Tuesday 25 August 2009

Loch Ness Marathon Training week 10

Interesting week last week to say the least!

Tuesday was a fartlek session with 1 mile warm up, then 6 miles fartlek where i went for it up the hills, easy pace down the hills and steady pace on the flats followed by a 1 mile warm down. On Wednesday it was bucketing it down and did an easy 9 miler. Thurdsday night was a 4 mile tempo run with 1 mile warm up/1 mile warm down.

Then Saturday. The plan for the weekend was to do my long run on Saturday morning then drive up to Fort William Saturday afternoon then climb Ben Nevis on the Sunday.
Due to having to sort stuff out in Glasgow on Saturday too meant I had to get up early to squeeze in my long run. I had wanted to get another 20 miler in but I would have had to got up at 5.15am! I did try but slept in till 6.15 (I never thought I'd say that!). So I did have a back up plan of doing a 12.5 mile loop followed by the park run in Pollock park which started at 9.30am. So I drove up to Pollock Park and started the run at 7.10am. I got the 12.5 miles done and got back to PP at 9.10, so with 20 minutes to spare I did an out an back run for 15 minutes meaning I was back at the start with 5 minutes to spare before the Park run started. So before the Park run started I rattled up 14 miles. I was feeling good so I decided I would start off at the pace I hope to go at in the marathon which is 8.30 min/per mile. It felt really good after the first mile I upped the pace and maintained it for the rest of the run ending up doing a personal best of 24.24 and 17 miles total. I have run faster 5Ks in training but I only count offical ones for personal best purposes. So although it wasn't a 20 miler, still a good session.

On the Sunday, myself Steven, Alan and Dan were going to attempt Ben Nevis but decided to abort it as the weather forecast was shocking consisting of gales and rain. So for our own safety and being in the most exposed place in Britain it was a good decision at the time not to go up. So instead we took 2 cars to Glen nevis visitor centre. Dropped one of the cars off and headed for Kinlochlevin. Alan and Dan decided they were going to take it easy and do an out and back walk. So myself and Steven pressed on and did the West Highland way from Kinlochlevin to Glen Nevis visitor centre. It was awesome with great views and the weather had not hit till the drive home so it was a pleasent walk which was about 12.5 miles which we managed in just under 4 hours.

Sunday 16 August 2009

Loch Ness Marathon Training week 9

Another good week and recovered from last weeks Helensburgh half marathon just in time for Tuesday's speedword session of 3 times 1 mile fast on a hilly loop. Felt good and managed 7.41 and 7.42 for the first two loops then 7.24 for the last one.

Wednesday was a success for a completley different reason as I actually managed to do 8 miles at an easy pace without speeding up and maintaining an easy pace which is important when you have two hard days either side of this session. Although I did get lost at one point meaning it was more like 8.5 miles.

Then Thursday, a few weeks back I did a 7 mile tempo run which was my longest tempo run ever. Today I did a 9 mile tempo run and it actually felt better than my 7 mile tempo run as I didn't get a stitch this time! When I got back I realised it was 8.7 miles but I'm not going to lose sleep over it! Still I did it in just over 1.08 meaning it was faster than I went in the first 9 miles of the Helensburgh half as I did that in 1.13 something. So I reckon I would have been between 1.10 and 1.11 if I did bang on 9 mile.

Saturday was an easy 4.5 miler, then Sunday was the biggie. My first 20 miler since training for London in 2004. For the first 4 miles it was raining a lot and I was absolutley drenched, but it cleared up after that meaning it was just really windy the whole way instead. It was easily the toughest run I have done this year. I started it at my parents so I could finish at the top of a hill. So the route replicated what Loch ness will be like. The first 4 miles were up and down hills. Then the majority was downhill from the top of Barrhead Road going down through Thornlibank and round Pollock Park which took it up to 10 miles with a few more hills thrown in. Then the two toughest hills between 10 and 15 miles going up the middle of Queens Park then up Old Castle road to the top of Linn Park. From there it was mainly up hill up to Mearns Castle High School which was especially tough to finish off with as my legs were hurting and I was going into a headwind! But I made it and I am pleased to get the first of many 20 milers in the bank.

It also tips of a record high milage for a week with over 48 miles! So close to 50,I'll get there!

Monday 10 August 2009

Helensburgh Half Marathon – 09/8/2009

Arrived about 8.45 in Helensburgh on a mild Sunday morning parking in the car park beside the pier; in plenty of time for the half 9 start.

Picture of me before the start:


Having 8 weeks of marathon training in the bag I was keen to really give this a go and push from the start. At about 9.20 everyone started to assemble on the main road where I went towards the back of the pack as I had read that there is a lot of club runners run this race so there would be a lot of people faster than me! I had a couple of times in the back of my head. 1.40.19 is my PB, so I wanted to try and get as near to that as possible as my personal best for this year was March’s Balloch to Clydebank half marathon just down the road in 1.51.08. So I thought if I try and do 8 minute miles and try and hang on.


Well it didn’t work out that way. The first 4 miles the top of my leg was sore, so I ended up doing 8.30 miles which I was quite happy with as I was starting to feel comfortable. The first 10 miles is an out and back along the A814 which runs beside the side of Gare loch. The views were excellent as you could see across to Greenock and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The sun began to gradually turn up the heat although it didn’t seem to affect me at all. I decided to call the 5 mile turn around the half way point, as after 10 it is just a 5k left. At the turn around the course leaves the A814 goes under the road then goes up and round to go back on to the A814. At this point I started to realise the sore bit at the top of my leg had gone. So I got to the 7 mile mark in just over 58 minutes which I was pleased with so I decided with just less than 10k left to go I would up the pace and see if I could hang on. I started to pick people off and no one overtook me at all. It was great! As oppose to the first half where I felt like I was overtaking people in slow motion. It now felt like I was zooming past people. There were a few hills or really should I say undulations especially at mile 11 but due to all the hill training I have been doing was hardly noticeable and didn’t need to drop the pace.

As I reached the last few miles I was waiting for it to hurt but the pain never came. I regularly filled up my water bottle with the water provided and also took a cliff shot bloc at mile 6 and 10. So As I turned the last corner, the course heads towards the pier and the finish line. I saw the clock ticking away 1.44. 40, something, then into the 50s. I knew sub 1.45 was a possibility so I started sprinting and I really went for it. Of course the timer was 20m in front of the finish line so I wouldn’t know my race time or indeed whether I managed Sub 1.45 until the next day. On my watch it said 1.44.51! I was absolutely delighted as I had managed to run the last 6.1 miles in under 47 minutes meaning a nice negative split. I received my medal and got a bottle of lucozade, recovery flapjack and mars bar. Had my warm down along the pier to finish off an excellent day out in Helensburgh.

Sprint finish!


I would definitely recommend the Helensburgh half marathon, it is very scenic in places and goes through the town and houses elsewhere. With a capacity limit of 500 and just over 400 runners running today it’s a nice number and things spread out after 3-4 miles. It is definitely a PB course too as I would have been even closer to mine if I didn’t have the leg problem early on. It is quite a rolling course but no steep bits. The marshals were excellent and I did not have to stop at all even though the roads were not closed.

I checked my official time today on the Helensburgh athletics website and I got 1.45.01! So close, but I am still absolutely delighted. The irony is that on my marathon training schedule for next month it says ‘run a Sub 1.45 half marathon’. So 2 seconds out is pretty impressive! So with the Great Scottish run next month I’ll just have to try and find those 2 seconds!

Finally thank you to my Mum for her support throughout the day.

Saturday 8 August 2009

Loch Ness Marathon Training week 8

Need to read the blog title...week 8 and repeat...week 8. I have just realised for this weeks Tuesday session I did week 9 instead! D'oh, So instead of doing 3 x 1 mile at 7 min/per mile pace I did 16 x 200m. But to make it a bit more challenging i did the 200m over one of the steepest hills in the area known as Langside hill. On the schedule I was to do this in a minute per rep so considering the uphilll I was pleased to average 1.04 in the first 8 reps and then the second 8 I just got quicker and quicker. 1.03, 1.02, 1.01. You can see I really wanted to go under a minute and then I got a 59! For the last 2 reps I really pushed it and got 57 in rep 15 and then 56 in rep 16!

Needless to say the next day I was stiff and the first couple of miles of Wednesday nights easy run were tough but eventually found my stride and for the last 2 downhill miles I blitzed it! Which I really shouldn't have done but I really couldn't help myself. So Thursday nights tempo run again started and I was stiff but still managed 8.10 minute miles on a fairly hilly circuit.

and then today probably the worst run of the week even though it was just an 'easy' three miles. It is almost as if my legs shutdown after a day off and take a while to get going again. It was horrible, I have no idea if I was dehydrated or what but I have not changed my routine. So for tomorrows half marathon at Helensburgh will be interesting, I was originally going to go for 1.40 - 1.45. But really will need to see now. will be pleased to get under 2 hours and delighted if I got under 1.50 for the first time in 5 years. The game plan is to go out 8 - 8.30 pace and see how long I can go for. This is the most work I have done before going into a half marathon so fingers crossed!

Sunday 2 August 2009

Loch Ness Marathon Training week 7

What a week!

Tuesday night was my first hill session of the training and went really well with lots of rain! Wednesday night a nice easy 8 miles.

Then Thursday night.... This run I knew was probably one of the most challenging training runs I have ever attempted. I have done 3 - 5 mile tempo runs plenty of times before but tonight I would attempt a 7 mile tempo run. On the schedule it says 7 miles in 1 hour. However I really wanted to get as close to 56 minutes as possible meaning 8 minute miles. Everything was going according to plan up until 5 miles where I got a stich. But I ran with it right to the end and managed 55.07! So was really pleased.

Saturday morning I slept in so had to drive to the park run where I volunteered and entered everyone's race placing on to the computers. Once again I had fun and was a good laugh. When I got home I did my easy 4.5 miler setting things up nicely for Sunday.

Today I managed 18 miles with the first 8 miles a net up hill and probably the majority of 150 metres of ascent with the exeption of Maneswood Road, Pollock park and through the middle of Queens Park. On the schedule it said to do this in 2.35 which must be on schedule for 3.45 marathon. But I was really just aiming to do it in under 3 hours (10 minute miling. So I was pleased to do it in 2.47. So I probably did the hills in 10 minute miling then the downhill and flats in 9 minute miling.

So overall a great week and a record high for weekly mileage of 44 miles :-)

Next Sunday I am doing the Helensbourgh half marathon which I have never done before and didn't actually know about it until today!