Run 1 - 4.9 miles, 31.56
Run 2 - 11.3 miles, 1:25.43
Run 3 - 4.9 miles, 34.21
Run 4 - 6.4 miles, 44.12
Cycling
2 sessions
Time: 2:00.00
Distance: miles
Bike 1 - Turbo, 1:00.00
Bike 2 - 14 miles, 1:00.00
Week Totals
9 sessions
Time: 7:16.12
Pretty decent week, with the only let down being the cancellation of a TT I had entered for Sunday. I'd been laying off the bike work as I'd had some problems with saddle sores in the run up and wanted to be comfortable for the race. Highlight of the week for me was resetting my CSS pace. Went off way too quick, going through the first 100m in 1:15ish! Struggled through to finish with a new 400m PB of 5:34 and a subsequent 200m PB of 2:38. There's definitely more to come I think, sub-5:30 should be do-able with better pacing.
Very much looking forward to my next 10km at Bushy Park this coming weekend. I think I've got a sub-38:30 in me, maybe getting close to 38:15 if I can find myself in a good group to pace with. Depending on how this race goes, I'll set my goal for my first half-marathon which I'm doing at the end of March. I've only really entered for a bit of fun and the experience, so I'm tempted to just go out strong and see if I can hang on. The race time calculators say I could do a sub 1:25, but this seems very ambitious indeed. We'll have to see, I'll have a better idea after Bushy.
It's that time of year again. February is a brutal month. It's so tantalisingly close to summer, with it's vest and shorts weather and seemingly endless daylight. It's so close, yet so far. The never ending days of long, endurance training, building the base of fitness to allow all that quick training that is to come, start to drag by and the apparently ceaseless wet, windy weather starts to dampen both the spirits and the trainers. For one brief, glorious afternoon last week I was convinced Spring was just around the corner, but the harsh reality is we're still pretty firmly entrenched in Winter.
I'd love to jet off to a warm training camp somewhere, maybe Majorca or Lanzarote. A 10day escape to warmer climes would go down a treat right now, but the harsh reality is I'm all tied up in University work, other commitments and the financial destitution of student life so won't be jetting off anywhere anytime soon. The greater climbs of Surrey will have to do for now, but there's always the hope of a cheeky last minute trip once exams are done and work is yet to re-start.
As I do almost all my training solo, the motivation to go out and do planned sessions has to be entirely self derived. There's no safety net of teammates urging you to come along, braving the frankly disgusting weather. This places an awful lot more pressure on me mentally. It's a new form of pressure as I've only previously been involved in sports where that safety net of teammates was there to encourage me should I falter. I used to row, a sport which is notorious for sticking to planned schedules and training plans, despite all forms of protest from the crew. Now I'm training solo, without a coach, I have to be the one to tell myself to get up and pull my kit on. I find its easier to try and convince myself that a session is a good idea as I get changed. That way, even if I still don't want to do the session, I'm already changed and its silly to get changed and not train. Having my kit laid out ready also helps, especially if there's a pice or two of it strategically placed across the radiator. A nice warm t-shirt before a run is a small luxury, but it's the little things that make all the difference.
I know I'll look back on this post in 6 months and wonder why I was complaining. It's putting in the effort at this time of year that will pay off come race season. Every session I do which my fellow competitors decide to sleep through is one session I'm fitter than them, technically better than them or better prepared.
I've only raced one so far this year, but in less than perfect conditions I PB'd comfortably. I know that this Winters' efforts are paying dividends. I can see it in my training and how I feel. Excited about the summer? Oh you bet. Happy to battle through a few more wet, windy sessions until then? Yeh. I think I can do that.
The Regents Park 10k, organised by the Mornington Crescent Chasers Running Club, was my first race of the 2013 season. Mornington Crescent Chasers organise both a winter and a summer series of 10ks which are held in Regent's Park and you could tell - it was a very well run event.
As the race was only a C race for me, I didn't taper down at all. Although I actually had an easy week volume wise, it wasn't a planned one! Uni work piled up and there just wasn't enough time in the day to get a normal training week in. I did manage to get a couple of good turbo sessions in, including one the day before the race on Saturday (8 x 3mins.
Alarm goes off. Ignore it. Snooze it. Grumble. Coffee on. Weetabix (x3). Bowl. Milk. Banana. Grumble. Back into bed to drink coffee. Eat breakfast. Out of bed again. Suited and booted, ready to go. Stumble to tube station (more coffee). Sleep. Stumble to Regent's Park. Warm up. Race.
I always like to leave myself some spare time in case of disasters, so usually arrive pretty early to a race. I arrived with nearly 50mins to spare at Camden Town tube station and followed some likely looking fellow racers, clad as they were in lycra and a selection of race-finisher t-shirts. I already had my race number and so had no need to queue to register, I just needed to get changed, fingd a place to stash my kit and turn my Garmin on. Top tip there - wandering around with your hand in the air trying to find satellites 3mins before the gun goes is not a good look for anyone.
I managed a pretty good warmup before having to line up, including a few stretches. On reflection, I positioned myself a little further back than I maybe should have. There were a fair few people who were far too close to the front and there was some congestion to begin with. The gun went and I waited until I'd crossed the timing mats before starting my Garmin. The course is not a fast one, consisting as it does of a triple repeat of a loop made up of a long drag uphill, before a shorter, sharper descent down. My PB was 39:25 and I knew I had it in me to beat that so was targeting sub-39mins, meaning 6:18min/mile. I set off a little quick, as often is the case, but was careful to stay within my limits a little and not go too mad on the first lap. At the end of the first lap I was well ahead of schedule, averaging around 6:08min/mile and knew I needed to peg it back if I wanted to finish strongly. The subsequent two laps were a little slower, not helped by an increasing headwind on the downhill section which was also a blustery crosswind on the uphill section - not a fast day!
I found myself working in a small group, each of us pushing the others on and this definitely helped us all out. I felt strong on the hills but surprisingly struggled a little on the downhills. My left hamstring had been a little tight in the week before after doing a fair amount of turbo work using my TT bike and I wonder if that was impairing my cadence. Other than that, there was a distinct lack of drama in the race for me and I managed to plod round to a new PB of 38:45 (6:15min/mile).
I'm overall quite pleased with my pacing though was a little disappointed to not finish stronger. Some congestion on the final downhill as we caught some of the slower runners who were just finishing their second lap probably didn't help but I could barely muster any sort of sprint finish. It's probably only a reflection of the training I'm doing at the moment. Winter miles are not necessarily quick miles. I've not done any track work since last year, so maybe the finishing sprint will come once I move into the build phase of my training plan and restart track work.
Chip time : 38:45 (PB) 24/547
Lap 1 - 12:46
Lap 2 - 13:05
Lap 3 - 13:01
Quite pleased with a new PB - especially given it was a slower course on a slower day and at this stage of the season. I've got another 10km at Bushy Park in a month which is pan flat. I'm really hoping to improve again on this time but it's going to be difficult to decide what to target. Sub-38min seems a huge improvement, but with another month of training and a much faster course it might just be possible. An alternative target could be 6:10min/mile pace which would give me a 38:14 finish. I may go for sub-38min and see what happens! If it's not looking good, I can always back off and move onto the second goal. This race has also confirmed that I need to do a 5k again so I can update my training paces (I follow the FIRST running program which is all based on your 5k race pace).
There are many things I like
about endurance sports. There's something very liberating about
self-propelled movement, whether that's on foot, on a bike or in the
water. I like the camaraderie that exists. I like the looks people
give me as I run past clad in shorts and a vest, whilst they shiver
smothered in layers upon layers. The experience of the world is very
different when running or cycling. Spending a cold, crisp morning
cycling the perfect route with a group of mates around you is an
almost unbeatable experience. But most of all, I like that
regardless of a persons’ experience, talent or commitment, they can
always strive to improve their performances, whether that's in a race
or during training.
Several times over the last
month or two, I've been reminded of how far I've come since I signed
up for my first triathlon. When I started cycling for example, I
hadn't even used clipless pedals before, let alone done any
significant cycling or training. Now, I would say I am a competent
cyclist, one of the stronger members of my cycling club and capable
of holding my own in all but the fastest of groups.
However, there are still
times when I'm way over my limit, fighting every pedal stroke and the
guy next to me is more concerned with trying to engage me in a lovely
chat about how nice his weekend was. This is something else I like
about endurance sports. You can guarantee, no matter how good you
get, no matter how impressive your times or performances, there will
always be someone who is better than you, stronger than you, faster
than you or even simply having a better day than you. I like that
there is always something to aim for and a reason to strive for
better training and better racing. Endurance sports have a wonderful
ability to congratulate you on your progress, massaging your ego,
before swiftly bringing you down to Earth with a not so gentle bump.
Even those at the very pinnacle of the sport have had days when they
have been humbled.
I don't think there's any
place for ego in endurance sports, although there's no doubt it's out
there. From club runners to professional, Olympic standard athletes,
there are some who believe they are not only superior to others, they
are infallible. The line between confidence and arrogance is all too
fine and to some people it is also blurred. But endurance sports are
able to quite elegantly remind them they are in fact not perfect. A
particularly hard race or training session can humble us all. A poor
performance can not only humble but humiliate.
Endurance sports are a
wonderfully pure pursuit. There is no need to sully it with
ridiculously egotistical attitudes and actions. The performances of
a person speak far louder than any flamboyant gesture or questionable
attitude. The attitude of a person in victory and defeat speaks
volume about their credentials.
I mentioned in my first
column that I am far more concerned with my own performance in any
given race or training session; if I can be satisfied with that, I
will be happy. Endurance sports are very special because they allow
you to compete without competing. There's no real need for a rival.
There's no reliance on team members. Its’ isolation pits yourself
against the one person you will always want to beat; yourself.
