceptively hilly in parts meaning that some splits were much slower than expected.
Luckily there are some steep downhills to recover lost time and it seems that my training has at least toughened my knees up to withstand the constant pounding of flying down the inclines.
I had a fair degree of support at the start of the race from my family and a surprise visit from Em at around the 5km mark which was very welcomed. Em did the customary trail round the course providing encouragement which spurred me on as I trotted round.
At the halfway mark I was still feeling strong and the possibility of a PB gave me a mental nudge to keep pushing forward at my current pace and it wasn't until mile 17 that the familiar clouds started to roll through medicating the wall was fast approaching.
Miles 17 to 20 on the course are predominantly up hill and so with a sense of relief I finally saw the 21 mile marker and whilst I knew I would run out of steam at some point, I had pushed myself further than I had achieved previously and I found myself grinning (like an idiot I'm sure!) as I plodded onwards.
Disaster struck just after I passed the 24 mile mark. I say disaster as a relative term as in retrospect I've had much bigger hurdles in previous marathons, but whatever mental drive had been pushing me so far suddenly seemed to evaporate leaving only a large dose of fatigue, hunger and cold in its wake.
Now, I don't know if its just my mum, or all mums, that have a sixth sense about these things but, as I pushed myself to walk/run and ignore the familiar ache in my legs, something unexpected happened.
My phone started to ring. It was mum.
"Hi mum! Erm, I'm a bit busy at the moment, can I call you back?" I asked somewhat strained! "I'm at the finish line, where are you?" She asked, quite oblivious to the laboured breathing and death wheeze that I thought would clearly demonstrate it was a bad time for a chit chat!
I explained that I was only a short way away and would be there soon, hoping that this would be a subtle enough hnt that perhaps we could talk a bit later, when I wasn't running a marathon for example.
And true to form, mums reply came like a jack hammer to my subconscious: "so, how're you getting on?"
The conversational tone as though I was taking a brisk stroll in the park brought everything in to perspective just as the 25 mile marker came into view and with it my legs seemed to find some previously untapped energy store as my pace picked up and carried me onwards.
There was another runner that I also have to thank for their help in those last few miles. We had been playing tag for about 7 miles or so and in those final few he really helped me keep going with words of encouragement, and he even waited when cramp set in 30 metres from the finish line. It's runners like him that set marathons apart from other sporting pursuits as the friendliness and compassion is second to none.
I crossed the line with a chip time of 3 hours 36 minutes and 18 seconds, beating my current PB by 15 minutes and my previous course time by 26 minutes, and earning myself a fresh £15 from Scott Harris who challenged me to beat his PB which I finally achieved.
With only one marathon left to go, my amazing journey is fast coming to a close and I can't believe that only 12 months ago I was preparing to undertake my first steps into the scary world of endurance sports.
Thanks for taking the time to read this write up and I hope you've enjoyed it.
The garmin report can be found here http://connect.garmin.com/activity/244781720
As always, if you want to sponsor me, please go to www.justgiving.com/tannerstwelve and donate whatever you can spare. From pennies to pounds it all goes to an amazing cause.
With that in mind, I rocked up to the start line 10 minutes after the race has already begun with a sense of bemusement and odd unexplainable sensation that today was going to be a good day!
Maidstone is quite a special marathon for me, not simply because it is the closest of all 12 to where I grew up, thus making it the ideal candidate for my family to see exactly how crazy I am, but also because it is a return to my tester course as I undertook this familiar 26.2 mile slog last year to see whether I really could do a marathon (I probably should have given up at this point!)
It also presented an unmissable chance to see whether I had improved at all over the last 12 months or whether the cumulative fatigue of almost 850 miles had left me in a worse position than I started!
I set off in a cloud of embarrassment from the line, running over the all too familiar chip timing mats which marks the start of this scenic but painful in parts course and it wasn't long before I managed to catch up with some of the slower runners.
The beginning part of the course is run on narrow pavements which meant that I had luckily avoided the tailback and congestion that some of the middle runners usually experience, and its unlikely that I would have positioned myself near enough to the front to avoid it if I had started at the right time!
The first 5 miles or so went without much to write about. I had planned to stick to a steady 8 min/mile pace for the race in the hope of getting close to the 3:30 finish time I want to achieve this year, but the course is deceptively hilly in parts meaning that some splits were much slower than expected.
Luckily there are some steep downhills to recover lost time and it seems that my training has at least toughened my knees up to withstand the constant pounding of flying down the inclines.
I had a fair degree of support at the start of the race from my family and a surprise visit from Em at around the 5km mark which was very welcomed. Em did the customary trail round the course providing encouragement which spurred me on as I trotted round.
At the halfway mark I was still feeling strong and the possibility of a PB gave me a mental nudge to keep pushing forward at my current pace and it wasn't until mile 17 that the familiar clouds started to roll through medicating the wall was fast approaching.
Miles 17 to 20 on the course are predominantly up hill and so with a sense of relief I finally saw the 21 mile marker and whilst I knew I would run out of steam at some point, I had pushed myself further than I had achieved previously and I found myself grinning (like an idiot I'm sure!) as I plodded onwards.
Disaster struck just after I passed the 24 mile mark. I say disaster as a relative term as in retrospect I've had much bigger hurdles in previous marathons, but whatever mental drive had been pushing me so far suddenly seemed to evaporate leaving only a large dose of fatigue, hunger and cold in its wake.
Now, I don't know if its just my mum, or all mums, that have a sixth sense about these things but, as I pushed myself to walk/run and ignore the familiar ache in my legs, something unexpected happened.
My phone started to ring. It was mum.
"Hi mum! Erm, I'm a bit busy at the moment, can I call you back?" I asked somewhat strained! "I'm at the finish line, where are you?" She asked, quite oblivious to the laboured breathing and death wheeze that I thought would clearly demonstrate it was a bad time for a chit chat!
I explained that I was only a short way away and would be there soon, hoping that this would be a subtle enough hnt that perhaps we could talk a bit later, when I wasn't running a marathon for example.
And true to form, mums reply came like a jack hammer to my subconscious: "so, how're you getting on?"
The conversational tone as though I was taking a brisk stroll in the park brought everything in to perspective just as the 25 mile marker came into view and with it my legs seemed to find some previously untapped energy store as my pace picked up and carried me onwards.
There was another runner that I also have to thank for their help in those last few miles. We had been playing tag for about 7 miles or so and in those final few he really helped me keep going with words of encouragement, and he even waited when cramp set in 30 metres from the finish line. It's runners like him that set marathons apart from other sporting pursuits as the friendliness and compassion is second to none.
I crossed the line with a chip time of 3 hours 36 minutes and 18 seconds, beating my current PB by 15 minutes and my previous course time by 26 minutes, and earning myself a fresh £15 from Scott Harris who challenged me to beat his PB which I finally achieved.
With only one marathon left to go, my amazing journey is fast coming to a close and I can't believe that only 12 months ago I was preparing to undertake my first steps into the scary world of endurance sports.
Thanks for taking the time to read this write up and I hope you've enjoyed it.
The garmin report can be found here http://connect.garmin.com/activity/244781720
As always, if you want to sponsor me, please go to www.justgiving.com/tannerstwelve and donate whatever you can spare. From pennies to pounds it all goes to an amazing cause.
18/11/2012
15/11/2012
14/11/2012
Tempo Run 14/11/2012
Posted with Blogsy12/11/2012
Intervals 12/11/2012
Mixed intervals (1200/1000/800/600/400) with 200m rest periods. Varying desired paces (shorter interval requiring faster pace)
Garmin run report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/242765568
Starting to feel slightly stronger on intervals although am still limited but the cold weather as it seems to play havoc with my asthma when I push my heart rate higher than a certain limit.
Hopefully when I start swimming in the new year this will help my lung capacity, although I may have to accept that this will be a limiting factor in my future endeavours.
Good session overall though and it's nice to see that I still have a bit of speed left in me :)
Garmin run report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/242765568
Starting to feel slightly stronger on intervals although am still limited but the cold weather as it seems to play havoc with my asthma when I push my heart rate higher than a certain limit.
Hopefully when I start swimming in the new year this will help my lung capacity, although I may have to accept that this will be a limiting factor in my future endeavours.
Good session overall though and it's nice to see that I still have a bit of speed left in me :)
09/11/2012
Distance Run: 09.11.2012
Plan: 9 miles at MP + 28 seconds/km
predicted MP: 4:37 mins/km
suggested pace: 5:05 mins/km
garmin report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/241632877
distance: 14.4km, time: 1 hour 13mins 31 seconds
avg pace: 5:06 mins/km
predicted MP: 4:37 mins/km
suggested pace: 5:05 mins/km
garmin report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/241632877
distance: 14.4km, time: 1 hour 13mins 31 seconds
avg pace: 5:06 mins/km
07/11/2012
Tempo Run (short) 07.11.2012
Intervals: 1.6km (easy) 8km (marathon pace) 1.6km (easy)
desired pace: 5:30 min/km- 6:00 min/km, 4:37 min/km, 5:30 min/km-6:00 min/km
run report
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/241217045
Split
1. 9:20.2, 1.6km, avg pace 5:50 min/km
2. 37.05.7, 8.00km, avg pace 4:38 min/km
3. 8:40.9, 1.6km, avg pace 5:26 min/km
Overall a successful run for me this evening. I haven't been able to run more than 4 miles or so at any one time recently and was becoming increasingly apprehensive with marathon number 11 only 11 days away.
Thankfully the run went well and restored part of my confidence with running in light of the upcoming marathon and hopefully I will be able to regain some of my former ability in the days to come.
desired pace: 5:30 min/km- 6:00 min/km, 4:37 min/km, 5:30 min/km-6:00 min/km
run report
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/241217045
Split
1. 9:20.2, 1.6km, avg pace 5:50 min/km
2. 37.05.7, 8.00km, avg pace 4:38 min/km
3. 8:40.9, 1.6km, avg pace 5:26 min/km
Overall a successful run for me this evening. I haven't been able to run more than 4 miles or so at any one time recently and was becoming increasingly apprehensive with marathon number 11 only 11 days away.
Thankfully the run went well and restored part of my confidence with running in light of the upcoming marathon and hopefully I will be able to regain some of my former ability in the days to come.
05/11/2012
Interval training 05.11.2012
4x800m repeats, 2min rest intervals.
Anticipated time: 2:57/800m
Garmin log: http://connect.garmin.com/splits/240621270
Anticipated time: 2:57/800m
Garmin log: http://connect.garmin.com/splits/240621270
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