Training Day – Page 9

Tempus Fug It

I wonder how long it’s going to take me to run out of tempo-related puns. Not very long if today’s effort is anything to go by.

Yesterday I ran home from work, incorporating a 25 minute “hard” tempo run section into a 6 mile route around Islington. I ran about half of the tempo section up and down Liverpool Road because it’s over a mile long and relatively traffic, people and crossing free. It’s not the most beautiful of streets, but scenery wasn’t high on my list of priorities as I scoured the paving slabs with my eyes, longing for the 25 minutes to be up.

Despite my moaning, I coped better with the tempo element than I did on a similar run 2 weeks’ ago, averaging 7 minute miles and feeling a lot more comfortable in the process. Is this progress? It’s possible.

Whilst my glass is half full, I should also note that the run was completed to a joyous soundtrack of Kvelertak, by Kvelertak, which is my new favourite metal album to run to. Recent favourites have included The Blue Album, by Baroness, and Blood Mountain by Mastodon (still the king, in my opinion). They just can’t be beaten for motivation – I think it’s the drums, there’s no way you can slow down when all hell is breaking lose inside your head. Oddly, however, my second favourite album to run to, after Blood Mountain, is Tigermilk by Belle & Sebastian. Make of that what you will.

…Pain. Fear. Aggression…

Well, that was a fun start to the running week. I’m still red-faced at 1.47pm, and I finished the run at 7.45am. It was an interval training run, Marquis-de-Sade-style.

It was hard enough work trying to understand the instructions: “2 miles at 10k pace, 2 x 1 mile at 5k pace, 2 x 800m at slightly faster than 5k pace, with 5 minutes recovery after the 2 mile and 3 minutes recovery after the miles and the 800”.

This took me about 50 minutes in total, on a treadmill, and I summarise my issues with it herewith:

What is 5k pace? I have never run a 5k race, so plumped for 0.5km/h faster than my 10k pace (so 14.5km/h)
Seriously, you think I can run faster than that 5k pace? 15km/h? Ha ha ha.
Turns out I can (just) over one set of 800m, but not over two.
Can we just agree to use EITHER metric measurements OR miles? It is very confusing, as Mr N can confirm having run 0.8 miles instead of 800 metres for his 4th interval.

This run basically translates as a fast 10k race, broken up into pieces and getting harder as you go along. It is really really tough. By the final two intervals my thighs were burning 20 seconds in. It lulls you into a false sense of security with the 3 minute recoveries but do not be fooled, this is not for the faint-hearted.

Ten Mile Run and the Tempo of Doom

The Tempo of Doom was Friday’s run, followed by a day off on Saturday and a 10 miler this morning.

The tempo run was a ‘moderate’ one, 5 miles with a mile warm up / cool down either side. I had no idea how to gauge the ‘moderate’, I’m still struggling with the ‘tempo’. The best definition I can find is here.

It says that a tempo run should be “Comfortably hard; you know you’re working, but you’re not racing. At the same time, you’d be happy if you could slow down.”

Helpful.

To be honest, I think I do get it, I’m just struggling with it because it’s bloody hard. On Friday I happened to run my 5 miles at my goal half marathon pace (7mins 12s/mile), which is either good or worrying. Could I run 8.1 more miles at that pace? That is indeed the question.

I worked hard on the tempo run and it went pretty well, despite feeling like death on every incline. In comparison, today’s 10 miler was a shocker. I felt like an old lady with thighs made out of Edinburgh rock that could crumble at any time. Still managed 8 minute miles so hardly a write-off, but I’m going to have to get a whole lot faster over the next 7 weeks.

Spring!

Spring has officially sprung in running world. Yesterday I ran around Regent’s Park after work for the first time this year.

The early blossom is out and hung like frozen confetti in the gloom as I passed the York Gate (this is not my photograph, no sun for me yesterday). Daffodils bobbed their heads in my wake and Greylag Geese blocked the path, staring down their orange beaks at me in an unimpressed fashion.

It was a great run, I am very happy to say. “7 x 800m at 10k pace, recover for half the interval time”, which translated as “fast for 3m 20 secs, slow for 1m 40 secs”. I’m not sure this was mathematically accurate as far as the distance went, but more importantly it made the intervals fit into 5 minute sections, which helped my poor brain cope with knowing when to start and stop.

It’s quite worrying how difficult I find timing myself. I sometimes spend whole runs calculating and re-calculating my speed or pace; maths was never my strong suit. One day I will do what my dad once did and get to mile 12 in a half marathon and be astounded that there is another mile left to run, having missed some mile markers and mis-counted my running speed. All the way along I will think, “this is going so well! this is so easy!”.

(Smarty) Pants

Race-Sim 9 miles, 6 easy/ 3 at goal race pace plus 20 to 30 seconds.

There is no doubt, after this, that my running performance has been affected by giving blood on Monday. I ran with Mr notajogger, who is of similar fitness and speed to me (not quite faster, yet, sir), who found it easy and too slow. I, on the other hand, was panting so hard at the end I felt like I might never catch my breath. I struggled to run 8.5 minute miles in the first section, and felt like 7.5 minute miles were going to kill me in the second.

This is all rather worrying. 7.5 minute miles are my regular running pace. I’m aiming for a sub 1.34 half marathon (my pb) so need to be running 7m 10s miles in the race. On today’s performance that is as likely as me winning the olympic marathon in 2012.

However, I finished it. I didn’t stop, even when it felt like a lead weight was attached to each ankle, even when the rain was dripping off my nose, even though I thought about taking a short-cut with every passing street.

Now I’m sitting on my sofa drinking the coffee of the righteous, the smugness has set in. My face is warm with the glow of complacency and if you wanted to punch it, I would understand. In case you want any further motivation, allow me to boast that I just scored 382 in scrabble. Not that I am competitive.

Good Day Sunshine

My running was terrible today – I felt exhausted and out of breath at the slightest incline. It made me worry about tomorrow’s 9 miler, given how quickly I got tired on an ‘easy run’. However, none of this matters.

It was such a beautiful day today that being outside in the sunshine, plodding through Priory Park, listening to Sufjan Stevens, life seemed perfect for 38 minutes. As long as I could keep moving and not actually die of exhaustion, I couldn’t do anything but count this as a Good Day.

It’s amazing how much difference the weather can make. A cliche I know, but who cares. I wore shorts for the first time since October!

Bad Tempo

Tempo run (hard): 20 minutes, plus a mile warmup and cooldown.

This was exhausting. I still felt tired from yesterday so I decided to run home from work. Running after I get home is so hard on a Friday night, pretty much impossible. If I take my kit to work in the morning I make a visible commitment to doing the run. I have to sacrifice taking my handbag and, more importantly, my book as i can’t carry them home. There’s no way I could take the tube home carrying my trainers instead of wearing them, the guilt would be too much.

I mapped today’s run on mapmyrun.com to try and keep the 20 minute stretch to flat, straight roads. Tricky in Islington, but 10 minutes in to the tempo section i was grateful for every traffic light. Perhaps I took the suggestion (hard) a bit too seriously.

After 15 minutes, on the mild incline of Highbury Park, I had to stop for a cyclist and ended up walking for about half a minute. I ran the rest of the 20 fairly fast but I feel like that was a failed training run. Still, I worked hard and clocked up another 5 miles. An “easy run” tomorrow, then something vaguely hideous is lurking on Sunday. Eep.

Yew Gee Aitch

Ugh. Yesterday was bad; today was worse. My thighs were aching from the first hill and they still hurt now. And i only managed 4 miles. Slowly. I don’t ever remember this happening the day after an interval training run.

Could it be anything to do with the blood donation? I don’t think so – I didn’t feel short of oxygen, I just ached. It must just be because I worked so very hard in the gym yesterday. If i were American, or more positive, or a man, I might not be moaning- i would be “owning” the pain. A righteous pain! A pain to be proud of!

Ugh.

Interminable intervals

Today’s run was hard work. It was 5 x 1k at 10k pace with 2 min recoveries and I ran it in the gym just in case there were any after-effects of Monday’s blood letting. I’m not sure there were, though I’d happily blame my performance on that.

I’m trying to use a 10k pace of 14.2km/h, as if it were actually conceivable that I could run a 10k in 42 minutes. I’d love to do that in the summer, but I was pretty fit last year and couldn’t break 43 minutes, over four races.

I just about managed the pace but it was really tough for the first two intervals. It got more comfortable for the next two, which I suppose is good, but the final km was hideous. I know I only managed to keep the pace up because of the treadmill- if I’d been running outside I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from slowing down. Instead I panted along at 14.2km/h, staring at the l.e.d display until the metres clicked up to the final km. I’m not convinced I’ve made myself any more able to run a better 10k race, or even half-marathon as a result of this, but at least I finished the run.

Having skipped a day’s running yesterday, I’ll be running everyday until Monday now. Please let there be sunshine.

Country Roads (Take Me Home)

Even on a cold March day with no hint of blue sky, 8 miles along country lanes like this will always beat a trot down the Stroud Green Road. I’ve been staying at the parental home this weekend and managed to get out twice, with varying success.

The first run, the dreaded ‘tempo’, is best passed over swiftly. Thanks to a minor stomach complaint it was cut short as I too was caught, um, short. I managed 36 minutes and walked (shuffled) the rest.

Today’s was thankfully untroubled by bowel-related incidents. I did however see a Red Kite, two Buzzards, a live rabbit, several dead ones and a farmer demonstrating the right place to wear a Barbour jacket and Hunter wellies (ie in a field, rather than Dalston). Amid all this nature watching, I also managed to run 8 miles at 7.5 mins/mile without really noticing.

A good run.

25 miles this week, but not a great start to the training really. I felt sluggish then ill on the interval and tempo sessions so plenty to improve on.