Cold

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 50 minutes
Route: Portobello

It was pretty cold tonight, somewhere around freezing when I did my run, and with a fairly strong breeze into the bargain. The forecast is for more of the same with and I know its snowing up north already.

The run was pretty uneventful apart from something flagging me down as I was heading home to ask directions! I just can't understand why people stop joggers to do that? Anyway, I knew where the young lady wanted to get to and I managed to give her directions once we had both extracted our earphones and could hear each other.

My time of 50 minutes this evening for an easy/comfortable paced run is only seconds slower than when I did this route at a hard pace at the turn of the year - I'd like to think that represents some concrete observable progress as a result of nearly two months solid running.

Foolhardy?

Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 34:10
Route: Arthur A

Today's run should have been an easy one after my illness, but I felt pretty good after setting off and I've been itching to up the pace on this route so it turned into a steady/hard run. This is reflected in the time which is almost 2:30 faster than I've done previously, and some six minutes faster than when I did the run at the turn of the year.....

Tomorrow WILL be an easy run, and I plan to follow it on Wednesday with something semi-long. I ought to have plenty time to recover after that for Sunday's 10k.

1 week to go

Distance: 3 miles (treadmill)

I decided that another short session today was smarter than ploughing back into my usual mileage immediately after being ill. My appetite has now fully recovered and I feel pretty good, so I'll get things back to normal running-wise during the next week.

To recap, last week was a disaster because of illness. I managed only 14 miles in total, and that was in one instalment. I also missed out on a quality session of intervals from the JD training plan.

This week, because I'm getting back into things slowly, I will also have to miss out either my long-run or the quality session. With a 10k race next sunday, followed by a 1/m marathon race the following week, a long run in between is looking unlikely so I feel I should probably try to do something long-ish this week. I'll probably aim for 10-12 miles, which really isn't that long, but I don't want to tire myself out too much and I have an 18 miler plan for the week after my half-marathon which would bring me right back on track in the JD marathon training plan.

Predictions for next Saturday - I'm now totally unsure how I'll do after last week's illness. The goal remains simply to break 50 mins for the 10k, and I'm pretty sure that will be achieved. But I expect I'll probably end up closer to 50 mins than to 45 mins. We'll see...

Slowly does it...

My appetite and stomach appear almost back to normal now so I ventured out for a short, slow jog today. I had left my car at work overnight so jogged down to pick it up this morning - which is about 2-3 miles. Didn't feel great, but didn't feel bad either. I'll probably try something between 6-10 miles tomorrow, again at a slow pace.

The best laid plans....

Well, completely out of the blue I came down with a pretty revolting stomach bug on Monday evening. I will spare anyone who reads this the detail, but the last few days have been pretty unenjoyable and I've not been able to do much beyond moping around my flat feeling sorry for myself. It has been the first time in my life that I've lost my appetite completely for a period of 24 hours (and it probably ended somewhere nearer 48 hours) and my stomach has still felt a little less than perfect after meals in the last day or so. Needless to say no running has been done at all, and when I do start back it will be gradual. I think probably the worst thing I could after a draining illness combined with a reduced food intake would be to do anything strenuous.

If there's a plus side, I suppose at least my shin has had a rest now!!!

14 miles

Distance : 14 miles
Time: 2:00:40

Today was quality session 1 of week 9 of the Jack Daniels marathon training programme, which involved a mixture of easy and threshold running. The 6x5 min thresholds were actually more like marathon pace because I was a bit concerned about blowing up and struggling home. The thresholds/marathon pace section was finished pretty much as I turned at the 7 mile point and I found that I was cruising back at a quicker pace than I normally do.

I ran this 14 mile route about three weeks ago and almost 8 minutes slower. While it is always nice to knock a chunk of time off a long run, what was most satisfying about today was that I felt infinitely stronger in the last couple of miles than the first time I ran it. Last time I felt tight and tired. Today I felt surprisingly fresh. Definitely a small confidence booster for the forthcoming races, but I'm not going to get carried away just because I have felt particularly good on one run. There have been plenty others where I have felt less than great.

Next week I plan to run 18 miles, dead easy. That would be a new longest distance for me, and would fit well into my schedule given that the following two weekends are due to be taken up with a 10k race and a half marathon race.

(Touch wood) The pain in my left shin, while not completely gone, is massively reduced. I've no idea why that should be as I haven't really rested it, but I'm not complaining.

Yesterday was a sort-of day of rest. I played football and managed to take a fairly hefty kick from a football-boot stud to my middle toe. I was actually concerned I might have done some serious damage but it looks like it is just heavy bruising and swelling. The location means that I can run without any discomfort.

End of the week

Distance: 3 miles (treadmill)

I decided to do a treadmill session. I'm not a great fan of the treadmill for all of the reasons that everyone has heard before, but mainly because it gets so hot in the gym. Still, it is definitely less hard on the legs than roads or pavements and it does make a change from getting cold, wet and blown about.

Summary for the past week:

Saturday: 4.5
Sunday: 10
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 6.5
Wednesday: 6
Thursday: 4.5
Friday: 3
Total: 34.5

Next week is week 9 of the Jack Daniels' marathon training plan. Quality session 1 calls for a mixture of easy running with 5 x 5 minute threshold runs (and 1-min rests) sandwiched in the middle. This fits roughly around my 14 mile long run route so I will follow it. Second quality session is sets of 1000m - mile intervals with 3-5 mins recovery, to total 8k. The rest of the miles for the week - to add up to mid-30s - are the usual easy miles.

My shin doesn't appear to be getting any worse nor clearing up. Having had shin splints a number of times previously I know things could be much worse. There is only two weeks to go until my 10k race, which is then followed a week later by a half-marathon race. If things don't get any worse I think I will keep training as normal until the 10k and then simply take the week off before the half marathon if I am still having problems. Not very scientific and perhaps not the best way to cure the problem, but I want to get these two races done if at all possible, as well as factoring in a break in the not too distant future to give the shin a rest.

Annoying pain

Distance: 4.5
Time: 37:15
Route: Arthur A

Dallen is blogging about a sore shin and I am still suffering from the same pain myself. If it doesn't ease off over the next few days I will probably have to take a few days break to see if I can get rid of it. I really don't want to do that as I am enjoying my running and I can feel improvements. But in the grand scheme of things I guess it is better to ensure I don't end up breaking down with a real shin problem.

I may not be about to break any records but I am definitely seeing some improvements following almost two months solid running. My time tonight for the Arthur A route is almost 3 minutes faster than when I ran it at the end of December, and I am sure I could knock another couple of minutes off that just by pushing beyond my current easy/steady pace. I can even see physical changes in my legs compared with where I was a month ago. All of which just makes this shin pain all the more annoying....

Intervals again

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 47:00
Route: Portobello

Tonight was quality session 2 of week 8 of the Jack Daniel's marathon training plan. This required 4 minutes 'hard' intervals with 3 minutes recovery, to total 10k - exactly the same run as what I did one week ago.

It was an enjoyable run in the cold and wet - conditions that I enjoy. I actually felt 'faster' than a week ago, but the times ended up being essentially the same. I did feel pretty tired during a couple of the intervals. That's the whole point I guess.

Shin tender again but still within the bounds of acceptability for running.

Tomorrow calls for an easy run. With my shin as tender as it is I don't intend going beyond low-30s mileage for the week.

Windy

Distance - 6.5m
Time - 57 mins

Today I ran one of my normal routes which is somewhere between 6 and 6.5 miles. It was really windy again in Edinburgh, and unfortunately I had to run into the wind in the uphill section of the route. However, I felt pretty good tonight and put in a short tempo spurt when I caught up with some runners in the Meadows (basically a park in Edinburgh which is popular with runners) - I was in one of those moods to overtake people if I saw them in front of me. With the wind behind on the way home I cruised back very comfortably and ended up running this route faster than I have done before.

Yesterday was a day of rest because I felt a few twinges in my left shin again. I have had some mild twinges again today, although I felt nothing at all when I was running, even in the first couple of minutes. I'll be keeping a close watch on this and will make sure I take at least 2 full rest days per week until I am confident it isn't going to develop into anything more serious.

Tomorrow is quality session 2 of week 8 of the JD training plan. It is exactly the same as quality session 2 from a week ago - 4 minute hard intervals with 3 minute recoveries, to total 10k.

10 miles

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1:22:15

The JD training schedule today called for quality session 1 of week 8; a three part run - easy, threshold , easy - with indicative times which added up roughly to just short of 10 miles at my pace (about 9.8 miles based on the last time I ran the route). Basically 3 miles easy, 4 miles threshold, and 3 miles easy. I ran the same route about a month and was about 4 minutes quicker today.

My left shin was a little painful when I started off, but this soon eased off once I was warmed up. I took some ibuprofen after the run and haven't felt any twinges since, but I will be interested to see how it is on tomorrow's run. Shin splints and stress fractures are the only two running injuries I fear - partly because I don't seem to get any other injuries, but mainly because either of them can put me out for the long-term.

The run itself was fine - the threshold section was difficult for me to judge, but my garmin records the 4 mile section having been done at essentially bang on 8 minute miles. I could have pushed a lot harder but didn't want to do one mile very quickly and end up doing the other three much more slowly. Its all a learning curve at the moment and I'll be better equipped once I have to do another of these runs. Next time I'll probably aim to dip slightly below the 8 minutes.

Tomorrow is an easy miles day, and I'll probably do one of my usual 6 mile routes.

Cold, wet and windy

Distance: 4.5m
Time: 36:23
Route: Arthur A

Not a very nice day in Edinburgh today - literally very cold, wet and windy. I don't mind the cold and the wet on their own, or even together - but when you mix in a bit of wind it just makes for an awful day.

Today's run was round Arthur A. My shin wasn't bad, but there were a couple of noticeable twinges. I ran this route with my wristwatch but without looking at it as I went along. I was feeling quite comfortable and felt able to 'stretch' my legs without ever getting out of the comfortable zone, which is probably about the first time I've felt able to do that this year. But I was still a bit surprised to find that I ran Arthur A today faster than I have done before - there was certainly an awful lot more in the tank.

Tomorrow is quality session 1 of week 8 of the JD marathon training schedule. It will be roughly 10 miles, broken down into 3 miles easy, 4 miles threshold, and 3 miles easy. This equates to roughly the times set out in JD's book, and allows me to follow my usual long-run route.

My mood hasn't been good with having both my computers die on me in the last couple of days, and it wasn't helped by motorists and pedestrians in Edinburg today. On my way to the supermarket today someone pulled right out in front of my car (they refused to acknowledge that the road has been changed to give the right of way at a junction to people appraoching the supermarket. It used to be a right of way for people leaving and, ok, people's habits die hard, but the road markings are very clear) and would have cleaned my out had I not seen it coming. Anyway, the young lady in the car gave me a very unlady like v-sign after I tooted my horn and kindly pointed her to the road markings so that she wouldn't make the same mistake again. I was going to rant about pedestrians not being unwilling to budge an inch on the pavements, but that complaint is just a tired record...

Short rest

Yesterday was a lost blogging day after both my desktop and laptop died on me. Desktop appears to have been a minor boot issue and is now back up and running. The laptop appears to have a terminal problem however and I'm now at the mercy of Dell technical support as to what happens next.

Yesterday was also 5 a-side football. I felt a bit sluggish and had a few twinges in my left shin which I am sure were a direct consequence of my intervals session the day before. So I took it easy at the football and decided to take the day off today as well to be on the safe side. It is frustrating to have essentially 2 rest days in a row, but I hope the upside to that will be the non-recurrence of my shin-splints. A couple of days without running would be a small price to pay.

So that gives me 32 miles for the week, and the completion of week 7 of JD's marathon training regime. As set out below, next week calls for mid-30s mileage but with a shorter 'long run'. Hopefully the shin will behave tomorrow....

Intervals

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 47:15
Route: Portobello

Tonight was quality session 2 of week 7 of the Jack Daniel's marathon training plan. This required 4 minutes 'hard' intervals with 3 minutes recovery, to total 10k. That is roughly the distance of my Portobello route so I followed it (I went at tea-time which meant there was a bit too much rush hour traffic in parts unfortunately).

Rather amusingly I ended up doing the work-out only 60 seconds slower than when I did the full distance at a 'hard' pace only a week ago! I'm not sure what this proves to be honest... I found the session relatively enjoyable, pushing hard on the 4 minute intervals safe in the knowledge that there was a (relative) rest of 3 minutes just around the corner. What I found most interesting about the run was my recovery pace - it was a recovery in the sense that the pace was substantially slower than the hard interval pace with my heart rate, breathing etc. clearly falling back to a very comfortable level, but I would be willing to bet it was a recovery pace which was 30-60 seconds quicker than I would have required only a month or so ago.

Tomorrow I have 5 a-side football so that goes down as a partial rest day. 6 miles on Friday would give me 38 miles for the week; a new high, brought about mainly by my Sunday run of 16 miles.

Next week will be week 8 of the Jack Daniel's plan, with Q denoting a quality session, and will be something like:

Saturday: 4.1 miles easy (hilly)
Sunday (Q1): 25 minutes easy, 30 minutes threshold, 25 minutes easy (about 10 miles)
Monday: 6.25 miles easy
Tuesday: 4.5 miles easy
Wednesday (Q2): Sets of 4 minute hard intervals with 3 minute recovery, to total 6 miles
Thursday: 5 a-side football
Friday: 8 miles easy

Into the wind

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 53 miles

6 miles in 53 minutes might appear, even for me, to be a relatively slow run. In a way it was, but it was also pretty tough. The reason - running over half of it into a gale force wind along the beach. Anyone who has run on a beach in the north east (i.e. Wick area) of Scotland will know what I mean. So it turned out to be harder than intended, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Tomorrow is quality session number 2 from week 7 of the Jack Daniel's marathon programme - sets of 4-min hard with 3-min recovery jogs to total 10k. I expect this will be tough going, but I can also appreciate that it will get my body used to running at a higher pace than I have been up until now.

I didn't need any reminder, but the Edinburgh Marathon organisers have distributed a reminder letter and their marathon magazine - June 11 doesn't seem very far away already....

On a sore note, I've returned to my flat after a few days at my parents to find that my PC won't boot. Luckily I have a laptop to use, but there's a stack of stuff on my PC I need to salvage and it is currently my only option for my Garmin etc.

On the beach

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34 mins

I'm spending a few days at my parents just now and am taking the opportunity to do a couple of runs on the glorious (but cold) beaches in the area. For a change, my Garmin is working perfectly - simply because there are no obstructions anywhere to get in the way of the signal.

No reaction today after my 16 miler which is good. I ran a steady-ish 4 miles, but found it difficult to judge the effort because of the strong cross wind blowing across the beach.

Tomorrow I plan to do an easy 6 miles, again along the beach. This will be followed on Wednesday, once I have returned to Edinburgh, with my second 'quality' run of the week - intervals - as I seek to stick to the Jack Daniels marathon training plan. Although this will be tough - it requires 4 minute intervals at a 'hard' pace, I am quite looking forward to it....

16 miles

Distance - 16 miles
Time - 2:34

Yesterday I increased my longest ever slow run to 16 miles. It generally felt OK apart from the last couple of miles where some muscles started to tighten up a little. This is the furthest I plan to run for a little while - most of the literature suggests that two and a half hours on your feet is enough to gain the benefits of distance running, and I would hope that in a month or so I'll be able to run a mile or two extra comfortably in the same time.

My mileage target for this week is mid-30s. Between my long run (quality session one) and my second 'quality' run following the Jack Daniel's programme - a 10k combining hard running intervals with easy recovery periods - I have about 15 miles to make up through easy runs. Today is a rest day, which I'm gald of since I've had a couple of twinges in my shin.

Treadmill

Distance - 3 miles

Today was a session on the treadmill. I hadn't been to my gym for a couple of weeks and thought an easy session on the treadmill would be good preparation for my long run tomorrow. My legs are a bit sore today - probably as a consequence of the hard 10k and 5 a-side football on consecutive days.

Tomorrow is day 1 of my Jack Daniel's 18 week programme. Because of personal commitments I'm running my long run on Saturday rather than Sunday, and am aiming for 16 miles. This would increased my longest training run ever.

It is now only 1 month until my first race of the season.

Change of plan

Activity - 5-a-side football (90 minutes)

Mileage for the week

Thursday - rest
Friday - 6.2 miles
Saturday - 4.1 miles
Sunday - 14 miles
Monday - rest
Tuesday - 4.5 miles
Wednesday - 6 miles
Total - 34.8 miles

I had planned to continue with simply running slowly in February and not change very much from the routine I followed in January. That is still largely true, but, while reading Jack Daniel's Running Formula, I realised that there is an 18 week marathon plan which I could use (as of Saturday, it is 18 weeks until the Edinburgh Marathon, which is a scary thought). The plan has four phases, the first of which I've accomplished over the past 6 weeks or so, building a base mileage. Ideally I would have spent longer building this base, but I suspect the organisers are unlikely to change the marathon date to accomodate me. Phases two and three introduce two 'quality' sessions per week - one of these is the long run, and the other is variable but might, for example, include intervals or threshold pace running. So it is essentially what I had planned to do, but with one quicker session thrown in per week. The fourth phase, of course, involves the taper. The total mileage for the week is built around the two quality sessions, with the difference being made up by easy runs on the other days. At my current weekly rate of mid-30s, the peak point of the plan will put me in the mid-40s range which is about as far as I wanted to go at this stage anyway.

So, starting as of Saturday 4 Feb I go with the Jack Daniels plan. This week is the first of Phase II, and requires (based on my maximum mileage target) mid-30s, including one long run of 2 hours (quality session 1) and 6 miles of sets of 4-min hard with 3-min recovery jogs (quality session 2).

5-a-side football was a good workout this evening, and my legs feel more tired this evening than they have after any of the runs I have done over the past few weeks, including my 14-miler. I suppose that just reflects the fact that I have been running slowly and football introduces other stresses and strains on the body. The only slight niggle I have is a bit of pain in my left shin - having suffered badly with my shins in the past, I always over-react to these pains.

End of month 1

Distance: 5.9 miles
Time: 46:15
Route: Portobello

Today I ran my long awaited 6 mile (according to my Garmin today, it is actually just a touch short of 6 miles) Portobello route at a hard pace. The last time I did this I ran 49:30. So a 3 minute gain over the period of 1 month is to be welcomed. I wouldn't describe it as a comfortable run however. I had to push hard in bits to maintain the pace and a lot of work is required if I want to keep reducing the time for this run.

This is probably as good a time as any to round up January. I managed 110 miles, which is a reasonable start considering I had to deal with a sinus infection and bronchitus.

That is me 1 month into this blog and one month into my training regime. The background is two years of injury - two fractures and shin splints. The goal is two marathons - Edinburgh in June and Loch Ness in October along with a number of 10ks and half marathons along the way. The initial goals are sub-50 for the 10k, sub 1:45 for the half, and sub 4 hours for the marathon.

For February I'm aiming essentially for a repeat of January, just with a bit more mileage. Almost all of the runs will be slow, as I attempt to build my aerobic profile and avoid injury. The only specific change will probably be to introduce a mid-week 'longer' run - somewhere in the region of 8 miles. First tests come in March, when I run a 10k and 2 half marathons.