London Marathon 2015

After a full 18 week build up following the P & D plan, London Marathon arrived. Following on from the results I had for Wokingham Half and Seville Marathon in February, and the Self Transcendance 10km in March, I was confident enough in my ability to give London a proper go. 

Sub 2:50 was the target, and while I thought this would be a challenge, the excellent performances of some of my training partners in Manchester the previous week gave me a lift. 

The pace required for breaking 2:50 was 6:29 per mile, and I decided to hit this at mile 2, allowing the first mile to warm into it. As it turned, the start made it difficult to get into that pace immediately, but after 1 km I soon found my rhythm. I set off with club mates Mike, Tal and Nathan, but all were targeting faster times, so left them to get on with their business.

The first 5km is a net downhill, so knew I might get a couple of faster miles in , though at the same time, I didn't want to get carried away. 

The first 5km came in at 20:02, 7 secs inside target split of 20:09. 

However, my garmin seemed to be clocking the miles early. I was a little concerned as I was averaging 6:25's at this point, but I was obviously running a slightly longer route and taking a wide line!

10km came in at 40:02, and I felt good, arriving at Cutty Sark to a wall of sound from the thousands of supporters out there. It's one of the highlights of the  race.

Crossing Tower Bridge sand onto the half way mark, I clocked 1:24:44, absolutely on the money, though not affording much leeway! From that point on I could look forward to huge support from my club mates who were gathering at Westferry. Knowing they were there en masse gave me a huge lift, and I think caused me to run my fastest 5km split of 19:52. 

Isle of Dogs is the hardest section for me, so I tried to really dig in between 15-18. At this point I overtook 'Marathon Man' Rob Young, an inspirational lad who has run 370+ marathons for the calendar year - I shared a handshake with him and expressed how in awe I was of him before pressing on. Quite frankly the fact that he was running at sub 2:50 pace 

Until then was incredible - I believe he went onto run 3:07, including a 10 min interview! He also had to be finished by 1:45 to get a flight back to the U.S. To continue with his race across America. Which he's leading!

18 miles in and I caught James Cracknell, who is worked with years before as his team massage therapist for a Lands End - John O Groats record attempt a few years ago. He looked awful though, really in pain. I guess he's used to putting himself in a dark place though!

Canary Wharf was causing my garmin to go all over the shop, with the tunnels and skyscrapers interfering with the signal. Splits were a little off, so I was trying to do the calculations in my head. I was extremely tired at this point, but knew I couldn't afford to slow down if I was to achieve my goal. 

My club mate supporters were out in force, and again I was able to share some high fives with them at mile 20. From there, the run in along Shadwell Highway is a slog, and I was trying to focus on getting to Tower Hill - there is a short downhill before hitting the embankment for the final 5km. 

I hit 24 miles at 2:34:34 and was trying to work out if I could manage it - at that point I ran my slowest 2 miles of 6:43 and 6:41, though seeing a bunch of friends gave me a real lift. Turning at Westminster onto Birdcage Walk I had 600 to go, but needed to do it on 2:00 - a stretch of I was doing it on the track as an interval, so at the end of a marathon, I had no chance.

As I entered the Mall, James Cracknell pulled alongside me and we had a bit of a spirited finish, and I finished just ahead, clocking 2:50:11. 

Not disappointed at all, a big 7 min 33 PB and over the moon with the race. 

Stats as follows:

Distance Covered - 26.44 miles

Ave Pace - 6:26 per mile / 4:03 per km

First Half 1:24:44

Second Half - 1:25:27

+ split of 43 secs

Race weight - 72.4 kg

HR Ave - battery went after one mile!!

Fastest 5km - 19:52 (20-25 km)

Slowest 5km - 20:37 (35-40 km)

Ave Cadence - 181 spm

Ave Stride Length 1.38 m

Seville Marathon 2015

Target - 2:59

10km at 7:15

10-32km at target London Race Pace of 6:30 min miling

10km at 7:15

So, having not run a flat marathon since November 2013, I decided to include Seville as part of my London preparations. While this may seem barmy to some, I've always performed better with longer 22+ mile runs as part of my training, and a couple of non running club  buddies (Matt and Rob) had entered - and what better way to get some winter sun in than by racing in one of the flattest marathons in Europe??

While racing Wokingham 2 weeks previously had given me a lot of confidence, it had also taken a lot out of me. I had tapered for that, had to recover for a week, then taper for Seville, so not really ideally prep for a Marathon. But then this was a training run. I had to keep telling myself that!

So while I felt in great shape, I still felt a little under cooked for the marathon - training had been going well, but I hadn't reached the longer tempo runs as yet, so had to consider that in my race planning. London was still 9 weeks away, so I wanted to ensure racing here wouldn't completely spoil my preparation.

The longest marathon pace run I had done in training was 10 miles (done as a 6 mile easy, 10 mile race pace, 2 mile easy), so decided to step it up from that. 

The first 10km at a comfortable pace (7:15 min miling) then hit it hard for 14 miles (6:30's) before cruising in at 7:15 min miling for the rest of it. This would be enough to get me under 3, but without killing myself in the process.

The Race

Seville is known for being fast, and I positioned myself at the back of the 2:45-3:00 pen. As I was starting conservatively, runners went streaming past me, being overtaken by runners from the pen behind. I enjoyed holding back, though perhaps running at 7:00 instead of 7:15 was a shade quick. It did, however, feel extremely easy. 

The course was fantastic, starting just outside the Olympic Stadium,with the first 10km going out along the river, and back the other side. At this point the field was beginning to thin. 

At 10km (passed in 44 dead) I dropped the hammer immediately settling into 6:30 miling. It felt great. The hundreds of runners that went past me at the beginning were already slowing, and I was flying past them. I could see the sub 3 her pacer balloons - huge blue ones that you could spot from miles off! I eventually reeled them in at 10 miles, but struggled to actually get past them, such was the size of the group!

It slowed my pace a little (a 6:36 over the mile I was with them), but enjoyed picking up the pace again once I eventually manoeuvred myself through the group. 

I went through the half way stage in 1:28:30, and pressed on. By mile 16 I wasn't overtaking so many runners, and had my first battle - I was beginning to flag. I've been psychologically weak in the past, giving up at the first sign of pain, so at this point had to consider my options - my initial target was to get up to 20 miles at target pace, then cruise in - don't think about the 26, think about the 20. Then make a decision. So I secided to press on. 

Miles 18, 19 and 20 were a little slower (6:40), and to reach that point was a relief. I went through 20 at 2:14:30, 30 secs up faster than my Abingdon Marathon split. 

I decided to have a very easy mile, then consider my options. While I had achieved what I wanted, I still wanted to break 3 hours again!

At 21 I was really battling, but knew that if I could hold 7 min miling, I could still go well under 3, and even get close to a PB - though I didn't want to kill myself to achieve it!

The last 7km were actually the most stunning, running through a park and the old town, where the support was fantastic. I had a mild panic when I saw the 3 HR pacer on a switchback, but worked out. I had at least 2 mins on him!!

I managed to hold sub 7's over the last 5km, with the finish inside the Olympic Stadium. This was really fantastic, a chance to savour the finish and enjoy a job well done. 

I did put in a bit of a dig, and managed to get a new by 13 seconds!! Amazing after all that distance, that would have been about 50 m.

Final, official time of 2:57:44

The legs felt great for a period, but there is definitely some work to do for London. 14 miles at 6:30 pace was definitely my limit on the day, and I'm not sure I could have managed more. Hopefully I can recover well and enjoy a good block of training before London in 9 weeks!

Wokingham Half Marathon 08/02/2015

Target - Sub 80 (6:05 per mile)

Current PB - 80:39 (Maidenhead) (6:10 per mile)

I had raced Wokingham back in 2012, and had set a then PB (80:42) on the course. I loved the route, a very flat scenic course through the countryside, and a very fast field to pull you along. Phil Wickes (63 mins) and Liz Yelling (71 mins) got course records that year, so that gives you an idea of a) the sort of calibre competing, and b) the times it takes to win!

Conditions on this occasion were fine - very cold, but sunny, and very little wind. Just how I like it to be.

I had a strict race plan of sticking as close as possible to 6:05 min miling - I had blown up in a recent training session at 4 miles holding 5:55 pace, and wasn't confident that I could hold that pace over a half. I also had the disappointment of Cabbage  Patch at the back of my mind!!

I was fortunate enough to have two buddies from the club to run with - Shaun and Luke. Luke has a PB of 75, but had run a hard cross country league fixture the day before, and had also notched up a long 12 km warm up as part of a session, and wanted some marathon pace milage, so decided to run with me. Shaun was also looking for a sub 80, and while his previous best was slower than mine, he has been running exceptionally well of late.

So the three of us ran together at the start. 

The start is actually quite narrow, so we made sure we got a good position. 

The first mile came in at 5:57 - a little quick, but there was a slight downhill, so didn't panic. Mile 2 was previously the fastest mile for me in this race, and coming in at 6:01 was pleasing - I felt I had found a good rhythm and was totally controlled.

The three of us were running abreast, stride for stride, and it felt great. My legs felt good, and the next 3 miles came in around 6 flat. At 5, Luke was beginning to flag, but both Shaun and I felt strong, so continued to press. Whilst I was a little scared that at this point we were averaging 5:59 per mile, I felt I had committed and wanted to hold. Part of me thought maybe the reason that the pace felt comfortable was that there could have been a tail wind - would we get it back on the long run in?

At 10km Shaun and I went through at 36:56, at which point Shaun put in a 5:30 mile - he was obviously feeling superb, and wanted to latch onto a group up in front. I was now on my own, but felt it way too early to be making any sort of dig like that. I gradually picked people off, got to 8 miles and saw that my pace had picked up. I was now averaging 5:58 per mile, and at this point realised that I would break 60 minutes for 10 miles if I was able to keep up this pace. That had been a long term goal of mine, so to do it in a half would be a fantastic achievement  for me.

I went through 10 in 59:38, and new that barring disaster I could hold on for a sub 80.

As it was,the last 5km was actually my quickest (18:23), and though I couldn't quite catch Shaun (77:44) I managed 78:03, an average pace of 5:57. Absolutely delighted with 2 new pb's, and how I paced it. I didn't set off too hard, but at a pace that felt comfortable and sustainable on the day in those conditions. 

Luke struggled home in 1:21, but considering what he had done previously, still a strong effort. He'll be looking for a 2:44 at London, so all things considered that was a job well done for him, as painful as it may have been!

2015 Targets

After considering 2014 as being a bit of a disappointment, I decided to change my approach to my running. I've always followed the Chasers running schedule, and enjoy running with the group over the various track, tempo and long run sessions that are organised weekly. 

However, to achieve my goals I would need to focus on how I can squeeze in key sessions around my busy work schedule. 

The early races for me post the cross country season were Wokingham Half and London Marathon in April. 

I also decided to do Seville Marathon, as a sort of tune up tempo run, 2 weeks after Wokingham, and 9 weeks before London. I felt this would be a great opportunity to get some target pacing in for London in a race environment, whilst having a fun weekend away in a sunnier climate.

The Training Plan

A number of club mates followed the Pfizinger and Douglas (or P & D) training plan, to great success over the past year. While I've been strategic about my training in the past, this takes it to a whole new level, with the focus being on the addition of midweek longer runs, longer tempo sessions, and less of the shorter track sessions that I had previously included. Whilst there are track sessions included, they usually form part of a long run (for instance, 9 miles general aerobic followed b 6x600's at 5km pace, or 10 miles followed by 10x100 strides).

There are different options to choose from, and I went with the 75-85 miles per week plan, as I feel to achieve my goals I need to keep the volume high. The plan was 18 weeks to Lindon, but I had managed about 6 weeks of good aerobic base work before that.

My Race Goals for 2015

Really, they are to improve across all distances. I have no distractions in terms of triathlon, and can focus purely on developing my running. So, they are as follows;

Marathon - Sub 2:50

Half Marathon - Sub 80

10 Mile - Sub 60

10km - Sub 36

5km - 16:4X

3000m - 9:4X

1 Mile - 4:5X

1500 - 4:30

800 - 2:15

2014 Review

2014 was a funny year for me. My major goals at the beginning of the year were based around improving my half marathon time, and I gave myself three opportunities, with Wokingham, Hampton Court and Paddock Wood.

Wokinghham was cancelled due to the weather, Hampton Court was a disaster due to Marshall sending everyone the wrong way, and Paddock Wood I struggled and finished 16 seconds outside my PB, at 1:20:55.

So not the start to the season I was after.

What did I learn? Probably that training for a marathon is the best way to improve your half marathon running times (and your 10 mile, 10km and 5km for that matter!!) - I simply didn't have the speed endurance that you pick up from doing the long 20 mile plus runs with tempo efforts thrown in.

I did, however, manage some track pb's, knotchong up the following;

5000m - 16:52 at Highgate invitation meet

3000m - 9:55 at Chasers Track Day

1 mile - 5:01 (twice, at a club session, and at the self Transcendance relays)

I had targeted two triathlons over the summer - Outlaw Half Ironman in Nottingham in June, followed by Frankfurt Ironman in July. Both fantastic races, with the latter being a real test. Whilst they were fun to race, triathlon training, particularly ironman training really affects my running, and it took me months to get some basic speed back, and yo a level that I was happy with. Unfortunately, a Plantar Fasciitis issue set me back further in September, and kept me out of action for 6 weeks.

The result being that my comeback race at Cabbage Patch 10 was a complete disaster, when at 4 miles I could no longer hold 6 min miling and had to jog back with a friend. 

The Cross Country season started, and whilst I do really enjoy it, I always struggle in the muddier, technical courses, as I see myself as more of a rhythm runner - I like to find my pace and stick to it! 

So, all in all, I felt a little disappointed - I had put in some solid blocks of training, but without getting enough milage in I wasn't getting the results I felt I could be capable of. 2015 will be different.