Thanks to Pyrros and especially Isabelle for the photo of me in action !
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10 years ago
25 October 2010
Photos
Just a few photos that Laurence has found, searching the web today for photos of us both. She has declared that the photos of her don't show her at her best
24 October 2010
Marathon de Toulouse
I haven't had any time to write my blog this week due to the activity going on at work, but it seems pretty pointless now that the marathon is run and all of this is superfluous. Needless to say I only went out twice during the week and both runs were very easy. So I benefitted from a good taper and was supposed to arrive fresh and ready to go for the marathon.
Neither Laurence nor I felt fresh and ready when we got up this morning. What had been a glorious, sunny, warm Autumn day on the Saturday when we arrived had turned into a grey drizzly cool Autumn day for the marathon. Not that we were complaining about this as it was very calm on the wind front and it was fairly ideal conditions for the race. Jean-Pierre drove us into Toulouse and we met up with some of his running friends from the St Sulpice club who were also taking part. I don't know what Jean-Pierre had been saying to them about me, but I felt a large weight of expectation on me as he explained that he wouldn't be able to take photos of me as I 'd be running too fast.
Anyway, I had more immediate problems to deal with as I tried to find somewhere to go to the toilet yet again that morning. I'd been preparing the marathon in the usual with with a carbo drink for 3 days to take on calories and energy in the muscles. I was now trying to empty my bladder of what felt like 3 litres of liquid before the race started. Apologies to the owners of the nice house in the centre of Toulouse but the entrance gate set back from the main street was just too tempting.
Laurence and I wished each other good luck and we went to our different starting pens. I met Gérald at this point and we discussed tactics. He was set on his 4:15 pace and going under 3 hours whereas I was going to attempt 4:08 pace and the 2:55 target. I set my Garmin and the virtual partner to this pace and I blocked the bezel in this mode. The gun went and we set off very easily. Gérald and I ran side by side with another runner from Bordeaux (Patrick Darche - 52 years old) who was also aiming for 2:55 but at 4:10 pace. The race is not a big affair compared to Paris or even La Rochelle as only 5000 runners were supposed to be taking part (the actual number of finishers was half this amount so there must have been many no-shows) and I was surprised by how long we were able to see the head of the race with the Kenyan contingent.
The course was flat and urban, and Gérald and I ran together until 6 kms when I had to stop for another pee stop (a nice white van this time ;) ). Patrick shouted out about errors of youth as he ran past and Gérald was just behind him. I lost 30 seconds for this manoeuvre but it was worth it as I soon felt a lot better and caught them both up a couple of kilometres further on. Gérald announced that he was stopping at this point to relieve himself and I just pushed on.
I'd set the Garmin to virtual partner mode and so I couldn't see the time just the gain I had on the target pace and by 10k, I was about 1 minute up, going through in 40:56. I was not looking too closely at my split times per km, but they were around the 4:00 mark at this point and I thought that I should pull back slightly, not wanting to burn myself out. A couple of runners passed me at this point, noticeable since they were both about 1.95m tall. I almost followed them until I saw that my splits were well above target pace and I let them both go. I felt very comfortable and was breathing very easily. It was the first time ever that I was able to judge my pace correctly, staying within my comfort zone and easing when I got carried away by the runners around me.
The next few kilometres were unremarkable: the scenery was still urban and I was running with a small group of 4 runners, trading places to lead the group. The lap times were still showing between 4:00 and 4:06 and I was happy just keeping it in this zone. The virtual partner was showing a lead of 1:40 at this point over the target pace, and I didn't want to push this any harder, worried that I'd go into the red and blow my race. I was concentrating on taking on liquid regularly since the marathon provided feeding stations not only every 5k but also water stations at every 2k and 7k (ie 7k,12k,17k, etc.). This was great and with the drizzle and the mild temperature of around 12°C, I felt very comfortable and not too sweaty. I was eating fruit jellies every 10k in order to keep up my sugar levels. All of this seemed to be working for the moment ...
We went through the half-marathon in just under 1:26 and then I saw Jean-Pierre at 22k who asked if I was still alright. He was waiting to accompany a friend from St Sulpice over the last half of the race and I just stuck my thumb up to show that I was still fine. There was a nice downhill section at this point and I managed a 3:59 over the kilometre as we started heading back to Toulouse through some more rural areas. I still felt good and wondered how long this could last. I had a 2:00 gain now and I was calculating just how much slower I could run and still beat the target. It was reassuring to know that I could still manage some mental arithmetic and that the energy levels weren't too low.
In fact, even at 30km I still hadn't hit the wall and wondered when this would happen. I'd left our little group behind and was running with a couple of younger runners, one of whom still had enough energy to talk. It was only at 35km that the fatigue began to set in. I'd been counting down the kilometres for a little while now and they seemed to be taking longer despite the Garmin still showing a 2:15 advantage and 4:06 pace. The split time came up for the 36th km : 4:15. Ok, so I was slowing, but I only had 6km to run and 2 minutes of leeway. I could drop to 4:28 pace and still beat 2:55. This encouraged me mentally (probably because I was still composed enough to calculate!) and I knew that despite the tiredness my pace was still strong.
The end of the marathon was long and I was eager to get it over with now. The kilometres went by regularly at about 4:08 pace and I knew I'd made it, I just had to get to the finish line. The last sentence sounds ridiculous, but this is exactly how I felt. I'd made the effort and done the job it was time to stop ! I just focused on maintaining the rhythm and not pushing too hard so as to avoid cramping in the thigh. I could feel the muscles hardening all over the leg, but most particularly down the inner thighs in both legs.
All of a sudden, Henry, Paul, Marion, Chloe and Isabelle shouted out to me and this was a great boost about 400m from the finish. I raised the pace to finish stronger and crossed the line in 2:53:27 and a new personal best. I wasn't even that shattered at the end - sure the legs were fatigued, but no cramps and I didn't feel the need to sit down and rest. Gérald crossed the line a few minutes later in 2:59:50 so he was happy too after the last 2 marathons in 3:01.
I had a massage and then a shower before watching Laurence finish in a new record time for her of 3:51:48. She did brilliantly, suffering a little towards the end, but still shaving 6 minutes off her PB. All thrilled to bits with our performances despite all the doubts we had beforehand. Great weekend all round.
PS. according to McMillan off my PB of 36:57 over 10k, he predicts 1:22:13 for a half-marathon, and 2:53:24 for a marathon. My times : 1:22:12 and 2:53:27 - the guy's a genius !!!
Neither Laurence nor I felt fresh and ready when we got up this morning. What had been a glorious, sunny, warm Autumn day on the Saturday when we arrived had turned into a grey drizzly cool Autumn day for the marathon. Not that we were complaining about this as it was very calm on the wind front and it was fairly ideal conditions for the race. Jean-Pierre drove us into Toulouse and we met up with some of his running friends from the St Sulpice club who were also taking part. I don't know what Jean-Pierre had been saying to them about me, but I felt a large weight of expectation on me as he explained that he wouldn't be able to take photos of me as I 'd be running too fast.
Anyway, I had more immediate problems to deal with as I tried to find somewhere to go to the toilet yet again that morning. I'd been preparing the marathon in the usual with with a carbo drink for 3 days to take on calories and energy in the muscles. I was now trying to empty my bladder of what felt like 3 litres of liquid before the race started. Apologies to the owners of the nice house in the centre of Toulouse but the entrance gate set back from the main street was just too tempting.
Laurence and I wished each other good luck and we went to our different starting pens. I met Gérald at this point and we discussed tactics. He was set on his 4:15 pace and going under 3 hours whereas I was going to attempt 4:08 pace and the 2:55 target. I set my Garmin and the virtual partner to this pace and I blocked the bezel in this mode. The gun went and we set off very easily. Gérald and I ran side by side with another runner from Bordeaux (Patrick Darche - 52 years old) who was also aiming for 2:55 but at 4:10 pace. The race is not a big affair compared to Paris or even La Rochelle as only 5000 runners were supposed to be taking part (the actual number of finishers was half this amount so there must have been many no-shows) and I was surprised by how long we were able to see the head of the race with the Kenyan contingent.
The course was flat and urban, and Gérald and I ran together until 6 kms when I had to stop for another pee stop (a nice white van this time ;) ). Patrick shouted out about errors of youth as he ran past and Gérald was just behind him. I lost 30 seconds for this manoeuvre but it was worth it as I soon felt a lot better and caught them both up a couple of kilometres further on. Gérald announced that he was stopping at this point to relieve himself and I just pushed on.
I'd set the Garmin to virtual partner mode and so I couldn't see the time just the gain I had on the target pace and by 10k, I was about 1 minute up, going through in 40:56. I was not looking too closely at my split times per km, but they were around the 4:00 mark at this point and I thought that I should pull back slightly, not wanting to burn myself out. A couple of runners passed me at this point, noticeable since they were both about 1.95m tall. I almost followed them until I saw that my splits were well above target pace and I let them both go. I felt very comfortable and was breathing very easily. It was the first time ever that I was able to judge my pace correctly, staying within my comfort zone and easing when I got carried away by the runners around me.
The next few kilometres were unremarkable: the scenery was still urban and I was running with a small group of 4 runners, trading places to lead the group. The lap times were still showing between 4:00 and 4:06 and I was happy just keeping it in this zone. The virtual partner was showing a lead of 1:40 at this point over the target pace, and I didn't want to push this any harder, worried that I'd go into the red and blow my race. I was concentrating on taking on liquid regularly since the marathon provided feeding stations not only every 5k but also water stations at every 2k and 7k (ie 7k,12k,17k, etc.). This was great and with the drizzle and the mild temperature of around 12°C, I felt very comfortable and not too sweaty. I was eating fruit jellies every 10k in order to keep up my sugar levels. All of this seemed to be working for the moment ...
We went through the half-marathon in just under 1:26 and then I saw Jean-Pierre at 22k who asked if I was still alright. He was waiting to accompany a friend from St Sulpice over the last half of the race and I just stuck my thumb up to show that I was still fine. There was a nice downhill section at this point and I managed a 3:59 over the kilometre as we started heading back to Toulouse through some more rural areas. I still felt good and wondered how long this could last. I had a 2:00 gain now and I was calculating just how much slower I could run and still beat the target. It was reassuring to know that I could still manage some mental arithmetic and that the energy levels weren't too low.
In fact, even at 30km I still hadn't hit the wall and wondered when this would happen. I'd left our little group behind and was running with a couple of younger runners, one of whom still had enough energy to talk. It was only at 35km that the fatigue began to set in. I'd been counting down the kilometres for a little while now and they seemed to be taking longer despite the Garmin still showing a 2:15 advantage and 4:06 pace. The split time came up for the 36th km : 4:15. Ok, so I was slowing, but I only had 6km to run and 2 minutes of leeway. I could drop to 4:28 pace and still beat 2:55. This encouraged me mentally (probably because I was still composed enough to calculate!) and I knew that despite the tiredness my pace was still strong.
The end of the marathon was long and I was eager to get it over with now. The kilometres went by regularly at about 4:08 pace and I knew I'd made it, I just had to get to the finish line. The last sentence sounds ridiculous, but this is exactly how I felt. I'd made the effort and done the job it was time to stop ! I just focused on maintaining the rhythm and not pushing too hard so as to avoid cramping in the thigh. I could feel the muscles hardening all over the leg, but most particularly down the inner thighs in both legs.
All of a sudden, Henry, Paul, Marion, Chloe and Isabelle shouted out to me and this was a great boost about 400m from the finish. I raised the pace to finish stronger and crossed the line in 2:53:27 and a new personal best. I wasn't even that shattered at the end - sure the legs were fatigued, but no cramps and I didn't feel the need to sit down and rest. Gérald crossed the line a few minutes later in 2:59:50 so he was happy too after the last 2 marathons in 3:01.
I had a massage and then a shower before watching Laurence finish in a new record time for her of 3:51:48. She did brilliantly, suffering a little towards the end, but still shaving 6 minutes off her PB. All thrilled to bits with our performances despite all the doubts we had beforehand. Great weekend all round.
PS. according to McMillan off my PB of 36:57 over 10k, he predicts 1:22:13 for a half-marathon, and 2:53:24 for a marathon. My times : 1:22:12 and 2:53:27 - the guy's a genius !!!
19 October 2010
Tapering
I spent Sunday morning in Taverny watching 3 teams from the club battle it out in an Ekiden.
I decided that since it was the last Sunday before the marathon that I wouldn't do a long run but take it easy and encourage the teams invloved in the regional Ekiden this weekend. I wasn't disappointed.
I love the atmosphere in these races. It's the team spirit and the encouraging of every runner in the team to do their best that is really gratifying. You have the time to see what is going on in the race (especially if you're not running...) and to boost everyone with a few words of encouragement or in my case to run alongside everyone for a few minutes to tell them how the others are doing and to try and encourage them in their race.
The end result was that the seniors beat the veterans in a hard fought race, with only the final runner really making the difference. Both the women and the verterans beat the qualifying times to take part in the French nationals, so with a bit of luck, I'll get to take part again.
Good runs from Nico (37:36) over 10k and Nick (18:58) and Gérald (18:02) over 5k. Good performance all around and I was proud to be there with my team-mates.
An easy run this morning with 11.5 km around the park in Maisons Laffitte with 3 kms run at marathon pace off 1' rest. I was happy to run at marathon pace, finding the right speed without too many difficulties this morning. Feels about right but still plenty of doubts as to how the hell I'm to keep this up over 42km. We'll see how it goes.
11.5km all up in 53:00 or an average of 4:36.
I decided that since it was the last Sunday before the marathon that I wouldn't do a long run but take it easy and encourage the teams invloved in the regional Ekiden this weekend. I wasn't disappointed.
I love the atmosphere in these races. It's the team spirit and the encouraging of every runner in the team to do their best that is really gratifying. You have the time to see what is going on in the race (especially if you're not running...) and to boost everyone with a few words of encouragement or in my case to run alongside everyone for a few minutes to tell them how the others are doing and to try and encourage them in their race.
The end result was that the seniors beat the veterans in a hard fought race, with only the final runner really making the difference. Both the women and the verterans beat the qualifying times to take part in the French nationals, so with a bit of luck, I'll get to take part again.
Good runs from Nico (37:36) over 10k and Nick (18:58) and Gérald (18:02) over 5k. Good performance all around and I was proud to be there with my team-mates.
An easy run this morning with 11.5 km around the park in Maisons Laffitte with 3 kms run at marathon pace off 1' rest. I was happy to run at marathon pace, finding the right speed without too many difficulties this morning. Feels about right but still plenty of doubts as to how the hell I'm to keep this up over 42km. We'll see how it goes.
11.5km all up in 53:00 or an average of 4:36.
16 October 2010
Slothful Saturday
Just a short run with Nick this morning as he's taking part in the Ekiden tomorrow at Taverny (together with Nico who'll be running in the Senior team). We jsut ran into the forest towards Cora and then turned back after about 3km.
We pushed the pace uphill along the forest path in order to get a bit of speed in before Nick's race tomorrow. I felt good all of the way around.
After I got back, Laurence and I accompanied Paul on his run to Chateau du Val and back. Paul is running better and better and every week he is showing some improvement. Today he ran the first kilometre up the hill in Le Mesnil in 5:42 and then ran the next kilometre at exactly the same speed. He sped up slightly for the third as the path flattened out and then descended slightly and slowed to 5:40 for the uphill section of the 4th kilometre.
I told him at this point that he was going to beat his record and I could see that he was concentrating on maintaining the pace and had a look of determination to beat the 40 minute barrier for the course (7.2km). We ran back into Le Mesnil and back along the road to finish. This was the only point in the course that he ran slower than last week (5:02 v. 4:50 a week ago) which also showed that his speed had been steadier and that he was tired to finish. No sprint this week at the end but a good time of 39:03 or an average of 5:30 per km. Good to see such an improvement and really pleased for him. If he continues to improve at this rate, he'll be leaving Laurence behind soon and me next ;o)
15km all up in 1:18. Very easy going today.
We pushed the pace uphill along the forest path in order to get a bit of speed in before Nick's race tomorrow. I felt good all of the way around.
After I got back, Laurence and I accompanied Paul on his run to Chateau du Val and back. Paul is running better and better and every week he is showing some improvement. Today he ran the first kilometre up the hill in Le Mesnil in 5:42 and then ran the next kilometre at exactly the same speed. He sped up slightly for the third as the path flattened out and then descended slightly and slowed to 5:40 for the uphill section of the 4th kilometre.
I told him at this point that he was going to beat his record and I could see that he was concentrating on maintaining the pace and had a look of determination to beat the 40 minute barrier for the course (7.2km). We ran back into Le Mesnil and back along the road to finish. This was the only point in the course that he ran slower than last week (5:02 v. 4:50 a week ago) which also showed that his speed had been steadier and that he was tired to finish. No sprint this week at the end but a good time of 39:03 or an average of 5:30 per km. Good to see such an improvement and really pleased for him. If he continues to improve at this rate, he'll be leaving Laurence behind soon and me next ;o)
15km all up in 1:18. Very easy going today.
15 October 2010
Easy Friday
Just a saunter around the park this morning. The weather was much more clement today as I had decided to wear running tights and a couple of layers just to ward off the cold. Typical.
I wore the Garmin but didn't look at it once and just concentrated on finding an easy pace and enjoying myself as I ran around the circuit this morning. I decided not to run for too long but to do the shortest route which I run nowadays: 10km. As I ran this morning I thought about how far I'd come in terms of running training to when I started where I would run 4 times a week and 7.5km most of the time. When I go training now, I never run under 10k and I run 6 times a week in preparation for the marathon. So how much faster do I run now ?
Well, when I moved up to 4 training sessions a week my record over 10k was 38:15. Since then I've been able to bring it down to 36:57 but at what price ? I hardly sleep any more, I run over 100km per week and I'm permanently shattered ... brilliant ! My marathon time has improved drastically reducing from 3:11 to 2:57 - to most people this has absolutely no significance whatsoever.
So why do we do it ? God knows.
10.1k all up in 45:58. Easy and enjoyable run.
I wore the Garmin but didn't look at it once and just concentrated on finding an easy pace and enjoying myself as I ran around the circuit this morning. I decided not to run for too long but to do the shortest route which I run nowadays: 10km. As I ran this morning I thought about how far I'd come in terms of running training to when I started where I would run 4 times a week and 7.5km most of the time. When I go training now, I never run under 10k and I run 6 times a week in preparation for the marathon. So how much faster do I run now ?
Well, when I moved up to 4 training sessions a week my record over 10k was 38:15. Since then I've been able to bring it down to 36:57 but at what price ? I hardly sleep any more, I run over 100km per week and I'm permanently shattered ... brilliant ! My marathon time has improved drastically reducing from 3:11 to 2:57 - to most people this has absolutely no significance whatsoever.
So why do we do it ? God knows.
10.1k all up in 45:58. Easy and enjoyable run.
14 October 2010
8x1000m
Well it was another cold morning today but since I was better prepared I had my running jacket on and felt better. If the temperature keeps dropping like it has done lately then I'll be wearing gloves too before long.
The programme for today was 6x1km at 4:15 pace. This is marathon pace for a 3 hour marathon but since I want to try and run 2:55, I decided that I would run my intervals at 4:08 pace just to see. I wasn(t too worried about this session as it's not too exhausting to run at this pace, especially with a 200m recovery after every interval.
I set off around the usual route and started my intervals after a slow 1km warm-up. I misjudged the pace for the first interval as I completed this in 3:58. In fact, I realised that I don't have a clue about my marathon pace or how I'm going to find it running at this speed. I slowed down a little after then and ran the next few intervals at a pace I felt easy with. The recoveries went well and last 1:20 on average and it was never a problem to set off on the intervals again.
When I was on my 6th interval, I decided that since I felt so good, I would just carry on and run a couple more. This made up for the shorter session on Tuesday.
The intervals went as follows:
3:58, 4:06, 4:02, 3:53, 3:56, 3:57, 3:55, 3:59
So slightly too fast overall but I was enjoying myself and feeling very strong at the moment. Fingers crossed.
12.5km all up in 56:03 or an average of 4:28.
The programme for today was 6x1km at 4:15 pace. This is marathon pace for a 3 hour marathon but since I want to try and run 2:55, I decided that I would run my intervals at 4:08 pace just to see. I wasn(t too worried about this session as it's not too exhausting to run at this pace, especially with a 200m recovery after every interval.
I set off around the usual route and started my intervals after a slow 1km warm-up. I misjudged the pace for the first interval as I completed this in 3:58. In fact, I realised that I don't have a clue about my marathon pace or how I'm going to find it running at this speed. I slowed down a little after then and ran the next few intervals at a pace I felt easy with. The recoveries went well and last 1:20 on average and it was never a problem to set off on the intervals again.
When I was on my 6th interval, I decided that since I felt so good, I would just carry on and run a couple more. This made up for the shorter session on Tuesday.
The intervals went as follows:
3:58, 4:06, 4:02, 3:53, 3:56, 3:57, 3:55, 3:59
So slightly too fast overall but I was enjoying myself and feeling very strong at the moment. Fingers crossed.
12.5km all up in 56:03 or an average of 4:28.
13 October 2010
Wednesday recovery run
It was a lot colder this morning than it has been lately. The temperature had dropped to 5°C on the thermometer and it was only when I'd run a few hundred metres that I thought I might actually be a little under-dressed for this sort of weather. It was too late by then and I carried on regretting my running jacket for the next 5 kilometres while I warmed up.
I felt good as soon as I started out. I had energy in my legs and this was probably the result of the speed session on the track last night. I didn't start too fast as this was supposed to be a recovery run but as I arrived in the park in Maisons Laffitte, I felt absolutely fantastic and just enjoyed myself by stretching my legs and bounding along the gravel path down towards the castle.
I started the run at 4:40 pace and gradually built up to 4:20 pace in the park before finishing downhill at 4:00 pace.
12.8 km all up in 56:30 or an average of 4:25 pace over the distance. Great run and if I feel like this in the marathon, it'll be a breeze!
I felt good as soon as I started out. I had energy in my legs and this was probably the result of the speed session on the track last night. I didn't start too fast as this was supposed to be a recovery run but as I arrived in the park in Maisons Laffitte, I felt absolutely fantastic and just enjoyed myself by stretching my legs and bounding along the gravel path down towards the castle.
I started the run at 4:40 pace and gradually built up to 4:20 pace in the park before finishing downhill at 4:00 pace.
12.8 km all up in 56:30 or an average of 4:25 pace over the distance. Great run and if I feel like this in the marathon, it'll be a breeze!
12 October 2010
Club session
I was able to get out of work at a reasonable time and made it to the club with plenty of time to spare. It was a lovely evening with the sun shining in a perfectly blue sky and the temperature hovering around 16°C at 6:30pm.
It was a real pleasure to get to the club session and to see most of my running colleagues who I haven't seen in a while: Nico, Miguel, Thierry, Jean-Marc and then Gérald. I instantly went over to Gérald to congraulate him on running the last 10k race in 36:45, beating my record by 12 seconds in the process. Respect. He's in fantastic shape at the moment and I'm sure that he's going to finally beat his marathon record and beat 3:00 for the first time ever in Toulouse. I'm really pleased that I'm going to be there to see it too.
The programme for the evening was a VMA test over 2k on the track. I had brought my Saucony Kinvara in case anyone was interested in running this seriously but Nico, Jean-Marc et al were all resting after racing at the weekend and nobody seemed bothered. Only Gérald facnied doing some speedwork and suggested running the 2 k after we did a warm-up over 1k to begin with.
We ran our normal warm-up with the rest of the club and then Gérald and I joined the back of the VMA test over 1.5k for the slightly slower runners. We started at the back and then worked our way to the front over 1000m, finally finishing in 3:35. This was for the warm-up as we then lined up for a 2k time trial with a few others: Charles, Nick B, Gérard and a couple of younger, faster runners.
Gérald said that we were only to treat this as training as we were to run more 1k intervals afterwards. I wasn't convinced and wanted to run a reasonable time without killing myself in the process. The 2 young lads (Romain and someone) set off fast and after 150m I pulled out and started running 5 metres behind them. Gérald was just behind me and we went through the first lap in 78s. The second lap was more of the same, passing the 800m in 2:38 with Garld on my tail and then on the third lap Gérald went past me and I didn't have the motivation to follow him. We went through 1200m in 4:02 and then I lost count on the fourth lap of the split. I could feel my legs tightening with lactate over the last lap and I knew that I lack this sort of speed training at the moment. I spend too much time running intervals by myself and not against others. I managed to stay close to Gérald to finish just behind him over the 2k in 6:49 while he finished in 6:46. Not bad for some interval training.
We ran another few kilometres after at just below 15km/h to wind down !
10.5k all up in 52 minutes or an average of 5:03. Good to see everyone and shame that Nico didn't want to take part in the test. Big event will be on Thursday when the really fast guys (Mohammed, Tom, etc.) do their VMA test. Wish I could be there.
It was a real pleasure to get to the club session and to see most of my running colleagues who I haven't seen in a while: Nico, Miguel, Thierry, Jean-Marc and then Gérald. I instantly went over to Gérald to congraulate him on running the last 10k race in 36:45, beating my record by 12 seconds in the process. Respect. He's in fantastic shape at the moment and I'm sure that he's going to finally beat his marathon record and beat 3:00 for the first time ever in Toulouse. I'm really pleased that I'm going to be there to see it too.
The programme for the evening was a VMA test over 2k on the track. I had brought my Saucony Kinvara in case anyone was interested in running this seriously but Nico, Jean-Marc et al were all resting after racing at the weekend and nobody seemed bothered. Only Gérald facnied doing some speedwork and suggested running the 2 k after we did a warm-up over 1k to begin with.
We ran our normal warm-up with the rest of the club and then Gérald and I joined the back of the VMA test over 1.5k for the slightly slower runners. We started at the back and then worked our way to the front over 1000m, finally finishing in 3:35. This was for the warm-up as we then lined up for a 2k time trial with a few others: Charles, Nick B, Gérard and a couple of younger, faster runners.
Gérald said that we were only to treat this as training as we were to run more 1k intervals afterwards. I wasn't convinced and wanted to run a reasonable time without killing myself in the process. The 2 young lads (Romain and someone) set off fast and after 150m I pulled out and started running 5 metres behind them. Gérald was just behind me and we went through the first lap in 78s. The second lap was more of the same, passing the 800m in 2:38 with Garld on my tail and then on the third lap Gérald went past me and I didn't have the motivation to follow him. We went through 1200m in 4:02 and then I lost count on the fourth lap of the split. I could feel my legs tightening with lactate over the last lap and I knew that I lack this sort of speed training at the moment. I spend too much time running intervals by myself and not against others. I managed to stay close to Gérald to finish just behind him over the 2k in 6:49 while he finished in 6:46. Not bad for some interval training.
We ran another few kilometres after at just below 15km/h to wind down !
10.5k all up in 52 minutes or an average of 5:03. Good to see everyone and shame that Nico didn't want to take part in the test. Big event will be on Thursday when the really fast guys (Mohammed, Tom, etc.) do their VMA test. Wish I could be there.
10 October 2010
Long Sunday Run (LSR)
It was hard to get out of bed after a night out last night and getting back to bed late. We decided not to set the alarm and it was 10 o'clock when we finally got up.
Laurence and I both decided to run our long runs this morning as this was the last one scheduled before the marathon in 2 weeks time. I had been so disappointed with my run last Sunday that I decided to run the same course and to just run it steadily to see how I would fare.
I set off slowly so as not to burn myself out too early and ran the first kilometre into the forest in 5 minutes. I sped up gradually from then on getting to the top of Princess Road in 52:30 almost a minute faster than last week. Despite this faster time, I felt a lot more energy and I didn't stop at all pulling a chocolate bar from the rucksack as I ran (no mean feat either as I fumbled with the zip for a good 3 or 4 minutes) and eating this with a slurp from the Camelbak.
I didn't try and attempt any intervals this week but carried on running steadily, just accelerating slightly to around 4:20 pace. I maintained this speed to Feucherolles and then sped up again downhill before easing as I hit the hill out of St Nom la Breteche. This in fact was my slowest kilometre at 5:08 and I could feel the fatigue settling in. I had some more water and took on sugar and I instantly felt better again. This was probably the best managed run I've achieved in taking on solids and I need to remember this for the marathon.
Back up to marathon speed (4:14) along the plateau and then a fast descent into St Germain (3:50) before another long slog up into St Germain and back to marathon speed through the forest to finish. I was pleased with my speed at the end despite the tiredness which just goes to proved what you can achieve when you think you're beat.
33.5 km all up in 2:31 or 4:31 average per kilometre. This brings my total mileage for the week to 103 km and a nice taper now for the next 2 weeks. I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
Laurence and I both decided to run our long runs this morning as this was the last one scheduled before the marathon in 2 weeks time. I had been so disappointed with my run last Sunday that I decided to run the same course and to just run it steadily to see how I would fare.
I set off slowly so as not to burn myself out too early and ran the first kilometre into the forest in 5 minutes. I sped up gradually from then on getting to the top of Princess Road in 52:30 almost a minute faster than last week. Despite this faster time, I felt a lot more energy and I didn't stop at all pulling a chocolate bar from the rucksack as I ran (no mean feat either as I fumbled with the zip for a good 3 or 4 minutes) and eating this with a slurp from the Camelbak.
I didn't try and attempt any intervals this week but carried on running steadily, just accelerating slightly to around 4:20 pace. I maintained this speed to Feucherolles and then sped up again downhill before easing as I hit the hill out of St Nom la Breteche. This in fact was my slowest kilometre at 5:08 and I could feel the fatigue settling in. I had some more water and took on sugar and I instantly felt better again. This was probably the best managed run I've achieved in taking on solids and I need to remember this for the marathon.
Back up to marathon speed (4:14) along the plateau and then a fast descent into St Germain (3:50) before another long slog up into St Germain and back to marathon speed through the forest to finish. I was pleased with my speed at the end despite the tiredness which just goes to proved what you can achieve when you think you're beat.
33.5 km all up in 2:31 or 4:31 average per kilometre. This brings my total mileage for the week to 103 km and a nice taper now for the next 2 weeks. I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
9 October 2010
Cora and back again
Well, despite Nick and my attempts to get a band of running brothers to join us for this morning's jog to Cora and back, once again we were left to ourselves. The excuses are getting worse and worse: Paul was home alone, Andy is still disabled with a bad back, Nico is running a race tomorrow and Didier had a meeting with a banker... pathetic ! This last excuse is especially poor, since Didier spends all week with bankers. Why on earth he wants to meet them at the weekend too is beyond me.
Nick and I had a good run to Cora, setting off easily enough and chatting to each other before the chatting become quieter and quieter and we were at 4:20 pace. Having noticed this appearing on the Garmin, I asked Nick if he was easy at this pace because I certainly wasn't. He replied that he thought that with my marathon training, that 4:20 pace was now a natural easy pace! I'm a long way off this yet so we slowed down immediately.
The rest of the run was run between 4:35 and 4:45 pace, slowing down slightly for the uphill sections. It was a really fantastic morning with a temperature around 14°C and clear blue skies. It couldn't have been more ideal for running.
I dropped Nick at his house and was running home to finish the 15k circuit in 1:11 when I saw Laurence and Paul heading off up Rue de La Marne at the start of Paul's weekly run to chateau du Val and back. Paul beckoned for me to join him so we all ran together into the forest.
This is Paul's 4th run since he's started his weekly commitment to run 7km around Chateau du Val to keep fit. We ran the first kilometre in 6:00 this morning which is already a vast improvement on the first couple of times I'd run with him. He looked a lot fresher and easier and we carried on into the forest where he ran the following kilometres slightly faster at around 5:50 pace. He didn't get a stitch this time and was motivated to beat his record of 44:26 for the course.
We were well ahead of schedule with 2km to go and he sped up from there on to the finish. There was even a sprint finish to complete in 40:01 so we were all really pleased with this result. A new record for him.
I completed my run then of 21.5km in 1:48. Not bad for an easy Saturday run. I'll run with the club tomorrow for my long Sunday run. Lovely day afterwards with an easy lunch on the patio and temperatures in the mid 20°s C. Good start to the weekend.
Nick and I had a good run to Cora, setting off easily enough and chatting to each other before the chatting become quieter and quieter and we were at 4:20 pace. Having noticed this appearing on the Garmin, I asked Nick if he was easy at this pace because I certainly wasn't. He replied that he thought that with my marathon training, that 4:20 pace was now a natural easy pace! I'm a long way off this yet so we slowed down immediately.
The rest of the run was run between 4:35 and 4:45 pace, slowing down slightly for the uphill sections. It was a really fantastic morning with a temperature around 14°C and clear blue skies. It couldn't have been more ideal for running.
I dropped Nick at his house and was running home to finish the 15k circuit in 1:11 when I saw Laurence and Paul heading off up Rue de La Marne at the start of Paul's weekly run to chateau du Val and back. Paul beckoned for me to join him so we all ran together into the forest.
This is Paul's 4th run since he's started his weekly commitment to run 7km around Chateau du Val to keep fit. We ran the first kilometre in 6:00 this morning which is already a vast improvement on the first couple of times I'd run with him. He looked a lot fresher and easier and we carried on into the forest where he ran the following kilometres slightly faster at around 5:50 pace. He didn't get a stitch this time and was motivated to beat his record of 44:26 for the course.
We were well ahead of schedule with 2km to go and he sped up from there on to the finish. There was even a sprint finish to complete in 40:01 so we were all really pleased with this result. A new record for him.
I completed my run then of 21.5km in 1:48. Not bad for an easy Saturday run. I'll run with the club tomorrow for my long Sunday run. Lovely day afterwards with an easy lunch on the patio and temperatures in the mid 20°s C. Good start to the weekend.
8 October 2010
20x400m
I got back from Stockholm and from work on Thursday too late to make it to the club session so I skipped my Thursday run and postponed it to this morning. It is probably the hardest session I have left before the marathon and I can't say that I was looking forward to it.
The programme was to run 20x400m in 90 seconds off 200m recovery. This, together with a warm-up and a warm-down, would have amounted to well over 14 km and so I decided to reduce the recovery to 150m and save a kilometre over the total distance.
I set off in some of the mildest temperatures Le Mesnil has seen for a while. It was very humid with a mist hanging over the Seine when I got down there for the warm-up, but the temperature was probably around 15°C even at 6:00 am.
I started the session after a kilometre warm-up and ran the first 400m at an even tempo not wanting to burn myself out too quickly. I tried to relax my upper body as suggested in Tom's blog and Dave Sweeney's and this works well if you can remember to keep doing it on every interval. After about the first 4 intervals, it is more a matter of pushing the legs over and trying to keep a regular pace without over-exerting yourself.
The intervals went like this:
1:27, 1:25, 1:28, 1:24, 1:25, 1:29, 1:26, 1:25, 1:28, 1:27
1:25, 1:28, 1:27, 1:28, 1:27, 1:25, 1:26, 1:29, 1:28, 1:28
The recovery was constant at a minute off each interval. Pleased with the consistency but these would have all been faster around a track. It's hard to motivate yourself when you are not sure exactly how far you still have to run and to adjust your pace accordingly. I always tend to keep some energy in reserve just in case.
Pleased when it was all over anyway. Completely exhausted and sweating buckets at the end.
13.6k all up in 1:02 or an average of 4:35 per kilometre.Weighed in at 74.6kg after the run so have lost about 1.5kg with my marathon training.
The programme was to run 20x400m in 90 seconds off 200m recovery. This, together with a warm-up and a warm-down, would have amounted to well over 14 km and so I decided to reduce the recovery to 150m and save a kilometre over the total distance.
I set off in some of the mildest temperatures Le Mesnil has seen for a while. It was very humid with a mist hanging over the Seine when I got down there for the warm-up, but the temperature was probably around 15°C even at 6:00 am.
I started the session after a kilometre warm-up and ran the first 400m at an even tempo not wanting to burn myself out too quickly. I tried to relax my upper body as suggested in Tom's blog and Dave Sweeney's and this works well if you can remember to keep doing it on every interval. After about the first 4 intervals, it is more a matter of pushing the legs over and trying to keep a regular pace without over-exerting yourself.
The intervals went like this:
1:27, 1:25, 1:28, 1:24, 1:25, 1:29, 1:26, 1:25, 1:28, 1:27
1:25, 1:28, 1:27, 1:28, 1:27, 1:25, 1:26, 1:29, 1:28, 1:28
The recovery was constant at a minute off each interval. Pleased with the consistency but these would have all been faster around a track. It's hard to motivate yourself when you are not sure exactly how far you still have to run and to adjust your pace accordingly. I always tend to keep some energy in reserve just in case.
Pleased when it was all over anyway. Completely exhausted and sweating buckets at the end.
13.6k all up in 1:02 or an average of 4:35 per kilometre.Weighed in at 74.6kg after the run so have lost about 1.5kg with my marathon training.
Stockholm again
Wednesday morning saw me back in Stockholm again for an easy, early morning run.
Stockholm after the equinox is amazing. I was looking at the weather forecast on Swedish television, without understanding very much at all I must add, until they got to the end and showed the times of sunrise and sunset. For that Wednesday, Stockholm was losing 18 minutes of sunlight compared to the previous day. The north of Sweden was losing 24 minutes of sunlight. The last time I was there, I was rudely awoken by sun streaming in through my window at 4:30 am. This time I went running at 6:00 am and it was pitch black.
I chose my longer run in Stockholm. Since I only have 2 runs that I know well and the short one is only 7 k, I picked the longer one for my recovery run and very pleasant it was. There are loads of stairs and uphill on this run, so the recovery is perhaps not quite as complete as I could have wished but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
12km all up in 57 minutes. Very relaxing.
Stockholm after the equinox is amazing. I was looking at the weather forecast on Swedish television, without understanding very much at all I must add, until they got to the end and showed the times of sunrise and sunset. For that Wednesday, Stockholm was losing 18 minutes of sunlight compared to the previous day. The north of Sweden was losing 24 minutes of sunlight. The last time I was there, I was rudely awoken by sun streaming in through my window at 4:30 am. This time I went running at 6:00 am and it was pitch black.
I chose my longer run in Stockholm. Since I only have 2 runs that I know well and the short one is only 7 k, I picked the longer one for my recovery run and very pleasant it was. There are loads of stairs and uphill on this run, so the recovery is perhaps not quite as complete as I could have wished but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
12km all up in 57 minutes. Very relaxing.
5 October 2010
3x2000m
Early morning interval session planned for this morning of 3 x 2000m off 2' recovery. Each 2km was supposed to be run in 8:20 so just slightly faster than marathon pace.
I set off feeling fairly good about the session as it's easier than the last few outings have been. 2km in 8:20 is not quite relaxed but it's not a strenuous effort and so 3 intervals at this pace was not daunting.
I warmed up down to the 1km mark and then set off on the first interval. I ran at what I considered to be a brisk pace but without killing myself. When I went past the first kilometre, the Garmin beeped and I read what I thought to be 4:12. I thought that I'd been taking it slightly too easily so I stepped up the pace slightly and ran harder to the end fo the first interval, completing the second kilometre in 3:53. It was only when I got back to the house at the end that I saw that the first kilometre had actually read 4:01 !
I was able to recover well after 2 minutes and had even started building the pace up again before the end of the recovery. Off I set again completing the next 2 kilometres in 3:57 and 3:59. Another 2 minutes recovery and the final interval was run in 3:54 and 3:57.
Very pleased with the overall result, running each of the intervals in under 8 minutes off 2' recovery and after the third interval, I seriously thought about running a fourth interval for a little while before reasoning that I have a 20 x 400m session to do on Thursday and burning myself out early would not be wise.
12 km all up in 53 minutes.
I set off feeling fairly good about the session as it's easier than the last few outings have been. 2km in 8:20 is not quite relaxed but it's not a strenuous effort and so 3 intervals at this pace was not daunting.
I warmed up down to the 1km mark and then set off on the first interval. I ran at what I considered to be a brisk pace but without killing myself. When I went past the first kilometre, the Garmin beeped and I read what I thought to be 4:12. I thought that I'd been taking it slightly too easily so I stepped up the pace slightly and ran harder to the end fo the first interval, completing the second kilometre in 3:53. It was only when I got back to the house at the end that I saw that the first kilometre had actually read 4:01 !
I was able to recover well after 2 minutes and had even started building the pace up again before the end of the recovery. Off I set again completing the next 2 kilometres in 3:57 and 3:59. Another 2 minutes recovery and the final interval was run in 3:54 and 3:57.
Very pleased with the overall result, running each of the intervals in under 8 minutes off 2' recovery and after the third interval, I seriously thought about running a fourth interval for a little while before reasoning that I have a 20 x 400m session to do on Thursday and burning myself out early would not be wise.
12 km all up in 53 minutes.
4 October 2010
Easy Monday
A 50 minute recovery run was planned for this morning, and I was happy that today at least I was able to follow the plan to the letter ;o)
An early morning start which saw me outside at 6:00am in relatively mild weather (16°C) and a light drizzle. The first few steps convinced me that I wouldn't be able to go hard as I could feel my thigh muscles after yesterday's run. More worrying, was the slight discomfort, pain would be too strong a word, that I was registering in both my knees.
I kept the pace easy and started the first kilometre in just under 5 minutes (4:50) and then maintained this pace all the way round. Breathing was very easy and no strain but the legs were tired. I'm looking forward to the end of this week's training and an easing of the programme over the last 2 weeks in the run up to the marathon.
Nobody was out today, the rain having put all of them off presumably, and I day-dreamed as I ran around.
10.3 km all up in 49 minutes. Good recovery.
An early morning start which saw me outside at 6:00am in relatively mild weather (16°C) and a light drizzle. The first few steps convinced me that I wouldn't be able to go hard as I could feel my thigh muscles after yesterday's run. More worrying, was the slight discomfort, pain would be too strong a word, that I was registering in both my knees.
I kept the pace easy and started the first kilometre in just under 5 minutes (4:50) and then maintained this pace all the way round. Breathing was very easy and no strain but the legs were tired. I'm looking forward to the end of this week's training and an easing of the programme over the last 2 weeks in the run up to the marathon.
Nobody was out today, the rain having put all of them off presumably, and I day-dreamed as I ran around.
10.3 km all up in 49 minutes. Good recovery.
3 October 2010
Trying times
It was the long Sunday run for today and in my head I'd planned the same run that I did at this stage of my marathon training for Paris: a 4x20' at marathon pace plus.
I can't say that I was looking forward to it. I knew that it would be draining from an energy point of view but it would also be a big confidence booster if I was able to do better than in March. I set out with Laurence on the bike carrying all of the water and sugar tablets and a fruit bar. It's so much easier when you don't have to carry all of the equipment yourself and I was really appreciative of having Laurence with me.
I set out steadily, completing the first kilometre in 5:00 dead and then speeding up to around 4:35 pace. I carried on like this until Princess Road finishing the last 2 kilometres of uphill in 5:13 for each. I was already a little disappointed by this pace as when I'd run with Nick at the end of August, we made it to the top of Princess Road without going below 12km/h (5:00 per km pace).
I was tired at the top and after a quick drink of water, I carried on and began to start my first 20' interval. I was running well but found it tiring: after the first interval the garmin beeped to say that I'd run the kilometre in 3:44 - this was too fast. I eased off and ran the next kilometres in 4:16, 4:08, 4:04. This was definitely better but still an effort.
I slowed for a 3' recovery and then set off again. I only managed 5' before the effort required was too much and I gave it all up as a bad job. I wasn't ready for this sort of effort and I relaxed into around 4:30 pace. I caught up with a couple of runners at this point and discovered that it was Bruno with a friend. I ran past them, after saying hello, and carried on at about 4:30 pace downhill. As I entered St Nom La Breteche I slowed again up some small hills. I was completely shattered already after 20km (1:30) and even the smallest slope was slowing me to under 12km/h.
I entered the town centre of St Nom La Breteche and at this point I'd had enough. I walked and was completely disappointed with myself. I thought that I was in better shape than this and I couldn't understand why I was letting myself down. The 4x20' had disappeared completely as an objective and now all I could think about was getting back without pinching Laurence's bike!
I started jogging again and once I was up the hill on the plateau before St Germain, I began to run at 4:30 pace again. I sped up slightly down the hill and managed to run the rest of the route at around 4:30 pace.
33.4km all up in 2:34 or an average of 4:35 per km. Cross with myself for not having done better but satisfied that I managed to complete the distance. 3 weeks to the marathon and still plenty of doubts as to my ability at the moment. Biggest problem is still lack of sleep and I need to recover better if I'm going to run well in Toulouse.
About 86km for this week's training.
I can't say that I was looking forward to it. I knew that it would be draining from an energy point of view but it would also be a big confidence booster if I was able to do better than in March. I set out with Laurence on the bike carrying all of the water and sugar tablets and a fruit bar. It's so much easier when you don't have to carry all of the equipment yourself and I was really appreciative of having Laurence with me.
I set out steadily, completing the first kilometre in 5:00 dead and then speeding up to around 4:35 pace. I carried on like this until Princess Road finishing the last 2 kilometres of uphill in 5:13 for each. I was already a little disappointed by this pace as when I'd run with Nick at the end of August, we made it to the top of Princess Road without going below 12km/h (5:00 per km pace).
I was tired at the top and after a quick drink of water, I carried on and began to start my first 20' interval. I was running well but found it tiring: after the first interval the garmin beeped to say that I'd run the kilometre in 3:44 - this was too fast. I eased off and ran the next kilometres in 4:16, 4:08, 4:04. This was definitely better but still an effort.
I slowed for a 3' recovery and then set off again. I only managed 5' before the effort required was too much and I gave it all up as a bad job. I wasn't ready for this sort of effort and I relaxed into around 4:30 pace. I caught up with a couple of runners at this point and discovered that it was Bruno with a friend. I ran past them, after saying hello, and carried on at about 4:30 pace downhill. As I entered St Nom La Breteche I slowed again up some small hills. I was completely shattered already after 20km (1:30) and even the smallest slope was slowing me to under 12km/h.
I entered the town centre of St Nom La Breteche and at this point I'd had enough. I walked and was completely disappointed with myself. I thought that I was in better shape than this and I couldn't understand why I was letting myself down. The 4x20' had disappeared completely as an objective and now all I could think about was getting back without pinching Laurence's bike!
I started jogging again and once I was up the hill on the plateau before St Germain, I began to run at 4:30 pace again. I sped up slightly down the hill and managed to run the rest of the route at around 4:30 pace.
33.4km all up in 2:34 or an average of 4:35 per km. Cross with myself for not having done better but satisfied that I managed to complete the distance. 3 weeks to the marathon and still plenty of doubts as to my ability at the moment. Biggest problem is still lack of sleep and I need to recover better if I'm going to run well in Toulouse.
About 86km for this week's training.
2 October 2010
Saturday run
The usual run to Cora again today with Nick for company. All our other running mates were busy, injured or away. It was nice to just chat to Nick easily and we ran easily at 4:40 pace to begin with, building to 4:30 pace by the time we got to Cora.
It was a warm morning, with a temperature hovering around 16°C. It also looked very dark and the risk of a sudden downpour was high. Both Nick and I had donned set seather gear to begin with but when the rain didn't materialise, we stripped these off as it was too warm. This may explain why I found the pace so tiring, but more likely are the late nights, lack of sleep, and high mileage I've been racking up lately.
Still the run was mostly uneventful until we crossed the railway line on the way home, after Pavillon de la Muette. I went to take a small path to the left and put my foot on a length of kerbing, only to find it slide away from under me and finding myself falling. I put out my hands to break my fall but I rolled over a couple of times before I came to a stop. Nothing hurt, except for the jarring in my neck which was not the ideal way to deal with my current problems here. Nick was impressed and after checking if I was alright mentioned how the fall was quite spectacular.
No more mishaps after this. 15km all up in 1:11 or an average pace of 4:46 per km.
It was a warm morning, with a temperature hovering around 16°C. It also looked very dark and the risk of a sudden downpour was high. Both Nick and I had donned set seather gear to begin with but when the rain didn't materialise, we stripped these off as it was too warm. This may explain why I found the pace so tiring, but more likely are the late nights, lack of sleep, and high mileage I've been racking up lately.
Still the run was mostly uneventful until we crossed the railway line on the way home, after Pavillon de la Muette. I went to take a small path to the left and put my foot on a length of kerbing, only to find it slide away from under me and finding myself falling. I put out my hands to break my fall but I rolled over a couple of times before I came to a stop. Nothing hurt, except for the jarring in my neck which was not the ideal way to deal with my current problems here. Nick was impressed and after checking if I was alright mentioned how the fall was quite spectacular.
No more mishaps after this. 15km all up in 1:11 or an average pace of 4:46 per km.
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