6 Weeks to go........W/b 11 March 2013

Monday 11/03/13

AM: No Run Recovering from yesterdays race

PM: 16:25 - Went down to Folkestone as had a meeting at 3 Hills at 6pm. So wanted to get run in before meeting. It was like a blizzard strong easterly wind and hard snow, which was really sting face. Went round the Old Folkestone 9 in a clockwise direction so I got the wind behind me along the Leas. Pace was very easy and still felt quite tired from yesterdays race.

PM: 20:10 – After meeting managed to get out of Folkestone OK in the card but could not get up either of hills to Etchinghill. So left car in Lay by on A20, put my running shoes on and ran up over Tolsford Hill, experiencing some thigh high snow drifts on the way.

AM: Distance:  0 miles        Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:  9 miles        Time: 01:17:53     Ave Pace: 8.29 m/m

PM: Distance:  3 miles

Tuesday 12/03/13

AM: Got out to go and collect car from A20, went down road way past Beachborough to check out that the road was passible when I brought the car back. Easy running

PM: Club was cancelled due to weather conditions and lack of staff at 3 Hills. So went out with Lucy round Lyminge and Rhodes Minnis, roads were very snowy and icy. The worst part was coming down the lanes back into West Lyminge where the snowdrifts were blocking the whole lane and must have been at least 10ft deep. We could see footprints going over the top of them so we crawled and struggled down a 200m stretch before getting back to the road. Absolutely insane but great fun!!

AM: Distance:  3 miles      Time: 00:26:36                 Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:  7 miles      Time: 01:17:45                 Ave Pace: 11.06 m/m

Wednesday 13/03/13

AM: No run as outside of knee was aching, I think from running on the deep snow!!

PM: Went out round Folkestone & Hythe with Tim and the others, easy start and then we began to crank to pace up a bit trying to catch the girls up again

AM: Distance:  0 miles       Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:  12 miles     Time: 01:38:20     Ave Pace: 8.12 m/m

Thursday 14/03/13

AM: No Run

PM: 15:00- Checked out route along Hythe sea front for Scouts sponsored run tomorrow night.

PM: 16:20 – Intervals round Folkestone 9 course with a mile added at the end. 1 mile easy 1 mile hard x 5. Very please with mile splits, which were either downhill or on the flat, thankfully didn’t have any uphills in the hard miles. The 5 hard mile splits were as follows:- 6:18, 5:50, 5.46, 5.56, 6.03.

PM: Distance:   0 miles     Time: 00:00:00      Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:   2 miles     Time: 00:17:24      Pace: 8.42 m/m

PM: Distance: 10 miles     Time:01:08:47      Pace: 6.52 m/m

Friday 15/03/13

AM: Easy recovery run after last night interval session went out through the lans for a 10 mile spin

PM: Was going to 2 miles with Scouts on their sponsored run, but wind and rain was so strong that we aborted and did it inside, 230 laps of hut!! But I didn’t do it as I was recording laps.

AM: Distance:  10 miles     Time: 01:22:24     Ave Pace: 8.16 m/m

PM: Distance:  0 miles        Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

Saturday 16/03/13

AM: We had decided to do our long run today as it was Lucys quiz night this evening and we thought it would be good to get long run out of the way so we wouldn’t have to worry about getting up to do it on the Sunday morning. Tim and I set off and did three laps of Radnor park and then on up Black Bull Road. We we in pursuit of Angela, Kirsty, Becky & Rachel who were doing 18 miles as opposed to our 20. We caught them up at Church Road in Cheriton and after a brief chat we carried on at our pace as we had further to go the other side of Hythe.  It was a SW wind so was quite hard work battling into until we got just passed Palmarsh Garage. When we turned it was nice to have the wind behind us but I was feeling awfully tired and couldn’t go any faster even if I wanted to, still tired from Thursdays intervals I think!!!  We finally caught the girls again coming into Seabrook and again after a brief chat we headed off again missing Sandgate hill and opting for the toll road and seafront. The last three miles were a real drag and it was starting to rain hard now, and I was starting to feel cold.  We made it back and it was good to get another one out of the way.

PM: Distance:  20miles       Race Time: 02:41:16      Ave Pace: 8.04 m/m    

Sunday 17/03/13 

PM: Went out on Sunday afternoon on my own to get a long recovery run in after yesterdays long run, it had been raining earlier but now luckily the rain and strong wind had subsided.

AM: Distance:   12miles      Time: 01:33:39     Ave Pace: 7.48 m/m

Weekly Summary

	AM	PM	TOTAL
Monday	0	12	12
Tuesday	3	7	22
Wednesday	0	12	34
Thursday	0	12	46
Friday	0	10	56
Saturday	20	0	76
Sunday	0	12	88

Due to snow and drifts at the beginning of the week, could not get done what I really wanted but very happy the mile intervals on Thursday. Managed to salvage a decent weekly mileage of 88 by the end of the week. Hopefully will get another decent higher week in next week and handicap will provide good time trial over 4.5miles.

7 Weeks to go........W/b 4 March 2013

Monday 04/03/13

AM: No Run

PM: Went out with my Mum Dad and Brother down to Rye Harbour and walked all the way along to Winchelsea and then back Via Winchelsea harbor.  Wouldn’t normally put a walk down as training, but as I had done the Thanet 20 yesterday and legs were pretty tired, this seemed an ideal way to ease them off especially as we walked 7 miles. So I count that as good recovery training!!

AM: Distance:  0 miles        Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:  7 miles        Time: 02:45:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

Tuesday 05/03/13

AM: No Run

PM: From Club went out with the guys and we just did a nice easy run around the old Folkestone 9 course

AM: Distance:  0 miles      Time: 00:00:00                 Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:  9 miles      Time: 1:13:48                   Ave Pace: 8.03 m/m

Wednesday 06/03/13

AM: Beautiful sunny morning really felt like spring had arrived, so warm I even wore shorts!! Just went out and ran how I felt and that ended up being 7.45 pace so quite pleased recovering from Thanet 20 well.

PM: Went down to 3 Hills Sports Park as I had meeting at 5.00pm run through of official opening. Then at 6;30 went out with Tim, Angela & Rachel for an easy paced 6 miler, forgot garmin so no times!!. Got back showered and then into a circuit training session in new sports hall, good stuff

AM: Distance:  10 miles     Time: 01:17:36     Ave Pace: 7.45 m/m

PM: Distance:  6 miles        Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

Thursday 07/03/13

AM: No Run

PM: Feeling really under the weather today so only run was the warm up and cool down jog with the juniors at the club, very easy pace

PM: Distance:   0 miles     Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:   3 miles     Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

Friday 08/03/13

AM: No Run

PM: Easy 6 miler racing at weekend

AM: Distance:  0 miles     Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:  6 miles     Time: 00:45:45     Ave Pace: 7.38 m/m

Saturday 09/03/13

AM: Again as Lydd Half tomorrow went out to do a very easy 6 miler, however guts fell part at 4.5 miles and so aborted at 5 miles, Hopefully should be ok for tomorrow.

PM: Distance:  5miles       Race Time: 00:45:05      Ave Pace: 9.00 m/m  

  

Sunday 10/03/13 

AM: Woke up to a very grey windy icy cold morning, not very inspiring!!! Got myself down to Lydd and got out for a 3 mile warm up, went up part of the course and the icy wind seemed to blowing across me from the south east. Any way got back and did a few drills and strides and found my club mates, Cads, Kirsty Gail and Pete with Tim taking the official team photo!!

Race started and was once round the playing field before going out onto the roads. I was in about 3^rd position on field but once out into the lane a V35 from Ilford AC moved ahead and went up to the leader and they gradually pulled away. First mile passed in 5.37, was now running with another guy and pace was still quite even 5.41/5.47/5.41. Then we were caught by a V40 from Les Croupiers (Welsh Club) at about 5 miles, I could not go with them as I was just about max’d out on the pace I was running at and they gradually began to draw away from me, so now I was running on my own but not slowing as next mile was 5.46. Just before 6 miles we had a dog-leg to do and turn and come back the same way (5.49), this was good as I could then gauge the distances of the runners behind me. A Thames Hare & Hound was not far behind then it was Steve Throssell (Larkfield) who had beaten me in The Ashford 10km & Kent XC Champs. The TH&H chap came passed me at 7 miles just over half way, I was now down to 7^th. But I had just done a 5.40 mile so again I knew it was not me slowing rather the other guy going faster. We then turned straight into a head wind, and I was really concentrating trying to keep pace going and it dropped to 5.58 before turning again so the wind was now side on, it was now 5 miles back to the finish. Every now and then I could hear Steve’s number rustling when a gust of wind blew and this spurred me on, as I really wanted to beat him today. I was now trying to calculate my finishing time and I was estimating about 1:17ish, 9^th mile passed in 5.45. Still I was ahead and I was astonished at the time for 10 mile 57:40 a minute quicker than at the Canterbury 10. However I was slowing slightly miles 10,11 & 12 were 5.56, 5.57 & 5.53. Could see the finish line across the fields and was determined not to get caught in last mile so pushed on as hard as I could. 

As I came round onto the field for the last 20m I sprinted as hard as I could and then looked down to see time. 1:16:01, I couldn't believe it for the second week in a row I was 2 seconds short of getting into the preceding minute!!!!  Oh well, but then overjoyed as in 2010 before my good London I had done 1:17:11 at Paddock Wood.  So I am getting confident that hopefully I will be in good shape for the marathon.  So 7^th Overall and 1^st V45 and Gold in BMAF & SCVAC Championships, not a bad day out.

Also pleasing was that Cads smashed the 1:30 with 1:28:26 & Kirsty knocked 18mins off her PB to record 1:48:12, fantastic.

Finished off with a 3 mile cool down so I got 19 miles for the day

AM: Distance:   13.1 miles      Time: 01:16:01     Ave Pace: 5.47 m/m

Total Running Distance: 19 Miles

Garmin Connect:  LYDD HALF

Weekly Summary

	AM	PM	TOTAL
Monday	0	7	7
Tuesday	0	9	16
Wednesday	10	6	32
Thursday	0	3	35
Friday	0	6	41
Saturday	0	5	46
Sunday	19	0	65

Mileage down this week, but was recovering from Thanet 20 and also wanted to have a good run in the Lydd Half as it was the British Masters Championships. So really pleased with time a new best in my Veteran career.  Interestingly enough in the early 90’s I got my Half Marathon PB at Lydd  1:12:30 ( a long time ago!!!!)

Now hopefully a couple of high mileage weeks before the taper begins only 6 weeks to go now!!

8 Weeks to go........ W/b 25 February 2013

Monday 25/02/13

AM: No Run

PM: Went out with Tim from his house up to Chambers to pick up Cads, we then went around Folkestone 9 including Horn Street, started off slower and then gradually picked up the pace, after leaving Cads at Chambers we ran back round Radnor Park to make distance up to 12

AM: Distance:  0 miles        Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:  12 miles      Time: 01:31:51     Ave Pace: 7.42 m/m

Tuesday 26/02/13

AM: Easy Run 2 laps of Lyminge, felt a bit fresher this morning and pace was a little quicker than usual on my morning runs.

PM: Club AGM tonight so no run from there so went out a little earlier and got a good interval session in. Easy running to the top of Longage Hill then 3 x two miles with 3 mins jog recovery between them. Aim was to try and run them at marathon pace, didn’t do too badly as splits came out as 12.17(6.09 m/m) – 12.34(6.17 m/m) – 12.04(6.02 m/m).  Incorporated this into my 10 mile route so this gave me about 0.75m at the end as a cool down

AM: Distance:  6 miles      Time: 00:47:25                 Ave Pace: 7.54 m/m

PM: Distance:  10 miles    Time: 1:12:04                   Ave Pace: 7.13 m/m

Wednesday 27/02/13

AM: No Run

PM: Longer run with Tim, we set off going a slightly different route to Angela Lucy & Kirsty and aim was to catch them up somewhere along Seabrook Rd in Hythe. This we managed to do, then we continued a did a mile further than the girls and were again trying to catch them up on the way back to Folkestone doing so at about the Metropole. Pace started off easily with 7.56 and 8.02 before speeding up to 7.18/7.27/7.17/6.59/7.07/7.22/7.18/7.17 then slowed reaching Sandgate Hill and did not want to do ourselves in for the race at the weekend so last two miles slowed to 8.25/8.11

AM: Distance:  0 miles     Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:  12 miles   Time: 01:30:38     Ave Pace: 7.33 m/m

Thursday 28/02/13

AM: No Run

PM: As doing the Thanet 20 at the weekend didn’t really want to put any pace on the run, so just did a nice easy one

PM: Also did warm up and cool down jog with the Folkestone Juniors. 

PM: Distance:   10 miles     Time: 01:19:10     Ave Pace: 7.55 m/m

PM: Distance:   2 miles     Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

Friday 01/03/13

AM: No Run

PM: Easy 6 miler racing at weekend

AM: Distance:  0 miles     Time: 00:00:00     Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m

PM: Distance:  6 miles     Time: 00:49:08     Ave Pace: 8.11 m/m

Saturday 02/03/13

AM: Again as Thanet 20 tomorrow went out and did a very easy 6 miler, three minutes slower than last night

PM: Distance:  6miles       Race Time: 00:52:03      Ave Pace: 8.40 m/m    

Sunday 03/03/13 

AM: Thanet 20 – After an early start we met Tim, Angela & Rachel in Folkestone to all go over to Ramsgate in one car. Timings were about perfect and we arrived just before 8.00 meaning that we had an hour to get ready. I went out and just did a 2 mile warm up as it was a 20 mile race. Came back to the school HQ and got ready for the race and then jogged down to the start to do a few drills and strides.

At start I was sussing out the competition, I’d already spoken to Tom Collins from Medway and he said that Mark Wilkins had a problem and wasn’t there, so there was Dan Watt from Tunbridge Wells, Matt Britton & Anthony Forsyth from Ashford & Gavin Kitchenham from Orpington. 

Tom & Dan went straight out into the lead and this left the rest of us in a group, and from quite early on I was at the front of the group trying subtly push on.

At about 3-4 miles as we were coming into Broadstairs I was aware that the foot steps from behind were getting fainter and fainter.  I had my first gel at about 5 miles and I was now in clear 3^rd position, at this point we turned and were again heading back towards Ramsgate, going up through the narrow part of Broadstairs we were now passing runners who were still on their outward journey and I was watching out for Tim & Lucy but didn’t see them. At about 8 miles we doubled back on ourselves down from the cliff top to the promenade and it was a good point to see how far behind the others were, Matt & Anthony had broken away from Gavin and were about 50m behind with Gavin another 50m behind them, and that was all I could see!!.

Pushing on past Ramsgate Marina and then up the hill passing halfway (10 miles) in 59:30, doing the maths this meant I had to run the second half better than 63:30 to get a PB. The gaps behind seemed constant from what I could see as we turned some corners.  We were now on our way out to Pegwell Bay and going through the drinks station at 13 miles my tummy didn’t feel quite right and the pace had dropped off a little. I was now convinced I could hear a number rustling behind and sure enough Anthony caught me at 14 miles, I thought Matt was there to but they had parted company a little earlier up the road. As Anthony was a Vet 40 this was now competition time. I didn’t want to lose 3^rd place or the Kent Vets Champs Gold, so I grimly held onto Anthony’s pace through 15-16 miles, here we had to go onto the old Pfizer Sports Field which was very rutted and really played havoc with the even paced running. I was now starting to recover a bit and was quite comfortably staying with him.  I could sense that he was tiring as well and I was starting to think that I could get past him in the last half mile if needs be.  At 18.5m he looked behind and said that Matt was closing on us, I asked how far behind he was and got the reply about 30m but there was a Dartford guy right behind (Rob White). This spurred me into action and up the slight uphill section I pushed the pace on as hard as I could and had soon opened up a 30 second gap. But it wasn’t until we were on the seafront with about ¼ mile to go that I felt confident that no one was going to catch me.

Finished 3^rd overall and 1^st Vet 40, plus getting Kent Champs Overall Bronze and V40 Gold.

Just about managed a mile warm down supporting the rest of the team coming in Tim had a superb run finishing in 2:24:42 then Lucy was next in 2:38:29, brilliant time faster than Tim did here last year!! And then Rachel who finished dead on 3 hours.  Some good runs and a lot of confidence boosted!!

AM: Distance:   20.0 miles      Time: 02:02:01     Ave Pace: 6.06 m/m

Total Running Distance: 23 Miles

Garmin Connect: THANET 20

Weekly Summary

	AM	PM	TOTAL
Monday	0	12	12
Tuesday	6	10	28
Wednesday	0	12	40
Thursday	10	2	52
Friday	0	6	58
Saturday	0	6	64
Sunday	23	0	87

Very pleased with Race this week, a new PB by about a minute, pleased with mileage as only ran twice a day a couple of times, and tough race last weekend at the National. Good longer intervals on Tuesday (3x 2miles – 3 min jog recovery). Now looking forward to fast flat ‘Half’ at Lydd next weekend.