The Buchlyvie Half Marathon

Today was the Buchlyvie Half Marathon.


My half marathon PB at 10:59 this morning was 1:32:44


I entered this race about a month ago and it's probably the first time since I started running in 2007 that I've put together a specific training plan with an aim of getting a specific target at a race. Sure in the past I've trained for races and achieved my goal but looking back now I think a lot of that was down to a combination of luck and setting targets that were too easy.


In training for this half marathon it is the first time I've undertaken specific hills sessions with the aim of building strength in my legs (even though this race was 'pan flat') The other significant change I made to my training for this was to run a section of my long run at, or close to, my target pace for the race. I really enjoyed these changes to my training as they broke up the somewhat monotonous act of 'just going for a run'.


So anyway, all this extra (or should it be different?) work had put me in a confident mood for this race. I arrived in Buchlyvie at around ten past ten this morning which was plenty of time for me to collect my number and make my final decision on what kit I was going to wear before the race set off at 11 o'clock. It was really pretty cold this morning and I finally settled on shorts, long sleeved base layer with my vest over the top. Turned out to be just about right.


The race set off bang on 11 o'clock and I quickly settled into a comfortable pace. The course was an out and back along an old railway line which was flat but the surface was really uneven in places. This wasn't too bad on the way out but on the return leg it was really tough going on the legs.


The field was quite small (only 110 finishers) and by around 4 miles everyone seemed to have settled into their little groups. I had no idea what race position I was in but I was quite happy as the group around me was keeping a decent pace. I actually had my Garmin set to show pace and lap times for this race so I had no idea of the total time elapsed. This was actually a mistake but as I seemed to be hitting the right times for each individual mile I decided to leave it. The fact that I was staying in the same group as well gave me an added indication that my pace was ok.


As we reached the turnaround point at halfway I heard the marshalls telling the girl in the group that she was the first female. It was good to hear that as I knew I must be in quite a high race position. As we were past half way and I was still feeling good I decided to pick it up a bit and managed to 'break clear' of the group. Somewhere between 8 and 9 miles I found my self all alone and would stay like that until the end of the race. I found this section of the race really tough and mile 12 was my slowest of the whole race at 6:57.


The finish to the race was interesting to say the least. We made our way back to the playing field at Buchlyvie Primary school where we had to make two laps of the playing field. Now this is November in Scotland so the playing field was absolutely sodden. It was honestly like running a cross country race! Those two laps felt like I was running through quicksand! I made it though and was absolutely delighted with the time I had managed.


My half marathon PB at 12:28 this afternoon was 1:27:41


These trainers were (comparatively) clean up until 12.5 miles!





The medal





So a massive PB by over 5 minutes and I managed to finish in 10th place overall. I think I've earned the cider that I'm enjoying as I write this!

October 2010

A brief review of October:


No. of days running: 17
Miles run: 117.62
Time on feet: 14:33:38 (which gives an average pace of 7:25/mile for the month)
Races run: 1 (Kilomathon)
PB's: 1 (Kilomathon)
Races entered: 2 (Buchlyvie half marathon, 7/11/10 and Lochaber Marathon, 10/4/11)

I'm really quite happy with how October has finished up training wise. I've included the 'races entered' details above for a couple of reasons. I definitely find it easier to get out the door for a run if I have a race to aim for. After the Kilomathon I didn't have anything in my race calendar. The Buchlyvie half next Sunday is what has helped* me on my way to 117 miles this month but it has also helped me to change the way in which I have been training.

I am aiming for a really fast time (for me) next Sunday. I ran the Great North Run in 1:32:44 and have set myself the challenging target of getting under 1:30 for a half marathon. In order to do this I decided that I had to make some changes to how I was training. I read somewhere recently that if you want your body to change, which I do, I want it to get faster, then your training has to change. In the past three weeks I've made two significant changes to my running. I've included a specific hills session in order to build some more strength in my legs and I've started to run the middle section of my long runs at my target pace for the half marathon.

I have to say that I've really enjoyed these changes (even the hills!) and now that my last long run is in my legs I'm looking forward to a somewhat easier week to get ready for next Sunday now. A sub 1:30 half marathon requires a pace of 6:52/mile from start to finish. I'm not sure I'll manage that next Sunday but should, at the very minimum, get a new PB. If I manage that I'll be happy.

The second race I entered this month was the Lochaber marathon in April of next year. After next Sunday's race I'm going to have a few days (maybe a whole week!) rest and then training for my next assault on the 26.2 miles distance will begin in earnest.

* I said 'helped' as the race is not the sole reason I have put in so much work this month. The friends I have on Twitter and on DailyMile have really helped in that respect. I've been thinking about a blog post on 'motivation' for about a week now but @runningfairy who is one of my friends on Twitter made a much better effort at it than I ever could. It's actually a guest post on the snikt-running blog which belongs to another of my Twitter friends @paulb323 Please check it out, it really is a great post.

The Marathon

The marathon and I are about to recommence our battle. On Friday night I entered the Lochaber Marathon which takes place on Sunday the 10th of April next year in Fort William. My friend on Twitter, @paulb323, had entered it a couple of weeks ago and asked if anyone else was interested in it. I have to admit that it was a slow burner of an idea at first but it just never went away. Any time I thought about what races I wanted to do next year then the Lochaber Marathon always popped up!


After the disappointment of the London marathon this year I really want to have a go at a smaller marathon to see what I can really do over 26.2 miles. I re-read my race report for the London Marathon again recently and the main issue I had on race day was the amount of people around about me. The Lochaber marathon is limited to 600 runners and is an out and back course along the banks of Loch Eil (so is mostly flat!) To be honest it sounds like the perfect race to really see what you can do over 26.2 miles.


The marathon is such a cruel beast that you really do need everything to come together perfectly on race day if you are to perform to your best. That's why the battle is about to re-commence, I just don't feel like i've given it my best yet. The score at the minute is 1-1! For my first marathon in Edinburgh 2008 I set myself a target of sub 4 hours and managed to get 3:54 so I'm claiming that one as a win. In London this year I wanted to get under 3:45 but struggled round in 4:01, madame marathon can have that one.


Based on recent form, the Vegas odds makers have the marathon in as a big favourite but if I was you I'd stick a fair bit on me for this one.


Marathon, you're going down!

Plans!

I like to have a plan! I always find it easier to to get out running if I have a plan to stick to. It doesn't have to be the most detailed or comprehensive of plans but if I have an idea of what I should be doing it really helps! When I entered the Buchlyvie half marathon I had 4 weeks to prepare for it and had already set myself the really challenging target of running a sub 1:30 (6:52/mile in case you're wondering!) So I have a plan to help me achieve that goal.


There is an excellent running blog called Joe Still Runs For Dom (which you should really check out) and Joe swears by his hill repeats and interval sessions. With this in mind I decided that I was going to incorporate these two elements into my running. Hill repeats for two weeks then a speed session each week for the final 2 weeks prior to the race.


I ran my first hills session today and I have to admit it did feel a bit strange. Run to hill, run up and down hill 6 times, run home is pretty much how it went! It was amazingly satisfying when I was done though. Next week I'm going to up it to 8 or 10 reps before moving onto the speed sessions.


Longer term I'm starting to consider my race options for next year. The Lochaber marathon on the 10th of April next year is looking quite appealing at the minute.

Race Photos

I hardly ever get a decent photo from any of my races. I always seem to look ridiculous in them for some reason. I did however find this photo from the Broadwood 5K earlier in the year. It's not a great shot but I think it does show how hard I was working!

Keeping on Running!

Last Sunday's Kilomathon was the last race I had on my calendar for this year. I definitely find it easier to motivate myself to get out the door running when I have a race to prepare for so I've been busy looking for more races to enter. There are obviously a lot more options in the summer months but I have managed to find a nice half marathon on the 7th of November.


The Buchlyvie Half Marathon http://www.buchlyvie10k.co.uk/ looks like a nice flat course so should be good for a go at getting under 1:30. The reviews on the runners world website, http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/viewevent.asp?sp=&v=2&EN=46105&ms= are very complimentary so it's a race I'm definitely looking forward to.


Sub 1:30 would be great but I'll be happy if I can get a new PB. The Great North Run, where I ran 1:32:44 is quite a hilly course, especially in the second half so with the Buchlyvie race being flat it should be possible. I've got 4 weeks to get ready for it and I plan on doing a couple of hills sessions to build some strength and then some real fast interval sessions to build my leg speed up. Hopefully everything will come together on the day and I'll get my new PB.


Longer term I'm still not sure what races to enter for next spring. I was unsuccessful in the London Marathon ballot but have entered a couple of competitions to win a place. Once I find out that I've not won any of the competitions I'll start looking for other races to enter! The Edinburgh Half marathon has a good deal on just now. £99 for a golden ticket which gives you lifetime entry to the race and a whole host of other benefits. Might ask Santa for that!

London Marathon 2010

This will be the last of my 'old' blog posts for a while. I wanted to give readers a view of where I've come from with my running and hopefully I've managed to do that with these old posts.

London Marathon 2010

It's taken me 3 days to make this post as I'm really not sure what's going to be in it. I've been mulling Sunday's events over in my head for three days trying to work out what happened and i'm still not really sure.

I set out at the beginning of my training program with the aim of finishing in under 3:45. I'd run 3:54 in the Edinburgh marathon in 2008 and training for that didn't really go smoothly. I kept getting niggly injuries and when I recently looked back over my training diary for Edinburgh I was hardly doing any running at all, 2 runs a week at some points!

Someone asked me at the Expo how my training had went for London and I truthfully answered that I didn't think it could have went any better. Every week from the middle of January I've run 5 days a week with an average of 32 miles per week. My maximum mileage in a week was 44 miles which I managed successfully. I ran 1:34 for a half marathon. I've remained injury free throughout this training period. Everything was pointing to me running a really good marathon.

Sadly it wasn't to be.

I was woken in the morning by the sound of the rain outside, so much for the predicted heatwave! I got up at 0600 and had my usual pre-race breakfast of porridge and honey, plenty of water and then Helen and I headed up to the train station to make our way into London from Basingstoke. We got into Waterloo around 0820. I overheard someone on the train saying that the rain was due to stop at 0930 and looking at the clouds, they were starting to break. I decided that I was going to need my sunblock after all. I must have been some sight standing in the middle of the platform in Waterloo with the rain still coming down outside with my top off getting covered in sunblock!

I left Helen as she wasn't coming to the start and made my way to Waterloo East to catch the train to Blackheath. As I got down to the platform the train was already there but it appeared to be quite busy. The guard was encouraging everyone to move down the platform as there was more space further down. I made my way down the platform but decided to give up on this train. I knew there was another one in around 15 minutes anyway. As the train pulled away though I was quite amazed to see lots of space in the carriages. Everyone was just pilling onto the train and then standing at the doors. If they all moved down the carriages then much more people would have managed to get on the train.

Hey ho, I just got the next one and had a relatively relaxed journey out to Blackheath. As we got off the train I just followed the crowds and was soon making my way over the park towards the blue start. I dropped my bag off in the baggage  lorry and then made my way to the open air toilets. A bit of a queue but didn't have to wait too long. Then it was time to make my way into pen number 4.

I was quite surprised that we started to move forward quite early. Apparently they were removing the barriers from the pens in front one by one. Anyway we were soon off and running, then walking again, then running, then walking. It wasn't until about the first half mile that I got into any sort of rhythm. I had to admit I was quite surprised to pass a few runners in fancy dress during the first mile. I thought everyone knew they were meant to start at the back of the field?

At this early point in the race I knew that I was going to struggle to hit my target pace of 8 mins/mile. No matter I thought, just wait until it thins out a bit then i'll get into a rhythm and pick up any lost time. The problem being of course that it never thinned out, ever. I found this incredibly frustrating and found myself trying to pick up the pace whenever I could. After much reflection I reckon this is what did for me on the day.

The data from my Garmin shows that for mile 4 my average pace was 8:45/mile but my max pace for the mile was 7:10/mile! Most other miles were the same with a big difference between my average pace and my max pace. Trying to make up for this lost time was a big mistake. I always seemed to be going too fast or too slow and never once settled into a rhythm for longer than about half a mile.

The sheer number of people around me just never eased. I know the marathon takes in some great sights of London but I never seen any of them. I spent the whole race looking at the ground about 1m in front of me to make sure I didn't trip over anyone's feet! The fact that there are water stations every mile didn't help this either, it always seemed that someone was cutting across you to get to the side of the road for something.

I know this has not been the most positive post so far but I did enjoy some parts of the day! The crowds around the course were simply unbelievable. 5 and 6 deep at some points and so loud. Tower Bridge, around Canary Wharf and along Birdcage Walk were the highlights for me. Seeing the elites and wheelchairs athletes coming the other way on The Highway was also pretty cool. These guys just make it look so easy even though they're going twice as fast as me!

I really began to struggle from mile 16 and I had to take a short walking break. I really wish I hadn't done that as from there to the end I found it increasingly easy to give in to the pain and take a walk break. Aside from my time, this is the thing that is annoying me most about the day. I ran over 17 miles on 4 separate occasions in my training but when it came to the big day I couldn't get past 16 miles without have to walk, what's that all about?

I eventually finished in 4:01:04.

If you'd asked me at 1400 on Sunday if i'd ever run another marathon again you'd have got a resounding no. By 1900 on Sunday though I was already looking online to see if there is another marathon I could do within the next month or so. I know I can get under 3:45! And by the Monday I'd already decided to enter the ballot for London next year. I'f I do get in though i'll be tackling it with a completely different mindset. To go and enjoy the day and soak up the atmosphere, rather than going for a particular time.

START TIME	09:47:34
5K	00:27:48
10K	00:53:13
15K	01:18:39
20K	01:44:27
HALF	01:50:00
25K	02:10:39
30K	02:39:30
35K	03:10:15
40K	03:46:20

finish time

04:01:04

One other thing, I did manage to raise around £500 for the Tartan Army Children's Charity, something that I'm quite happy with given the short space of time I had to do any fundraising.