1h30 @ 70% MHR

We were in Belgium for the weekend celebrating a wedding and this run was set for Sunday morning after a late night, little sleep and a heavy run yesterday. It was not the most enticing prospect when I was woken at 7:30 am by the alarm to get the run in before breakfast.

I felt lousy for the first few paces. When I say lousy, I mean really useless. My legs were like lead, my heart wasn't in it and I just wanted to finish before I'd even started. It was only my commitment to the marathon training programme that kept me going. I had 90 minutes to do and I only thought about running as comfortably as possible and perhaps running 18km for the session, it was that bad. My Garmin showed 4'49" for the first kilometre and I was actually pleased. It felt as though I was running slower than 6' km pace and this was a distinct improvement. I thought that I'd try and improve slightly on this as I went on but it was going to be tough.

I was very tired too. The lack of sleep meant that I was running with one eye closed. Luckily the terrain was flat and my pace was steady gradually improving to 4'35" pace over the first 10 kilometres. I turned around and headed back the way I came hoping not to get lost in the process as I'd taken many small roads and numerous junctions for the first half. It was about now that I decided that I could possibly run 19km, despite having turned around at just over 9km.

The speed improved inversely proportional to the weather. As the rain got heavier, I moved faster and by the time I finished I'd actually run just over 20km in 1h29'47". Good to finally relax and enjoy my Sunday now.

2h40 with 3 x 30' @ 85% MHR

A long run in perspective for this monster session where we begin to train at marathon pace. I can't say that I was looking forward to this but then I haven't been looking forward to any of the training runs on this marathon programme really. I was lucky enough to have Laurence to accompany me on the bike and she agreed to carry the water and food bars so that was a one worry less, having to manage a rucksack too.

I set off easily on a cool, damp morning and ran through the forest at around 4'45" pace until the club and then through the forest on the other side of St Germain and up Princess Road. I calculated that with over 90 minutes of effort the usual long loop was going to be too short if I started from the top so I changed my intended rout with a double back to St Gemme before heading back down Princess Road home.

I set off from the top of Princess Road as planned and the sensations were fairly good. I definitely wasn't comfortable at this pace but I wasn't distressed either. It was hard work but manageable. Laurence kept a close look at the watch for the 30' and when she called time, I was almost at St Nom la Breteche after 7.7km of running and an average pace of 3'52" / km. The second interval was going to be harder as I would have to run uphill to start.

The uphill section was hard after this initial effort and the first kilometre was managed in 4'29". I almost gave up there and then but I reached the top of the hill back towards St Gemme and I thought I'd see how it panned out along the flat. My pace went up to under 4'00/km and I carried on. It was easier now but definitely harder than the first interval. I gritted my teeth and ran to the end of the 30' finishing on the uphill just before the flat section at the top of Princess Road. 3'57" / km average pace for this section.

Another 5' recovery and some more water and cereal bars and I set off again. I started on the flat section and after the first kilometre headed down Princess Road where I ran a couple of kilometres at 3'35" pace. The hill up to the Lycée slowed me down but I still covered the kilometre in under 4 minutes and I ran on until just after the club before stopping. An average pace of 3'50" over this section, aided by the downhill of Princess Road.

39.5 km all up in just over 2h52 so an average pace of 4'22" for the session. Pleased to have finished and happy with the distance.

20 x 500m

It was that time again. The classic session in every marathon training that I've done for 4 years now: the 20 x 500m interval session. It's like a hump in the back of the marathon training programme, probably the worst session of the plan, and when you've done this, you can finally feel that you're over the worst.

It was hot (26°C) and I didn't want to start. I even felt pretty lousy on the warm-up with a pain in my inner thigh on the right leg. Nico was full of energy and running well and that just served to make me a little more despondent.

A 4km warm-up through the forest and then we began, having decided to let each other lead for 2 intervals each before swapping the lead etc. There was a little debate as to the recovery as I wanted 200m and Nico 100m. We finally agreed on 100m and 1'15" of recovery after each interval.

A quick hello to Momo, Mireille, Bruno, Philippe, Sébastien on the track and we were off. They went by fairly well with Ilyes accompanying us for the first 6. Times were as follows :

1'43", 1'40", 1'40", 1'39", 1'39", 1'37", 1'42", 1'40", 1'40", 1'39",
1'40", 1'40", 1'39", 1'41", 1'40", 1'40", 1'39", 1'39", 1'39", 1'39"

So very regular and a good pace. Happy to finish as the last 5 started to tire me out with an accumulation of fatigue on the legs.

17.7 km all up in 1hr20 and an average pace of 4'31"/km for the session.

45' @ 70% MHR

Just an easy run around town this morning. Tuesday and Thursday are my double session days for the marathon training plan so they involve an easy session in the morning followed by the interval training in the evening. I couldn't help but think about the 20 x 500m session this evening as I ran this morning, spoiling what otherwise would have been a very gentle, pleasant session.

IT was cool again this morning and the loop was very similar to Tuesday's session. First kilometre in 4'37" and then under 4'30 for the rest of the way. After 5km I picked up the pace and ran each kilometre in under 4'15".

10.6km all up in 45'53" or 4'17" per km on average. Let's see how this evening goes and we'll be over the hump in this heavy running week.

1 hr @ 75% MHR

God it was early this morning. I woke up and pulled on my running kit and left the hotel in a daze. I ran in a daze too for at least 5 or 6 kilometres. The weather was perfect and it was decidedly cooler than the last few days. The moon was just setting over the horizon and it looked huge as I was running in my deamlike state.

I set off easily, running the first kilometre in 4'31" which is quite normal but I didn't speed up as radically as I normally do. The next kilometres were run at 4'24" pace and I decided that this would do me for this morning at least. I felt the fatigue from my previous sessions in my legs and running any faster was only likely to provoke an injury so I settled for this.

I ran my loop around Sedan, passing the swimming pool and the football stadium, before heading out past the station towards Charleville Mézières and the only hill of the day. Once I'd negotiated this, I'd already run 7 kilometres and the downhill gave me some pace and set me off anew as I clocked a few kilometres under 4'10". In fact I didn't go over 4'10" for the remainder of the loop and finished back at the castle in 1:00:23 and 14.25km. How's that for timing ?

4'14" average pace over the loop and a good deal faster over the second half compared to the first as I woke up and ran out the leg fatigue.

5000m + 3000m

I wasn't looking forward to this session. Not one little bit.

The 5km was supposed to be run in 19:30 so an average pace of 3'54" /km and the 3km was supposed to be run in 11'15" or an average pace of 3'45" / km. There was 3' of recovery in between the intervals but you were wupposed to speed up between the two.

I left the hotel and it was a warm evening so I took along a bottle of water to keep me hydrated after the intervals. It is unbelievably annoying to run with a bottle in your hand. However you seem to hold it, you can never get comfortable. If it wasn't so warm, I would have thrown it away after 500m but I figured that I'd need this later on so I held on to it.

I warmed up for 4km at 4'45" pace before setting off along the main road to Charleville Mézières. Although there was a fair amount of traffic, I decided that it was one of the flattest roads in the area and I wasn't going to make this session any harder by throwing in some hills too.

A slight decline to begin with and a good fast start for the first interval :

3'33", 3'36", 3'39", 3'39, 3'37" and I'd finished the first one with the last 1.5km a bit of an effort and I had to grit my teeth to maintain my pace. 18'07" in total for a target of 19'30".

The 3 minute recovery went by far too quickly and I was off again :

3'35", 3'38, 3'35" and it was all over. 10'48" in total for 11'15".

I almost gave up after the first kilometre on this last session. I was hurting badly and I desperately wanted to throw in the towel. My legs were aching and I was overheating. It was a real relief and a pleasure to have smashed the allotted times with some very regular running. These times confirm my form for the moment as they are in line with the 8k I ran on Sunday at around 3'38" pace.

A jog back to the hotel and 18.2km all up in 1h17. Average pace of 4'14"/km for the session. Going well.

Marathon training - 45' @70% MHR

Ran from the hotel this morning for 45' at an easy pace. Had managed to get a good night's sleep in and was fully hydrated after the 1h20 that I ran yesterday in the heat.

I set off on a shortened version of my loop around Sedan as I was only aiming to run 10km and the normal loop is 13k. The morning was cool at around 8°C so it was a refreshing change from most of my runs recently. I felt the tiredness in my legs from the marathon training. This is the third week now and the fatigue is starting to accumulate, having clocked up 122 kms each week for the first two.

The watch showed 4'35 for the first kilometre and I tried to keep just under 4'30 for the remainder of the loop. Mission accomplished with a loop of 10.7 km run in 47:22 and an average pace of 4'27" this morning. Lovely weather for a morning run - just what the doctor ordered.

Coaching the girls

I'm running the cross country this weekend for the club veterans with the veterans, so I was supposed to be taking it easy tonight. Miguel, moreover, had arranged an easy session for all the crossmen so I decided that I'd accompany Katia and Laurence as they've begun their training for the 80km Ecotrail mid-March. Tonight's session had been concocted by the other coach, Michel, and it was a real humdinger. 30 minutes of warm-up, followed by 7km at marathon pace, and then finishing with 15 x 200m off 100m recovery. This was going to be a 90 minute training session and well over 16k all up.

We started with François and Stéphanie who were also taking it easy and we warmed up with everyone to begin with and then completed a quick tour of St Germain in a loop bringing us back to the club. Another shorter loop and we completed the warm-up and then the 7km at around 4:45 - 4:50 pace.

We then started the track session with the aim to run each 200m in 48 seconds and recover for roughly the same time over 100m. They ran very consistently starting at 48 seconds per interval and speeding up to finish the intervals in just under 45 seconds. They've both improved so much in running ability that it no longer feels slow to run alongside them but a pleasant, comfortable pace. Katia was trying to talk Laurence into a 3:20 marathon attempt in Berlin and they're both capable of doing this based on their current form.

18km all up in 1:35.

Better recovery

I met Nico driving out of his house as he set off to work while I was setting off on my recovery run after last night's intervals. I was doing the usual route around Maisons Laffitte with a slight detour due to the letter I had to drop off en route.

I felt pretty lousy to begin with, mostly due to having eaten a large breakfast with Laurence prior to setting out. This lay heavy on my stomach and I wasn't comfortable in the slightest so it was a bit of a surprise to see the Garmin flash up 4:36 for the first kilometre. I thought that I'd been running slower than Monday as no effort was involved and it was a real boost to see that I was close to the magic 4:30 training speed.

The pace quickened kilometre after kilometre and I felt better after 5k when my stomach stopped aching and I was able to run more freely. I soon hit 4:20 pace and then 4:15 where I stayed until the end of the run. Even the uphill section through the forest was negotiated in 4:19.

A nice dry but cold day and a great recovery run. I felt a lot stronger in my legs during the run (if a little tired now afterwards). 14.5k in 1:01 or an average pace of 4:24 / km.

More intervals

Regular Tuesday night club session with a strong attendance this evening. All the regulars were there. In fact anybody who counts was there, with the notable exception of Jean-Marc. Miguel had some more fartlek planned for us with 2 blocks of 7 x 1'/1' but since I was still negotiating the participation in the Berlin marathon for September 2013, I missed the brief.

I ran the warm-up with François who is getting stronger and stronger in swimming for the June Ironman, while I'm getting more and more worried and not doing much about it for the moment. So how will this Ironman go ? Well if I manage not to drown in the Mediterranean during the 3.8km swim, I'll probably collapse of heat exhaustion following François' rear wheel on the 180km bike ride but I should at least be able to complete the marathon if I get that far. François is putting me to shame so I need to pull my finger out and get to the pool and on my bike.

François followed Katia and Laurence on their trail training half-way round the warm-up while I headed back with the others to the track. I hesitated for a while about the fartlek before following Nico around the track on his 10k preparation with a 4 x 1000m session off 2' recovery. He set off like a bullet and left me in his wake and it was all I could do to struggle around 60 - 70m behind him.

The intervals went as follows:

3:19, 3:24, 3:23, 3:27

I was pretty consistent and pleased with the result. I was feeling the lactic on the last interval but closing on Nico which cheered me up. I probably could have managed another 2 at the same pace as the last.

11.5k all up in 1:15.

Recovery run

After the effort of the 2 hard training sessions at the weekend, I thought that it was time to get back into the routine and return to my old haunts around Maisons Laffitte for a recovery run this morning. It was dry but still dark when I left but the passages down to the Seine weren't too waterlogged following the rain we have had here lately.

I saw that the Garmin was showing a 4:46 split for the first kilometre and I initially thought that I should speed up a little but, after a moment's reflexion, decided that it was a recovery run after all and I was perfectly happy at this pace. It was only as I ran alongside the racecourse that I sped up slightly and reached 4'30 pace where I remained for the rest of the run.

I ran alongside the railway line and into the forest on the way home avoiding the early morning streets and the constant stream of mothers dropping off their kids at school on their way to work. It's amazing how, whether it's due to time pressure or not, these ladies think nothing of stopping their vehicles in the middle of the street, blocking the traffic behind them, to allow their kids out of the car and into the schoolyards. No wonder child obesity is on the rise. We had to run to school when we were their age. Apparently the streets are more dangerous nowadays, or at least this is the argument put forward most of the time. However, when I see the accidents caused by cars blocking the traffic around the schools, I understand why the streets are so dangerous... Catch 22!

13.4km in 1:01.

Sunday club run

Another short night after dinner out with friends and Nico and I drove to the club for the Sunday run. We both said that we'd take it easy after yesterday's session but we knew that this would be hard as we were running to Joyenval around the golf course with Michel's group. There was another good turnout with notably the return of José after some hamstring problems. The plan for the session was to run up to the golfcourse at Joyenval and then do 3 x 8' at cross-country pace around the golf course before heading back.

After our warm-up to the edge of the golf course, it was obvious that the session wouldn't be as straight-forward as it appeared since heavy rain had turned the paths into mud pools. In fact when Miguel blew the whistle for the first interval, Nico put his foot in a mudbath and promptly lost his shoe to the mirth of all around him. I ran with José, seeing how he was doing after a few days off and in his normal trailer style, he ran hard up and down the hills, shortening his stride and it was all I could do just to stay with him.

The second interval saw the same runners ahead with Yoan running from the back to the front of the group followed by Ilyes, Sébastien, Jean-Marc and Frédéric. I was just behind with José who started to slow as the pain reappeared in his thigh. Nico caught us at the end of the interval and we all started together for the third. 8 minutes later and it was finished. I hadn't run too hard, feeling the stiffness in my legs from Marly and the hills. My breathing was easy but the legs were tired and it was nice to run back to the club at a comfortable speed (4:20 pace) with Yoan and Ilyes.

18km all up in 1:42 and it brings my total mileage to the week to around 60km so not too high. My achilles is improving but still aches at the end of each run at the moment.

Cross country training at Marly

What happened to the usual Corra run today? Saturday is reserved for running to Corra lake and back with Nico unless there is some major world crisis that means that we can't manage it. Until now earthquakes in Japan, bushfires in Australia and the current world economic crisis have not influenced this weekly ritual so it was with some surprise that I received a reply to my text to Nico suggesting we run at Marly instead.

Marly is reserved for corss country training sessions with Miguel and the last time I looked at the training schedule, there were no more Saturday sessions before late 2013. However, since I'm not an avid reader of the training schedules, I was prepared to admit that I'd overlooked this session and would accompany Nico and the others nonetheless. I then listened to my voicemail. In fact, the session was just with Yoan, Nico and Jean-Marc and possibly Sébastien. I felt worse now. Training with the best athletes from the club and knowing that I'd be struggling behind on my own was not motivating and a long lie-in in bed was looking infinitely more preferable.

We arrived at Marly park and Jean-Marc and Yoan turned up just after accompanied with the plan for the morning. 5 hills to begin with (roughly 100m), then 12' threshold, 6' threshold, 6' threshold and 5 hills to end off 2' recovery between each block. An easy warm-up around our usual cross-country training route and then we began. The 5 hills were straight-forward but I could already feel a little tension in my hamstrings from forcing up the slope. We then attacked loops of the pond, heading down through the trees to begin with before turning left across the grass and then back along the conifers in the long grass and then a couple of short slopes to end the loop.

The first interval saw Yoan loping away in front, Nico being gapped behind and me being gapped by Nico. Jean-Marc had run off to do a couple of slopes instead. I was running slightly under 4' pace due to the uphill slopes at the end of each loop. They were taking their toll on my legs and I'd end each loop in trepidation of the uphill to finish. A couple of minutes recovery and Nico and Jean-Marc (back from his slopes) ran back to me so that we could start on the next interval. This was exactly the same story and the following 6 minutes I'd run at the same pace as the first interval. Bis repetita for the next interval too and it was a huge relief to finish this and to just have the last 5 hills to complete the session.

Nico said that we were late for the interval. Sorry ???!! It was now he announced that we still had another 4' of threshold to run before we attacked the hills. I'd missed this completely and I now ran the last loop using sheer willpower uniquely. My legs were shot, my achilles was aching and I was hungry to boot. What a session. The last hills were hard but quick and we then warmed down to complete the 16.5k run for the morning in 1:29. Give me a fast run to Corra anyday over this...

Club session

Back to the club this week after the Christmas break for the Thursday evening session and it was good to see a sizeable turnout trying to eliminate the excesses of Christmas and the New Year. Both coaches, Michel and Miguel, were there and I listened to Miguel announce a fartlek session around Poissy with the faster runners.

Nico had decided that he was focussed on a 10k race preparation and as such he'd be staying around the track with Michel's group while they ran 8x800m, he'd be running some 400m intervals followed by a couple of 2000m. I headed off slowly with Yoann, Jean-Marc, Sébastien, Frédéric, Jérôme, François and Gérald amongst others towards Poissy. We started the session proper in Poissy where Miguel announced that we were to run 5 x 2' in 2 blocks off 1' recovery.

I had brought my new Garmin Forerunner 910XT but I had stupidly forgotten to check the battery and it was flat. So much for being able to check the intervals and the pace during this exercise. I just gritted my teeth and tried to keep in touch with Jean-Marc. The advantage of fairly short intervals such as these is that the gap between the runners isn't huge and the recoveries allow everybody to regroup before setting off again. I was pleased with the first block of 5 intervals where I was just behind Jean-Marc and ahead of Jérôme. The second block was a lot harder and I could feel my lack of mileage recently which was showing in my level of endurance. The pace was around 3:25/km for the intervals and probably 5 seconds slower in the second block.

Around 11 kilometres all up in an hour. Good session but I could feel the lactic in my legs by the end.

Recovery run(s)

It's now a tradition on New Year's Day to begin the year with a gentle run around the forest of St Germain. The purpose of this is twofold: eliminate the excess of alcohol accumulated from the previous night; and secondly start the year on the right foot (so to speak).

Laurence, Alec and I begin the first loop to Chateau du Val with Sophie, my niece and what was intended as an easy run soon becomes a full blast run for Sophie. Laurence is impressed by her speed and manages to beat her own record around the course in the process in 36' or an average pace of 5:02/km.

We start again but with Jack this time. Laurence runs her own route to complete a 10km run for the morning while Alec, Jack and I set off for the same route as before. We get in the forest and I stretch my legs to see how Jack responds and we run together through the forest at a quick pace, leaving Alec behind in the process. Whether it was the fuzz of the alcohol or the simple pleasure of pushing Jack along, we abandon Alec and I check over my shoulder every bend to check that he doesn't get lost over the route. We finish the circuit in 31:37 or an average pace of 4:25/ km. Alec arrived a couple of minutes later and was not pleased to have been left behind when the initial intention was to all run together (which I understand completely and I don't know what overcame me).

So a good start to the year with 15km clocked up for the morning.

Photo of the gang: