100 runs, 600 miles

A nice landmark to end July - my one hundredth run of the year and it took me past a total of 600 miles for the year.

So, nicely on target and my training for the upcoming races is going well.

While I was running laps around Dulwich today I (gradually) overtook another runner who then speeded up to catch up with me... I thought he might be one of those slighly annoying people who doesn't run an even pace, or doesn't like to be overtaken, and continually speeds up and slows down (often they're wearing headphones and a music player, and often they're breathing louder than they realise).

However this chap was actually looking for advice on what pace he was running. Of course I was happy to help, and it transpired he'd only just started running outside and was trying to find out what was a comfortable pace for him. But it felt strange to be seen as the "experienced runner" when less than four years ago I couldn't run half a mile without stopping. It's actually happened a couple of other times recently, when I've been wearing my "MK Half" T-shirt and people were looking for some advice about the course.

On Saturday I did four full laps of Greenwich - it's the first time I've run up the hill four times this year (in all of my marathon training back in the spring I mostly ran on the level due to my sore knee, probably a contributory factor to running out of fitness on marathon day). Feels good to be getting some of my old fitness back.

So, 86.8 miles in July, and 601.89 miles overall.

More speedwork

Another good week's running this week, totalling 21.67 miles, including some more interval training at Dulwich on Wednesday. Speedwork is exhausting but it's the best preparation if I'm going to improve my 10k and half marathon PBs in the upcoming races.

This weekend we were in Hertfordshire so for a change my long slow run was around Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage. The altitude during a lap varies by about 25 metres, about the same as Greenwich, but it's a different sort of challenge - more constant up and down, whereas Greenwich is on two levels, mostly flat but with two shorter, steeper hills. So Fairlands is probably closer to the terrain for a typical road race.

Total for the year now stands at 578.3 miles.

Speeding up

The first half of this challenge was mainly about running slowly for a long time. With a 10k and two half marathons coming up, my training for the next ten weeks or so is now more about shorter, faster runs. This week as well as 7 miles in Greenwich and a couple of lunchtimes runs along the Thames I did a tempo run in Dulwich (the idea being to run the first third of the run slowish, then speed up to peak speed during the second third, and then gradually slow down during the final third.

Like running intervals, the idea of this is to get your body running fast for short periods. Supposedly this helps to raise your "lactate threshold", the pace you can run at where your liver can remove lactate from your bloodstream at around the same rate as it gets created, and thus allows you to run faster in distance races without muscle fatigue.

As well as the tempo run I did a "race pace" run today in Dulwich. Again the idea is to get your body used to running at your planned race pace, albeit for shorter periods. So I did a warm-up lap and then ran 3 laps at 8:45 min/mile pace, which if I can keep that up in the New Forest Half would see me cross the line in 1:54:37, a time I'd be very happy with. I've run that pace in a 10km before so just need to carry on for another 11km !

Since we got back from holiday the weather seems to have taken a turn for the worse. Well worse for sunbathing and barbecues perhaps but pretty good for distance running. Yesterday's 3.5 laps around Greenwich were mostly in the pouring rain, something I don't mind at all. In fact I think I run better in the rain.

A total of 21.82 miles this week, bringing my total for July to 41.55 and for the year to 556.63.

The Second Half

Back home after a great two weeks in Kefalonia where I broke my promise about not running on holiday (did one early morning 5k jog) but otherwise rested my legs, spent plenty of time in the swimming pool, and generally relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine.

Going back to work was a bit of a shock to the system, and similarly getting back out running meant some stiff and sore muscles this week. But I'm on track with my new training plan, geared towards the New Forest Half and the Royal Parks Half, in September and October respectively. And my brother's signed me up for another 10k, the Great Scottish Run, in Glasgow on 4th September, which will be a nice chance to run a race in my hometown for the first time.

My new routine looks like being lunchtime runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, interval training on Wednesday nights, a long slow run on Saturday and a shorter pace run on Sunday. This week I managed just under 20 miles including 3 fairly leisurely laps of Greenwich today.

So my total for the year now stands at just under 535 miles.

500 miles !

Somewhere along Victoria Embankment today I passed the half way mark in the 1000 miles part of my Marathon Challenge.

To celebrate, time for a wee musical interlude, courtesy of Craig and Charlie:

Approaching half-way

This week's been a productive week running, with a total of 21.17 miles clocked up and the first time for a while when I've been able to run 5 times on a working week this year - which maybe explains why my times in races this year have been a little disappointing so far. Running three or four times a week is ok but not really enough to gain the fitness you need to improve your times, and it's only now that I can feel the sort of fitness I had last summer start to come back. Hopefully it will help me run a couple of good times in the upcoming half-marathons.

My total for the year now stands at 497.61 miles, so my next run should take me over the half-way mark of my 1000 mile challenge. While I've made good progress to reach this point early in June, I have a couple of weeks' holiday coming up when I don't plan to run much, if at all, so I need to keep up the same level of running in the second half of the year if I'm going to reach my goal.

However if I follow my training plan for the two half-marathons I have lined up for the autumn that will add nearly 300 miles to my total by the beginning of October, and hopefully I'll be able to knock off the remaining 200 miles in the last 14 weeks.

Almost immediately the BUPA London 10000 was over the weather turned cooler and wetter - almost cold enough to ditch the shorts and t-shirt for tracksters and long-sleeve tops. Still, I quite like running in the rain, and the colder temperatures make running long distances easier.

BUPA London 10000

I've had a few days now to reflect on Monday's BUPA London 10000.

How did I get on against my targets ? Well, I ran all the way, finished the race, and enjoyed myself. And my brother also finished, and I think he enjoyed the race too. The other targets: well my finish time was 57 minutes exactly, 2mins 40 slower than last year, and 3mins 30 slower than my best time for the distance. So not so good.

So in one way I'm disappointed. But, looking back at my running since the marathon, I haven't been close to running at that pace for 10k, in fact Monday's run was my fastest 10k this year by more than a minute. So maybe my targets were a little optimistic for this particular race. But I'm convinced I can run faster than 53:30 some time and will be training hard for next time.

So, the race itself. We showed up a little later in Green Park than we should have, and by the time my brother had dropped his baggage and we'd both been to the toilet, it was 10:50 and we had to scuttle along to the start. Unfortunately as we were late arriving we only managed to fit in at the back of the 6th band of runners when we should have been in the 4th band.

It took 20 minutes for the elites and the rest of the people in front of us to start before finally we were off. Almost immediately we were getting blocked by slower runners and having to dodge and weave around people, going up on to the pavement to get past, at the risk of a twisted ankle. The first kilometre passed in 6m:18s, painfully slow. Coming down Embankment the route widened and the field started to thin out a little allowing more scope to overtake, and kilometres 2 and 3 were more respectable in 5:26 and 5:27 respectively. Not the nice steady start to a 10K you ideally want though.

The pace was getting a little too fast for my brother as we passed Sophie taking photographs near Waterloo Bridge, and just after the 3km water station we said our goodbyes. I more or less kept my pace during kilometre 4, 5:29 and headed up the hill into the City, reaching the halfway mark in 28:16, a reasonable time given our slow start.

I had convinced myself that from the halfway mark the route was entirely level or downhill and that I could gain some time in the second half of the race but it didn't feel particularly downhill and perhaps due to the heat or just my lack of fitness I was struggling to keep up the pace of the earlier kilometres. 5:47 for the sixth km and 5:41 for the seventh.

As I came back down onto the Embankment again and passed the 7km water station I was feeling pretty down but seeing Sophie at Waterloo bridge again cheered me up, and then a spectator at around the 8km mark caught my eye and said firmly, and quite correctly, "come on, not far now" which spurred me on even more. Kilometre 8 took me 5:43 and kilometre 9, 5:49. Turning off Embankment into Horseguards

Parade confirmed I really wasn't far from the finish now and, while I didn't manage the sprint finish I'd hoped for, I ran the last kilometre up Whitehall and into the Mall solidly enough in 5:49 to finish in 57:01, later corrected to 57:00 when the official times were published.

An average pace of 9minutes 10seconds per mile. My brother finished in just under 1 hour 3 minutes - he was disappointed too but like me any many others I think he struggled with the heat on the day.

So, disappointed at the time, and I know I can and will do better in future, but an enjoyable run overall. Again the temperature was a little high for comfort, and being blocked at the start probably cost me up to a minute and prevented me running a more even pace. Without wanting to make too many excuses, I've not been training as hard or as often this year so far as I did this time last year. Perhaps on the day I could have run 56 minutes or a little less.

But I think a PB was always going to be a stretch.

Since Monday I've had a couple of midweek lunchtime runs along the river, and today went to Richmond for a change to run a lap in even higher temperatures than last week, bringing my total miles to 472.41 for the year.