Brass Monkey's - It certainly was!

The Brass Monkey Half Marathon was the first big test of 2015.  In terms of the build -up it was either a third of the way through the build- up (if you were following an 18 week plan) or at the beginning of a 12 week plan assuming the majority of the week post race was devoted to recovery.  That is assuming of course that you conform to one of the off the shelf 12 or 18 week programmes.  

For me the Brass Monkey represented a point in time, a test to see where I am and how the training is going.   Right up until race morning I was unsure how to run the race.  The problem with winter races like this is you really are at the mercy of the weather.    In the past fortnight I’ve run in some freezing cold weather, snow, sleet, high winds and in some cases opted for a treadmill session  rather than risk a twisted ankle on the icy pavements.

So the Brass Monkey race plan was only going to be about the weather.  I decided that if the weather was a wintry shocker I would run the race as a true marathon pace effort tagging a few miles on either side.   On the day the weather was almost perfect with a ground frost, temperature around -1/-2 and no wind.  I say almost perfect as we stepped out onto the finish area I envisaged carnage in the home straight given that you could barely walk the course never mind run at speed.   We were also informed that there were patches of black ice on the course between about 5 and 7 miles which may need us to be cautious.   The rest of the course was bathing in tropical sunshine!

As the race started I felt really comfortable – the target pace of around 5.40 seemed effortless and the first few miles ticked along with splits of 5.31, 5.33 and 5.33.  The black ice started to appear on the course and this slowed the next few miles to 5.42, 5.43 and what would turn out to be the slowest mile of the day with a 5.48 mile at Mile 7.  Once we were past this point it seemed the whole field speeded up as a result of being held back for the last few miles.  My focus was now on the two Vet 40’s immediately in front – Alisdair Tatham of NYMAC and Andy Grant of Harrogate.  Both excellent runners over a wide range of distances.   I caught Andy at something like the 9 mile point after two consecutive 5.35 miles and set about trying to reel Alisdair in.  I reached the 10 mile point in 56.18 and Andy must have rallied as he also went past me again and set about trying to get to Alisdair.   Mile 11 – 5.39, Mile 12 – 5.38 were comfortably hard leaving me with a mile to catch the two in front.  I probably sub consciously thought at that point that I was settling for the position I was in and barring a disaster would be comfortably under the 75 minute barrier that I had set myself.   I closed with a 5.46 mile which left me the final 200m or so to negotiate – thankfully the organisers had gritted this section so I left my ice skating finish for another day.  14^th overall. 4^th Vet 40 in 74 minutes 18 seconds.

I’m really pleased with the time because it shows that in terms of fitness levels I am in decent shape.  The way I ran the race was a lot stronger overall and more in control of my pace at the end – no hanging on for the last few miles which was always a feature of my early half marathons.   

The half marathon as an event is not one that I feel I have been able to crack in the past.  My overall pb is 72.22 set at Wilmslow Half in around 1995.   That’s about 5.30 per mile so given my run on Sunday I think may be one that I look at for a slight revision.   Of all my non marathon pb’s this is the one that I think is in my reach.   

Well done to the race organisers on Sunday for putting on a great event.  I haven’t raced the Brass Monkey for a long time and it really was a great event, well organised and well marshalled.  Should they have allowed the event to go ahead given the conditions?  On reflection it was probably a brave decision as the middle section was a bit touch and go.  I was made aware that a similar size race over at Helsby in Cheshire was cancelled on the morning of the event due to ice on the course.   It’s a fine line as an organiser and I suspect both races got it right on the day.  

So in terms of the build up to the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon things are going well.   Last week was a solid 60 miles (including the Brass Monkey) and now it’s time to focus on making the long runs slightly longer and with a greater focus on the marathon pace finishes.    My next race is the Snake Lane 10 on the 22^nd February.  Last year this was a bit of a make or break day as it was my first long run of the build-up as a result of a badly timed bout of sciatica.  This year I’m hoping to afford myself the luxury of a few easier days in the build-up and an all-out race effort over 10 miles.  The next four weekends will be an important phase in the marathon build up where I aim to push the long runs up to 22/23 miles while maintaining the quality in the programme.

Manchester Marathon Ambassador

Got the news this week that I have been selected as an ambassador for the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon.  Entries are still open and its a fantastic well organised marathon.  http://www.greatermanchestermarathon.com   I will be putting plenty of work into both my marathon training and my blog as I progress towards a personal best over 26.2 miles.

Here is the link to the Athletics Weekly site where you can read my brief biography and meet the other three ambassadors for the  The Asics Greater Manchester Marathon Ambassadors 

Tomorrow its the Brass Monkey Half and looking at the weather forecast the race will certainly live up to its name!

Manchester Marathon Build up

My Manchester Marathon build up is pretty much in full swing now.   I've completed 7 long runs in the period between Chester Marathon (after a bit of downtime) and have a decent base level of fitness that's ready to spring into the main build up period of February and March where I will do a few tune up races over 10 miles at Pocklington and a 20 mile race at Redcar.

Its always useful to look back and compare this time last year and whilst I may have put some quality long runs in during late December and early January this was all cancelled out by a few weeks struggling with sciatica.

Compare my session last night on the treadmill last year (it was a bit icy to run outside although I was prepared to  brave the cold the pavements were just too icy to do any quality!).

Last year - barely managed 3 miles on the treadmill before the sciatic nerve seized up and forced me to return to the mobility work.

Last night - 4 x 10 minutes effort starting at marathon pace then increasing to a nippy 10km pace.  felt in control and finished the last rep covering 2.9km in the 10 minutes.

This weekend I'm hoping to run the Brass Monkey Half Marathon but I'm hedging my bets about how to run it.    It will all be dependent on the weather as to how the race will be so I've decided to train as normal this week but just ease off towards the end of the week.   Its never been a real target race but more of a test to see where I am.   The weather is a bit unpredictable at the moment so there is always a risk that the race may not even go ahead.

I've bought myself a pair of fell shoes in the january sales and set myself a goal of at least 15% of my overall mileage off road.  Two runs so far in them on the hills and I have to say its a nice break from the road miles.    The main benefit and one of the reasons I have done this is the grumbles from my achilles I have been experiencing intermittently over the last six months.  I'm managing to run fine and have been doing some preventative exercises but its not something you can ignore.   I've noticed after the off road runs less impact and stiffness in the achilles so will persevere with this.  I may even enter the odd fell race for a bit of fun

Just heard on BBC breakfast that 20 minutes of brisk walking a day can make you live longer...   Its not exactly rocket science is it!

The Harry Gamble-Thompson Marathon Award

Well 2014 is drawing to a close and as far a running goes I'm putting in some decent miles as a bit of a pre-marathon training block.  No races in December for me as I wanted to get a few base weeks in, do a  few medium long runs and just prepare for the 2015 season where I will tackle three marathons in a year for the first time.   I've managed over 3000 training miles this year which I'm delighted with as it means a level of consistency for me and no major interruptions with injuries.

I was delighted to receive the Harry Gamble-Thompson Marathon Award at our club presentation in December.  Harry G-T is a legend of local running and was a fine marathon runner as well as being a great training partner, club man and general all round nice guy.   He is still involved in New Marske Harriers as the club President and is still at the church hall twice a week welcoming and chatting to runners.  Sadly he no longer runs but I can tell by the glint in his eye that given half a chance he would put his trainers on and do a  few miles.

For those that may not know Harry's pedigree here are the club records he still holds.....

Vet 60 5km - 18.41 set in 1995.
Vet 60 10km - 36.52 set in 1992.
Vet 70 10km - 42.58 set in 2002.
Vet 50  10m - 55.52 set in 1986
Vet 60 10m - 59.51 set in 1993
Vet 70 10m - 71.27 set in 2002.
Vet 50 Half Marathon - 74.23 set in 1986.
Vet 60 Half Marathon - 78.31 set in 1991.
Vet 70 Half Marathon - 1 hr 34.14 set in 2002.
Vet 50 20 mile - 2 hours 3.20 set in 1998.
Vet 60 20 mile - 2 hours 10.15 set in 1993.
Vet 40 and Vet 50 Marathon - 2 hours 34.00 set at Selby in 1986
Vet 60 Marathon - 2 hours 52.54 set in New York in 1991.
Vet 70 Marathon - 3 hours 31.10 set in Honolulu in 2001.

Not many people will know that Harry ran a 2.32.10 marathon as a 50 year old which ranks him currently 8th on the all time list.

I enjoy having the odd chat with Harry and he is quick to offer advice to all runners from novices to the most experienced.   Sometimes the word "legend" is too quickly thrown around but to me Harry G-T is most definitely in that category.

Both Harry and wife Yvonne were recognised at the club awards for the long service given to the club.  Yvonne is always ready to meet runners coming back in on club nights with a cuppa and a biscuit and like Harry is a club legend!

Winter Sessions

So the marathon season is coming to an end.  My two marathons this year seem a distant memory and the Dash is done.  What now?   

I suppose a reflection on the last few races is a good place to start this blog.   In the build up to Chester whilst my focus was on the long runs needed to complete the marathon I also had an eye on the Abbey Dash as an end of season blast to keep the speed in the legs.     So much of the “speed work” I was doing in the build up to the Dash had a 10km focus.  Typically sessions like 3 x 10 minutes at 10km speed or 800 repeats at 10km speed with minimal recovery were a regular feature.   It’s good to see progress being made and most sessions there was a glimmer of progress but while the marathon was looming my focus was always on the long runs so the speed sessions were a means to an end.  Once the recovery from Chester was done the focus turned more to the 10km sessions and there was a good few weeks of repeating key sessions, tweaking recoveries and increasing time at 10km pace to get me to the Dash in the best possible shape for an attempt at Sub 34.   

I had a decent (solid) if unspectacular race at the Maltby 7 mile race.  It was my fourth Maltby in five years and my 2014 time of 39.50 was my fastest since 2011 (39.49) and 18 seconds quicker than my last run in 2012 where I clocked 40.08 and went onto run 33.56 at the Dash.     Maltby is one of those races that I like with a tough first half with a few climbs then a fast winding route to finish.   

A rare racing smile!

In the weeks leading up to the Abbey Dash I saw some measurable improvements in sessions and felt like I was coming into form at the right time.   In the end a 34.01 10km to end the season shouldn’t be a disappointment but In all honesty I was gutted not to break 34 minutes.  I could spend time looking back at sessions,  looking back at the race and over analysing but to be honest I don’t think it was anything to with my training leading up to it.  I think the difference is simply how much I wanted to do well in that race.  I have never had a problem in the past with getting myself up for the big races but the more I concentrate on the marathon the less I feel “up” for other races.  It’s like there is something in my head that is telling me that this is just a means to an end and not as important to me as a marathon.   It could also be a result of increased mileage and less focus on speed.   I’ve also developed this “cautious” first mile approach which is most suitable for a marathon but possibly leaves me with a lot to do over the shorter distances.  There were a lot of bodies to get past at Leeds!  Partly the reason for the cautious start these days is the old body needs a bit of getting going so its not all about choosing to start easy!

So I am unlikely to race much for the remainder of 2014 (except possibly the North East Cross Country Champs for a bit of fun!) and concentrate on building a good base for the 2015 season. 

I’ve entered the Brass Monkey Half to give me a bit of focus over the winter and so speed sessions are focusing on 10km work and half marathon pace tempos.   I’ve got the long runs back on track with a decent 16 mile effort at the weekend and a base mileage of around 65 miles per week settling in as “the norm”.  I’m using a schedule for the half that is focussing on the 10km speed work over the long runs as the relationship between the half marathon and the 10km is closer than the relationship between the marathon and the half marathon.  If nothing else that makes sense given the closeness of the distances (11km difference vs 21km difference).  One of the key sessions is the planned half marathon pace runs which so far are around the 4 and 5 mile mark but build up to the 9/10 mile region by the end of the programme.

For me its about what fits in to the week and what works.  That means back to back sessions on Wednesday (10km based session) and the half marathon paced tempo (Thursday).  That does make the Thursday session a bit tougher but so far i’m hitting targets and am on track.  It does mean the Friday is a very very easy recovery run to put the body back together after two hard sessions.  

Marathon wise I’ve entered Manchester Marathon in April and following this up with the Potteries Marathon in July.  That gives me the option of a third marathon in October and I would look no further than Chester for another outing along the Cheshire/North Wales border.   

Other races in 2015 will be the Locke Park 20 in March and a few 5km and 10kms mixed into the year.   It’s going to be a real focussed year for me in 2015 as I attempt to lower my marathon time further.   The extra marathon in July will be something new and it may not suit me but sometimes it’s good to experiment.