Ten then a wedding...

10M am steady run at ~6.30min/M

I got up early for a refreshing ten along the river. The sun was rising through the arches of Tower Bridge as I crossed the Millennium Bridge. A beautiful, almost cloudless day. A good day to get married...

I'm taking two weeks off now. To honeymoon.

Just six

6M am recovery run at 7.00-5.30min/M

Only a little bit of time for running today. It was a really nice relaxed one. Around Brockwell Park and Dulwich. I sped up for the last mile or so to stretch my legs a bit.

11 miles easy

11M double; recovery runs x2
5M am recovery run at ~8.30min/M with pack
6M pm recovery run at ~6.45min/M with pack

My last day at work before the wedding. Busy. Framed by a couple of gentle runs. Far better than the tube. And the morning run in with Yasmin was particularly fine.

Recovery

12M double; recovery run x2
5M am recovery run at ~7.00min/M with pack
7M pm recovery run at ~6.45min/M with pack

Gently today. To work. Then to Canary Wharf to meet Ron for a coffee. We had a good chat about our plans from here. And he had some useful feedback about my stride pattern and things I need to think about when I'm upping my tempo. Basically, I have a tendency to increase the frequency but decrease the length of my stride when I up my effort in training / races. I think I don't do this at marathon pace, but do when I try and push harder. It makes a lot of sense. And it'd be nice if it helped me run faster!

Steady

15M - double; recovery run & steady run
5M am recovery run at ~8.15min/M with pack
10M pm general aerobic run at ~6.15min/M

My legs are feeling good. But I'm quite getting into this winding down for a rest thing, so I took it pretty easy and loped home at 6.15ish pace.

I'm an addict (in Chelmsford)

12M double; recovery runs x2
6M am recovery run at ~7.00min/M
6M pm recovery run at ~6.45min/M

I thought I might take it a bit light today. And I did. Kind of. But I do love to run. It turned into two sixes. In the countryside around Chelmsford. Nice and misty.

The plan from now is to take it easyish this week and then have two weeks off. Yes. Two weeks. Off. I'm sure it'll be good for me - I've not had a break in over a year. The honeymoon should provide ample distraction.

Not a PB but not too bad

14M incl Cardiff Half Marathon in 69.59 (10th position)

I had a bit of an end of term feeling today: my last race before a well earned (post-wedding) break.

I was pretty up for it too. Partly down to feeling I've got plenty of unfinished business with the half marathon. And partly cos I had all my little (and big) cousins out cheering me on.

I feel like I should have 68 minutes in me at the moment. And set off pretty close to that kind of time, feeling comfortable for the first three or so miles at a bit under 5.10min/M pace.

I didn't fade too much compared to those around me. And held my position from the 2 mile mark (by which time the Kenyan's shifted up a gear and dropped us stragglers). But my 2nd half was considerably slower than my first (I went through 10K in about 32.30). Partly, that was down to undulations and breeze. But I also just didn't have the speed. A bit disappointing really...

Four

4M am recovery run at ~7.00min/M

Nice and easy first thing to Dulwich and back. Headed to Cardiff after the rugby to meet up with the cousins and put my feet up ahead of the race.

Went to John Hegley this evening. I got to dance to some Smiths. Wearing his glasses.

Just 6

6M am recovery run at ~6.45min/M with pack

Just one. To work. Legs eerily fresh.

Tapering

11M double; recovery runs x2
5M am recovery run at ~8.15min/M
6M pm recovery run at ~6.30min/M

No session today in preparation for the Cardiff Half on Sunday. Just a couple of recovery runs. My legs are feeling good already. Springy.

Just eight

8M am recovery run at ~6.45min/M

A fairly gentle one today. I'm tapering for the weekend. I headed to Brockwell Park and around Dulwich. A bit tired after yesterday's session. But nothing much. I'm niggle free.

Sharpening up

16M double; recovery run & speed session
6M am recovery run at 8.15-7.00min/M
10M pm including 8x600m (107-109s) off 200m jog

My last session before the half. Enough to sharpen up my legs a bit. But it shouldn't leave me spent. My splits were ok if not amazing off a good, faster-than-sometimes jog recovery.

Ron came down to the track. A good opportunity fur us to start thinking about my form. My stride length could be longer for the shorter stuff. But I'm surprisingly bad at achieving that.

My legs are the best they've been for a while. No niggles. And my calves are liking this lower mileage.

Easing back a bit

13M double; recovery runs x2
5M am recovery run at ~7.00min/M with pack
8M pm recovery run at ~6.45min/M with pack

I kept it fairly easy to day and steered clear of any core strength work this evening to let myself recharge the batteries again ahead of the half marathon I have planned at the weekend.

After various permutations in terms of my plans, I've plumped for the Cardiff Half Marathon. Longish story. But it tends to have a decent field.

It'd be nice to really smash it.

And hopefully it'll be the right length... last year I got a great time only to realise that the fortysomething seconds I magically gained during mile 11 was down to a short-cut they had inserted into the course on the morning of the race to avoid an unexpected obstruction.

Summary of week ending 09/10/2011

Mon 3/10 - 15M double; 5M recov & 10M general aerobic runs
Tue 4/10 - 17M double; 5M recov & 12M incl 16x400m (69-71s) off 40s
Wed 5/10 - 14M double; 6M & 8M recov runs & core strength exercises
Thu 6/10 - 13M double; 5M recov & 8M speed including 5x2K hard off 90s
Fri 7/10 - 20M double; 7M recov & 13M medium long runs
Sat 8/10 - 7M recovery run & core strength exercises
Sun 9/10 - 13M crescendo run (untimed but pretty hard)
TOTAL - 99M

13 - thanks to Eccles cake and Lancashire cheese

13M pm crescendo run untimed (but pretty hard)

For most of the day it seemed like I wasn't going to go for a run. But my hangover wasn't as bad as it might have been... and I was well fuelled by last night's MIGHTY fine pudding of Eccles cake and Lancashire cheese (try it before you die, I don't think I've ever had a better pudding).

By the time I got to it, my legs were feeling cracking. Good news ahead of next week's half marathon.

Last night's half drunken conversations included a fair bit about running. They were useful in bringing my next year's running plans into focus and realising how much I'm already looking forward to getting to the start line in London in April and murdering 26.2 miles.

A bit of running (before a stag do)

7M recovery run & core strength exercises
7M am recovery run at ~7.00min/M
Core strength exercises (three cycles)

Not a great deal of time today to fit my running into... before my stag do!

It was a day for light running anyway. So I headed to the park for a light one. I also squeezed in a bit of core strength work in front of the rubbish rugby. Go Karting turns out to be a pretty good core strength workout too.

I'll reassess my plans for Sunday in the light of my hangover in the morning.

Romford calling

20M - double; recovery and medium long run
7M am recovery run at ~8.00min/M with pack
13M pm general aerobic run at ~7.00min/M with pack

Another trip to Romford for clinic today. Which means plenty of running with a pack full of clothes, notes and a computer. Not ideal for fast running. But that wasn't the idea today, and it gives a good workout.

I ran slowly from home to Liverpool Street first thing. And then ran from Romford to Liverpool street.

A good session (though not quite as planned)

13M double; recovery run & 2K rep session
5M am recovery run at ~7.00min/M with pack
8M pm including 5x2K at 10K race effort off 90s jog

This week hasn't been quite as planned, but I've managed to fit in some sharpening sessions nevertheless. I had wanted to do a longer tempo run this evening, but work intervened. So I swapped that for a 2K rep session on the way home. My legs felt great once I was warmed up.

No niggles. Feeling pretty sharp again, less than 3 weeks post-marathon.

Fairly easy

14M double; recovery runs x2 & core strength exercises
6M am recovery run at ~7.00min/M
8M pm recovery run at ~6.45min/M
Core strength exercises (six cycles)

My legs could feel last nights session a bit. A good sign I reckon. I took the day fairly easily. Though even a year ago 14 miles and an hour of core strength work would have seemed like a heavy day.

Track!

17M double; recovery run & speed session
5M am recovery run at ~9.00min/M
12M pm speed session incl 16x400m at 69-71s off 40s

I headed to the track for the first time in quite a while. There was a good group out. Always someone to chase! The times weren't the fastest, but my legs felt not bad (until near the end) and it was fairly windy in the home straight.

Yasmin and I had a great run to work this morning too. Slow. And chatty.

Steady - and feeling cracking

15M double; recovery & general aerobic runs
5M am recovery run at ~6.45min/M
10M pm general aerobic run at ~6.30min/M

I'm feeling cracking. I had to make sure I didn't go to fast this evening as my legs were feeling on springy form.

I'm aiming to get in a sharpening 10 days ahead of a mini-taper for the half marathon.

No niggles. At all.

Summary of week ending 02/10/2011

Mon 26/9 - 13M double; 6&7M recovery runs at ~7.00min/M
Tue 27/9 - 15M double; 5M recovery run & 10M gen aerobic run at ~6.15min/M
Wed 28/9 - 7M 2K rep session with 4x2K at ~5.00min/M off 2min jog
Thu 29/9 - 13M double; 5M recovery run & 8M gen aerobic run at ~6.15min/M
Fri 30/9 - 14M double; 6M recov & 8M VO2 max incl 10x800m(ish) off 90s jog
Sat 1/10 - 6M recovery run and core strength exercises
Sun 2/10 - 16M longish run incl 10K race at 33.50 & 2.5M tempo
TOTAL - 84M

A longish run with some tempo (and a bit of a race)

16M longish run incl 10K race at 33.50 at 3-9M & 2.5M tempo at 13-15.5M

I was feeling in need of a spur to put in a tempo effort on this morning's longer run. Not sure why. But my mind wasn't in gear for one of my crescendo efforts.

So I headed to Regent's Park for the first of their Winter Series 10K races. It's a nice route and a good excuse for some tempo running. It wasn't the fastest race, which probably fitted well with my needs. I didn't want to kill myself.

I stopped for a bit of a drink at the end and then ran gently down to the river before hitting another two and a half miles at tempo back into the centre of Brixton. My stride pattern felt really nice and smooth throughout the session.

A good Sunday run. And I even made it back in time to see Y before she headed off for the day.

My glutes can feel the core stength stuff I did yesterday. I can just about feel the hip flexor ache I had after the marathon, but it's intermittent, mild and fading.

Six and some exercises

6M - recovery run and core strength exercises
Core strength exercises (six cycles)
6M am recovery run at ~8.00min/M

A recovery day. My legs are pretty good after yesterday and I felt good on the morning run.

I fitted in my core strength exercises again for the first time in a few weeks. I should think I'll be achy tomorrow.