Well I guess there are the good times and the bad times. And in a similar vein there are the easy going and the frustratingly difficult days. Week 8 training has definitely fallen into the frustratingly difficult. I started the week with a recurrence of the knee ache that I had the week before. Given…
Half Marathon Training – Week 7
The training plan for the week looked like this: As a result of that my training ended up as: So not at all bad really. Overall on the week I felt OK. Started with a stiff left knee so dropped Monday training. Through in a hard treadmill session on Saturday rather than a recovery session…
Half Marathon Training – Week 6
Well training is reaching the final few weeks and so its the last couple of weeks before taper starts. The past week has been a good mix of medium paced intervals, hill sessions and a long trail run, amongst easy recoveries. Last weeks activities were: Monday: Recovery run, easy pace morning run. Recovery from weekend…
Half Marathon Training – Week 5
Last week training plan consisted of: If you watch the video you’ll hear me talk about how the week went. Having been unwell I skipped a Tuesday session, moving it to Wednesday (hence why the plan above appears to have back to back tempo sessions! I also felt this week was a real struggle with…
Half Marathon Training – Week 4
My half marathon training took a bit of a step back in priority during my weeks family holiday, but I managed some amazing runs in some simply breathtaking scenery.
Half Marathon week 2
This weeks training plan was: In summary: Monday – Recovery – approximately 45 minutes at low effort. (Heart Rate Zone 1) Tuesday – Fast finish – which means you progressively increase pace from each to moderate pace during the session. This session ended with a period at Heart Rate Zone 3 – medium effort – for 12 minutes….
The route through my first 100Km
How I handled my first Ultra Marathon Having written a review of the Race to the Stones 2019 (LINK), I have now reflected more on what I did on the day and in the lead up to the race. The race was great and I really enjoyed it. The experience. was unbelievable and one I…
Race to the Stones, 2019 – Review
My thighs are aching… My ankles have been painful for hours … I don’t know how my knees are still quiet and not complaining like a 5 year old that can’t have an ice cream every time the ice cream van jingle can be heard outside… Then the next thing I see is ’95Km ‘More…
2 Years can take you a long way!
On the eve of my first Ultra marathon – The Dixons Carphone Race to the Stones 2019, I realised I’ve just gone past my second anniversary of having taken up running. I knew it was about June/July 2017 but I checked back on MapMyRun which I used when I started and realised that my first…
Hampshire Hoppit Trail Marathon 2019
Photo gallery here. The Hampshire Hoppit is trail run through the North Hampshire hills. On offer to budding trail runners is a Marathon and Half Marathon distance. I decided that this would be the best option for my second marathon and my first ever trail marathon. From the offset the organisation is great. Some good…
Treadmill workouts for runners
As a treadmill user using it as the basis of various workouts is a great way to break the stigma of monotonous running. Some of these are great ideas to just give tour treadmill workouts a bit more interest and value in your training. Certainly worth a look! http://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a28192841/treadmill-workouts
Training your brain for Ultras
Saw this on Facebook and really enjoy reading about the psychology behind ultra running. It’s such a large part of the battle. When you run you have to listen to your body, but when you venture into Ultras you have to change your thoughts. Your mind starts to shout louder than your body at times…
Exercise, running and depression
With it having been suicide awareness day this week this article is a timely and simply put article about the virtues of exercise, particularly running, in fighting depression and mental illness. Some references and links to more in depth material as well http://www.outsideonline.com/2401557/exercise-depression-research
Running in winter
Well sad as it may seem, winter is just around the corner and so thoughts start to turn towards changing the plan for what to wear, running with a lighthouse sized lamp strapped to my head and the inevitable challenge of finding both running gloves for each of my three pairs – yes I know…
Dealing with the long run blues
Let’s be honest we’ve all gone for those longer runs and felt early on that it just isn’t clicking. Normally no reason or warning it just isn’t gonna work today! This article is a nice read about how to deal with those runs that just don’t feel right! http://www.runnersworld.com/training/g28801533/how-to-get-through-long-run-reader-tips
Three Castles Path (England) – LDWA Long Distance Paths
Another option for some run challenges. At about 60 miles it’s a good one to try! Three Castles Path (England) – LDWA Long Distance Paths — Read on http://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php
