Parkrun and a swim. Belatedly.

Saturday 27th April 2013

Running (3.12 Miles / 00:24:21 / 00:07:48 per mile / HR Zone 4) Wallace Parkrun

This was the first run out since the London Marathon last Sunday.
Maybe I was feeling confident or maybe it was because any residual stiffness had worn off but I was feeling pretty good about doing a reasonable time at Parkrun.

I had set myself a goal of doing sub 8 min miles and coming in at 24 minutes.

Although I missed the 24 minute goal by 21 seconds, I did manage to run consistent sub 8 minute miles and Wallace is not the fastest of Parkruns, in fact, apart from one downhill stretch the whole thing feels like a gradual up-hill.

Splits for each mile were 7.34 / 7.57 / 7.56 and 7.10 for the last 0.12 miles. I just need to work on pacing the early stage of the race a bit better, or probably more importantly being bale to hold the pace better. I felt strong enough and worked through the tiredness. Over the last half mile.

I’m still a long way off my PB over 5K of 22.40 but it is at least coming back in to sight again.



Monday 29th April 2013

Swimming (1500M / 00:34:23) 18M Pool at Gym

A Quick swim during lunchtime today. I need to get more swimming in as the first Tri of the season is only under two weeks away on the 11th of May at Limavady.

Last time I did this one I managed a 1Hr30Min time and I would like to try and beat that this time around. It might be pie in the sky but I will have a go anyway.

Swim today went OK but once again my lack of foresight and preparation saw me feel hungry and a wee bit dizzy after about 1200M as I had not eaten anything all morning before going swimming.

When will I learn?

London Marathon - Race Report - Sunday 21st April 2013

Friday 26th April 2013

London Marathon Sunday 21st April 2013

It’s probably fair to say that it has been a long road to the London Marathon this year.

I remember pushing the button on the entry from away back in 2011.  Yes way back then.  We were in Donegal and I went up to the in-laws’ house so I could use the internet and get my entry in early.

It worked and I was lucky enough to get a ballot entry for the 2012 race.

I knew that I would never e doing the event in 2012 as it would interfere with my Ironman training, so 2013 was to be the date for me.

I have to admit to having high expectations in the months after Ironman about coming to London.  If I could run a 4:44 marathon in an Ironman then I thought I was well on a for a sub 4Hr marathon, hell, I could even do 3.45.

So, when the forms came in for London and I was asked to put down an estimated finishing time, I boldly plumped for 3:45.

Anyway as the months rolled on and I tried to introduce more speed training to my build up, the injuries began to occur and once again it was my Achilles and feet that created all the problems.  These are well documented already. Ad nauseum!

Anyway poor training build up and losing probably 3-4 weeks worth of quality training meant that as I stood on the start line in London (in a start pen for 3.45 times) my expectations were firmly pegged back to some sort of rational level.

Given that 6 weeks before the Marathon I was still doubtful if I could even do it, I set my sights on enjoying the run and hopefully coming in under 4:30.

The trip out to the start was great.  Our Hotel was only 5 minutes walk away from London Bridge Station where I would get the train out to Blackheath for the start.  As I walked towards the station I started to see more and more people carrying their Red London Marathon Kit bags and this trickle became a massive gathering by the time I got to the station.  Lots of nerves and energy from the combined masses.

Once out to Blackheath station I thought I would be clever and avoid the huge queues for toilets at the Start area by using the facilities in the station.

This was such a good idea that about 20 other people had thought of it also.  So I joined the queue and waited and waited.  It’s fair to say (without being too graphic or unpleasant) that by the time my turn came, the aroma from the loo was so overpowering that I was in danger of losing my porridge and muffin!  At least this was a shorter queue than I would have had to endure at the Start Area.

I managed to kill an hour at the start area by wandering around and then eventually dropping my kit bag off, then off to the start Pen.

While I was standing in the start pen the first of many Ironman conversations that day came up.  A guy noticed my M Dot tattoo and started asking me all about it.  Fortunately for him (as many of you will know) I am more than happy to talk about it.

This was the first of probably eight conversations that I had along the route with people all asking about Ironman,  the tattoo really is a bigger badge of honour than I realised.

Just before the race start, the terrible events of the Boston Marathon last week were recognised with a moments’ silence and this was impeccably observed by all.  We were also all wearing black ribbons to commemorate those injured or killed.

The gun went off and we were on our way.  A massive wave of humanity in every imaginable colour started walking towards the start line, which was about 600 metres away.

The walk turned to a shuffle and with about 50 metres before the start line turned in to a jog and then a run as we crossed the start line.

I had forgotten how amazing it is to run in a crowd this size.  I was literally swept along.

Not far up the road I saw a man in his mid 50s wearing a British Heart Foundation vest with some writing on the back of it.  It said “ Running for Timothy – my Heart Donor.”

I was completely blown away by this and as I ran alongside him I asked was he a heart transplant recipient and he was.  I told him how inspirational he was and wished him all the best.

It takes moments like that to make to make you realise the power of running and an event like the London Marathon to bring out the best in people.

Just after the 1 mile marker I had my first celebrity encounter.  None other than Cheryl Baker from Eurovision winning Bucks Fizz.  She was getting great support form the crowd and runners alike and was graciously acknowledging it.

I was so tempted to tell her First to “speed it up and then I though maybe she should slow it down, cos if u believe that a love can hit the top u gotta play around,
and soon u will find that there comes a time for making ur mind up.”

Then I thought she has probably heard it about a thousand times before.

My approach to this run was to keep within my Heart Rate zones and take it easy and pace it evenly the whole way.

It was very comforting to see that I was well on track doing this with each mile and 5K split literally within seconds of each other.

I knew that to of my friends from work were due to be waiting around the 12 mile mark at Bermondsey and sure enough there were Fiona and Fionnuala cheering me on.  I have to apologise to them for giving them a sweaty hug but it was nice to see someone I knew.

Very soon after this I was approaching one of the most iconic moments in world running.  Tower Bridge.

I never tire of seeing this iconic structure and the feeling of running over it with tes of thousands of people cheering you on is simply breathtaking.

I knew that Keara and the kids would be along the bridge somewhere and I kept an eye out for them and sure enough towards the end they were waiting beside the barrier.

A quick hug and photo and I was off again heading towards half way.

Half way passed in 2:12:05 and I was pretty pleased with that as my splits were very even and my Heart Rate zones were looking good and most importantly I was feeling great.  Not fast but strong.

Mentally I thought that the next 8 miles would be tough as I headed in to the Docklands, however it went a lot better than I thought and in fact I started to feel very strong and was starting to push the pace on a little bit but still being cautious in case I blew up and struggled later on.

Coming round by Canary Wharf was a spine tingling moment as the crowds here were as noisy as anywhere on the course and they were screaming for everyone.  It felt absolutely amazing and I got such an energy boost from it.

Coming out of the Canary Wharf area at about mile 20 and heading back towards Tower Bridge I felt really strong and I noticed that for the last few miles I was passing lots of people and not really being passed.

On reflection I was able to maintain my pace and not slow down over the last half of the run but I just couldn’t speed up.  I think this was the true impact of the lost training.  Although with Marathon running you can never really truly tell.  If I had been fitter I might have gone off faster and struggled over the second half.  Who knows?

Having been over in London with work quite a bit I have made a point of running along the embankment which makes up the last 3 miles or so of the route.  This is great as I am familiar with it, however on race day that embankment felt twice as long.

It was around mile 24 that my legs really started to feel it.  My quads were slowly turning to stone and I was working hard to keep a steady rhythm.

I took a walk break for one minute to get a gel in and a quick drink and then vowed not to stop again until I had finished.

Just before reaching Parliament at about 25.5 miles I passed former Olympian and one of my favourite sports presenters Iwan Thomas.  He was really struggling at this stage and I tried to be encouraging to him, but in those circumstances being encouraging nearly always comes across as condescending – “I’m passing you and not struggling as much as you!” – that’s what it sounds like to the recipient of the well intended encouragement, even if it is said in a genuine way.

The last three quarters of a mile up birdcage walk and round the from of Buckingham Palace to the finish line must be the  most iconic marathon finish in the world.

I raised my hands aloft as I crossed the line hoping that finally I would get a decent finishers photo.  Sadly looking at these now post event, they are as crap as ever.  Some day. . . .

On through the finish area to meet up with Keara, Erin and Ben. This time I found them relatively easily and it was nice to get a Mars Bar and get out of my soaked t shirt.

The legs were tired but the finishing time of 04:27:51 was better than I had hoped for and I was very pleased with the way I executed the race plan.

A little bit of stats for those that are interested;

 

It is so encouraging to see that my KM splits ranged between 06.07 to 06.29.  Only a 22 second differential across the whole 26.2 miles.  Also of significance was the split between 25-40K where the average for each split was exactly the same.  That is where I felt the strength come in and it shows.

I am delighted with the way it all went and to be honest getting to the start line was great in itself but finishing was a bonus that I was doubtful of achieving only 6 weeks ago.

I think I might enter next year again and if I am lucky enough to get in will defer until 2015 as 2014 hopefully will be another Ironman year.

Hill Session and reflecting on The Boston Marathon Tragedy.

Tuesday 16th April 2013

Cycling (11.42 miles / 00:52:55 / 12.94 mph / 77rpm / HR Zone 2 / 412M Climbing)

Tri Club hill session again.
A good turnout tonight with 9 of us enjoying the pain.

I think it is fair to say that everyone who was there last week and this week saw an improvement on the last session.  I know I did.
I managed 4 sets up the hill and I definitely feel that I could have done another one OK.  It might not have been pretty but I could have done it.  At the moment though I am wrapping myself in cotton wool and not taking any risks ahead of Sunday.

My average speed was up and also the extra repeat was an obvious sign of improvement - along with feeling a bit stronger.
What I am pleased with though was the 40mph top speed on the way down the hill again.  I was very comfortable cranking it down, even though there was quite a breeze.  Don't know why but I felt very much in control descending tonight.

It would not be possible to avoid commenting on the tragedy at the Boston Marathon yesterday.

Living in Northern Ireland it is easy for those of us who lived through the worst of the Troubles and lost loved ones to get a bit hardened to some tragic events but this one really hit home with me.
I think it was because it was at a Marathon, something I have been to a lot of times and more critically the family have been with me at most of them, and usually around the finishing line. 
The victims are ordinary people either running or supporting friends and loved ones.  Just like my family.

I wish all those injured a speedy recovery and hope that they recover from their injuries and are able to run again if they want to.

I am sure that there will be some sort of recognition of the events at the London Marathon.  I think that a fitting tribute is for the event to go ahead and everyone to stick two fingers up to the sickos who carried out the bombing.

No drink for whole week! That's commitment.

Saturday 13th April 2013

Running ( 8.50 Miles / 01:16:58 / 00:09:03 per mile / HR Zone 2)
With just about a week to go until the London Marathon this was another chance for a middle length run. 
A warm up run of 2 miles down to Wallace Park for the weekly Parkrun 5K.
I took it easy enough on the way down to the park and decided to step up the pace a little bit on the 5K run.  I didn't want to go full tilt as I'm not able to sustain a hard pace for 5K at the minute so I aimed at just over 8 min miles.

Official time gave me a time of 25.07 for the 5K so I was pretty happy with that average of 08.06 per mile.

Once the run was done I headed home via a bit of a different route and added another 3.5 miles on.  My legs started to feel pretty heavy with about a mile to go but I didn't really care.  I know that's just me not being used to going a bit quicker than normal.

Probably only 2 more runs before the big day and even more significantly, my last drink for a whole week!!!  Nightmare!

Bargains galore and some decent training (and I mean serious bargains!)

Tuesday 9^th April 2013

Swimming (750M / 00:15:14)

A very quick swim at lunchtime today.

I just wanted to blast out a 750M time trial to see how my Sprint distance swim time is stacking up.

This was in the 18M pool at the Gym, so I can expect to add about 1 minute on to the time for the larger 25M pool.

Even with the extra minute added on, I am pretty pleased with this.  If I could knock out a 16 minute swim at the Roe Valley Tri in May, I’d be pretty satisfied with that.  In fact I’d be delighted as this would be among my fastest Sprint distance swims.

Actually , thinking about it – I’d take 16:30 to be honest!

Anyway – a decent wee swim.


Cycling (8.67 miles / 00:45:05 / 12.10 mph / 74 rpm / HR Zone 3)

The Tri club spin classes have now stopped for the summer so I made the suggestion of using the session for a bit of hill training.  sadly my idea was accepted and tonight was time to bring on the pain.
We were using the pond Park Road which is where I did all of my hill sessions in training last year.
I was comfortable with the road last year and know that the hill efforts really worked for me then, but I am a lot less fit now and have done bugger all riding this year.
Realistically I though I could do 2 repeats up the hill.  I am delighted to say that I managed 3 and could have done another one.  Not easily but I could have done it.
A bit of progress and a confidence boost.


Thursday 11th April 2013

Running ( 9.00 Miles / 01:27:29 / 00:09:44 per mile / HR Zone 2)

A thoroughly horrible night for a run and I must admit to having second thoughts about heading out. "I could leave it tonight and just do it tomorrow night when it might be nicer."
I zipped up my man suit and decided to stop being a pussy and went out.

Now, I picked up what could be the absolute bargain of the century today and was dying to try it out.  Let me explain....
I use a Garmin 310XT watch and the soft strap Heart Rate monitor with it.  I have been plagued with problems reading incorrectly for Heart Rate.  Reading too high usually.  indicating Heart Rates that a rabbit on heat would be proud of and unlikely that an man of 40 could ever hope to achieve.
So - I had read that the old style Garmin Heart Rate strap, which is a bit more old style plastic strap is more accurate.

This is where the bargain comes in.
At lunchtime today I went for a wander and decided to pop in to a charity shop to look at the books.  Lo and behold there on the shelf was a Garmin Heart Rate monitor.  The old style one I want.

Unbelievable!
Imagine this being in a charity shop, and it was basically brand new.
Price on T'internet shop Wiggle is £40.
Charity Shop price . . . . . £3.99!!!!!!

Fantastic.  I was happier than a North Korean Dictator who just discovered that Team America is not real!

(The other bargain which is just as remarkable was a North Face Puffer Gilet for £5.  I joke ye not!)

So anyway - the HR monitor worked a treat on the run tonight.  The run went really well - felt nice and steady and I felt in good shape.

In answer to my dilemma earlier this week about doing a long run or not this weekend - I have decided not to do another long run ahead of London.  I have no real benefit to be gained from it.  I will not gain a lot of fitness doing this just one week out from the event if anything it would be a bit of a confidence booster but that's about it.

The 3rd bargain of the day came courtesy of a Facebook chat with my mate Aaron from the Tri club.  He innocently shared a link to a cycling shop on line and the next thing you know I have bought an aero helmet!!

I had been thinking of one for a while and wanted to pick up a bargain.  This was it. £99 reduced to £29.99.  Love it.

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/lazer-chrono-3-aero-time-trial-helmet-53-59cm-id70614.html

A day of bargains and a decent run.  not too bad.

Gone but not forgotten.

Monday 8th April 2013

Running (00:30:00 / 3.42 Miles / 00:08:46 per mile / HR Zone 3)

Just a short run tonight so I wanted to see if I was able to up the pace just a little bit.
I set out probably a little too ambitious and I was blowing out of my ears pretty soon.

I eased it back a bit after a mile and then kept it relatively steady for the rest.

I have really lost any speed at all but I know that a decent period of consistent training will bring it back again.  I will remember what it is like to have a bit of pace.  Oh yes I will remember!

Choices choices!

Sunday 7th April 2013

Not a bad week from a training point of view.

Not exactly volume (or quality) heavy this week but I’m not too fussed about that at the moment. “Objective London” is looming in to view and without wanting to completely jinx myself, it looks like I might be able to get to the start line.  Getting to the finishing line might be a different matter but I’m ever optimistic.

Over the course of the calendar week I managed to get in an 18 mile run, a 9 mile run and then another 18 miler.

The best news out of this was that the injuries are holding up OK and I am carefully managing them in order to not push too hard and really focus on doing the minimum that I hope can get me through.

Now that I’m two weeks out from the big day I am really in a bit of a dilemma as to what approach is best to take in terms of tapering.

From my long runs it is really clear to me that I am about 3 weeks behind where I would like to be and my fitness just proves this point.

I can feel myself getting a bit stronger on each long run.  Fatigue sets in a bit slower and a bit further in to the run each time.  Last week it was around 14 miles.  This week it was around 16 miles when the legs turned to stone and started to tire.

The good thing is that I’m doing OK on the aerobic front, although that’s hardly surprising when the pace is about 10.10 per mile.  It’s never going to be that taxing that I’m out of breath.

Muscle fatigue is my biggest problem at the moment and the only real cure for that is repetition and a decent base of long runs.

So, the question is whether another long run this weekend, 8 days ahead of the marathon, will be of benefit to me to help on the day and build the muscle fitness a bit more – or will it be detrimental and make me tired and risk injury ahead of the main event.

It’s a tough call to make and I genuinely don’t know the answer or the right course of action.  I’m confused.

I am going to play it by ear this week and make the decision towards the weekend.

If I recover well from the run last weekend and feel decent enough on my mid week run this week, I might think that it’s looking good for a long run on Saturday.  Alternatively if I feel heavy legged and sore or the niggles are coming back, I will definitely hold off and just make the call that I have done all that I can.

I’m really looking forward to he weekend away in London with Keara and the kids and am hopeful that the weather will eventually start to warm up a bit.  The London Marathon is traditionally quite warm and I do hope for a nice warm weekend.  Not necessarily too warn on the morning of the run, but nice enough for spectators and runners alike.

I’ve already got one eye past London and am looking forward to the start of the Tri season, which for me will be on 18^th May at the Roe Valley Triathlon.

After London I need to focus heavily on the bike and really get some decent miles in ahead of the Tri season and hope that the legs will be OK post London for running.

I’m looking forward to getting going and racing as part of the club.

An interesting week ahead!