A different Sunday run

Last Sunday was the Brass Monkey half marathon, this week I opted out of running in the Peco cross country race as I was still feeling soreness in my legs (the hamstring problem seemed to lead to general tightness in both legs). So after a couple of days with no running at all to see if it would improve the situation, I decided to just go out for a run & see how things were.

I set off around the park in Ilkley, dodging the dogs & their owners, kids on bikes & the various rugby & football matches. It was then out along the Nesfield Road. My running seemed to be a bit sluggish, but the pace wasn't too bad for a steady run. The further I went, I was gradually able to speed up without too many complaints from the legs.

I turned back at the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Bridge, with a vague plan to see if I could run a bit quicker on the way home. Somewhat surprisingly I was able to keep increasing the pace, so that for the last 2-3km I was actually running quicker than some of the final kilometres of last week's race.....most odd.

So I ran just over 20k, with the second half considerably faster than the first half. The legs don't seem too bad, so we'll see how the recovery is before getting too excited. Next week it's the Dewsbury 10k, so it would be good to see if I can do a reasonable run there.

Pyramid track session

This evening's track session was a pyramid: 1x200, 1x400, 1x600, 1x800, 1x1000, 1x1200, 1x1000, 1x800, 1x600, 1x400, 1x200. Recoveries were mainly 75 & 90 seconds. Mark I, David B & myself ran the session with Brit T joining us for some of the efforts. Coach Pete kept us focused on what we were meant to be doing.

Conditions were not too bad, a bit cold, but no ice, dry, but a bit of a breeze (unusually blowing against us on the home straight). My leg was still a bit sore, but didn't impact significantly on how I was able to run the session.....except on the 200m reps where I couldn't run too quickly.

My overall average was 85 seconds per lap, with a high degree of consistency, I was lapping in the 1200m only marginally slower than in the 400s. My running partners were generally faster than me on the shorter reps & slower on the longer reps.

I was quite pleased with the session & I don't seem to be making my leg injury any worse. I'll take it a bit easier over the next few days & hopefully there might be some signs of improvement. I'm probably going to give the Peco cross country a miss on Sunday as the last one did coincide with the start of my hamstring problems.

The Hound of Windgate Nick

Today I went for a run up on to the moors. I decided to visit the 'Hound of Windgate Nick' (see story here).....it's certainly an impressive sight. The route that I took to get there was 10k virtually all uphill, via Hebers Ghyll Drive, Addingham Moorside & Light Bank Road on road, track, fields & moors.

For those who are wondering about the hamstring injury, following Sunday's race, it didn't seem to get any worse. I went for a very slow run around the park yesterday & despite general leg soreness, I didn't have any adverse reaction from the hamstring. My conclusion at the moment is that it doesn't seem to make much difference whether or not I run on it, the main thing that aggravates it is running quickly, but the effects seem to be only short term. Very curious.

Back to this afternoon's run. The good thing about running 10k uphill, is that I had a very long downhill to follow. I returned by way of the Swastika Stone, Parish Ghyll Drive & Grove Road (details here for anyone interested). It's a very enjoyable route, even on a misty day with heavy drizzle. Despite the weather it wasn't too muddy, so running conditions were quite good for the time of year.

Brass Monkey half marathon

I decided to run after all, not 100% confident that the hamstring would survive. I wore compression shorts for the first time in a race just to give the leg a bit of protection. My plan was to set off at normal race speed & see how things went (I know that a more sensible option would have been to take it easy at the start & then to speed up if all was OK).

After only about 3k I realised the folly of setting off quickly. Even though I was running at about the same pace as last year (3:45 per km for the 1st 5k), my leg was tightening & complaining about going fast. From then it became a question of slowing down & nursing the hamstring to the finish. It was a bit frustrating getting overtaken by lots of runners & 17 or 18 km of slowing down is a long way. The 1st 10k took me about 38:20 & the 2nd 10k 40:14.

On the positive side I got to see lots of people that I wouldn't have seen if I'd run a more even paced race. Clubmates Steve W & Steve C both overtook me and had an epic battle to be the 1st Ilkley Harrier to finish, with Steve C just taking the honours.

There were lots of fellow bloggers in the race. Antony B was much nearer the front of the race than me & seemed to be quite satisfied with his run. Sarah J was treating the race as a training run & was looking far too comfortable & cheery when she overtook me, still finishing 3rd in the ladies race (well done to Marc on a PB). Simon A from Otley overtook me about halfway around. Andy W was running as part of his marathon preparation and was just behind me at the finish.

Special mention to clubmate Jane B who ran under 90 minutes for the 1st time being paced by Andrew M. She celebrated with a bottle of champagne & a prize for 2nd F40.

I finished the race in 84:14, almost 3 minutes slower than last year. Somehow I still managed to win £20 as 1st M55, & hopefully I've done no long term damage to the hamstring.

The winner of the race had apparently come all the way from New Zealand & set a new course record in 65 minutes & a few seconds (presumably he didn't travel over just for this race).

To race or not to race?

That is the question. My sore upper leg is the problem, not sure if it's my hamstring that's playing up. I've never had a hamstring injury before...... I thought that it was something that sprinters & footballers suffered from. It's not a major injury as I can still run & isn't a problem when I'm walking around. The issue is when I run quickly that it becomes sore. I'm a bit nervous about racing with it as it may suddenly get much worse when I run at race speed.

Today I went out for a steady 11.5k run to Addingham. I was wary about putting in any fast bursts in case it would aggravate the problem. Generally I felt fine whilst running, it was quite cold, but dry & sunny.

I guess that I'll take a view tomorrow on the merits of racing on Sunday.

Ice again on the track

This evening there was again a covering of ice on the Carnegie track, so spikes were certainly required. Richard R didn't have any spikes so he had to run around the outside. It was just Brit T & me to start with, but Mark I joined in part way through. The session was 600m, 800, 1k, 1.2k, then repeat, with 90 second recoveries.

I had two reasons to take it easy: firstly I've got a sore left upper leg & secondly it's the Brass Monkey half marathon on Sunday. I was a bit wary of trying to run too quickly and aggravating the injury, so my intention was to run no quicker than 90 seconds per lap......way off the pace of recent weeks.

From an effort point of view, the session was very comfortable, I was easily able to run all of the reps within a second per lap of the target 90 seconds average. However I was very much aware of my sore leg & was mindful that I could be making it worse by running on the track. Tomorrow will be another non running day - the second this week, which will hopefully give the leg a bit of a rest to recover in time for Sunday's race.

Half marathon preparation

Feeling a bit sluggish this week, in the build up to the Brass Monkey half marathon, I decided to compare my preparation this year with last year. I decided to look at the 9 weeks up to the week before the race date. I guess opinions will be divided on what is 'good' half marathon preparation, but here is the analysis that I've done:

2011

distance run: 805 km (average 89 km/week)
distance of 5 longest runs: 108 km (21.5 km average)
4 races, 4 track sessions, 5 rest days.

2010

distance run: 726 km (average 81 km/week)
distance of 5 longest runs: 108 km (21.6 km average)
5 races, 5 track sessions, 8 rest days

Overall I've run about 10% further this year than last year, although there is no difference in the total length of my 5 longest runs. The three fewer rest days account for much of the difference in total distance run. The weather this year was much colder (with more snow) in late November & throughout December, but relatively milder in January. This affected when I ran races & track sessions...... The Thirsk 10 was cancelled this year & most of the December track sessions, whereas last year it was January when the majority of track sessions were cancelled.

Certainly there are quite a few other factors which will affect how quickly I run at this year's Brass Monkey race, for example last year the conditions were ideal (cool, dry, no wind) & I seemed to have one of those days when running seems easy (until the last 5k). Currently I feel as though running fast is hard work, although hopefully that will change by the weekend.

Today's run was an easy 14k out & back on the Nesfield Road to the A59. The outward leg seemed to be a real struggle, even though I was only going at a very modest pace. On the way back I did at least speed up a bit & running seemed a bit more comfortable. Not sure that I got much benefit from yesterday's rest day.

Peco cross country - Kirkstall

I enjoy doing cross country races, however, I seem to be much slower running in mud than I am on the roads or track compared to other runners. Not sure if it's my build or running style or some other reason. Today's course in Bramley woods was quite undulating & heavy rain on Saturday meant that there was quite a lot of mud in places......but not as bad as it might have been.

I finished in 49th place, which is my worst result at a Peco race for a couple of years. I'm not too bothered about the result as the priority is the half marathon next week. I was feeling quite sluggish at the start, so it was probably just one of those 'off days'.....better this week than next.

The plan for the next few days is to take it easy with the running, I probably need a couple of rest days. I've only had 3 non running days since the end of November, so the batteries need recharging a bit.

Running slowly

Thursday & Friday were both very slow runs. After the Wednesday evening track sessions I always find it difficult to run properly the following day. Yesterday I opted for an easy run to Addingham, one of my regular steady routes, about 11.5k. Today was a bit hillier, around Middleton with a loop around Rupert Road, just over13k. I was running a bit quicker today than yesterday, but nothing to get excited about.

The weather is very mild at the moment which makes running a bit more pleasant than the severe cold we had recently, it's also fairly dry which helps as well.

On Sunday I'm intending to do the Peco cross country at Bramley. For me it's a very low key race & really a chance to get used to racing again before next week's Brass Monkey half marathon. There's not really much comparison between an 8k cross country race & a road half marathon, but at least it will be a welcome break from regular road training.

Longer reps on the track

This evening was perfect for running on the track. It was mild, dry & no wind - a complete contrast to last week's icy run. The session was also very different to last week's session. Instead of very short fast reps, we did longer efforts today: 1X2k, 5X1k, with 90 second recoveries. Three of us were running, Mark I, Richard R & myself with coach Pete in charge.

I felt much more at home with the longer reps. Considering the longer distances that I've been running in recent weeks & the lack of fast speedwork, it probably makes sense that running 2k & 1k efforts seemed easier than last week's 300s & 400s.

The slowest kilometre that I ran was actually the 1st half of the 2k, in 3:35. The fastest was the 2nd half of the 2k in 3:30. For the single kilometre efforts they were all between 3:31 & 3:34. This gave an overall average of about 85 seconds per lap, which is 4 or 5 seconds slower than last week's average, but getting a bit closer to the pace that I will be able to run next week's half marathon. Running 21.1k on the road is very different to 7k total of efforts on the track.

Overall I was pleased with the consistency of this evening's session. To prepare for my 3000m track races in February & March, I will need to do more short faster efforts, but as preparation for a half marathon, it was probably about right.

Leeds - Liverpool canal

It's been quite a while since I ran along the canal towpath, maybe even more than a year. Today it was quite wet, with rain falling when I set off & big puddles on the path, but in places the canal was still frozen. I ran from Dowley Gap, near Cottingley.

My intention was just to go for a steady run, it was quite pleasant once I got used to the cold & having wet feet. There were few people around, just the odd dog walker here & there & a couple of other runners. I set off through Bingley & past the 5 rise locks, then to Riddlesden, before turning round a couple of km from Silsden where the path becomes very muddy.

As seems to be inevitable when I run alongside the canal, I try to run faster on the way back than I did on the way out. Even though I'd gone at a fairly easy pace on the outward leg (a few seconds under 5 minutes per km), once I turned around I found myself running 20-30 seconds per km quicker. Whilst this was still a fairly comfortable pace, it's a bit faster than I do most of my steady runs. In total I ran just under 20k.

Less than 2 weeks now to the Brass Monkey half marathon. I'll probably do the Peco cross country on Sunday, to get used to racing again, as I've not raced since before Christmas.

Running in the Strid Wood at Bolton Abbey

It was a bit wetter today at the Strid Wood than when I took this photo last summer.

My run today could not have been much more different to yesterday's session. Despite the car showing the same temperature of 3.5 degrees, there was no ice & instead of laps of the track I was running alone through the woods at Bolton Abbey. My pace was also a long way off yesterday's efforts, the sub 3:30 minutes per km pace was replaced by something over 6 minutes per km.

The funny thing (to me anyway) is that today's run actually felt much harder than the one yesterday evening. My legs felt like lumps of lead. I certainly hadn't recovered from the short fast reps on the track. I managed to convince myself that 'active recovery' is better than just taking a day off......... in any case the route that I ran is one of my favourite routes & there were plenty of things to look at to take my mind off the less than fluid running style.

It's now just over two weeks to the Brass Monkey half marathon, so my plan is currently to mix a couple of fast sessions per week with plenty of slower running and an overall average of just over 100k per week. I probably won't do any more long runs (over 20k) & gradually reduce the distance I'm running generally before the race. Not sure how feasible it will be to improve on last year's time (81:31), my training is going well, but a lot depends how things feel on the day.....last year was one of those days when running fast seemed to be very easy (they don't happen very often).

Carnegie track micro-climate

Arriving at the track, the car thermometer said that the temperature was 3.5 degrees, it had been 5-6 degrees most of the day, so I was a bit surprised to be told at reception that spikes were compulsory on the track due to ice. I assumed that it was a case of the Health & Safety bods being over cautious. However once on the track itself, it was really treacherous. The puddles from this morning's rain had indeed frozen & where there weren't puddles, there was a thin film of shiny frost.

We had a bit of a debate about the merits of trying to run quickly in the conditions, only three of us were present....Mark I, Rachael B & myself, with coach Pete. We decided to do a warm up around the perimeter track, then put spikes on & see what it was like for running on the track.

The consensus was that we would give it a go, but being very cautious on the corners........landing on the forefoot was fine, but when the heal came into contact with the surface it felt decidedly slippery. The session we were running was due to be mainly short fast reps: 8X400m (with reducing recoveries...2x1min, 2x50 secs, 2x40 secs, 1x30 secs), 4X300m (100m jog recoveries), then take a view on doing a couple of 800s after that.

I ran the first 400 in 82 seconds, with Rachael & Mark going a bit quicker than me. After that we seemed to get more confident with the conditions, I ran the remaining 400s in 78/79 seconds, which if anything is a bit quicker than I've recently managed. The 300s were marginally faster again in about 58 seconds.

Instead of 800s, Pete suggested that we do a slightly longer effort, with changes of pace....alternating the lead. We did 1200m in 4:18. After the 300s, this pace felt very comfortable, despite the uneven pace.

In total we did 5600m of efforts, which is less distance than we usually do, but it was quicker than average (especially considering the conditions).

Ilkley Harriers Hard Run

Normally the IH 'Hard Run' takes place on a Saturday, but this week's run was delayed until today due to the New Year festivities. I hadn't run this session since October.....I'm not really an early morning runner, especially for speedwork. There were 6 of us this morning, including Lee A from Bingley Harriers who ensured that there was a brisk pace at the front.

We did efforts of 1X4 mins, 3X5 mins & 4X6 mins along the Nesfield Road. Considering that the route is quite undulating and there was a bit of ice on some sections, I was relatively pleased with the pace that I was able to run at. Overall I averaged 3:50 per km for the 11.3k of efforts, which is comparable to the speed that I ran this session in April last year & quite a bit quicker than in October (when I was still recovering from my viral illness).

With a warm down run around the park, I ran just over 19k, giving a total of 113k for the last 7 days, which is quite a bit more than I normally run & over 100k per week average for the last 4 weeks. With that distance in the legs, it's good that I can still do a relatively brisk interval session. With the track on Wednesday, I should hopefully now start to improve the speed that I'm running at, after lots of steady running.