4th April 2010 - Las long run before London

Ok last day of torture before the big day. This would be the furthest distance i would run until the actual race. We did a 21.5 mile loop in and around the calder valley . Great run , although very windy and cold we managed a 7:10 min/mile including those bloody big hills....ran the loop in 2hrs 35 mins.

Saturday 3rd April 2010 - Interval session

So i braved the perimiter of the local park which measured 2 miles around. I warmed up for 2 miles then commenced intervals of 800m at 3:20min/km pace followed by slow jog for 3 mins. I managed a total of 6 then warmed down for 1 mile. Good sesssion although i felt under par

Wed 31st March Tempo Run - Club Night

Well it was very windy Wednesday night and we where due to carry out the usual Tempo run tonight, you just know in this wind that the run is going to be tough. We set off at 7pm and after 1 mile warm at 7:10 min/m we started to progress our pace over each mile. Starting at 6:40 , 6:15, 5:55, 5:50, 5,45 and we kept it here for the next 3 miles in total completing 8.5 miles in 52 mins....very good session , i felt strong and fast throughout.

Back on the blog....

Well only 25 days to go until the main event , sounds crazy running over 1,000 miles just to cover a 26.2 mile race a one off event !!

Training is going well and im on track to complete my last long run of over 20 miles on sunday the 4th April then i will reduce the mileage down as we approach the final few days when i will refrain from running at all.

Ran a good half marathon on Sunday just gone Wilmslow Half good time in fact it was another PB for myself in 1hr 18min 12 secs and i felt completly in control throughout the race with little fatigue showing and between you and me i can go quicker qith the push of competotors around me, time will tell .

Ran Monday as recovery and then Tuesday as steady run total mileage since the Half is 14 miles with a scheduled 10 mile run tonight. See you soon

Wednesday 30th December - Tempo run

Due to falling snow training has been impacted greatly over the last 2 days. Tonight was club run and we completed a grueling 8.5 miles at 6min miles which for me was perfect as it ensured i ran at 10% of my max Heart Rate this is to stress my lactate threshold levels to overtime improve my running endurance and intensity.

Sunday 27th December

Ribble Valley 10K was the order of the day . this is a fast flat 6.2 miles course which always attracts a stella field due to its PB potential. I was hoping for mine and i did it. I ran a good race hindered at the start by being in the midst of the 1000+ runners anyway the crowds soon spread within the first 0.5 mile. Anyway i completed the course in 35mins 38secs which was an average pace of 5mins 44sec a mile. Onwards and upwards not a bad end to 2009.Cheers

Wednesday 23rd December - Easy run

Morning after the company Christmas party probably isnt the best time to schedule your next run but due to the snow and ice i had been unable to run for 2 days which was becoming a problem. Anyway i managed to jump on the treadmill at work in our Gym and i completed 10KM in approx 46 minutes nice and easy keeping heart rate down to average of 144 bpm and my treadmill speed was set at 13.5km/h....easy week of running as its race day on Sunday.

20th December - 16 Mile Long run

It was a cold and frosty morning and todays schedule was for an easy(ish) 16 mile run. I agreed to meet my running friend who is also training for London at his home at 8:30am. I arrived and we both set off braving the snow underfoot. Well it was a tough run but very satisfying we actually covered 16.5 miles in 1:55. My avergae hear rate for this run was 158bpm and the avg pace was 7min / mile....

16th December - Xmas club run

We all met at the club dressed in fancy santa hats,coats,gloves shorts etc...we ran to various landmarks and then waited for the whole pack to arrive and once everybody had hathered we then set of onto the next landmark. Overall we ran for approx 6 miles of tempo pace running pushing the pace on average approx 5min 50 sec per mile. Very enjoyable and it was a nice change.

15th December - Speed session

Ok so today was earmarked for a session at the running track in stanley park. My session consisted of the following 4 x 800m in approx 2:40 each;4 x 400m in approx 1:15 each; 1 x 600 in approx 2:00 and if it couldnt get any harder i went for a 1x 1200m in approx 4:00....warm of 1 mile and a warm down of 1 mile. Excellent session.

14th december - Easy run

Well the day after the long run is always a pleasure. Ran 5 miles at a slow pace of 7min 40sec mile keeping the average heart rate down to 142bpm....very nice!!!

13th December - Long run target 16 miles

Ok these long run days come around far to quickly for my liking. It was once again a very frosty morning with ice covered pavements. I decided to take the promenade road as with the sea air should be less of a risk of slipping. I set of at 8:45 and headed of at a very comfortable pace. Anyway the run was steady and i completed the 16 miles in 1hr 52mins whci provides an average pace of 7:01 min/mile this im pleased with as i ran the first 6 miles at an easy 7:20 avg heart rate ofr the run was 153bpm.

12th December - Easy run

It was a very frosty morning but not to be put off i made sure i had my layers on and new hat and glove set. I ran for 7.5 miles at an average pace of 7min 10sec a mile with an avg heart rate of 150bpm. It was very slippy today so i couldnt relax on the run im sure this is why my heart rate is elevated. Long run tomorrow.

11th December - Cross Training

Decided to include an element of cross training into my weekly routine. Boxercise was on the menu and Friday lunch i attended the gym at work to box my way through lunch. It was a good session with a definate benefit felt. Avg hear rate from the session was 133bpm . I will be attending more of these.

Wednesday 9th December - Tempo Run

Club run tonight usual longish run at good pace. Effort is approx to 90% of max heart rate which is a threshold run. Anyway the conditions where ideal and we set of at 7pm. Total run exceeded 8.5 miles and average pace was 6min 20sec per mile with average heart rate of 165 bpm during the run, our pace reached 5mins 25secs per mile . Glad the leg held up to the intense training....

Tuesday 8th December - Easy Run

Well this was my first run back after the injury i picked up last thursday (i actually picked this up from the previous saturdays cross country but as runners do i aggrevated it by not resting!!!) All went well with this run easy pace approx 7min15sec per mile over 5 miles nothing to stress the calf muscle really. Avergae heart rate for the run was 144bpm well within the correct zone. Fingers crossed i may now continue with my training for this long race in April.

Thursday 3rd December - Temp Run Disaster

Well it had to happen having been without injury for over 15 months. On Thursday morning after missing wednesday nights temp run with the club i had to fit in a 4 mile temp run , this would be at a speed of 5min50sec for myself. I duly set off and diligantly carried out 1 mile warm then speeded up to hit 90% Max Heart Rate...disaster struck almost straight away my left calf went tight and i reeled with pain i managed to make it back to work in a kinda run/hobble makeshift jog. Well i could hardly walk within a few hours. This pain lasted a couple of days but i am pleased to say on writing this on sunday afternoon i am pain free when walking at least. Next blog will be when i run again and hopefully within the next few days.

Sunday 29th November - Long Run

Well no rest im afraid following the gruelling cross country yesterday it was the long run day. I was scheduled for 14 miles at an easy pace of around 7min10sec a mile. The weather wasnt kind on sunday and the wind was blowing easterly at approx 35mph this turned out to be a tough run especially following yesterdays effort. Eventually finished in 1hr 43mins avg heart rate was 152bpm....rest day tomorrow.

Saturday 28th november - Liverpool Cross Country 9.8KM

Well the second cross country race in the season was upon us and of course with all the recent rain conditions where ideal for cross country. It was a hard run with the park looking and feeling more like a mud pit. It was 3 laps of just over 2 miles each lap. anyway i completed the course in 36:22 which i was very pleased with considering the conditions.

Monday 23rd November - Easy Run

It was a miserable day with high winds and plenty of rain now usually this would not deter me from running outside but alas after my 14.5 mile run on sunday i was a little jaded and decided that the treadmill was favourable....i duly ran 5 miles on the treadmill. As usual my avg heart rate was 144 with an overall average pace per min of 7:32min/mile.