By popular demand, we will once again be arranging a club long run of up to 20 miles.
There are a number of central London half marathons taking place in March so we have decided to stay local and as such we will be bringing you the THREE PARKRUNS 20!
The route has been put together as as a Green Belt Relay style map which has been UPLOADED TO THE FILES SECTION in the MAIN CLUB PAGE and hopefully can be opened here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WdEjxOrdh1ClD3e0O4HFY44yWbevaShi/view?usp=sharing
We will be starting in Gunnersbury Park and taking in a route which visits Osterley Park and Northala Fields before returning to Gunnersbury Park.
Things to note:
*We have chosen 24th March because it's 2 weeks out from the earliest of the most popular Spring marathons, 3 weeks from another set on 14th/15th and 5 weeks out from London so should be helpful for long runs or taper runs.
*You DO NOT have to be planning to run a marathon to join in!
*The full route is 20 miles but you can start and finish anywhere you like on the route if you want to meet us partway round.
*The route map will include mile markers and notes for the closest Tube or bus stops to each mile marker to make this easier.
*The run will be managed along the same lines as any Sunday club run; bring your own water and fuel, and it will be self led (although we'll ask for pace group leaders, this is not guaranteed!).
*We have shared a spreadsheet for people to declare their intentions of pace and distance for buddying up purposes.We'll set off at 9am, so it should be fairly easy to work out what time people running at your pace will get to the various mile markers.
Lastly, remember each park has loos and a cafe, so there's plenty of opportunity to stop for a comfort break, or stop entirely and eat some cake with your mates if you're done.
**If anyone wants to volunteer to lead a pace group, please PM me (Angela Duff) or add this to the spreadsheet!**
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YvXfYoKGJq1fLFvCUeJ7Rc8Y1GfBoHonvYFOnou9LuU/edit?fbclid=IwAR2wYlfOhpXpyI5L-f0xUw-sckUnbUvrLfg5U2I1KJi-2XRKJrYW5E7DTrw#gid=0
Run Happy
This update might be controversial. Not sure. It’ll be interesting to see what people think.
Here’s the thing; I’m pretty sure I’m going to run slower on marathon day than I originally said I intended to...but on purpose.
Not something you hear runners admit to everyday. And I promise I’m not sandbagging.
When I first got the ballot place I’d already been thinking about targets for my next marathon. I ran 4:10 at Richmond and immediately decided that meant my next one should be all about the sub 4. It’s only 10 minutes, I thought. I’d taken 21 off my previous time at Richmond, what was 10 minutes?
So that was my intention heading into training. I worked out all the paces for the different sessions and it all seemed pretty doable, if a little on the higher end of my capabilities. Eager to check I could run at the required pace I added some mid-week 8 milers at race pace, scheduled for a seemingly far distant 4 weeks into the plan when I believed (optimistically) that I would be back at full fitness and coping tremendously with this new way of training; 5 sessions a week with speed work and hills a-go-go.
Yes. Well. The road to wherever is paved with good intentions and all that.
There have been two issues with my original plan. My body and my brain. Let’s deal with the easier of the two first; my poor old knackered body.
It just doesn’t like this much impact. I’ve tried a few times to train 5 times a week now, and my body just does not like it. I think it’s because I’m not very well behaved when it comes to getting my strength work in, so I’m just not strong enough to cope with the extra training load. Although I’ve been getting the distance in, my long runs have been slower than during my last marathon training block - partly by design but mostly from necessity. And needless to say those race pace 8 milers have not materialised thus far.
As well as my stiff heels and ankles, I’ve been suffering a little bit with the return of a creaky (and to be totally honest with you, crunchy) right knee which has been a problem off and on for years. It’s usually always the same type of discomfort in the same place and I know how to deal with it. It doesn’t stop me running, I just wonder a bit more each time about whether I should start a sweepstake for what age I’ll be when it gets replaced for a bionic one.
This time however the pain has started to refer to a different area, I suspect just from a tired muscle that has just been chilling out doing nothing up to this point and that I need to roll out as soon as I can work out how (it’s in a super awkward position for rolling!).
So yes; as far as the physical issues go, a sensible return to a 4-run week with more strength work incorporated is probably in order. Honestly at this point 5 runs a week just feels like punishing myself for the sake of it - maybe when I’ve got the strength up a bit I’ll be able to try again.
Hopefully that will sort out the body part. Or body parts?! Not body parts in a Burke and Hare way though, just to be clear. Although they probably didn’t spend much time sorting them out…but I digress…
The trickier part to sort out is what’s happening in my brain.
For those who don’t know, I had a bit of an unhappy time of it last Spring with a period of extremely high anxiety. It was brought on by an ongoing stressful situation and when the stressor was removed (or rather when I was removed from the stressor) I was left in a state of moderate depression which thankfully I’m now out the other side of.
The anxiety part however never quite went away. I’m naturally quite an anxious person, or at least a person who holds myself to pretty high goals which can be a cause of anxiety if I think there’s a chance they won’t be met.
So yeah, marathon running is all kinds of sensible for me with my bad knee and my stupid anxious brain, especially when you factor in a scary new goal.
Since the new year I’ve been trying to work out how to properly deal with my anxiety. The situation that knocked me out last year was directly related to a specific set of circumstances and once I was away from them the anxiety gradually faded into the background. This didn’t teach me a better way to cope with future stressors, however, and at the start of this year I could feel panic starting to rise again every so often. Not exactly overwhelmed, but to borrow a phrase from Ten Things I Hate About You if I may, just a bit ‘whelmed’.
During a general health check at the doctors last month I mentioned how I’d been feeling and was recommended to look up a CBT book as clearly there was still work to do. I thought I better had, having no desire to return to last year’s fun times alternating between being almost catatonic one moment and screaming at people the next.
I found a straightforward CBT book and am working my way through it, but that’s not what I want to tell you about. As I was rooting around in the self-help section on Amazon I came across a book by Derren Brown (yep, that Derren Brown) called ‘Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine’.
Well, with a title like that how could I resist? I downloaded it to listen to, devoured it and am now on my second listen.
It’s brilliant. It’s about taking ancient philosophies (including Stoicism, the forerunner of CBT) and using them to understand and control your reactions to situations to reduce anxiety and frustration and stay, if not constantly happy, then at least on a more even keel. It’s funny and clever and sensible and helpful. And it’s such a simple concept. So simple, in fact, that I got a bit sad that I hadn’t learned this years ago and been happier for it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure I won’t suddenly turn into a Zen like being who never gets pissed off about anything, but it’s a good place to start. If you have any issues around anxiety, especially if your anxiety has to do with needing to feel in control, I do urge you to look it up.
What does Derren Brown have to do with marathon training? Well, a big part of the book talks about goal setting. Specifically the positive thinking entrenched, you-can-do anything-if-you-just-believe-enough style of goal setting, which he argues sometimes leads us to cling to unrealistic goals against all common sense or evidence to the contrary.
In this particular case, I have a goal to run a sub-4 hour marathon. That’s fine, and it can stay a goal for as long as it takes to achieve it. But if I decide that it’s my only goal for London when common sense and my right knee are telling me that now may not be the time, I risk two things. I risk properly knackering my body up, and I risk aiming too high for my current ability and then feeling bad on the day if I fail to run a time that starts with a 3.
Far more sensible, Derren and his merry band of philosophers suggest, to make a small alteration to how you frame your goal which allows you to be human, and allows for the fact that Lady Luck or the Fates or whoever you prefer to picture doesn’t owe you anything. There will always be external factors that might cause your plans, however well laid, to go awry. What counts is how you deal with what life throws at you so you can carry on. Tenacity, not perfection.
To achieve sub-4 at London I’m very aware I would probably have to aim for faster than 9 minute miles all the way round. Honestly, that’s not realistic and it would be foolish and very stressful for me to pretend it is. 9:15’s or 9:20’s on the other hand, maybe that’s doable. It wouldn’t be sub-4, but it would be a PB.
So that’s why as things stand (and I know we’ve still got almost half the plan to go), instead of declaring my goal as going sub-4 or broke, I am going to say that my goal is to try to achieve a new PB at London, and to do as well as I can with the goods I’ve got on the day. That way as long as I head out from Blackheath on 28th April with the intention to do my best to do the best I can, then whatever happens I will have met my goal.
I feel better already.
VLM Blog No.4 – Target time 3:59:59
Week 6 – 32.1 miles 🏃♂️ 17th Feb – 24th Feb
It’s half term week! So in addition to Wednesday Beginners I also supported the Thursday morning Beginners group. Last week I decided to move my Strength and Conditioning session to a Tuesday and this seems to have paid off as my body felt better and so Thursday was a 10 miler, first a solo run then beginners, then home and no back pain! ☺
For the first time in this training plan I feel good and confident about my running! So what could be better than going to the top of West walk as assistant coach and encourage others to run up hills. It was a gruelling, hard but great Mirka hill session, with star jumps at the top of each hill rep!
Sunday was the Brighton half marathon at MTP. It’s my 4th consecutive year running this event. I love it! MTP for me at my current VLM target is 10:08 per mile (p/m) and I ran an average of 10:09 p/m. So all in all a good week…no my best week. Mileage increased by 3.5 miles, just under 10%, which is the usual guide for most marathon plans.
Week 7 – 38.8 miles 🏃♂️ 25th Feb – 3rd March
The good news is I’m running without any back pain! ☺ I set of for the Monday Club run (day after Brighton Half) and feel good, I ran with a few Eagles then with a new eagle Simon Brooks. My claim to fame, for an old Eagle, was that I caught and passed Andy Guy! I later find he’s running to a 130 heart beat, so he was only running at walking pace for him!! But I feel good and ran a total of 8.3 miles @ 8:35 average pace… I’m happy.
If you recall or maybe if you stayed awake reading my last rambling blog, I switched my long core strength session to Tuesdays. I found stretching later in the week meant the weekend long run was painful around my lower back (L4/5). The change seems to have worked as by the weekend the back ache had gone.
Time to start long weekend runs and find running buddies, an easy thing to achieve when you’re an Eagle 🦅. I run 15 miles, with Trisha running 2 metres in front of me so I couldn’t get lost then we were joined by my running wives for the last 5 miles. Average pace 9:35 against a planned pace of 10:00! After a run of 12 miles or more I like to get out the next day for a short run to get the lactic acid moving! So Sunday was a short dash around the block (3 miles) making this my 5th week of increased mileage and on track. The plan is 57 days from completion.
David Carlin 🏃♂️🍊🦅
Not broken, just dysfunctional
It’s a point we all get to when marathon training. Something doesn’t feel quite right. It manifests itself differently for each of us from a gammy knee or a dodgy calf to a niggly glute or achy back. We’ve all been there. Preventing and dealing with injury is part and parcel of marathon training. I know what you’re thinking ...no, I am not injured, just a bit wonky (nothing new there!). The other 3 VLM bloggers have already written about it, so I suppose it’s now my turn!
It all started a few weeks ago in the days leading up to the last met league race of the season. I had been feeling a bit stiff and less flexible than usual, and at the time put it down to upping the mileage after being ill for 2 weeks. I had spent the better part of the week humming and hawing about whether or not I should just go and see the physio just to be sure nothing was wrong with me.
The last straw came halfway through a 12 mile training/commute run when I stopped at home to drop my backpack and I spent a bit too long staring at some post on the table. As I turned to return to my run my glute felt very wrong, almost like someone had moved it up and to the side about six inches. Fortunately there wasn’t much pain, just the feeling as if something wasn’t quite right. I went cold and honestly thought I was going to vomit. I saved my run and stared at the wall for a good 5 minutes before immediately calling the physio and making appointment.
That wasn’t a good night. I spent most of the evening catastrophizing, thinking London was slipping out of my hands. Yes, I was absolutely overreacting, but it was due to past experience and the knock on effect injury had on my running. I was meant to run the Manchester marathon last year but had to pull out a mere 3 weeks before the race due to a bad glute strain. I wasn’t able to run for a month, lost loads of fitness and spent a great deal of time questioning if I was going to be fit enough to race Green Belt or Welsh Castles. I was fortunate to come back in time to do both races, but was not on the top of my game and not happy with my performance in either race. It took me a good 6 months to get back into PB form and feel like I was back in the game. All of this was running through my head before visiting the physio!
So physio day came. She did a quick assessment and diagnosed me with some seriously tight and dysfunctional muscles and the warning that if I kept doing what I was doing I WOULD end up injured. A few needles to the back and an elbow to the glute for good measure and I was sent off with a strict training and recovery regimen. I was (and still am) to stretch every day for 15 minutes, foam roll 3 times and week and fit in strength and conditioning 3 times per week. Some days it feels like a bit of a drag, and my bedroom is beginning to look like a mini gym with foam rollers, resistance bands, a yoga mat, lacrosse ball and yoga ball. Getting injured last year was horrible - but I feel I’ve become better at reading the signs my body is giving me. I’m also starting to get a set of abs, so that’s nice too!
Hurts so good
All this stretching and strengthening is also beginning to pay off in my running as well! I did my highest mileage week of my life during half term - 70 MILES!!! (It wasn’t meant to be that high, but I bumped my long run to Monday as I was off work). I’m also getting faster - I think. I finished my 70 mile week with Cross Country National Championships in Leeds on the Saturday, and Wokingham half on the Sunday. I ran nationals nearly 10 seconds per kilometre faster than the previous year and shaved off 200 places in the process. Wokingham was MEANT to be a marathon paced training run (and it sort of started that way), but despite the very tired and overworked legs and serious lack of sleep or proper nutrition (70 MILES GUYS) I nearly managed a half marathon PB! I was a mere 7 seconds off of my 1:40:09 at Ealing half! Oops and yaay… the plan was to go a bit faster at the start to get a time on the board for Welsh Castles and then ease off, buuuuut I got a bit carried away. That being said, I am feeling far more confident about my training and target time for London and can’t wait to see what I can do in Fleet where I will be properly rested and fueled with a mini taper!
Lovely race, but sad the season is over
Training this week has continued to go very well! I did a solo VO2 track session on Wednesday and according to strava, even with 400 metre recoveries I managed to clock my 2nd fastest 5k time! So maybe it’s time for a parkrun tear up! In the meantime I’ll be over here eating enough for a small army…. But more on that next time!
Miss Kandt runs a marathon
I thought I would mix it up this week and bring in another one of my passions: teaching. I have taught nursery and reception for the past 5 years, and in the 2 and a half years since I began running I have loved sharing my challenges and experiences with my students. In the lead up to my first half and full marathons in the Spring of 2017, I often shared my training, various races, the amount of time I was spending running, and how I found what I was doing to be a personal challenge. Sure, some of this was for selfish reasons to gain some sympathy from children as they watched my attempt to lower my sore adult self into a teeny tiny EYFS chair.
Another reason I felt it was important is that I feel it is important to share our passions, and struggles with children (even if we aren’t teachers). In school we constantly ask children to challenge themselves and feel a bit uncomfortable when learning to do something new. Running is much the same. We constantly feel the need to go that little bit faster, enter new and unique races, and set and achieve our goals.
The fact that I run is known quite school-wide. Children constantly ask my how races are going, colleagues begin the week demanding to know what “crazy” race or distance I have done on the weekend gone. I’ve even had a child come up to me and state in her own words: “Miss I googled you and I found that you are an athlete!! WOW!”. Running has also allowed me to make a positive impact on my school. One of my roles outside the classroom is as our healthy schools coordinator. I have been able to bring in the daily mile (Which is exactly as it sounds: at some point in the day children run up to a mile on a near daily basis) and often get the opportunity to join in with the children (some of them are getting seriously fast!).
Anyways, onto the fun stuff. One of the most fun parts about teaching is getting to hear all the hilarious and insightful things children have to say. So I thought it would be fitting to interview some of the children from nursery to year 6 about running, marathons and the fact that I would running one in a few months.
What is a marathon? (asked to a group of year 1s)
Child 1: “It’s like running!”
Child 2: “But with your arms AND legs!”
Child 3: “Is it like America? That’s where ostriches live.”
Me: “It’s like the daily mile but 26 of them in a row”
Child 4: “No no, that’s just too far to run!”
Child 5: “Oh I’ve already done that when I was 4”
Why do you think Miss Kandt wants to run a marathon? (asked to my nursery class)
Child 1: “Because people will come watch you!”
Child 2: “I have no idea…”
Child 3: “To get fit and strong…”
Child 4: “...you need to have big muscles” The child then flexed their own arms and continued “but you have small muscles!”
What am I going to need to eat before the race?
Child 1: “Pepperoni….. Pickles and pepperoni”
Child 2: “six eggs, or maybe even more!”
Child 3: “Carbohydrates like bread or pasta because they are good for you!”
How long will it take me to run the marathon?
Child 1: “6 hours”
Child 2: “100 minutes”
Child 3: “1, maybe 2 minutes”
Child 4: “Probably 10 days”
What is going to happen during and after the race?
Child 1: “You will be tired cuz you have to run fast and then have a nap”
Child 2: “You will win and then be happy with your new trophy”
Child 3: “You will be tired and your face will turn red.”
Child 4: “I think you will be tired and happy but also maybe a bit hungry.
So there you have it. According to the children at my school I will not only outright win the London marathon but I will do it sub 100 minutes on a diet of pickles, eggs and pepperoni. They aren’t wrong about some things:
I will continue my diet of delicious carbohydrates up to (and beyond) race day,
I will be very happy and I’m sure rather tired and in need of a nap (nothing new there)
And I will hopefully finish somewhere between 100 minutes and 10 days.
We’ve got just 68 days to see how these predictions pan out!
A short update
This is going to be a short update. In fact, during the last two weeks I had to further reduce running, down to a nearly 0-km-a-week level. :-( The inflammation to the upper hamstring is reducing very slowly. And to make the situation worse, other nasty niggles appeared in the previously healthy parts of the right leg. It really feels like all of this resting and strength training is having the opposite effect than the intended one. But I guess it's just a matter of patience, be disciplined, and follow the plan laid down by the physiotherapist... I'm meeting with her again in a week time: we'll reassess the situation, and discuss the options to move forward. It's clear, though, that I see my chances of quickly getting back on track thinning out every day that passes.
After two years of being injury free, it is really very frustrating that this setback had to happen right in the build up for the London Marathon. Even more, because I got the place through the club, and I feel the commitment of delivering my best performance. Anyway, striving to see an upside, this is going to be a good occasion to sit down and think about the causes that led me into the current situation. Some have been already highlighted by the physiotherapist (the imbalance between my left and right leg, weak right glute, etc.), but I can foresee others, although they might all be -- somehow -- connected. Last week, I received a gift from my wife, the book "Your Best Stride", which analyses some of the common problems in the posture and gait of the amateur runner, and give suggestions and proper exercises to correct them. I have to say that I've just started reading the book, after briefly going through the various chapters to get a quick picture of the main ideas. It's some paragraphs dedicated to hip mobility that attracted my attention. Indeed, I remember an increasing stiffness in my hip in the period that led to the injury. Spending many hours sitting doing my job (researcher and software developer) I am not surprised that my hip becomes a little stiff at times. But I've never thought about the implications it could have on my running. Thinking back, I clearly remember how fluent and light was my stride at the beginning of last year, when I had no issues with the hip. And, on the other hand, that feeling of "pounding on the ground" in the second part of the year. Something happened, and I'm pretty sure that has to do with my hip.
Looking ahead, I'm going to work hard to fix the issues with the leg and the hip. I am sure I'll come back stronger... Not sure how long it will take.
VLM Blog 3
Week 4 – 24.3 miles 🏃♂️ 4th Feb – 10th Feb
The weeks running started with Monday nights Long Club Run at Marathon Training Pace
(MTP). For me, looking at a marathon personal best of 3:59:59, this means my MTP should be 10:08 per mile or 6:18 per Km. My race pace will be a minute a mile faster or 37 seconds faster per Km on the day.
My plan has about 85% of the allotted miles per week at MTP, 10% at Marathon pace (MP) or slightly faster and 5% hills. If time becomes a precious commodity the MP and/or hills will be wrapped up into my long runs.
Volunteering with the 0-5k beginners group is a sure way to run slower and get a few easier miles in, then straight into LCR. Also, as the beginners group run longer intervals, this increases my mileage a bit, every mile counts when you’re training!! So 3.2 miles with beginners then 4.9 on LCR. Running and chatting to Eagles about both their running and my own is a great way to run but forget the miles are adding up! Tail running is also a great method to run miles and keeping the pace down. To often we go into auto pilot and run at our natural pace. Whatever race your looking to take part in, tailing a SCR/LCR is a good way of reducing the risk of injury and spending a longer time on your legs than maybe you normally would over the same distance, then when running on race day at race pace will benefit you. Tail runner sales pitch over!! ☺
My faster miles this week were with the incredible David Bone! Returning to running from a horrible knee injury incurred whilst jumping from the 100 metre ski slope! Oh … not quite right! by jumping 2 inches high and demonstrating how to land in snow on skis! ☹ I joined David for Gunnersbury Park run, we had a good catch up and talked like Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough (see photo below) and the pace was a very respectable 8:23 per mile (26.20 park run). Weekends are now back to back runs for me, which was a training plan thing for my ultra in April 2018. Running on a Sunday with tired legs at MTP improved my stamina over long distances. Sundays run along the Thames was beautiful. I was met by great weather, views and was passed by many Eagles at Richmond Weir. Ken Kenny had been involved in a accident en route with a bicycle, thank fully he was ok! A small step up in miles this week from last week and my focus on my plan has been good!!
Week 5 – 28.6 miles 🏃♂️ 11th Feb – 17th Feb
A four mile increase this week so heading in the right direction! It was a hard week as my back still isn’t 100%. The week was similar to last week, including running on Saturday with David Bone, followed an additional park run on my own to make up the 6 mile planned distance. This weeks hard run was Sundays 10 miler, after 6 on my double Park run on Saturday. I ran 4.5 solo and met the running wives at Kew for a sunny 6 miles along from Kew to Dukes meadows and back. My back was becoming a little sore towards the end! Some training runs will feel hard when you train for a marathon, so I’ve been reflecting on my Ultra training plan where I was running 10 hours a week at my training peak (60 miles a week). Its just a case of believing in the plan and preparing your mind for the inevitable hard run that will pop up now an again. Even on a good run there maybe a hard mile/Km, so you I mentally prepare for them and welcome them in my head and as you go through the next mile/km wave the pain good bye and focus on the next segment of my run.
My reflection point of the week is that in my plan, but not mentioned thus far, are my twice weekly Core stretching session at home. I find that being the most un-supple man in the world means that an hour of stretches equals my body feels beaten up! My upper body seems to be coping but my back and glutes feel differently! I usually stretch on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I have decided that I’ll move them back a day so I’ll have the extra day to recover before the weekend longer runs. Hopefully this will help, together with another physio appointment and an Abiyoga session! Could be an interesting photo in my next update! I may have managed to get my hands past my knees on a stretch!
It’s also been great to see Hayley and Angela out and about running. I looks like your running is going well, just Massimo to catch up with! I know lots of Eagles are also out there training for their marathons all other the UK and abroad…keep believing, use the club members to support your runs and listen to your body as your mileage creeps up!
David Carlin 🏃♂️🍊🦅
Ally Pally Met League XC, Feb 2019 by Cam Easton
Over my three seasons of cross country running in the UK I have come to look forward to the February races as they consistently provide “classic cross country conditions” with plenty of mud, cold, rain and or clouds.
This year was no exception at Ally Pally with a respectable amount of mud, its fantastic hill and a stadium-like atmosphere provided by the amazing supporters at the start and end of the hill.
We had a great turnout for the club given the distance to travel and is a testament to the team captains Charlotte and Kieran’s ability to hype the event. I later realized that Kieran had shamelessly exploited my impending move to Australia to drag runners out and I had to explain to several disappointed eagles that I was not leaving the country for a couple of months. I’m sorry guys, I will go, I promise. You don’t need to start another hashtag.
The ladies race as always was first and consisted of two laps. Was great to see the stalwarts, first timers and especially second timers (who having done once thought it was fun enough to do again!).
The Men’s race was a much more sedate affair. Apparently, there were other Eagles running but I didn’t see much of them as I was too busy enjoying the view from the top of the hill. I finished up in the C team which is a testament to the very large number of fine, excellent, fantastic runners who managed to stay ahead despite my current fabulous form. Also, maybe going on holiday wasn’t the best training plan.
The mud was a fine consistency with the right amount of stickiness. I left quite a bit of it on the train on the way home, along with some leg hairs. Ally Pally is my favorite type of met league mud, but I know photographer Olivia was disappointed that no-one fell over.
Cross-country has been my favorite part of running in the U.K and I am sad to be leaving it behind. I love the battle against the hills, weather and ground conditions combined with the fantastic team spirit and competition the eagles provide. I highly recommend any new members give it a try!
Cam loves the mud!
Here’s what the rest of the team thought of it:
Bernard: Ally Pally was its usual hill and muddy self! No A-team for me today …. Outclassed!! A great send off for Cam!! #diditforcam
Alan: I wish my girlfriend was this dirty!
Greg: With Cam leaving, I was very sad to beat him by such a large margin, better taking him on the line like Wormwood Scrubs.
Tom: What a hill! My favourite of the season… Might have faltered had it not been for the leadership of Cam but luckily, he inspired me through it!
Laurence: An emotional out with Cam, but nice to beat him once again!
Fiona: Wanted to walk the rest of “the hill” then heard Greg shout “Come on Fiona!” so annoyingly had to keep running! Tough, but the best one yet.
Matt: Hideous as predicted, however mildly less hated than previous XC. Perhaps I’m starting to “enjoy” XC. Pub always makes it worth it plus all for a good cause #doitforcam.
Ewan: This was the second most sick I’ve felt after a race. First was Ally Pally 2017. So it was probably my favorite Ally Pally. I hate hills, both the up and the downs. Jose was strong today.
Tom: I love XC and John Llaxof
Sophie: #doitforcam End of a fab season – river crossing, mud hills and pints – it ticked all the boxes! Au revoir to the fastest kiwi @metleague
Charlotte L: Great to see so many Eagles on the course, leapfrogging each other as we show which past of the course we’re strong on. To use Kieran’s words, the tube journey and pub is a craic! Nothing quite like XC to brighten your mood.
Nils: Mud and hills. All that I shouldn’t like but lots of Eagles and great fun.
Michelle: Finishing felt good! A new experience. Glad to have done it though.
Linda: After Wormwood Scrubs I wanted more mud and a more challenging course. Wish was granted!
Sam P: Suffered so much but took 4 mins off 2017 time!
Anna W: Jess pre-race “it’s like a roller coaster“ is hilariously accurate
Hayley: My lungs and legs hated me today, but I #diditforcam.
Liz: Loved the mud, hated the uphill. Best way to cure last night’s excesses though.
Rhiannan: ugh, mud.
Abi: Mud Mud Mud, hills hills hills - save the best for last I #diditforcam
Sam: Nearly crapped myself trying to keep up with Oliver #doitforcam
Charlotte W: I don’t have spikes so it was like running through treacle
Will: It occurred to me greatly today as I huffed and puffed – I, Will Adolphy, can NOT run hills. Wow. Wake up call. Glad I finished!
Simone: Fuck my boots, that was a bastard
Mike: 7.5K too long. Don’t recommend 1/10
Chris: Need to get better at running down hills #doitforcam
Gerb: Absolutely love the mud.
Paul B: Great to meet you today. Great race!
Oliver: Muddy and hilly I loved it, glad it didn’t rain!
Jack: First XC, set off too fast and thought the hill on the third lap would the end of me. But great fun and felt great at the end.
Pammy: loved supporting as usual – get stuck in the mud!
Nigella: All I could think of was “After The Rains” by Muddy Waters
Harry: Could I throw myself down the hill fast enough to pull out a big enough lead on Santry to beat his sprint finish? Dam right I could #revenge.
The Yamauchi Triangle
It was all going so well...
Week 5 of marathon training and I’d been diligently building up the Sunday long run mileage, running up and down hills and doing some actual proper speed work. My fitness and pace seem to be on their way back and I was pleased to be heading into the heaviest week so far with a 14 miler already under my belt and feeling happy that I was on schedule.
Ah yes. The heaviest week so far. Such fun.
I had a 6 mile training pace run in the Tuesday night drizzle followed by a very exciting Yasso 800 session during which I ran my fastest ever 800m and did all but one of the reps under 4 minutes. Then a 5 miles-ish hill reps session, a day off and the weekend double of a jog to Northala for parkrun and 16 miles on the Sunday. By Sunday morning I was delighted I’d hit all the sessions and feeling ok, if a little sleepy.
Last Sunday’s long run, however, will be logged as one of those runs we decide are character building. What a difference a run makes.
I’d already run just under 22 miles that week before I even got my shoes laced up, and I’d had a couple of little irritating body issues playing on my mind.
The first is that this year my hands have decided that what I really need is to start suffering from Raynaud’s for the first time in my life. Leaving aside the worry that this might be an indicator that I’m definitely going to develop arthritis sometime soon, it’s massively annoying and quite painful.
Raynauds = Annoying
The second niggle is more concerning. Those two little words that every runner fears...plantar fasciitis. I often get a very minor point of soreness in my right heel which usually disappears if I poke a spiky ball into it, but it had been nagging all week.
By the time I made it to 11 miles into Sunday’s run my useless hands had been spasming for 6 miles and were so numb I couldn’t grip my gels to open them, and my heel was really hurting. My frozen legs were complaining every step of the last few miles and when I emerged from the shower after the run I was in bits, hobbling around trying to work out if I’d scalded my forearms from running them under warm water than I couldn’t feel was too hot.
Early in the run when I could still feel my hands!
So what went wrong? Everything had been going swimmingly, why had things started to feel so hard?
I’ll tell you what went wrong. I had fallen into the usual trap of only focusing on the running.
I had neglected the Yamauchi Triangle.
Nothing to do with missing planes and boats. Sorry.
The Yamauchi Triangle is what I’m calling the model that the EA marathon workshop chaps showed us back in January. The lovely Mara Yamauchi was on some of their videos and offered the completely common sense advice that your training, rest and nutrition levels should always increase or decrease proportionally with each other, so they form an equilateral triangle.
The Yamauchi Triangle
So if you do more training, you need to eat enough food and rest more. My triangle, after a 38 mile week, was looking decidedly wonky.
38 miles may not sound a lot but that’s the highest mileage week I’ve ever done, and clearly it took its toll. I thought I was getting my triangle in proportion, because I’d worked out I needed to take more care about eating and drinking enough and had upped the nutrition third of the triangle to match the training third.
What I was missing was the rest. Less Yamauchi Triangle, more Duff Banana.
The Duff Banana
Now, I’m factoring ‘recovery’ into the rest element as well, because for most of us by the time we’ve worked our 9 to 5, done the running, done some strength and cross training, kept the house in one piece, cooked and fed ourselves, scaled the washing mountain and managed to hold at least one coherent conversation with our partners there is actually not a lot of time left in the week for rest. You know. other than actual bedtime.
But what I do need to do is recovery work and do the short list of physio stretches and other bits that keep my body together during these long weeks of marathon training.
Short list. Ha.
Calf raises, knee lifts three different ways, icing everything that aches, rolling with at least two different implements and after I’ve done all that, lying in the floor with my feet in the air to boost circulation to my lower legs.
I mean, at least when I’m doing that I’m resting. Technically.
People will read this and think, crikey. You’re mad. It can’t be worth it.
It is worth it though. It’s worth the sports massages and the endless stretching and the buying comfortable old lady shoes from Ecco that you found on a list of shoes that help with PF and the special heel impact insoles and the fear that you’ll never make your goal and the pain of the long run.
Emergency Purchase Magic PF Fighting Old Lady Shoes
It’s tough. It’s really, really hard work keeping your triangle in proportion when you’re training for a marathon.
It’s not my natural inclination to rest when I could be doing something ‘more useful’, and it might seem counter intuitive to train better by resting more. But think I’d better start going against the grain.
Who’s for a catnap?
David Carlin – VLM Blog No.2
Week 1 – 14.5 miles 🏃♂️
So my VLM plan started on Saturday 12th January with a XC run at Wormwood Scrubs. A trip down memory lane for me as my high school backed onto the Scrubs and so this was a school XC event for me! I use to leave the school site, sit in the flats opposite and wait for the runners to come back, then join in at the end…I’ve never liked running!!! A sore back from a run late December hampered my XC run but enjoyable all the same.
Monday Club run, Wednesday volunteer for the beginners 0-5km programme followed by club run, Thursday hills with Mirka and 30+ Eagles! The warm up itself always knackers me, let alone running up and down West Walk.
Week 2 – 18.6 miles 🏃♂️
So my running routine will be the following as far as possible, Monday/Wednesday club runs, Thursday hills and a weekend run, building to two weekend runs until I hit the 20 milers. With a sore back, I am happy to run slower than I need to and also decide to visit the physio. Greg has looked after my back for many years due to my lingering slipped disc! He says the back is ok and gives me a back massage! I leave and go to Thursday hills and take it easy as I could still feel the pressure from the massage on my lower back! 😱 I’m focusing on my running style…it’s usually orange but I’ve mixed in leggings this week as its sooooooooooooooo cold!
Week 3 – 23.1 miles
Yes I know this should be a two week blog, but I thought it was a monthly blog thing … so I’ve been chased by the committee to get this written!!
One of my shorter training runs is logged on Strava as the ‘Pineapple’ run. From Northfields to the Uxbridge Road, head to Acton and turn right at the the Red Lion and Pineapple pub, an old work haunt, all the way back to South Ealing Road and then stop at Lammas’ish. I’m always amazed that at 9:00 a.m how many people are in the Pineapple drinking. It’s very sad and reminds me that when I get depressed to steer clear of pubs! Running, as well as a fitness regime for me, also gives me hours of quiet thinking time and/or great conversation to forget about the stress I feel at work. I had Wednesday off work and ventured out for a solo run! My back said no to 10 miles, which was probably a bad idea anyway, so I turned around at Kew Bridge for a 6 miler.
Next week will be a juggling act with a 🦅 Committee meeting, 🦅 Beginners programme, 🦅 club social and a Year 13 Parents evening👨👦. Fitting in my running around these events is what a running plan is all about! Running plans need to be flexible!! I look at my plan every Sunday and start to move my runs around my diary and my ‘friendly advice’ runs with my running wives Kelli and Terena. Next week I need to start running longer and at Marathon Training Pace (MTP)…Trish a text is in the post!
Wormwood Scrubs XC finish with a 20 metre sprint! Every point counts!!
Trying to do it all ...then coming down with laryngitis ...and then a chest infection!
Here it goes… my 3rd attempt at writing this blog post! With January done, I’ve had some time to step back and look at the month just gone. My training started out with a bang! I officially started my London training on Christmas day, but it was January where I really got stuck in, and began really putting the miles in. The plan was to race a bunch, train a bunch and stay healthy. Unfortunately, things don’t always go to play… more on that in a bit.
Racing started VERY well in early January! I spent the last morning of my 20s getting myself a shiny new 5k PB at my local Parkrun in Vancouver, and then flew straight back to England where I arrived as a 30 year old. (Flying on your bday is overrated by the way, I missed MOST of my birthday sitting in a mediocre seat, watching films). Next up was a bit of cross country at the Met League Wormwood Scrubs fixture. That race also went very well, I took 4-ish minutes off my time from the previous year and earned myself a place on the ladies A team. Following that was the race I had very mixed feelings about: The Box Hill Fell race.
Going into this race I knew I was much stronger and more experienced than the previous year. I also knew the course and exactly what doing well would entail, but was apprehensive as it was a race I really struggled with the previous year. I’m happy to report the race went swimmingly and I was able to take a whopping 20 minutes off my time from the previous year!! I must say I owe much of this success to Abi and Charlotte Levin. Abi, in her pink gloves, was always just on the horizon which pushed me to try and catch up to. Charlotte, who’s just returned from injury and is looking worryingly strong was an absolute beast on the hills and forced me to pick up pace even when it felt very uncomfortable to do so. The three of us finished within spitting distance of each other, fitting for a group of girls who often lovingly refer to ourselves as “flower sniffers” (basically we are prone to taking it a bit too hard sometimes).
Unfortunately, the day after called for a 14 mile training run. I think these two runs, paired with a few very busy weeks at work, and the stress of moving house caught up with me. That evening I went to bed feeling a bit off, and woke the next morning feeling absolutely awful! I spent most of the week of the 21st, in bed, shivering, hopped up on day nurse. It was during this period that I made attempt 1 of writing this post. I was nonsense… obviously! Turns out I had laryngitis, and sadly was in no shape to do much of anything, and definitely no running! Sadly this also meant no Southern England cross country champs. If you’ve never raced there I highly recommend it, the last kilometer is a beautiful downhill sprint and the perfect chance to overtake a handful of competitors.
After a week of missed work, I decided I was back. My body didn’t. It decided I had a chest infection! So 3 more days off work and running and a new round of antibiotics! Luckily, I am very much on the mend thanks to my friends Slothy the hot water bottle, sleep and amoxicillin! I’ve managed a few solid runs the past few days and still feel quite strong. I’ve even treated myself to a new pair of beautiful risky white Adidas adios that will hopefully make it to at least Fleet before becoming a mess.
So, what have I learned in all of this? First off, if you’re not well: rest, rest, rest and rest. Next, it’s perfectly okay to miss a run or two when you’ve got too much on! Much better to take an extra rest day than overwork yourself and risk injury or illness. Lastly, a new pair of shoes is a great “get well present” to myself, but probably not feasible following any minor setbacks.
Anyways, I’m back on track with the training, still feeling strong and looking forwards to continuing with the training!
The Old Scar
It happened during the winter, seven or eight years ago, I don't remember exactly, when I was on holiday with my parents on the mountains. Every year we rent a house in Madesimo, north of Italy, and we go there for skiing, which I truly love. The days, there, follow a precise routine... First, my mother comes to wake me up. She has this lovely habit of entering quickly into my room, going straight to open the window, letting the freezing air (we're talking about -5°C or less) send a shock through my body. At that point, I usually run into the kitchen, next to the fire stove, where breakfast is waiting. There, I also meet my father, which starts immediately putting pressure because "we are late, and the ski-lifts are already getting crowded" (even in those days when there is absolutely no one around). After breakfast, I quickly dress, and start doing some warm-up exercises. Well, I WOULD do the exercises, if it wasn't for my daddy hitting me again with the "we are late" thing, and arguing that warming up is useless. Indeed, this works well for him, apparently. But not for me!
So it happened that, in order to avoid the non-existent queues at the ski-lifts, one morning I skipped the warm-up. We went straight out, and started skiing down the slopes (the house is adjacent to a piste). It took less than a minute. That feeling of... tearing. And the right hamstring was gone.
After many years, the scar that resulted from pulling the hamstring is still there. It seems that I didn't do the proper physiotherapy to recover and thus, once it healed, it was slightly shorter than before (actually, I went to physio only one month later, bad decision). So even now, when I run, the right hamstring tends to be a little overloaded, with all the consequences that you can imagine. To counter this, I have to be very disciplined, and include some good stretching after each run.
Now comes the bad news. During the stop before Christmas (see previous post) I didn't do much stretching (actually, no stretching at all), and when I started my marathon plan, that nasty little scar began to do its job: slowly wearing my right leg muscles, run after run... until when, a few days ago, I felt that something was hurting. I did the sensible thing, and stopped running, walking back home. I hate that moment, when that name takes form in your mind: "MOVE clinic". And there I went. The response is that the upper hamstring tendons are slightly inflamed. I have to reduce running to a minimum for a couple of weeks, and I have a beautiful strengthening plan to follow. Ah, in addition I had the chance today to have lot of needles put into the leg and the glute, the dreaded acupuncture. I realised though that it's not that painful, you feel just some "tingling"...
What about the marathon? It depends on how I respond to the treatment: I hope to be able to soon increase the running volume again, but the good guys at MOVE will have the final word. Wish me luck!
Take-home messages:
- Do a proper warm-up: ALWAYS.
- After an injury, ask for professional help, and do the proper treatment, or you can pay for YEARS.
- Do not always listen to your father (well, just sometimes)
- Acupuncture is not painful (I really thought it was)
What Does it Take?
What does it take to run a marathon?
That’s a question with lots of possible answers. Some more helpful than others. We’ve all seen those memes about the need to be a special kind of idiot and all that jazz.
I’d agree, not that marathon runners are idiots exactly, but it does take a certain amount of stubborn, willful disregard for what’s strictly sensible. It’s bloody hard work, running a marathon. It takes a lot of time, effort, determination, and chafing in unpleasant places.
So what extra things does it take to run a marathon to the magic target I’m aiming for this time? I might as well be honest, because you’ll find out when it’s time for the Mile 23 spreadsheet anyway; this time I’m going for the classic target. The Big One. The one that Mr Duff, when he’s feeling particularly Aberdonian, might describe as ‘the back of four’.
In these first few weeks of the plan I’ve been spending lots of time building the mileage back up and even more time trying to find out what I need to do to start feeling like I might be capable of achieving a marathon time that starts with a 3. Even if it ends with a 59:59, that’ll do.
I’ve learned that, put simply, it takes being able to maintain a pace of 9:09/mile for a really long way. And let’s face it, for London it’s probably best to err on the side of knowing damn well it’s going to be half a mile further than it should be, and aiming for flat 9’s.
I learned from the England Athletics marathon workshop that it takes rather more Lactate Threshold and hill sessions than I’m traditionally fond of. I have diligently added these into my plan and so far, I’ve managed to convince myself I’m enjoying them. I also discovered that running slower than race pace but faster than training pace is actually sub-threshold running, which sounds far more technical and which I put to good use to bag a new PB at the Fred Hughes 10.
‘Kent-yan Hills!’
I learned from a Runner’s World Facebook post that it takes being capable of a sub-50 10k and a sub-1:50 half when training starts, so if that’s true I’m screwed before I’ve even started. I’m stubbornly choosing to go with the dismissal of this advice by a particular non-Eagle runner friend on that one; he immediately said not to worry about it because ‘you don’t run hard enough when you run shorter distances anyway’. I think I’ll refuse to let this one bother me til we see how I get on at Fleet Half. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.
More of that stubbornness. On Tuesday when I found myself running 16 laps of Osterley track on my own in the snow I had one of those brief moments when you wonder if the naysayers are right and runners are all, in fact, mad. But then I remembered a conversation I’d had with my father in law at parkrun back on Christmas Day.
Snowy selfie
We were running together and talking about different approaches to training. I’d been comparing my December can’t be arsed attitude to Mr Duff, who is quite strict when it comes to his training. If it’s in the plan it’s getting done, come hell, high water, snow or a plague of frogs.
‘Well’ Dad Duff had said, ‘that’s the key isn’t it? That’s what gets you through it all. Making sure you go out and get it done, even if you really don’t want to. That keeps you going when it comes to the day’.
And he’s completely right. I kept that advice in my head for the whole session on Tuesday and ended up loving the run, watching my footprints form more complex patterns with each lap, enjoying the fact that I could see my stride length was consistent in the snow and vowing to sort out that weird outward turn on my right foot. It was quiet, peaceful, and gave me enough space to think clearly in all that perfect blankness.
Footprints in the snow
Just keep going. Keep going, and soon the thing that seemed so hard is suddenly done.
I missed one training run in the first week because I was completely knackered and my body was feeling the effects of coming off the medication for anxiety I’ve been on since March last year. I cut myself some slack that day, but I’ve been fairly strict about getting my sessions in for the rest of these early weeks. The fast sessions and hilly sessions and pacing technicalities will become important very soon, I know. But in this ‘build phase’ I’ve been concentrating mostly on getting out there without giving in to the dark and cold and wet. I've also learned that being part of a running club is a godsend with this (although I already knew that!). Making arrangements to meet a friend or being out anyway because you're leading at track definitely helps to combat the winter running blues.
Marathon training. What does it take? Just keep buggering on.
School Night 7
Wormwood XC race report- 12th January 2019 by Oliver Gildea
With race day approaching, Fiona, Laurence and others had been drumming up support for this Met league fixture, under the instruction of Mr Santry all the way in South Africa!! Laurence even stirred up a few rivalries for the men’s race through a feisty Facebook post. It finally came around to race day. The weather leading up to race day had been pretty mild, so everyone had to make the critical decision of whether to wear 6mm spikes or 9mm spikes?! No demand for those 15’s needed at Uxbridge! Having only turned up 5 minutes before the ladies race started, I couldn’t help but be blown away by how many Eagles there were waiting at the bag drop. Correct me if I’m wrong, but 76 runners must be some kind of record for the Eagles at a Met-league fixture? However, I was extremely happy to be warm and cosy in my coat as the wind blew down the opening straight of the course. The women had their compulsory team photo and headed down to the start line, where the lady in the long-red coat waited with her gun in bag.
The gun went off and the ladies race began, they shot up the opening stretch in to the headwind. Their course was half a lap followed by a full lap, covering 4 miles. The course was much flatter than Uxbridge and critically…drier. There were some brilliant PB’s from the ladies and some great efforts from XC first-timers Vanessa, Caroline, Charlotte and Linda to name but a few. Fiona continued her good form, coming through first Eagle.
Abi clearly having too much fun
As the ladies race came to an end, the men began to contemplate getting changed and ready to race. As we lined up at the start line, Kieran did a vital shift as a wind-stopper at the front and then shuffled back in to the huddle. Just as the red-coated lady was readying herself to reach for the starting gun, Sam Royle sprinted down to the start line in the knick of time! Everyone was ready, the gun went of and we sprinted into the distance! The men’s race covered two laps of the course, taking in 5.2 miles. We followed the course round in to the woods, with John disappearing into the mass of runners. Having really drummed up the rivalries prior to the race, I was keen to try and beat Laurence, so I stuck to him like glue. I overtook him going in to the second lap, which was probably a bit ambitious and had to pull back the pace slightly to avoid the dreaded stitch. However, unbeknown to me, Laurence had suffered a hit from the “mighty cramp gods”! Now, unlike some of the quotes in the pub report, I sympathise with Laurence, having suffered a similar fate at Uxbridge…but secretly, I was happy to take our XC tally to 2-1 Laurence. Bring on Alexandra Palace!
Laurence trying to make up for having a little break
Like in the ladies race, many of the men set some fantastic times on the course. Will put on a flying second lap to catch John, but John managed to beat him in the sprint! Jose and Ewan rounded out the top 4 Eagles.
Wormwood was another cracker followed by LOADS OF CAKE and a few drinks in the Pocket Watch. Here are a few of the quotes from some of the team:
Claudia – “1st race of 2019, this Canadian girl nearly died, but managed to get the best time by far!”
Charlotte- “Another 1st timer here! PB in my first ever 6k race as well!”
Linda- “First XC race for me! Loved it!”
Caroline W- “1st XC for me too, after 2 and half years as an eagle! I’ll definitely be back”
Vanessa M- “1st race for me since school and better experience than I remember. Great atmosphere and people”
Kin- “A fast start, enjoyed running in the woods. Harsh wind across the course- 3 cakes!!”
Charlotte L- “Have you seen how many Eagles turned up?!”
Bernard- “Come on Laurence, you can do it mate!”
John F- “As fast a start as ever today and I genuinely thought Will was ahead of me until he came flying past with about a km to go. Just edged it on the sprint finish though”
Sam- “Can Laurence get a stitch every race please?”
Charlotte W- “It was my fastest XC race yet…”
Cam- “Really enjoyed seeing Laurence pull up”
Sam P- “Unofficial 5km and 5 mile pb- perfect conditions!”
Tom C- “Pleased to prove Kieran’s predictions wrong yet again- Team A again!”
Greg- “Dragged here against my will…”
Laurence- “Was going well. The mighty cramp gods beat me as did Oliver (2-1)”
Fiona- “Spent most of the race distracted by the girl in front who’d failed to dress herself properly…”
Hayley- “Why does everyone question me when I show up in leggings? We all know I’m going to reveal the legs at 1.45…”
Tom- “Nice and flat, but a little monotonous wasn’t it? Tried my best but still got passed by an old man breathing like some kind of zombie- that’s XC for you!”
Wei- “Great race. Tough but great fun! Love it!”
Sophie- “Who needs South Africa when you have Wormwood Scrubs XC in January!”
Vicky- “No mud! Hurrah, 2nd time on the scrub and no mud!”
Nigel- “The battle at the back was remorseless…”
Pammy- “Loved cheering everyone on!”
Michelle- “Steady start, then decided to work a bit harder, enjoyed picking off the teams in front for the rest. Great race!”
In the middle of the night
I lost the sense of time, and when I went to sleep that night I wasn't thinking about the VLM ballot. There is indeed a seven-hour time difference between UK and Vietnam, where I was spending my honeymoon, and I falsely believed that the Eagles Christmas party would be on the following day. It happens, though, that the local beer is given away for less than one pound a pint... This meant that I had to wake up in the middle of the night, when nature called. Crawling back to the bed, the flashing light of the phone attracted my attention. A message from Sonja Knoll: "You won the ballot!". Then I fell asleep again.
Only in the morning I was able to fully grasp the news, and share it with Sara, my wife (while double checking the phone to verify that it wasn't just a dream). Oh yes, I am running the London Marathon! Excitement! A LOT of excitement!! And then doubts... It would be my first marathon. It is only four months away. And I spent the last ten days mainly eating, drinking, getting happily fatter and "unfitter". Well, the lifestyle didn't change much after that day, until the end of my holiday. At least, I made good use (a few times) of hotel treadmills, and I proudly came back to London without a ZERO on the last two weeks Strava mileage.
Not a zero, but not a large number either. After I came back, given the importance of the event, and that little pressure induced by fellow runners (Kieran has been quick to remark "The weight of the club is on your shoulders!" -- thanks Kieran! :DD), I felt the need to devise a sensible plan. It needs to bring me from the Christmas 20km per week, to marathon fitness on the 28th of April. Tight. However, before going to the details about my plans, let me explain why I entered the club ballot for the London Marathon.
Apart from the obvious answer (I want to run the VLM!), the main reason is that I was waiting for a "sign". Something that could give me the courage to step up and go for the full distance. After having raced on the most common distances, and having done a few half marathons, I felt the need for a new challenge. But, perhaps scared by the required training effort, I kept postponing the decision to go for it. So I said to myself: "Only if I enter the famous London Marathon -- one way or another -- I'll start training for the 42.2k" (BTW, I am a fan of the metric system, by I could consider switching to miles just to deal with smaller and less intimidating numbers). I could have been waiting for long. Instead, here we are, I received that sign...
The plan. I have 17 weeks. Most of the plans are at least 18 weeks long. Good start. Also, I am not ready to start any plan right away. Hence, this is what I will do:
- I'll spend January increasing the mileage from 20 to 55-60km per week. Mostly easy runs (max 140-145BPM. For those who likes details... My rest HR is 42 when well trained, max HR is 185, LT approx. 165). And a few real workouts (no more than once a week, either intervals or tempo).
- At the end of January, with 12 weeks left, I'll try to follow the Pfitzinge & Douglas training plan. In particular, the baby plan (12 weeks) of the baby plan (max 55 miles).
I am not 100% sure if this will be sufficient to get me there in good marathon fitness. But this is the best I can do with the time given. Fingers crossed!
I was forgetting. Of course you want to know what the target is. Let's be ambitious here: given the performance on shorter races, I could realistically shoot in the range 3:00-3:05, provided that proper marathon training is done. Since I don't have plenty of time, probably this target is a little optimistic. But I'll try in any case: I prefer crashing in trying, rather than being over conservative. Again: fingers crossed!!!
Finally, I would like to wish good luck to Angela, Hayley and Carlo. But also to all the other brave Eagles that will be running a marathon this spring.
This is were it all began: the Liverpool promenade, where four years ago I did my very first runs...
Hayley's 1st VLM blog
Well it’s been just over 3 weeks since I received my London place and I am still absolutely buzzing! Sitting in front of everyone with my jazzy painted burger king crown is probably the closest I’ve ever been or ever will be to becoming a queen (prom, beauty, HM, Beyonce etc etc) – besides, who wants to do those when you can run the London Marathon! I can’t wait to run for the club in 16ish weeks, and run a marathon where I feel like I actually know what I’m doing. (Please don’t talk to the people who tell me I train too fast, they’re all liars.)
I am going to start this blog by providing you with a brief history of my background in running and sport in generally. While my journey as a runner began just over 2 years ago, sport has always played a fundamental role in my life. My first true love was one typical of many Canadian children – ice hockey. From the age of 4 to 18 the ice rink was my second home. I feel much of my success as a runner stem from hockey – from the ability to push myself during training and competition, set personal goals in my performance and my competitive drive. It’s probably no shock why I love cross country so much!
“The young athlete, aged 6”
I fell in love with running shortly after I moved to Ealing and joined the Eagles. I had ZERO intention of becoming a “runner” as I was simply looking to get a bit fitter and meet some people. It’s safe to say that I have most definitely become a “runner” and kept myself rather busy with all the training, racing and social opportunities that come along with the club! Joining the club was one of the best decisions I have made in my adult life. I’ve been able to meet so many people, challenge myself, relight my competitive side, get seriously faster and compete in some very interesting races!
Leading up to the race I have a few goals that I would like to achieve in my training and racing:
STAY INJURY FREE – I trained for Manchester last year and was injured on my very last long training run.
Run Fleet half in the 90-99:59 minute bracket to qualify for the Welsh Castles ladies team, and to get a new PB (Currently it sits at a frustrating 1:40:09 from EHM)
Maintain my speed in other distances. I’ve set a fair few PBs in the last 6 months, and I would like to continue to build on those in the lead up to London.
As for the race itself, I am hoping to shave an hour of my 2 year old marathon PB which currently stands at 4:40:55. Typing that out sounds slightly scary, but I have learned loads over the past 2 years, built a ton of speed and most importantly become more vigilant in my training. Like many others Eagles, I will be following the ever famous P&D training plan pulled from the book “Advanced Marathoning”. I’ve been lucky to get my hands on the complicated and VERY technical interactive spreadsheet. No, I am not being sarcastic… If you’re interested in seeing it, ask me to pull it up on my phone the next time you see me, and marvel at its glory. Filling it in after every run feels like some weird backwards running advent calendar.
Going forwards, I’ll probably write mostly about running (obviously), loads and loads of cross country, trying to fit training in when you get race FOMO so you sign up for everything (remind me again why I signed up for Box Hill???), eating (I may even include some tips on how to slink into the storage cupboard at work, shovel food in and exit so your boss doesn’t catch you and tell you off), more eating, and many other wonderful surprises (I didn’t say poo, so way to go being immature and thinking it).
“The still young athlete, aged 29”
The Laziness of the Long Distance Runner
There are times when training for a marathon makes you question your life choices. Lying face down on a massage table in a small room with a stranger’s elbow rammed into places you’d usually slap someone for touching is definitely one of them.
I’ve got a confession to make. Since I lucked out and got one of the club ballot places at the Christmas party it’s possible that all my good intentions to be less lazy than in the first half of December had gone, as my mother would say, for a Burton. I didn’t think I had that much going on over Christmas but when it came to it I had a few weeks where there was a lot of stuff in the diary on usual running days, and everyone knows you can’t just run on a different day - that way madness lies. I’m sure there’s a rule.
In other words, I just stayed lazy. I was completely aware I was being lazy but was pretending it was really unavoidable with my terribly busy Christmas, until a man at Aberdeen parkrun started on at me about ‘just making sure you find the time don’t you know, it’s really not that hard’. At which point I accepted that actually I was quite happy letting myself have a lazy December and wasn’t going to take a politely worded slagging on Christmas Day stood standing on a freezing cold Aberdeen beachfront from a random parkrunner who didn’t even have the decency to be actually Scottish. The cheek of it.
So I decided I should probably get my act together before marathon training officially started in the New Year. I ran a nice little 7 miler down the Deeside Line on Boxing Day. I went to parkrun again and stuck with a pacer instead of just relaxing my way round (nothing to do with the pacer being my pal, of course) and whilst I’d known for a while I wasn’t going to be exactly racing the Serpies New Year’s Day 10k I decided to see if I could manage it in something like my hoped for marathon pace.
Most crucially, I’m sure you’ll agree, I bought new shoes and wrote my training plan out long hand in no less than 6 different coloured Frixion pens.
Actually this had seemed genuinely crucial as it turned out. On New Year’s Eve I sat down with the businesslike black Moleskine containing my plan because I thought I’d better schedule a dummy week’s training for the week before the first proper week, just to see if I could manage a full set of sessions. Alas, the tragedy of the type A brain; I was denied the special pleasure that only comes with using nice pens and paper to organise something...because I’d already done it!
I had a good laugh at myself for being such a little geek and faced the dawning of 2019 with renewed determination that I’d be fine getting going again. It’s ok to be a little bit lazy when you need to. It does you good.
Serpies went well. I was only 2 seconds off my PB and ran faster than marathon pace. In fact since my actual PB isn’t on Power of 10 (seriously Winter Run. You’re that expensive and you can’t even be bothered to be an accredited race?), this was a sort of PB reset and I was chuffed to bits.
The rest of last week also went well. I hit all of my other sessions without making them easier - a 4 mile shakeout, hills, a fast-ish parkrun and a training pace 10 miler.
Garmin tells me my total December mileage was just 39. I ran 25 miles in the last week, so its been just a teeny bit of a shock to the system.
Hence why I was in a physio office today being pummelled, stretched, and elbowed in the backside. I’ve decided to apply some lessons learned to this round of training and lesson number one is to get regular massages BEFORE anything goes wrong, just to ease out the kinks. Arek the mountain marathon man and ‘soft tissue specialist’ might just be my new favourite sadist.
Sorry, that’s lesson two. Lesson one is ‘always start a marathon plan with a rest day’.
Wish me luck!
London VLM ...Xmas party to start of my training plan
Hopefully most of you will know me as Chair of Ealing Eagles Running Club from my many club runs, appearances at club events such as Cross country, Club champs and Summer league meets.
I’ve applied to enter the London marathon through the VLM ballot for three years (since becoming a runner and Ealing Eagle!) winning a losers track top x3 and this was my second attempt at the club ballot.
I have run six marathons now, best time 4:00:43 in Dublin and one Ultra marathon, Liverpool to Manchester 50 mile in 10:55 (10 hours 55 minutes!) coming in 122nd out 200 starters!!!
All that said I have had suffered ITB and hit the wall in many of the marathons!
I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of ‘congratulation’ comments from Eagles since the ballot, with one particular supportive arm around me sticking in my mind “there is expectation in the club ballot on ballot runners and with the added position of club chair, there will be a weight on your shoulders to perform well! Don’t let the club down!” Thank you Kieran Santry:-) ...no pressure then! Winning a ballot place is like winning a gold chocolate bar from the Wonka chocolate factory! Congratulations to the other ballot winners and of course commiserations to those that were not successful this year.
I have thought long and hard over the last few weeks about how I will approach this event and I’ve decided to set three goals leading up to marathon day.
Set a 5k park run PB sub 22 minutes to get my runners ambition to be speedy out of my system! My Park run PB was set in December 2018 of 22:05. I’ve only run 22 Park runs! I’ll go for this time late January/early February.
Run a sub 1:50 half marathon time in my marathon training to qualify for the Welsh Castles Vets team. This should be achievable as my half PB is well within this target time, so I am thinking a 1:45-1:50 target in February/early March.
Up the core strength work from once a week to every other day as a minimum and try and incorporate small core training elements into my day to day schedule. Abi... some yoga too!!
I’ve put together a training plan starting 14th January with a focus on weekend long runs, some of which will be back to back (Saturday and Sundays) with much shorter runs in the week plus track/hills of course. Richard/Mirka...I am looking forward to being back on West walk on the 17th January and for many weeks thereafter! :-0
I’ll be entering some organised events to help my training and running some of my own preferred routes from Tower Hill station to Ealing and Regents Park to Ealing along the canal. I believe the clubs coaching team are going to organise some VLM recce runs again this year, so these will help all the VLM club runners learn the course which is extremely important when running a marathon. The setting of my VLM marathon goals will be made once I’ve progressed through the first four weeks training schedule. However, the main goal will be a sub 4 hour time! I’ll also lean on Eagle friends to motivate me out of then house to train with coffee or wine rewards post run!
The big focus on marathon day will be Mile 23! Having helped manage the Ealing Eagles extraordinary expedition to Monument for the past two years, I can say that it is a special day out. If you haven’t attended the annual Eagle migration from Ealing Broadway station to Monument before, please volunteer! You’ll be both supporting our club runners and the whole running community, including witnessing Mo Farah and Eagles pass you, all looking as fresh as a daisy due to the Adrenalin rush your support will give us. Link: a video of mile 23 can be found here.
Kit choice for me is straight forward of course!
Training with Ealing Eagles Running Club January to April 2019
There will be opportunities over the next few months to do different types of training. With evening sessions on Mondays to Thursdays, sessions during the day midweek, and various training runs at the weekend, hopefully there will be something for all members of the club to join. A summary of the sessions is set out below but please keep an eye on the list of sessions for the week (link also sent to you with email newsletter) for more details and for any changes or updates.
The club aims to cater for all abilities – if you are interested in the run / walk programme (as a volunteer or returning from injury) or in increasing your endurance from 5k to 10k or ten miles, please scroll down this article for information of specific interest to you.
** Mara Q &A **
In place of a race / marathon preparation workshop this term, we are offering Eagles the opportunity on Monday 14 January at 7.30pm in the New Inn (so no official club run that evening) to quiz guest coach Mara Yamauchi. You will be able to hear Mara's thoughts on anything running-related of interest to you, whether it's the meaning of different running terms, how to prepare for a race, what to eat before a run or something about Mara's own running and racing experiences.
Please email questions to coaching@ealingeagles.com by Saturday 12 January so that we can collate the questions into topics.
** Strength & Conditioning **
We invited expressions of interest for a strength & conditioning session with Mara at St Mary’s Polygon (across the road and a bit from the New Inn) on Wednesday 30 January at 7.30pm and were slightly surprised to see over 50 on the facebook event within the first day. Obviously, we will not be able to accommodate all those people in one location and so we will need to decide:
· ** UPDATE 10 Jan 19 ** The committee has advised that, in view of the level of interest shown in Mara’s session, Eagles are to be invited to reapply for a place at the session in the knowledge that places are limited and:
the session is a general session so may not be suitable for injured runners;
coaches who may want to lead some S&C in their own sessions will be given priority;
otherwise it will be first come first served with people emailing coaching@ealingeagles.com after publication of the email newsletter on or around Friday 18 January (a code word will be included in the newsletter to ensure that people don’t try to jump the gun); and
people who have been allocated a place which they find they cannot use must aim to give at least 24 hours notice so that their place can be reallocated.
· What other strength & conditioning sessions to offer the club in view of the interest shown
Watch this space.
** Monday and Wednesday 7.30pm club runs **
Over the winter and spring period, we will be using the winter club run routes meeting at Ealing Green with a choice of two distances (3.75miles / 5.5k or 4.75miles /7k) but avoiding the parks. Please see the club run route page for the route details.
HOWEVER, please note that the offer of these sessions requires the availability of volunteers to be leaders and tail runners. The coached sessions require input from qualified coaches / leaders or experienced runners but anyone who is willing to help out and run at a gentle pace can tail a run (and make use of the time to have a recovery run, to work on your running form and to get to know other people in the club). If you have made use of the club training sessions, please play your part in making the club training sessions possible.
If you would like to lead club runs on a regular basis and you are not already on the leaders email group list, please email coaching@ealingeagles.com
** Hill Sessions on Thursdays 7:30pm West Walk **
Training on hills
· prepare you for the hills in a race;
· build muscle (improve leg strength while still working aerobically – strength = speed); and
· teach your body to run fast when you’re struggling for oxygen (if you did that type of speed work in winter on track – short reps – you would pull a muscle).
All standards are welcome – everyone stays in the same place. Meeting place is West Walk off Hillcroft Crescent
** Tuesday Track at 7.30pm **
Steady pace or easy training runs are done at an aerobic pace, i.e. not too out of breath. This builds up the heart, lungs and legs but will not adapt the body fully to run at a faster race pace. Interval training trains up the different energy systems used in racing at different distances. These energy systems range from anaerobic running at mile pace or faster to ½ marathon training run at around threshold pace using the Frank Horwill 5 pace system system (used by Seb Coe etc). To race at any distance you need to do intervals at race pace and faster and slower than race pace sessions. Also most club runners do a variety of distances and need sessions to train for these.
Tuesday sessions at 7.30pm in the darker months are based at Osterley track (120 Wood Lane, Isleworth, TW7 5FF). Each week will be a different session lead by a qualified Eagles run leader. Between January and April, we'll be delivering two eight-week blocks loosely geared towards half marathon and marathon training; depending on the effort you put in, the sessions will also be suitable for those wanting to improve their 5K and 10K times too!
Track fee of £3.00 (discount for Eagles so please bring proof of membership – EA card or confirmation email from club) payable at reception before coming on the Track. Lockers available for a refundable £1. Bring a bottle of water, a snack for afterwards and enough layers to keep warm when you're not running. All standards are welcome – everyone stays in the same place.
** Daytime sessions **
The 10am sessions on Mondays are being arranged to accommodate both new Improvers who are currently at the 5k level and more advanced daytime Eagles. Either there will be a choice of sessions at different places or both groups will meet in the same place with a choice of options. We expect many of the sessions to involve hills (see comments on hill training above) or track (see general comments on track above) but arrangements will need to be reviewed each week in view of the risk of frost affecting 10am sessions.
The 10am slot on Thursdays will be a run / walk programme for nine weeks starting on 10 January. There have been various discussions about what length run might be offered before or after the 10am session (or indeed at the same time as the run / walk programme if there are more than enough volunteers) so please check arrangements each week. Other sessions will be offered after the completion of the run / walk programme.
Tuesdays and Fridays 10k at 10am –self-led runs - please check the relevant Facebook group for arrangements.
** Weekend long runs **
The route of the self-led Sunday ten mile run is through the parks to the river, along to Richmond Lock and back via Syon Park. Please shout up on Facebook if you are planning to do this and would like company.
There are also various proposals for long runs at the weekends to accommodate anyone needing a longer run than can be fitted into a midweek evening – from people preparing for their first 10 mile race to people training for marathons and beyond. These will be advertised in the newsletter, on the website and on facebook as arrangements are finalized.
** Run / Walk programme **
The club offers a run / walk programme free to the local community to progress people from not running very much to running 5k or more without walking breaks (so that they can join the evening club runs). The next run / walk programme will be for nine weeks starting Wednesday 9 January at 6.30pm or Thursday 10 January at 10am.
Healing Eagles are very welcome to join for part or all of the run / walk programme if they have been advised to do some run / walking and would like some company. Please email beginners@ealingeagles.com to check the level at which the programme is operating when you are thinking of joining.
The run / walk programme attributes its success (125 people graduated through the run / walk programme in the period October 2017 to June 2018) to the support and encouragement provided by the volunteers. If you are happy to run at a relatively gentle pace (7 to 8min/k or 11 to 13min/miles though some people will be faster and a few may not be so fast) and encourage beginners while doing so, then please think about contributing to the club and the running community in this way. Running at a more gentle pace is also a good way of working on your own running form (running gently does not mean running lazily or sloppily). For more information, please join the volunteers facebook group or email beginners@ealingeagles.com
** Improvers **
Improver sessions are for people who are able to run 5k and want to continue running, in particular for those wanting to increase their distance to 10k by the end of April 2019 in time for Ealing Eagles 10k on Saturday 11 May or Osterley 10k on Saturday 15 June. For more information, please see the article The next step after 5k (also known as Improvers) January to April 2019
** TT Improvers **
TT Improvers are Improvers who are being encouraged to increase their endurance to run the Thames Towpath 10 (which means 10 miles) on Sunday 14 April. For more information, please see the article TT Improvers January to April 2019
TT Improvers January to April 2019
Have you completed the club Improvers programme or are otherwise able to run 10k?
Want to maintain your running or even to run further and faster?
TT Improvers will aim to progress Eagles from running 10k to running ten miles with a target 10 mile race in April and as a stepping stone to the half marathon distance for those who want to progress further.
It is difficult to write a generic training plan because people will have done different amounts of running and have different availabilities. Here are some useful tips
· Start where you are and increase the amount / intensity of the running gradually.
· Listen to your body - if you are tired or have a niggle, then rest or reduce the amount of running.
· If you have time, it is good to progress to running three times a week with a rest day in between.
· Try to include some strength work - squats, lunges etc - or other cross-training to reduce the risk of injury
· As you are aiming to increase your distance, the most important training run is the "long run"
o The suggested progression for people who have not yet run ten miles is as follows – the first four weeks are build-up weeks so people who are already at the 10k level are welcome to do a 10k / six miles earlier in the progression:
w/c 7 Jan 3miles
w/c 14 Jan 3 miles
w/c 21 Jan 4 miles
w/c 28 Jan 4 miles
w/c 4 Feb 6 miles
w/c 11 Feb 5 miles (drop-down week)
w/c 18 Feb 6 miles (half-term week so daytime runners may be busy midweek)
w/c 25 Feb 8 miles
w/c 4 Mar 8 miles
w/c 11 Mar 9 miles
w/c 18 Mar 10k (drop-down week)
w/c 25 Mar 10 miles dress rehearsal
w/c 1 Apr - 10k (drop-down / taper week)
w/c 8 Apr - TT10 on 14 Apr
o evening runners will note that it will be difficult to accommodate the long run on a midweek evening from the beginning of February onwards; options which you may wish to discuss in this group are to plan weekend runs or (if you would otherwise volunteer with beginners) to plan longer runs starting at 6.30pm
o TT Improvers who have already run ten miles may consider adding a couple of miles to the above progression (so that they go over the target distance in training) and / or putting more effort into the speed / hills sessions at the beginning of the programme
· It is also good to do some sort of speed or hills session - shorter distance but higher intensity.
· The third run could be a shorter run of around 5k to 7k (possibly one of the midweek club runs if your long run is at the weekend) - not as long as your long run but possibly run slightly faster.
· "Drop-down" weeks in which you reduce the amount of running are a good idea.
· The list of club training options is precisely that – so don’t try to do everything
o choose from the available list
o or do your own thing, on your own or with other people.
There will be workshops after club run on Monday 7 January – 10am run for daytime runners (with the workshop probably at FarmW5 at 11am) and 7.30pm club run for evening runners (with the workshop at the Rose & Crown at 8.30pm for 8.45pm). Although these workshops are aimed primarily at new Improvers progressing to 10k, TT Improvers are welcome to come along for the social and / or to ask their own questions.
The target for both daytime and evening Improvers will Thames Towpath 10 (miles) on Sunday 14 April http://west4harriers.com/ttt/ - please note that this race does sell out.
If you are on facebook and want a forum to discuss topics at a suitable level for you, from training plans to diet, from strategy to the best clothing and also to arrange training runs with others, please join the TT Improvers facebook group