5 and a bit miles at race pace, and a race plan emerges!

Man this was a great session! I headed down for about a K to the dock area near my flat and aimed for marathon gradient simulation. 3 km flat and then progressively steep hill and back (average 4:19/km) and then a circuit of much steeper to downhill about three times to take me close to a total of 6 miles at race pace. This averaged 4:26/km. I actually think that this second section was perhaps slightly too fast, but it was good - very good - to nail the average pace of 4:22/23 on a whole variety of gradients.

So at last a race plan is forming for the 7th October, my big race day! I have divided up the race into 6 chunks that correspond to the elevation variations. Each of these 6 are at least 6 km long and contain a goal pace for that section (see the plan here). So for instance, in the first section, which measures approximately 12.5 km with quite a lot of climbing, I am shooting for average section pace of 4:28/km. The next section, which I remember well, is almost pure downhill for a shorter distance, and I am aiming high at 4:08/km. Next 4:28 again, then 4:10, then 4:30 (this section really is tough, although more because you have to attack it on such tired legs), and then... well know knows?! There's some long slight downhill and some real slow stuff too, and then the end is very close. There's no point at fixing a goal pace for this section, as I will aim just to run it as fast as I can. However, to reach an average of 4:22 for the entire distance, I need to average 4:24 for this final section. My actual goal is 3:05, which is 4:23/km (assuming that the race organisers have correctly measured the course), but it is wise - I feel - to keep a second/km in hand so that I don't feel like I have to make it up should I struggle at one point. Like a wild-card!

So what does today's session teach me? What have I learned? The contrast of the two parts reminded me that intense hills, even if there is exactly as much descent as climb (I was doing those circuits at the end) are a lot harder work than simply maintaining pace over flatter sections. What that means then is that pace on the flat must be faster than the overall average, 4:22. And yet, of course, it's more art than science, because that perfect flat hardly exists on this course, and so the question "well, how much faster?" is totally irrelevant. A bit!

Random other factor to watch out for: the weather. Last year, the temperature on 2 October 2011 in Pertuis reached almost 30 degrees. This year, there is a projected risk of rain and possibly 15 degrees less than that. Perfect!

To conclude, I feel so much more secure and ready than I did a few weeks ago, and now even with what seems to be a fairly well-thought through race plan, I feel ready. Despite the knee hiccup, this is probably the most rigorous training I have put myself through, and over this last year, so, so, so much has changed in my understanding of the sport, technical aspects, spiritual and mental approach, and I hope a bit of extra fitness too (although I suspect this is the most minor aspect). I just pray that God continues to keep himself part of this love for running he has given me, and that I would run with a great attitude that is thankful and honouring to him, and also to my wife who has put up with much over the last 12 1/2 weeks. I also pray for wisdom on the day with the choices I will make and for health (I am so aware of my dependence on this - for me, this is a big part of the by God of my spiritual journey in running: With him, by him and for him.

Fartlek and what a session!

• Warmup while increasing pace for 800 m
• Hard uphill with 20m of positive ascent for 330 m. Jog.
• 1 km hard in 3:51
• 230m jog
• 2 km hard in 8:00 (unfortunately this was 4:06 and 3:53)
• jog
• 100m in 15 seconds
• 100m jog
• 200m in 36 seconds (unfortunately this was 20 and 16 secs)
• break
• 400m in 1:17 (definitely the hardest rep)
• walk then jog
• 800m up hill in 142+147, the consistency of which I was much happier with.

After this I started jogging home, but noticed that my endorphins were pumping, even though the 400m had been a total killer - my desperation for my Garmin had become so intense that I had actually stopped and the beep happened as I stopped if you know what I mean. The step up from 200m is just hideous! If it weren't for a prior commitment, this session could in fact have been longer, and as I picked up pace to return back home over the last km I was just overloaded with confidence as I finished with a sprint to my front door! And all that from someone who claims not to like the shorter stuff!

I think what I just love about the fartlek is the way in which it is just so specific to the runner's individual feel on that day. What I found worked so well for me on this session was that the first hard lap happened up a hill, which breaks in the cardiovascular intensity early on without the impact on the still-warming muscles. Then were the two longer stints 1 km quickly followed by 2 km, after which my body is more ready for the power of the 100m to 200m to 400m to 800m progression.

This works so much better for me than a more classic session such as: warmup followed by 8 x 400. On more than one occasion on this marathon build-up I had to abort the session due to twinges on an ankle provoked almost certainly by such sudden load. I believe that there is no progression in this kind of warm-up up to the desired intensity.

More sluggish than slug

Yesterday:

400ml Old Speckled Hen.
Very little sleep for several days.
11 km (half off-road, all at night)

Today:

23 km in 2:17.
One positive to be taken out of today's longer run (the 23 was "supposed" to be 25, but I am trying to take things a bit more by feel, and inspired as well by Ryan Hall's approach through prayer), was that although I felt really sluggish at the start and there was rarely that much drive, and there was mysterious cramping and tightness in my calves for most of the time, that things really started clearing up after the 20km mark. I actually felt almost brighter and stronger then than at the beginning. Wow!

The important thing to note is that the combined effects of sleep deprivation and the beer had a definite effect on my energy levels, both in terms of getting out the door and just how hard it felt even to run 5:30/km. The beer is easy to sort out: don't drink it, not until after the marathon that is! The sleep needs a bit more focus. Also, I do wonder if I may have peaked a little early with going for that 36 km run the weekend before. I was on such a high after and felt so ready, but perhaps actually there was something of a longer-term recovery needed beyond the initial day or two of more tangible recovery, and ever since I nailed that consistent hill run, I've just felt really tired and unmotivated.

I have, however, been focussing of late on the notion of "how we fall", which is linked to something I am taking my PE class kids through at the moment in their current creativity module. We need to learn to be neutral. We don't need to be on strong emotional pushes the entire time. What this means for me as my motivation begins to fall, as it invariable does and will, and I feel less desire and passion for running, that I revert to a more neutral, going-about-my-business approach, neither excited nor nor deflated, until the next push. True closeness to the date will no doubt bring this anyway.

Hill sprints, finally some much-craved consistency

8 hill reps: 56, 56, 56, 55, 57, 59, 57, 57 (seconds).
I have been despairing recently about my apparent lack of consistency over the repetition training sessions, I invariably fade at the end, and go out too hard at the start. But isn't the point going out hard in a repetition? I'll come back to that question at the end of this post.

So today I felt I needed more hills work, and so off I went to my local "killer" minute hill for 8 reps. Sounds easy, but once I had done 3 I really did wonder how I'd keep the quality going. As it was, I never dipped over a minute, which was really great. I kept saying to myself that the 7th rep would be the hardest, as the last one you know you can throw everything into it. I don't feel fully consistent yet, as the second set of four were clearly struggling and secondly, what I didn't do consistently was maintain the rest time, which invariably grew toward around the 2 min 10 sec mark (1:45, 1:52, 1:56, 2:08, 2:00, 2:17, 2:14)

My only thought on those early reps is simply to say to myself: I have to be able to do 7 more like this. That alone probably just released a little self-restraint while still keeping it a true rep.

Just so grateful to be healthy, ache-free and even the stomach hasn't been this receptive in a while, and is accepting gluten and chocolate again! Woohoo, thank you! And even more amazingly, and it is so important in running I think to maintain some sort of healthy perspsective, I am going to be a Dad again. This is more amazing than all the rest! I am a grateful man.

Sensational 10K yesterday

10km in 42 minutes

What a great little 10k yesterday. One reason I loved it is that after the encouraging (very) long run on Saturday, anything like this just doesn't feel very far.

But the main reason was, after about a couple of K, I realised I had adopted a two-stage breathing method I'd never noticed before, that seemed to enable me to take on more oxygen. It did, I am sure it took of at least 10 seconds / mile off my usual cruising speed. On the flat I was definitely able to cruise at around 4 minutes flat. I can only relate the experience to something like taking the brakes off. It was amazing. Of course it means that as the speed increased, and it was over two significant hills, other obstacles like my calves getting quite tight came into play. But I can't remember the last time I had such a pace breakthrough, I thought I was at more of a tweaking phase in my running!

So excited about my marathon. I feel so sure I can nail the sub 3h10 despite the hills. Bring it on.

Ellie Greenwood on prize money in the ultra world

The Politics of Prize Money, an interesting article on the potentially negative effects of the increasing levels of prize money in ultra distance events, notably creating rifts between male and female competitions.

36K marathon simulation in 2:48

This Session was inspired by last week's marathon talk (episode 139) plus the recurrent advice from all over of knowing the course to be raced. Today reminded me of how psychologically hard it was last year to a) not always know the way (eg marshalls who prefer chatting to each other than actually indictating to runners the way) and b) be unaware of the difficulty and approach to the three tough hills in the second half. I still managed to get lost on more than one occasion, but with no marshals at all I figure that's not too bad. 

As promised, the negative split (I'm pretty sure) of today's run on the marathon course was a huge boost mentally, even though trying to achieve the goal marathon pace for two 5 km sections in the latter half (three hills) was tough. 

The right knee did ache but only for a few Km around 10 k. I also had some discomfort in my "collapsed" arch of my left foot, also in the first half. These things are worth remembering to avoid over-worrying should they repeat in 3 weeks time. 

Some prayer today when I went through the point where I made a wrong turn last year and was terribly angry with the race organisation, and where I had clearly lost all sight of why I run and the immense privilege it is for me to be able to get out there. I caught myself wondering again what I would say if I did well and got interviewed. I also had time today to reflect some more on the grace and example of my hero and inspiration, Ryan Hall, as he was interviewed in the build-up to the London Olympics: "God is my coach". I have so much ground to cover.

COMMENT FROM 26/07/2013 - The strategy I think was to run at a decent pace, and then have 2 x 5 km sections at race pace when already tired. I like this. Thanks to Marathon Talk I now have quite a few long run training sessions. I love them, they are such a challenge! I will post a page under training about this as a reference.