Year of running 2015

The end of 2015 a time to look back, reflect and celebrate. I have enjoyed looking back over my year of running, have a read through and explore any previous posts if you wish.

Looking back over 2015 my year seems to split into distinct sections:

Early part of the year, starting off injured with calf trouble and not running much due to starting a new job and buying our first flat. 

Mid part of the year, marathon training and marathon running. Firstly learning through how not to train and running my slowest ever marathon at Vanguard Way in August and then running my marathon PB at Chelmsford in October. 

Spring, improving over three half marathons while still struggling against injury and not coming anywhere near PB territory as a result. Tunbridge Wells 1.51, Hampton Court 1.48 and Run Hackney 1.42 were all great races which I really enjoyed.

End of the year, shorter mileage but faster training for a sub 20 minute 5K which didn't end up happening but the emphasis on speed work at the end of 2015 will see me in good stead for 2016.

Overall 2015 has seen me run in excess of 1000 miles including 2 marathons, 4 half marathons and one 24 hour relay. On top of the events I have also experienced running in different places on my travels including Manchester, Birmingham, Reykjavik and Venice. 

There are many ways to summarise the year and every blogger more or less will be doing it in some shape. I have decided to follow the format of Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC who is hosting the 'Year in Running 2015' link up again, so here we go....

Best race experience:

The obvious choice is my marathon PB at Chelmsford marathon in October and more specifically feeling strong in the final miles. 

Making a friend with a fellow runner in the second half of the Vanguard Way Marathon was also a great experience as it was great to pass the time chatting as we ran.

Best run 

I suppose my 5K PB of 21.00 had to go down as my best performance but there are few other training runs that go down as being enjoyable as well as successful in other ways. 

Recently I headed out for my first long run in 2 months and tried to get into the mentality of a long run of just taking your time and enjoying the run and the surroundings you pass.

There was also a long run back in the summer as part of marathon training where I covered around 26K and really felt great and enjoyed the experience of running long and running strong.

It's funny how certain runs and certain sections of runs stick in your memory. 

Best new piece of running gear 

The two pieces of running gear I have bought this year that have made a big difference to my training are my zipper sweatband and my tuvizo vest.

My zipper sweatband I spotted on Amazon for about £1 and is a simple but incredibly effective piece of kit. Basically it is a sweatband with a zip in it that then allows you to easily carry your keys or cash. Simple but effective, genius! 

And then my tuvizo vest is a high vis piece of kit that keeps me safe in the winter darkness. Its easy to wear, light and doesn't bother me at all when running and has fast become a piece of essential kit for dull and gloomy mornings or dark winter winter evening runs.

Best running advice received this year 

Not so much a piece of advice more a motivational saying 'Pain is temporary pride is permanent'. It was on a banner during the Chelmsford marathon and really hit me and had stuck with me as motivation both in races and for training. 

Most inspirational runner 

Two rather cheesy answers for this one I'm afraid. 

Firstly so many runners from #ukrunchat, social media or from blogs I read. There are a few that stand out as true inspirations but I don't want to name names as there are so many great runners and it is the strength of the community of runners that is the true inspiration.

Sickening I know, vom fest over. 

Secondly, this is probably also a bit cringe worthy but since moving into our new flat I often walk past the field at the end of the road popular with dog walkers and there is one particular dog that always catches my attention. It's a young spaniel who as soon as he is let off the lead sprints around the perimeter of the field with such exuberance it always makes me smile. He just goes for it ears flapping in the wind and tongue hanging out of his mouth with a slightly crazed look in his eyes as he sprints across the grass. 

It reminds me to enjoy life and enjoy running and not be bogged down by training plans and split times. Or maybe it just remind me of my own running style! 

Favorite picture from a run or race 

I didn't buy any race photos this year and there haven't been many great photos of me running. 

The ones that spring to mind as being my favourite running photos are these three: 

Running the last lap for #ukrunchat #teamred at Spitfire Scramble. You can read about my race experience here. 

A photo with my running buddies from Asics Target 26.2 Tony and Chris, at one of our regular Hackney Marshes parkrun meet ups. This year it has been great to have the camaraderie, support and advice of these guys. 

Surely the most fun I have ever had running, fancy dress running Bacchus half marathon with my brother in law Tom. I think the photo captures the race really well, so much fun! 

Race experience you would repeat in a heartbeat

It goes without saying that I would love to do Bacchus again as it was so much fun but at the same time you know you can never recapture the same experience again. I know a lot of runners have the rule of never repeating the same race in consecutive years just to keep things fresh and to have new experiences and I think that is a good idea in most cases. 

So in that case I would pick the feeling of running strongly in the final miles of the Chelmsford marathon. I hope that I am able to recapture that feeling and finish future marathons wherever and whenever they may be just as strongly. 

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words...

First part of the year frustrating, painful and injury filled. Middle part of the year The word would be progressing and successful. End part of the year would be summed up with not as good as I would have hoped, struggling to see progress. 

Thank you for reading and I hope you had a successful 2015 and I wish you many happy miles in 2016!

5K sub 20 race report (I wish)

So if you have been following my weekly (ish) training updates you will know that since the start of November I have been aiming to run a sub20 5K.

My aims at sub20 was part of a challenge with my running buddies Chris and Tony to see if we could hit this mark by the end of the year.

If you have read any of my previous posts on this you will know things haven't quite gone to plan and I haven't improved as I had hoped I would.

From a 21.00 PB back at the start of the summer I have struggled to get anywhere near the 21 minute mark, let alone go under never mind get anywhere near 20 minutes and sub 20 has just been a fantasy.

On Saturday the three of us headed over to Hackney Marshes Parkrun which is a great course for a fats time as it is so flat and a simple there and back course. It is so flat that even the Garmin feedback of the course having a 10m elevation is a thought that is scoffed at!

There was no talk or no confidence of a sub20 attempt, Chris was not feeling well after a dose of flu, Tony had struggled with any quality training due to work commitments and I knew I was in no shape to rival this time mark but maybe a PB was on the cards maybe?

The end results were somewhat mixed, firstly I won the race out the three of us which gave me a tiny amount of satisfaction but my finishing time was 21.25, nowhere close to my PB, however it is my second fastest parkrun time so another little victory. 

The problem was that I had ended up running over 5K, too much weaving around on the course, strava reported a pace of 4.11min/km which would give me a sub 21 5K if I hadn't zigzagged around so much!

Further investigation later showed that strava also reported that I had in fact ran a sub 21 5K, clocking 20.57, so a 5K PB but not a parkrun PB. 

Overall the sub20 5K attempt has been disappointing as despite solely focusing on speed work and running faster over a shorter distance I don't feel I have felt the benefits of this and seen anywhere near the results I had wanted. I know from feedback from other runners that there are a lot of improvements I could make to my speed work training so this is something I will take away to work on.

My other realisation is that running shorter distances faster is so much harder than marathon training! It hurts, its hard and its horrible! 

Anyways onwards and upwards, thanks for all the support and encouragement as always. Not too much rest for me over Christmas, as always more time off work equals more time to run and my first event of 2016 a birthday Half Marathon at the end of January is fast approaching!

Merry Christmas all and happy running in 2016!

The end of my failed sub 20 5K training

So here we are after seven weeks of dedicated training, my sub 20 5K attempt will be tomorrow. 

If you have been following my progress you will know that sub 20 ain't going to happen tomorrow, it's just not on the cards.

I've trained hard and really tried to focus on improving my speed but it's just not happened. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself and I'm not going to beat myself up, it's a challenge I have aimed for and not quite achieved and I would much rather try for something and not achieve it than not try at all. 

I am still hopeful of a shiny new PB which would mean breaking the 21 minute barrier which is a great time non the less.

The reasons for me not quite hitting my target are quite clear to me:

• I have been too busy and not been able to dedicate enough quality time to training, but hey that's life!
• My diet has not been great, again being busy doesn't help and a few trips away haven't helped either.
• With my training I know some of my sessions haven't been as tough as they could have been, many of my 200m interval sessions should have been 400s and my 400s 800s.
• I also feel that my body has not responded to training that well, maybe it's feeling a bit older, poor diet or not enough rest or probably a mixture of the three. 

Since my last training update here's what I have been up to...

On the 6 December I embarked on my longest run since my marathon in October, a 14K new route exploring the local area of Harold Hill and Noak Hill. It was great to get back into the long run mentality and just enjoy running for a long period of time and taking in the scenery of the new route. The highlight of the run was spotting a Buzzard flying above me before perching in a tree just across the road, I was too bust staring I didn't really get a good photo as you will see below. When I was younger I had a keen interest in birds of prey so this was a real highlight of my running career. 

In terms of speed sessions I have tried several different sessions:

• 400m hard with 200m recoveries
• 800m sprints with 2 minute recoveries 
• 1K hard aiming for sub 4.30min/km with a K at easier pace
• 1K aiming for sub 4 minutes and the continuing into a few more sub 5 minute Ks

I will be honest and say I enjoy the longer tempo type sessions where I running for longer sustained periods of time as opposed to the sprint intervals sessions.

Running in Venice

The real highlight of my running in recent weeks was popping out for a run while on holiday in Venice. Initially I decided I had to run while on holiday as I had decided to do a runstreak through December, although I actually forgot about the trip to Venice when deciding on the runstreak. But then I thought why the hell shouldn't I run on holiday? 

So on a glorious sunny afternoon headed out for a run navigating the waterways, tourists and piazzas of this historic city. I ended up running a 1K hard alternating with a 1K easy session covering 7K. It was a great experience to run in such an iconic place that provided a stunning back drop especially on such a sunny day. 

My run took me over 14 of Venice's famous canals via stepped footbridges many of which still had ramps put in place for the recent Venice Marathon as my route took me along the last mile or two of the marathon course. 

A great experience to add to my list of running highs as well as a great way to burn off the overindulgence's in pizza, wine and limoncello during the holiday! 

Santarun 

Last weekend I ran a 5K that was definitely a run not a race. I joined 550 other people including a group of family members to run around the annual Dagenham santa run, Essex dressed as Santa for this festive fundraiser for Saint Francis Hospice. 

As always it was a great atmosphere and a lot of fun raising funds for charity, a great event to remember the joys of running and the great support and camaraderie it can create.

My failed runstreak attempt

At the start of December I did embark on an advent running runstreak but this kind of petered out mainly due to tightness in my calves and knowing I need to listen to my body and take some rest. I still managed 15 days of exercising every day which included 12 days of at least 30minutes running on each day.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow at least the weather is looking good as the weather is still so mild. We will see how it pans out time wise but I am really keen to bag myself a PB! 

Good luck to everyone running this weekend! 

Week 5 of sub20 5K training

Firstly I will be honest, sub20 is not happening, well not anytime soon. If you are reading this blog for advice on how to run a sub20 5K this is not the place for you I'm afraid. However if you by some weird choice of reading materials are looking for a blog about how not to improve your 5K time and run a sub20 5K then welcome this is very much a blog for you!

The start of December this week has seen me embark on an #adventrunning challenge. I am aiming to achieve the standard advent running goal of 30 minutes of exercise, in my case mostly running on every day between the 1st and 25th of December, yes that's right, running everyday on the run up to Christmas and also running on Christmas Day itself. Running on Christmas day I know is not everyone's (including my wife who is yet to be fully happy with my running endeavours) idea of fun but whats 30 minutes before the festivities kick in?

At this time of year it seems everyone is embarking upon an #adventrunning challenge or a festive related #runstreak of some sort. I suppose it is a bit tedious that everyone on social media seems to be doing the same thing and runstreaks are not the unheard of phenomena that they once were.

There seems to be a fair amount of criticism against runstreaks so I thought I would just explain the reasons why I am running everyday for almost a month:

• To challenge my own perceptions of what my limitations are 
• To help offset my festive indulgences 
• To keep me motivated to run during a busy time of the year 
• To get stronger and fitter from the increased amount of running 
• To get into the mindset of having running as an integral part of my schedule ahead of marathon training 

So on to what my training week this week has consisted of:

Monday - Rest day - bracing myself for the runstreak ahead

Tuesday - Runstreak Day 1. 31.45 minutes totaling 5.9K.

Another early morning 6am session consisting of a mile jog to the park, 4x300m sprint intervals followed by 4x200m hill sprints lit up by my head torch.

It was a good session where I felt strong and faster than I have in previous early morning sprint sessions.

The main talking point of the session was a fight I had with a bush, I say fight I ran into it and it attacked me with its prickly thorns, so more of an assault really. How did this happen I hear you ask? It was very dark and I was too busy checking my splits on my phone while jogging on a recovery run.

Honestly, it really is a worse injury than the photo conveys

Wednesday - Runstreak Day 2. 32.11 minutes totaling 6.6K

A 0.8K Warm up followed by a 5K session of 400m sprint/200m easy and 5 minute cool down jog.

Another good session that felt pretty good and I certainly felt some improvements in speed and strength but seriously hampered by lunchtimes pineapple upside down cake.

Thursday - Runstreak Day 3. 37.47 minutes totaling 7.7K

Working form home again I took the opportunity for lunchtime run and followed the same route as I did last week and aimed to knock a few minutes off my time.

I ended up taking over 2 minutes off my previous time with a 7K run in 32.47 which is 4.36min/km, I found this a very pleasing performance as it was a really hilly and tough route and I felt much more comfortable running at a higher pace for a sustained period.

Friday - Runstreak Day 4 - 30 minutes 5.3K a gentle recovery jog, saving my legs for tomorrows parkrun.

Saturday - Runstreak Day 5 - 21.55 parkrun plus plenty of time warming up & cooling down.

I headed off to Ilford Parkrun to put my legs to the test to see if I could translate my good training sessions into a good race time.

Ilford parkrun is my 5th parkrun venue and represents the nearest most convenient flat course at my disposal. Set in the lovely surroundings of Valentines Park its a pretty flat 2 lap route which is probably a little too twisty and turny to be super fast but is an enjoyable route.

My only grievance was the start of the run not kicking off until 9.07! I know its not a big deal and things can easily run behind time but I am quite a stickler for good time management.

The race itself was again a disappointment in terms of race time as I finished with an official time of 21.55. My 5K time was actually about 21.30 as the course went slightly over 5K, this is something I think I need to address as it is not the first time I have ventured a couple of hundred metres over 5K which is an important aspect to address when aiming for a specific time.

My race performance was OK, a first kilometre split of 4 minutes exactly followed by splits between 4.13 and 4.18 upset only by a 4th split of 4.28 caused by a shoelace malfunction.

Again as with my last parkrun at Hackney Marshes the weather was not ideal, although the rain held off it was still pretty windy which would have had an affect on times.

During the run I felt like I was really racing and pushing hard and it is becoming obvious to me now that I am obviously just not fast enough and not doing the right kind of training to deliver me the sub20 time I crave.

I still have two weeks until my sub20 showdown with my running buddies Chris and Tony, so there is work to be done, lets see what I can achieve!

Thank you as always to all the support and advice on my running from blog readers and from Twitter and especially from the incredible #UKrunchat community.
This blog covers my training week of 30 November to 6 December

Week 4 of sub20 5K training

This week was really about realisation, realising that sub20 is not going to happen anytime soon. I know I am pretty far off achieving this goal and the main reason for this is just not being able to put enough training in.

My goal now is still to aim to improve my 5K PB between now and the end of the year as well as starting to turn my attentions towards my first event of 2016 which is likely to be a half marathon in February or March. 

Here is how my training turned out this week, again not a great week of running with too much other stuff going on but I did manage to get out running on 5 occasions. 

Monday - This was my big speed work session of the week, 1K warm up followed by 8x 400m sprints with approximately 200m recovery jog in between and a 1.3K cool down to finish off. 

My splits were 1.34, 1.27, 1.30, 1.29, 1.30, 1.37,1.34 and 1.46.

Splits 3-5 were slightly downhill which were reflected in the slightly quicker times but the last three were also on a slight incline so again reflected in the slightly slower times. 

I found the session really enjoyable but tough going, it was only the last effort that really killed me and left me running on empty.

A friend I spotted by the side of the path while I was catching my breathe on a recovery jog.

Tuesday - Working from home on a rare occasion I took the opportunity to head out for a lunchtime run. In these winter months its great to be able to head out for a run in the daylight and I felt fortunate to have this opportunity. 

I completed a 7K run aiming for keep my pace comfortably below 5min/km which was a challenge as my legs felt pretty tired from Monday's tough session.

Not a bad way to spend a lunch break and a great way to keep me energised through an afternoon of spread sheets.

Wednesday - Having ran on Tuesday during the day it then meant I was able to run on Wednesday morning rather than if I had ran after work on Tuesday I wouldn't have wanted to then do a Wednesday morning session as I like to give myself a bit more rest time. With working late on Wednesday evening a morning session was my only chance for a run so I was again glad to have had the opportunity of working and running form home on Tuesday. 

I have found running at pace in my early morning sessions really tough going so rather than a structured session I opted for a fartlek run. In all honesty the differences in pace were not as vast as they should have been and it still felt like a good session and I finished a 5.3K run with an average pace of 5.25min/km.

Thursday - Rest day

Friday - I needed to squeeze in another early morning session and was unsure of what to aim for as I was conscious of not wanting to plan a certain session and then be disappointed with not being able to complete or execute it due to feeling below par in the early morning.

As things turned out I felt really great when I headed out so I quickly decided to run 3x1km sprints and managed splits of 4.13, 4.12 and 4.20. While I was pretty pleased with these times they are a way off sub 20 5K time, realistically I know I could have gone quicker if it wasn't an early morning run but at the same time I know I am no where near comfortably running sub 4min/km splits which is the requirement of a sub 20 5K. 

Saturday - Away in Cambridge with work so a day off running.

Sunday - After a busy and enjoyable two nights away in Cambridge, the evidence of which you can see above, I headed out for an early evening run felling slightly sluggish from my weekends indulgences.

My only aim was to run around 10K at a decent pace and I soon set upon trying out a new route while trying to crack a sub 50 10K.

Conditions were incredibly windy which definitely hampered my efforts however the wind at my back on the last K felt incredible. In the end I just managed to creep under the 50 minute barrier with a negative split.

Overall a decent week of training and a week where I felt like I got somewhere near a balance of enjoying life, dealing with the pressures and constraints life throws at you but also getting some decent training time in. 

And so to the week ahead where I plan to keep up my running and even kick on a gear as I have decided to take part in #adventrunning which is a runstreak of 30 minutes of running or at least exercise on every day for the first 25 days of December. Its a challenge I am looking forward to, the hardest part will be negotiating with the wife to be bale to get away for half an hour on Christmas day!

This blog covers my training for the week 23-29 November

Week 3 of sub20 5K training

Week 3 kicked off and I was ready to hit it hard and make up for the lost training opportunities of last week. A busy week in prospect though so fitting in training was going to be another challenge...

Monday - The wife's birthday so a difficult day to justify spending too much time out pounding pavements. Unfortunately I had to be at work while see took a well deserved day off, knowing we would be going out in the evening I was up bright and early for an early morning run.

The plan was for a 5K run following a 400m hard (approx sub20 target pace 4min/km) and 200m easy (approx 5.15/30min/km) rhythm. 

However I didn't feel particularly great, my stomach didn't take kindly to being up early and being out running before it had had enough chance to go through its daily routines, if you get what I mean. So the long and short pf it was that my run was cut short as I aborted my session to head for home and to seek solace in the comforts of the bathroom. Its possible this intestinal discomfort had something to do with the visit to Choccywocydoodah (see my last post for details and more importantly photos!)the day before, its no wild idea to think that eating close to my own body weight in chocolate goodies didn't have the best affect on my stomach.

I probably managed 4 x 400m sprints with 200m rest periods and with a bit of a warm up and a cool down so not a completely wasted session but not a super high intensity workout that I had hoped for. 

Monday evening was a bit more enjoyable though, a few drinks then a tasty meal in the local Thai restaurant. 

Tuesday After a bit of a late night last night and a work function in the evening today was allocated as a rest day as there was no opportunity for training which was why I was all the more frustrated that yesterdays session hadn't been as hard as I had planned.

A slight panic set in when I realised I was meant to be heading over to Hackney Marshes parkun on Saturday for a race with running buddies Chris and Tony. Its these two guys with whom I am undertaking this sub 20 5K challenge and although the challenge is really against the clock and in trying to beat the 20 minute barrier the underlying challenge is the race between the three of us. I had some how missed this date in my diary and knew I was seriously underprepared to run any kind of race at the weekend, oh well I would just have to see how it goes!

Wednesday - Tuesday evening was spent staying in a hotel in West London following my work function and there was no way I was not going to take the chance of going for a morning run in Hyde Park when it was only a few hundred metres from my hotel!

A 6.3K fartlek run in a rather glorious early morning wintery Hyde Park was a very enjoyable way to start my day. The run included some drills, some faster sprints and a kilometer in 4.14min which felt pretty good.

The evening also ended on a high with a gig by one of my favourite bands Reverend and the Makers at one of London's most amazing venues the beautiful KOKO. An awesome band giving a typically high energy performance, so much so I was still buzzing the next morning despite getting to bed late and having to get up early.

Thursday - An early start with work and a late finish but I still had time and energy for an evening run. 

The plan was to really test out my 5K pace with a view for gauging what was possible for Saturday without tiring myself, so after a half Km warm up I launched into 2 miles aiming for a sub 21 minute 5K pace. I concentrated on my pacing and breathing and pushed myself without going flat out, the result? A pace of 6.48 min/km which is pretty much a 21 minute 5K, and it felt comfortable enough so not bad, not bad at all on the back of a less than ideal week or two of training. 

Friday - Rest day after last night and wanting to rest ahead of Saturday's race

Saturday - Wherever you were on Saturday I am sure you had bad weather, freezing temperatures, gale force winds, rain and in many cases snow. So what lovely weather to get up early and go out for a run!

By the time I had headed over to Stratford the cold sleety rain was pelting down and Hackney Marshes were a wet and miserable sight under a grey and groggy sky full of rain.

We managed to hide out in the cafe until it was time to head to the start line where brave runners and even braver volunteers assembled while trying to some how stay dry and not be blown away by the gusty winds.

The race that followed was somewhat challenging in the weather conditions but it was far from unrunable. After the first mile my pace was about 30 seconds slower from where it was on Thursday evening despite feeling that I was pushing the pace as hard as I could. at that point I knew this was not going to be a good run and nothing anywhere near the area of sub 20. 

I had targeted a time of 20.40 pre race which was based on Thursdays session but that completely disappeared out of side as I eventually finished in a despondent 21.38. What made it worse was that Tony was around 10 seconds ahead of me and Chris another decent distance ahead of him. Even though we were all well short of our sub20 aim I was disappointed to come last.

Its easy to suggest the conditions attributed to a slower time for all of us which is partly true but I really wanted to put a finger on why I was not only so far from my aim of 20 minutes but also not even close to my PB of 21.00. My evaluation is as follows:

• A serious lack of running and of miles in my legs, which is an obvious explanation from my schedule the last week or two.
• The weather really took a focus off the race, rather than 'getting in the zone' I was more concerned with battling the elements. So this is a good reminder to stay mentally focused on the task in hand and to try and block out external distractions.
• Sub20 is a massive goal and will require a lot of work which I just haven't been able to commit to in recent weeks.

I summarised this run with the phrase 'sometimes running is shit', meaning although my training hasn't been great I felt I was better than my performance and I did not get up early on a Saturday morning in the cold, wind and rain to run 30 seconds plus outside of my PB. Running is a cruel mistress that sometimes kicks you when you are down, but whatever happens you can never cheat running you will never get out what you don't deserve.

Sunday - Rest day, much work to do....


This blog covers my training the week of 16 - 22 November 2015

Week 2 of sub20 5K training

Following the success of my week 1 training blog of my journey to sub20 5K I planned to follow this up with weekly updates. However time has crept up with me and I haven't had time to post as regular updates as I would have liked,so although the we are already into week 3 here's an update on how things are going so far...

Week 2 was not quite such a successful week of training so this blog will be more of a reflection on how sometimes despite the best will in the world training just doesn't go to plan and life gets in the way. It's times like these you have to acknowledge life isn't just about running and training, life's there for enjoying and you need to embrace whatever comes your way.

So here we go, be warned this training blog will contain minimal running! 

Monday - I knew training opportunities were going to be at a premium this week as I was away with work. Firstly heading up to Leeds for two nights before flying over to Belfast. With needing to pack for two conferences and only being allowed to take hand luggage unfortunately there was no room for running kit to be packed.

So Monday morning I rose early and headed to my local park for hill sprints. A mile warm up run there, 5x200m/45secs hill sprints and a mile jog home, a good session! At least if the rest of the week was a complete training failure I had got this session under my belt and miles banked in my legs. 

Tuesday - After a long day travelling on Monday luckily it wasn't a too early start so I was able to do an improvised circuit session in my hotel room.

5xsquats/press ups/crunches x5 as a warm up then some circuits of lunges with some ab and core exercises before finishing off with 3x1minute sprinting on the spot. 

I will be honest it was a half hearted, tired session and not really a quality workout, but still better than nothing! 

On Tuesday evening after a long day working at our conference a decent dinner was in order and so we ended up visiting the local meat liquor branch. It was my first visit to this awesome establishment and I thoroughly enjoyed my buffalo chicken burger.

I didn't have my phone on my so photo courtesy of https://pickyglutton.files.wordpress.com

Wednesday - Again not such an early morning start so again I repeated a circuit session, this time a bit shorter with less lunges and more press ups and crunches.

Thursday - A late flight on Wednesday night to Belfast, an early morning start on Thursday and a late night flight back home Thursday evening meant today was assigned to a rest day as there was no chance of anything else!

Friday - I was looking forward to a run today on a well deserved day off but the day didn't work out that way. I was wiped!

Completely kanckered from getting home after 1AM, four really busy intense days out and about, then I had to catch up on some work and not to mention having to go birthday present shopping for my wife!

I also felt pretty shit as a few cooked breakfasts in the week and eating junk food at conference really felt like it had taken its toll even though I had taken it easy and not over indulged myself. It's interesting to feel the effects of swapping my usual healthy snacks with biscuits and eating richer, fattier foods for a few consecutive days. 

Saturday - A 8.7K run, this was a run I entitled my 'post conference I'm really tired, I have been away all week eating crap' run.

Is it just me or do you feel after a period of bad eating or perhaps a period of drinking such as a boozy weekend you need one run to get over it? A run to sweat things out of your system before you get back to normal training? Well this was one of those runs!

Sunday - So Sunday, a chilled out day? A long run? Nope it was the wife's birthday weekend and a trip into London was on the cards and not just any trip a long awaited trip to Choccywoccydoodah. If you haven't heard of this place well let me tell you it is a Chocoholics dream. A small arty chocolatier with a few stores in London and Brighton selling fancy chocolates and serving up chocolatey delights in their cafe.

The mouth watering menu

Their chocolate milkshakes were truly amazing

Our chocolate feast

I cant believe I didn't run on a day when I was eating like this! I really should dedicate a whole blog post to our visit as it was amazing and I would highly recommended a visit if you haven't already been.

So week 2 finished with not a lot of good training and far too much bad eating, but hey ho! Life is for living and for enjoying yourself and sometimes as hard as you try you just can't fit training into your schedule, its just not meant to be.

Week 3 ahead and I am ready to hit it hard and make up for lost ground this week, on wards and upwards!

This blog covers my training the week of 9-15 November 2015

Week 1 of sub20 5K training

So this week was my first specific intensive training for my sub20 5K attempt which is my current challenge with running buddies Chris and Tony.

Having had a week to recover after my Chelmsford marathon PB, a week to ramp it up a bit this was my first week to really kick on.

Heres what my schedule looked like for the week:

Monday - I was so pumped up I really wen for it!

1K warm up, 5x400m intervals averaging around 1.30, 1K cool down, then 10x stair sprints, press ups, 5x stair sprints, press ups, 3x 10 squat jumps a 1K jog home and then a quick abs blast.

I utilised a local walkway over a motorway for my stair sprints and squat jumps.

Tuesday - Early morning circuits - star jumps, crunches, rowing crunches, press ups and plank work. 

Wednesday - The plan was for an early morning speed session but it was tipping it down, dark and cold I can take, dark, cold and wet was a step too far so I opted for staying inside for a circuit session instead. 4 circuits of 25 squats, 25 press ups, 25 crunches and 15 arm dips within a target time of 20 minutes. 

Thursday - Conscious of not just wanting to focus on shorter runs I thought I would pull out an old session I used to do, run for an hour with the aim of covering 13K. I finished with 12.5 which I was happy with as I knew I wasn't in shape to trouble 13 and I went out far too fast on my first K so knew I couldn't sustain my target pace. In the end the second half was a real struggle and was so tough. 

Friday - Rest day - It was much needed as after a tiring week with work and training a bit harder I was feeling knackered. 

Saturday - The plan was for a benchmark 5K race at Hackney Marsh parkrun to get an idea of where we all were with our times. Earlier in the week Tony had unfortunately had to pull out and come Friday I decided to opt out as well as it had been a really long week and I was out for drinks on Friday night. An early morning start for Parkrun on Saturday morning was never going to go that well. 

As it turned out I rather over did things on Friday night so Saturday was a write off for everything not just running. I dint get out of bed until about 3, not my finest hour but you have to let your hair down every once in a while.

Sunday - Not feeling great I just went out for a 'takin' it easy run', I covered 8.5K in 45 minutes which was a 5.15 min/km

Reflecting on the week

Reflecting on the week I think I overdid it a bit and have over trained, my glutes, hamstrings and groins were screaming at me for most of Thursday and Friday. My feeling worse for wear following Friday night I think was also partly due to being a bit run down and tired from the week as well as from the drink. The thought of also feeling some post marathon fatigue also occurred to me, maybe I had pushed too hard too soon after the marathon?

Reflections of a different kind

With the nights and morning for that matter being so dark I have been wearing my Tuvizo reflective gear.

I am not sure what to call it, a belt, a harness, a vest, nothing quite seems to do it justice. It is however very comfortable to run in and I feel like I am really visible to traffic and it does the job of keeping the wife happy about me being out in the dark.

If you are out running in the dark this winter remember to stay safe, wear something reflective, be seen, be safe!

So after a tough but successful week my next week is going to be slightly more challenging as I am away with work from Monday for four nights in Leeds and Belfast. We are only taking hand luggage so no room for running kit which makes me sad. Maybe the rest will do me good and I will just have to try and squeeze in some circuits in my hotel room when I get the chance!

Pumpkin fueled running

How was your Halloween weekend? Trick or Treating? Spooky films? Maybe a Halloween themed run? Whatever you got up to this weekend I hope you found time for a run to burn off those Halloween treats. 

Our Halloween creations, pretty impressed with how they turned out!

For me my weekend running took me back to parkrun for the first time in a few months. My current challenge is to try and crack a sub 20 minute 5K by the end of the year and this weekend I realised how hard it was going to be. 

Two weeks post Chelmsford marathon I thought I would join the many runners who smash their smaller distance PBs in the weeks after a marathon as they capitalise on being in peak running condition. 

My current 5K PB is 21.00 set at Hackney Marshes Parkrun earlier this year so I have just over a minute to shave off my PB. The challenge to run sub 20 is a joint venture with running buddies Chris and Tony. Our plan is to have a benchmark run next week to see what shape we are in and then have a crack at the 20 minute barrier just before Christmas.

This weekend was my sneaky attempt at squeezing an early benchmark run in to see where I was personally and figure out what I needed to work on to smash my PB. 

My Saturday morning parkrun was fuelled by a delicious homemade pumpkin soup on Friday evening, well what else should you eat on a Halloween weekend?!  

Come Saturday morning I opted for my usual pre run breakfast of flapjack, peanut butter and banana. However again this weekend I found that although this breakfast suits me for a longer, slower run it doesn't suit me for shorter, faster runs, so I need to think of a better, lighter breakfast.

My new trainers having their first proper run out this weekend,
they feel pretty nippy!

Raphaels Park parkrun, my previous review of this parkrun can be found here, was an excited mix of spooky Halloween costumes and lovely, rich Autumn colours. 

In terms of the run I opted to run the 3K there before starting with the run itself. I wasn't really sure what I was capable of so just set off at a fast pace I was comfortable with. A sub 4 minute km followed for my first km before I settled into a more stable 4.15min/km pace. 

Raphaels park parkrun is a tough course as although all on Tarmac paths it's three laps all include two decent energy sapping climbs. 

Looking pained crossing the finish line, photo courtesy of Raphael Parkrun

I finished the run in 21.41 which is my fastest time on this course and a time that I think would relate to around 21 minutes on a flatter course. 

I realise I have a lot of work to do, I didn't have an extra gear to go to in the last k or two nor did my breathing feel comfortable when trying to push the pace. 

It's dawned on me too that running 4.15min/km pace is hard and fast and I need to run not just a bit faster but at least 15 seconds a kilometre faster to achieve my goal, yikes it's going to be tough! 

So I need to press on with more speed work and strengthening exercises to whip myself into shape!