New Year old goals!

2013 Goals

I want to run under 34 Mins for 10K
Sub 2-45 Marathon
I want to run a Sub 16.30 min 5km
Sub 56 for 10 miles

Sub 75 Half Marathon
Run Five Key Quality Races in 2013
2400 training miles!

 

My 2013 goals are much of the same from last year.   Some key performance targets that are within my grasp and if acheived will provide a solid base moving forward.   There are some goals that I have had for the last two years and either only just missed out on.

 

First race in 2013 will be the Brass Monkey Half Marathon two weeks today.  I am not expecting much having been laid low with the flu over christmas.   Note the use of the word flu and not a cold or man flu.  I am claiming flu for a number of reasons:

 

1.  Excessive time over christmas in bed..

2.  Very little enthusiasm (or ability) for running....

3.   Almost half a stone lost

4.   After three weeks a steady run still feels like an interval session and yesterdays park run effort of 17:58 at Redcar felt like it should have been about at least a minute quicker based on my inability to breathe properly and the effort it took!

 

My intended outing at Ribble Valley 10km was a non starter and this will now form one of my 2013 goals.

 

As always I'm excited about a new running year and hope that I can just find that edge in 2013.  2012 was a strange year...started the year with a badly sprained ankle delaying my marathon training.   2nd place at the Marathon of the North and some good track races over the summer then led to a frustrating few months coping with hamstring injuries that niggled on and on.  Ended up with a decent end to the year and a sub 34 10km at the Abbey Dash which will definitely be one of my focus races in 2013.

 

Mileage in 2012 was an average of just under 53 miles per week which is a solid effort.  I think my body copes ok with this sort of mileage.   My intention in 2013 is to stick to a mileage of between 50 and 60 miles per week with a weekly interval based session and some tempo running depending upon what the end goal is.  Main thing will be to listen to my body and be aware when rest and recovery make more sense than training hard.

 

Lets get to it!  Hope you all have a good 2013 and achieve your running goals!

North East XC Champs

Had a good solid three week block of training since the Abbey dash averaging 55 miles per week.  Session wise its been a  difficult few weeks with the weather but have managed a few treadmill tempo sessions and a hard fought 9 x 1 mile session in the freezing cold.   The hamstring has stood up well to everything I have thrown at it and the target annual mileage total I set myself (2400 miles) has long been passed.

My last cross country was a bit of a disaster and I've managed to avoid the mud since that first fixture where I finished way down the field having stopped halfway through to massage my seized up hamstring!

So how sensible was it to throw myself into a 12km championship race ?   Four laps of Summerhill on a cold, muddy afternoon would be a true test especially given the amount of mud on the course.  

After a "steady" start which has become the norm for me I found myself in around 70th place but working my way through the field.   After the second lap I was just outside the top 50 but continuing to work my way through I managed to pass a few more and finished in 45th in a time of 47:05. 348 finishers. 
The 2007 Championships were held on the same course and in that year I finished 68th in 48.09.   215 finished that day.  Looking back at some of my other performances in 2007 it seems the last five years have seen my 10km times come down by around a minute as well. 

Overall very happy with that!    

Well done to Andy Wiles of New Marske who flew round the course on Sunday in a very swift 39.48 ahead of Carl Smith from Leeds City and Lewis Timmins of Morpeth.   For those who dont appreciate the work effort of these guys at the front end Andy didnt have the energy to undo his own spikes afterwards and asked one of his team mates wives to take them off for him (by the way she did actually take them off for him - my better half wont let my spikes within 20 metres of her never mind touch them!)



Next race Ribble Valley 10km....after last years mishap on the hills of the Guisborough Woods race I am getting my racing fix over the other side of the country this year.    Its also another race I have never run before but I've heard lots about it.

Dashing!

After a good result at the Maltby 7 last week (1st vet 40) confidence going into todays Abbey Dash was high.   Last weeks Maltby race was a great stepping stone to my first attempt at the Dash.  I've heard lots about the race and generally it has been good. 

The thing about some of these "big" races is that time just goes in queueing, getting to the start line, getting in the right area, baggage tents etc etc.   Today was no exception and the one thing I didn't really manage was a decent aerobic warm up.  Instead my warm up consisted of lots of stretching, a few short jogs and generally whatever I could do to keep warm in the crisp winter morning.

As a dash first timer I was keen not to go off to fast and to make sure I had something left at the end for the uphill finish I had been warned about.  

It was a great event all in all.   A very quick course, well organised, nice T-shirt, recovery shake and a very friendly atmosphere.  

As for the performance I was 129th overall, 11th vet 40 in a time of 33.56.  A vet 40 pb and my first sub 34 for a good 15 years so happy days all round.

Six males under 30 mins and 6 females under 34 minutes showed the depth and quality of the field.

For the record my splits were:  5.24, 5,26, 5.30, 5.24, 5.23 and 5.34.  Once the hill was conquered it was a battle against the clock as the sub 34 was fast ticking away.   Quite a relief when the text result came through and showed 33.56!  The sprint finish was worth it in the end!
Results:

http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=69098

The need for speed!

After bombing out of my last two interval sessions with hamstring related issues I approached last nights session with some nervousness.   Such a relief to get a simple 8 x 700m ish session done and in the bag.   We used our usual estate loop in Saltburn and enjoyed a 90 second recovery in between.  Job done! The pace was not spectacular - about 10km pace so not  flat out but a good feeling all the same to get a session done.

Talked about range of paces last night and I remarked that sometimes when you are feeling good all runs tend to become a little bit quicker but its good sometimes to go through the gears in training.   Last nights session was the first time in a few months that I have sustained running at about 5:30 pace.   There have been plenty of miles run at around or slightly under 6 minute miling.  There have been lots of runs in the last few weeks between 6 minutes and 6 and a half minute miling.   But not many miles outside of 7 minute miling - becuase I have been feeling good and generally my running has reflected that - particularly in the last four weeks or so!  

So just to celebrate my successful interval session last night I rewarded my legs with a nice recovery run at a leisurely pace outside of 7 minutes per mile this morning. I didnt feel guilty at all and quite enjoyed the feeling of an easy run.  

Whilst it's good to run fast (well relatively fast!) sometimes you need to get the balance between lots of hard slog type quicker running and some easy recovery runs to let the body recharge......use your gears! 

An enjoyable Sunday double!

After what seems like months of struggling with hamstring pain today's run were definite signs that progress is being made and fitness is improving.   My Sunday runs recently have been doubles - fitting a short steady run of around 5 miles in before taking one or both of my boys to junior football matches followed up by a swift 5km or 4 miles on the treadmill whilst they hit the pool at the leisure centre with the swimming club (active kids!).

 

 

The morning run started off steadily at 7 minute miling but feeling good the pace quickly picked up after a mile or so and I found myself ticking off the miles at a quick 6-15 to 6.20 pace and ended up with a decent 7.5 miles at an average pace of 6.25 per mile.   The best thing was the weather was almost perfect for a morning run with a light frost and a very light breeze and the legs felt great - no aches and pains and responsive to the pace that I pushed along at.  The kind of run that makes you feel great to be a runner - Sunday mornings were made for these runs!

I decided to hit the road later in the day for a tempo session.   As most of my recent tempo efforts have been treadmill based a road session would be a welcome change.   With the morning effort in my legs I struggled for the first mile to hit the target time of under 6 minute miling but once I got into my rhythm I was happily going along at between 5.45 and 5.50 pace for the rest of the four mile run.  Progress is definitely being made although I must admit the first mile of any run at the moment is a bit of a struggle...maybe that is just an age thing!

The Treadmill vs the Road - A debate many runners have and one which came up recently in a discussion with one of my training partners.

- My own speed sessions on the treadmill have been slightly quicker than that on the road but you cant beat the feeling of eating up the tarmac!  
- There is no maximum speed limit on the road for a runner!
- You don't have to wait for a treadmill or feel guilty if you are on for more than 20 minutes.  For a more scientific view have a look at this article which outlines some of the key differences in propulsive forces of treadmill running and advocates their use only for some specific workouts.  Some "experts" feel the differences between treadmill and road running are so great that excessive treadmill use can actually impair running economy on regular surfaces.

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/treadmill.html

Big test of consistency comes next week as I tackle the delights of the Maltby 7.  My results in the last two years have been just 6 seconds apart so any where near the times of the last two years will do just fine to set me up nicely for the Leeds Abbey Dash on the 18th.  

Happy winter running!