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Faster

tailgunner

I'm brand new to running, and have been toying with the idea of starting a training log to keep myself motivated. Wasn't sure about making it public, but a recent thread on people running for the sake of it versus people running to get faster has decided it for me. Even though I'm not running far and I'm absolutely not running fast, I do fall into the latter camp - I want to improve.

So on that note... a bit of background:

I'm 29, male, 6ft 1, 80kg, and have been fairly sedentary for most of my adult life (this is starting to sound like a very unambitious online dating profile). After an indulgent Christmas, I entered 2015 feeling tired, sluggish, and miserable. I decided I wasn't going to enter my thirties feeling like this, and started C25k in late January.

A couple of months later (with one or two breaks here and there to allow my shocked and stunned legs to come to terms with the fact that yes, I run now, and no, it's not a temporary thing), I've just about finished the programme, and have also managed to shift the beginnings of a beer belly that had made an unwelcome appearance.

Which brings me to the present:

Got my gait analysed at the weekend and treated myself to a pair of Asics GT-2000s, in garish royal blue with neon laces. Nice.

I'm loosely following one of Hal Higdon's 10k plans at the moment, running three times a week and trying to go half a mile farther on each of my "long" runs.

In terms of goals for the year, I mainly want to increase mileage and improve my pace, and maybe do a couple of races. I have notions about doing a half marathon toward the end of the year, but haven't told my legs about this yet. I'm not sure how they're going to take it...

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tailgunner

Thursday, 7th April 2016 - 5 miles easy

5 miles
49:01
9:48/mi

Ended up taking a half-day from work in the end, so was able to get out for this after lunch. Not a particularly nice afternoon for it, but a very enjoyable run all the same. Legs are nearly back to normal.

Bluesquare

Great HM time! Great race report ! You are in great running form!

tailgunner

Tuesday, 5th April 2016 - 3 miles easy

3.11 miles
32:31
10:28/mi

Should have done this on Monday to get a bit of recovery going, as I've been crippled with DOMS for the last couple of days. I felt like I was about 90 years old for most of it, but there was a bit of improvement towards the end. The legs are feeling much better today.

Won't be doing much running for the rest of the week, as I'm busy with work until Friday, and then I'm off to Copenhagen for a few days. Was half-thinking of bringing the running gear, but I could do with a break I think.

The plan is to ease back into things next week, and then dip into a 5k plan for a few weeks. That'll take me as far as the middle of May, when hopefully I'll have decided on a marathon training plan for Berlin.

annapr

Well done, great improvement and very entertaining report as always. You captured the pain very well :pac:

jake1970

Congrats on a big PB TG. Great report, it looks like you gave it your all you cant ask for more than that.

The Muppet

Well done TG, Great report.

tailgunner

mbarr wrote: »

Excellent improvement. I think it's easy to consider a performance a more consistent one if you were running within yourself a bit! Miles 8-11 are so hard in half marathons.

Did you stay with the pace group when you caught it or push on ahead? From my experience running just ahead of a pace group you feel a bit like a fox chased by hounds, it's horrible!

Thanks. Yeah I didn't really know what to expect for the first one, so I played it safe and it only got hard for the last few miles. I had a much better idea where my limits were this time around, so I made it pretty hard for myself from the beginning. I guess that's the point of racing though.

I pushed on once I caught the pace group - I find them pretty intimidating in big races, so I didn't want to be anywhere near them. To be honest, I never looked back once I passed them, and it does beg the question as to what became of them - I was only 24 seconds under the 1:50 myself, and I started well behind them...

Firedance

well done TG! the work is paying off

mbarr

tailgunner wrote: »

Thanks! This was my second HM. I ran 1:58:45 about six months ago, in a much more consistent performance!

Excellent improvement. I think it's easy to consider a performance a more consistent one if you were running within yourself a bit! Miles 8-11 are so hard in half marathons.

Did you stay with the pace group when you caught it or push on ahead? From my experience running just ahead of a pace group you feel a bit like a fox chased by hounds, it's horrible!

Kennyg71

Well done in PB, sounds like you really tuffed it out, great running.

Murph_D

tailgunner wrote: »

Thanks! This was my second HM. I ran 1:58:45 about six months ago, in a much more consistent performance!

Big improvement then, well done!

tailgunner

Thanks! This was my second HM. I ran 1:58:45 about six months ago, in a much more consistent performance!

Maximus Alexander

Very well done, am I right in saying this is your debut HM?

tailgunner

Pre-race
Not much of a story to tell here, which is probably a good thing. Suffice it to say that I arrived at the race village, porridged and watered, and in a remarkable turn up for the books, early.

So with that, I went for a jog down the road, couldn't find my way back, and am still lost in the outskirts of Reading now. Send help.

Joke!

I was too scared to leave the race village, so I made do with a light jog where I could find space among the thousands of people milling around. Attempted a couple of strides, but I was in danger of breaking an ankle on the gravel surface, so I gave up in the end and headed for the start-line.

After a bit of confusion as to why the 1:20 pacer was in the middle of my starting corral, I lined up about 50 metres back and mentally went over my race strategy. As it turns out, I don't read so good, and I was actually behind the 1:50 pacer. Oops.

The plan was to go off at a sensible 8:20/mi pace, and then push on after a few miles if I was feeling good, hopefully catching the pacer around halfway. It was a sunny day, and already quite warm, but conditions were pretty good apart from that, so I was feeling confident. The A-goal was sub-1:48, but I'd happily settle for sub-1:50.

Miles 1-2
There were over 16,000 people running, so I was prepared for congestion. And congestion I received. Now, I wouldn't ever judge someone for running slower than I do (I'm slow myself), but there were dozens of people ahead of me who had no business being where they were - some were actually stopping in their tracks and walking - and it was a serious effort to avoid colliding with people. I wasn't watching my pace, and the first mile came in a little hot at 8:11.

The second mile was more of the same - basically surging forward where I could, being forced to slow up where I couldn't - and came in at 8:12. At least I was consistent. The pace was starting to feel hard already, and I knew I was going to suffer for it later unless I reigned it in. Fortunately the congestion had eased, and I was able to settle the pace.

Miles 3-4
If I needed any help slowing the pace, the third mile presented, for my running pleasure, an enormous hill. Now, I live in Oxford, which is an area far too posh for hills, so I wasn't quite sure what to do with this one. I looked around for an escalator or ski-lift or something, but couldn't spot any. Was I expected to... run up this hill? On my own two legs? In all seriousness, I had done my long runs on the most undulating route I could find, but I wasn't prepared for anything like this. So I wasn't the least bit surprised to see 8:30 flash up on the watch for mile 3.

I was a long time getting my breath back after that, and took on water from the next station, having politely declined the offer of prosecco from a priest earlier on. No joke. The rest of the mile was uneventful and came in at 8:12. I was well ahead of target pace, and with three of the first four miles coming in much too fast, and the hill taking an awful lot out of me, things weren't exactly going to plan...

Miles 5-7
We were running through the university campus now, which was probably the nicest part of the course. The support was great throughout the race, but I really noticed it here. Loads of people were handing out jelly babies and orange slices, and some had even set up their own water stands. Brilliant stuff. I took my first gel around here somewhere, and kept sipping away on water - it was getting very warm now. Mile 5 beeped at 8:20.

I wasn't feeling great by now, mainly due to the heat, and then I overheard someone mention that there was another huge hill coming up. I was considering packing in the old running after that, but fortunately the hill turned out to be a downwards one, so I ended up with a gravity-assisted 8:12. Mile 7 brought us through some twists and turns into the town centre. I spotted my girlfriend here, which gave me a nice boost, and I finally caught the 1:50 pacer. The watch buzzed at 8:21. Things were improving.

Miles 8-11
The improvement in fortunes didn't last long, and at this stage I had reached a sort of No Man's Land of Reading itself, the race in general, and my mental fortitude. I took a gel in mile 8 (8:26), there was another bollocks of a hill in mile 9 (8:27), I died a death in mile 10 (8:26), and there was another downhill in mile 11 (8:18) which brought me back to something that loosely resembled life. Seriously though, those four miles were an absolute festival of suffering, and I thought I'd never get through them. I think part of me is still out there.

Miles 12-13 (+0.1)
After some mental gymnastics in trying to work out what sort of time I was on for (the current estimate was somewhere between an hour and a generation), I gave up and just kept moving. With two miles to go, I knew I'd be able to maintain the pace till the end. I just couldn't seem to convince my brain, which was whinging and moaning and screaming at me to stop. Or walk. Or at least slow down. It didn't help that people around me were doing these very things. Mile 12 came in at 8:27.

It was properly hot now, and I was seriously dehydrated, despite doing my best to keep sipping water throughout the race. I didn't feel thirsty, but there were other tell-tale signs - a slight headache, a touch of dizziness, and a general feeling that I was about to keel over. On the upside, my legs felt grand. Fair play legs. I passed an "800m to go!" sign, and even managed to up the pace a bit. Mile 13 buzzed at 8:24.

I turned into Madejski Stadium (home of the mighty Reading FC) as my watch ticked onto 1:49:00. I panicked a bit here, because while I could see the finish line, it seemed like it was much too far away, and I was moving much too slowly. I don't think you could call it a "sprint finish", but I mustered every last fume of energy I had left, covered the last bit in 1:10 and crossed the line in 1:49:36.

Post-race
I made the classic mistake of running too fast for the first half of the race, suffered badly for it in the second half, but still managed to come away with a time I'm very happy with. My racing career is still in its infancy, but I can't imagine that sort of thing happens very often, so I'll claim this one as a good race.

tailgunner

Tough day at the office, but was very happy to finish in 1:49:36.

Report to follow tomorrow, if I can remember any of it!

ThebitterLemon

Run Faster.

G'luck

TbL

The Muppet

Have a great race tomorrow TG.

Kennyg71

Best luck Sunday TG, have a good one.

jake1970

best of luck Sunday!!

tailgunner

Well the start time is meant to be 10am, but sure these things are always delayed so I'll probably rock up about quarter-past. Be grand.

:pac:

annapr

How's the preparation plan for the weekend, TG?

. Best of luck with it!

Firedance

yes good luck TG! you've done the work - you go out at 1:49 pace and pick it up after a few miles if you're feeling good.

tang1

mbarr wrote: »

Good luck this weekend TG, with the mileage and long runs you have been putting in you should have a great race!

+1 to this, hope all goes well for you TG. You have put the training in.

mbarr

Good luck this weekend TG, with the mileage and long runs you have been putting in you should have a great race!

tailgunner

Thursday, 31st March 2016 - 2 miles easy

2 miles
18:44
9:21/mi

A mile down the road and back, with some strides at the end. Foot felt fine.

So that's me until the race on Sunday. In terms of a target, sub-1:50 is what I've had in my head since the start of the plan, and I think training has gone well enough that it's a case of how far under that I can realistically go.

If I were a sensible chap, I'd aim for 1:49:59 of course. Unfortunately McMillan is teasing me with 1:47:45, so I guess I'll see how sensible I feel on the day.

Month|2015|2016
Jan|7.86|103.61
Feb|14.7|116.6
Mar|23.53|127.35
Apr|32.91
May|45.88
Jun|42.65
Jul|23.26
Aug|84.29
Sep|106.61
Oct|56.17
Nov|81.45
Dec|55.33
Total|574.64|347.56

tailgunner

Tuesday, 29th March 2016 - 4 miles easy

4 miles
38:00
9:29/mi

I had been wondering whether a 10-day taper was enough, but my legs had the same bouncy, floaty feeling as the week before my last half marathon, so I think that bodes well.

My right foot was sore during the first mile, but I seemed to run it off after a while. Hopefully a phantom niggle. Calves and hip flexors felt a bit tight as well, but I was able to sort that with some foam rolling.

Wednesday, 30th March 2016 - 30 minute tempo

3.48 miles
30:00
8:37/mi

Including 15 minutes at 7:52/mi pace. Found this much harder than the last tempo run, despite it being half as long. I'll put it down to the wind.

Foot was a little bit sore again, though not as bad as the day before. Not sure what's going on there. Still hoping that I'm imagining it.

All good otherwise. A couple of easy miles this evening, and that'll be that.

tailgunner

Saturday, 26th March 2016 - 3 miles @ race pace

4.5 miles
38:47
8:37/mi

It was very windy out, so the effort was a little higher than I'd have liked. Ran it well ahead of target pace too, so it should feel a lot easier on the day hopefully.

Splits for the 3 miles at race pace:

8:11
8:08
7:57

Sunday, 27th March 2016 - 8 miles easy

8 miles
1:15:05
9:23/mi

I was amazed at the diversity of weather conditions I experienced over the course of an hour and a quarter. Wind, rain, sunshine, and hailstones, though I can't quite remember the order in which they featured.

tailgunner

Wednesday, 23rd March 2016 - 10 x 400 @ 5k pace

6.22 miles
57:21
9:13/mi

The last big session on the plan. And with 10 days to go till the race, the last opportunity for any real fitness gains, so I had every intention of nailing this one.

Sadly it didn't go to plan. Felt sluggish on the warm-up, which I put down to having a big lunch a few hours before, but then felt a stitch brewing as soon as I launched into the first rep. By the second rep it was almost unbearable, and I had to stop for a few minutes after the recovery.

The stitch seemed to ease off, so I started into the third rep, but it immediately came back with a vengeance. I walked the recovery and stood around for another few minutes, feeling very demoralised.

I was starting to feel cold at this stage, and was in two minds about scrapping the session, but eventually I decided that I couldn't face the idea of another abandoned interval session hanging over me, so I kept going. Managed to get another couple of reps and recoveries done before I had to stop again, and the stitch eventually eased off after that, so at least the last few were okay.

I doubt I gained much from this session physically, but from a mental perspective, I'm glad I got it done.

Splits:

1:52.8
1:53.4
1:53.1
1:51.3
1:51.8
1:53.7
1:50.9
1:51.8
1:52.8
1:50.5

Thursday, 24th March 2016 - 3 miles easy

3.11 miles
30:19
9:45/mi

Won't have time to run this evening, and I want to take tomorrow off, so I got up early to get this done before work. Not much to report - legs felt fine.

I'm officially tapering now though, so I expect all manner of phantom niggles to introduce themselves over the next week or so.

tailgunner

Tuesday, 22nd March 2016 - 6 miles easy

6.22 miles
1:01:25
9:52/mi

A nice, easy trot around the usual route. My feet and lower legs started feeling sore after a couple of miles, which is becoming increasingly common with the shoes I was wearing, so after 463.2 miles, I think that will have to be the final voyage of the good ship Asics GT-2000 3.

tailgunner

Saturday, 19th March 2016 - 5 miles @ race pace

6.5 miles
55:43
8:34/mi

The plan was to run a little faster than my target HM pace, which I haven't fully decided on, so I mainly went by feel. No individual splits because of how I set it up on the watch (i.e. arseways) but I ended up with an average pace of 8:08/mi for the 5 miles, which seems about right. I think I cheated with a sprint finish again though.

Sunday, 20th March 2016 - 15 miles easy

15.02 miles
2:25:25
9:41/mi

A long run of 15 miles is probably excessive for half marathon training, especially at the pace I run, but I think it'll stand to me mentally. If not for the upcoming half itself, certainly for marathon training in the summer - even now, the idea of running 18 or 20 miles doesn't seem as daunting as it once did.

Anyway, I really didn't enjoy the 14 miles last week so I had every intention of making this as easy as possible. Got up early and had some porridge (I never eat porridge, so this was officially a Big Deal). Waited an hour or so, then had a glass of water and set off. I didn't bring any fuel or water with me, but took some money just in case.

The result was a much more pleasant experience than last week. I had a slight dip in energy levels shortly after the halfway point, but that's not unusual for me, and it didn't last long. My legs started to feel heavy after 10 miles or so, but I was well past half marathon distance before it got tough.

I realised near the end that my average pace was going to end up a touch slower than last week, so I decided I couldn't be having that, and legged it for the last half a mile to try and beat it. I was only able to match it in the end (barely!), but it's a good sign that I had something left in the tank at that stage.

So that's peak week finished with 37 miles. I have 6 miles easy to do tomorrow, intervals on Wednesday (a million 400 reps or something) and then the taper begins. Can't wait.