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!

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

Regents Park to Olympic Park run commute

On Thursday I completed one of the runs that has been on my to do list for a couple of years.

My plan this week was to try and get a long midweek run in as I am running Bacchus Half Marathon on Sunday, so without too much planning I stumbled upon the idea of running part of the way home along the Regents Canal.

I make out that it's a kind of run commute but that's a bit misleading as it is far from getting me home and it's a route that is far from direct in heading towards home. 

In reality it's almost two hours of running that replaces a 20 minute tube journey and one stop on the train so hardly a practical run commute.

My run started with leaving work and heading through a leafy and sunny Regents Park. Emerging on the north side of the park by Primrose Hill I joined the canal towpath for the first time.

The initial route of the canal heads to the vibrant Camden lock area before passing through some less than salubrious backstreet areas of Kentish Town and Kings Cross.

I was some what taken aback at the large volume of traffic on the towpath through this section, walkers making their way home, many runners and speed demon cyclists all vying for a place on an often narrow pathway.

The kings cross area took my route along several wooden pathway structures sitting directly over the water, these were so rickety and noises to run on and not very pleasant.

In the Angel area the canal disappears under a long tunnel which doesn't contain a foot path which left me to navigate through the back streets of angel for around a mile before reconvening with the waterway again.  Most of the path was well signed with small brass plaques dope ting the way but I soon lost this trail and managed to find my own route withal it'll help from google maps.

On this next section the canal dissects through the back streets of East London and Hackney before emerging some where near Mile End and Victoria Park. Here I decided to follow the canal into the Limehouse basin as opposed to taking a direct route homewards through the park towards West Ham and Stratford. 

The experience of running along the canal was a very pleasant one, I felt a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Central London. Tubes, trains, buses and cars were no where to be seen, it was indeed a more tranquil way to get through London. The word I kept reflecting on was 'mellow' as that seemed to be the mood along the canal, a more relaxed pace of life, being alongside water certainly seems to calm and relax people while also providing a pleasant open space for recreation activities. 

So although not an efficient run that provided a time saving commute but an incredibly enjoyable run and a great way to see London from a different angle. 

Here is a link of the route I took as well as some links to more information on the Regents canal towpath:

https://www.strava.com/activities/388619511

http://lndn.blogspot.co.uk/2005_05_01_lndn_archive.html?m=1

http://www.runnersguidetolondon.co.uk/regents-canal.html

Trying out a new parkrun

This morning I headed over to nearby Raphael Park to run in their seventh week of their recently started parkrun.

http://www.localtennisleagues.com/romford

Only about two miles from home Raphael Parkrun is now my new local parkrun adding to the other local runs in Harrow Lodge and Brentwood. 

Having only found out about this new parkrun after a week or two of it starting and after a busy few weeks this week was my first chance to get over and try out the new event. 

I was eager to try out this new course as it promised to be a different challenge to my recent visits to Hackney Marshes parkrun. Raphael park in three laps of the park all on Tarmac paths as opposed to Hackney Marshes which is a completely flat there and back course.

I was interested to see how my run on a tougher course would compare with my recent PB on the super flat Hackney Marshes route. 

Arriving before the race I was greeted by a great turnout of runners of varying abilities, club runners, fun runners and walkers from a wide age range.

A detailed explanatory briefing was given to myself and the other news runners. The first six weeks of the race seem to have been blighted by confusion amongst runners as to the layout of the route. It seemed pretty simple though 2 long 2km laps and 1 smaller 1km lap and on the final lap you divert from the route into the finishing funnel. With plenty of explanations before the start and numerous marshals out on the course to direct runners I found the course to be pretty straightforward.

The route of the run really went all around the park and it really is a lovely park. The route starts at what most be the highest point on the main path through the park then heads down to the entrance on Main Road before turning right onto the water. Runners then hug the waters edge all the way to the end of the lake before heading up the incline towards the back of the park and the playing field and tennis court area. Right around the tennis courts before heading back toward the main park and the start area which takes you down and then up a dip before your back at the starting point for the second lap. 

A repeated lap brings up 4km and running parkrun as laps I found really broke up the race and made it go quickly. The third shorter lap starts the same way as the first two with the split then coming after the incline midway through the lap when runners on their final lap take a sharp right to head for home. Down and the up the dip and another sharp turn to the right brings runners into the only grassed area of the course where the course snakes in the last few hundred metres into the finishing funnel.

It was a tough run and I was interested to see my time at the finish. Despite being a more demanding course there times I felt really good and was flying round, I was able to maintain my pace when I started to struggle and I wouldn't have been surprised if I had challenged my PB time despite the tougher route. However my final time was 21.49 which represents my third fastest parkrun time. My regular speed work sessions in recent months are definitely making an improvement as my faster runs feel easier as I am used to running at faster paces. 

Overall I finished in 7th place out of 105 runners which I was really pleased with and it was nice to be involved in the business end of the race even if I wasn't anywhere near winning the race. My first km marked a km PB of 4.04 which was also pleasing but shows that I am still heading out too fast and this is something I need to work on.

Big thank you to all organisers and volunteers at Raphael parkrun for a well organised race which I hope will grow and develop for many months and years to come! 

Hackney Marshes Parkrun 5th birthday celebrations

So this morning I headed off on what is becoming a regular trip to Hackney Marshes Parkrun for a showdown with running buddies Tony and Chris. 

With Tony still fresh from his Asics262 marathon triumph in Paris and Chris coming off the back of two sub4 marathons in three weeks I knew it would be a tough challenge to keep up with these two. A speed work session with Tony on Thursday morning over at the Regents Park running track where Tony left me behind while he had plenty more speed than me left in the tank had me wondering if I was going to compete with him today.

The reason for a running meet up this particular weekend was to help celebrate Hackney Marshes parkruns 5th birthday celebrations. And we weren't the only ones making the journey over for the celebrations as we joined a field of 176 runners. 

This was my third visit to Hackney Marshes and I must say its a great little setup, a super flat speedy Tarmac course, a nice green tree flanked route and a friendly mix of runners of all abilities, so I was pleased to join them for the celebrations.

An enjoyable part of the experience is my journey to Hackney marshes, although the train journey is quieter than a work day that's not the enjoyable part it's the gentle walk through the Olympic Park to the Parkrun start/finish.

So onto the run its self, a large crowd, prizes and awards for deserving regulars and a host of new timers made for an exciting atmosphere at the start. My excitement was heightened though by a bit of celebratory spotting as spied Ronnie the rocket O'Sullivan lining up at the start. I admit I do get pretty stray struck and am not one to pluck up the courage to strike up a chat or ask for a photo. I was pretty amazed when in the opening few hundred metres as I started to battle through some congestion on the course I felt a hand on my shoulder as another runner tried to avoid colliding with me and to look round and see the snooker legend himself sneak past me! Not only is he a speedy snooker ball potter but he's also a speedy runner as he finished in an awesome time of sub19 minutes.

Courtesy of Hackney Marshes parkrun facebook page

But how was my race? I was eager to try and replicate my form from my 21 minute PB a few weeks back but I knew I wasn't quite in the same shape. 

I took the first km or so a bit easier and breezed past Chris at around 1km, Despite our friendly rivalry I was conscious to try and run my own race rather than concentrating on competing. I maintained a faster pace and felt comfortable up to the half way mark which I reckon I clocked in a faster time than during my PB run.

The second half was a struggle as I tried to keep going after going off too quick  it was made harder knowing Chris was on my shoulder and I expected him to ghost past me at any stage. I managed to hold off the threat of Bramster but as we started to head for home I spotted Tony out of the corner of my eye starting to mount an attack in the closing stages. I struggled in the closing minutes, I still need to work on my strength, the finish wasn't helped by my anticipation of the end. Every time the course bent round I kept thinking it was the home straight only to be disappointed no have further to run! I mustered a semi sprint finish in the last 50m or so and crossed the line in 21.29 luckily having enough to hold off my challengers. 

Looking at my splits I was happy to see a decent even pace, the first km is quick though (if you think it would realistically be a good bit quicker due to a delay at the start), so I need to think about starting slower to be able to run faster later on in the race. 

After the race there was a delicious array of cakes for hungry runners to tuck into. 

Although I won the race between the three of us the performance victory goes to Tony with a shiny new PB in the region of 40 seconds! Chris as well worked hard to run strongly but by his own admission is struggling to recover from two sub4 marathons in three weeks and a half marathon PB shortly after. 

Whatever the results and achievements it was another enjoyable Parkrun and aanother day to celebrate why I enjoy running! 

My weekly training update

This time last week I had just completed the Hackney Half Marathon and after some rest and recovery and some post race eating it was time to look forward with my training plans. 

Rather than looking ahead to my next event this time my focus has been on rest and recovery. 

Since the start of the year I have struggled with my calves, tightness and pain often when walking and especially when running. My calves have always been my week spot ever since I started running many years ago. A few years back I went for a sports massage as part of treatment for what I thought was shin splints only to be advised that my problems were more likely to be a result of compartment syndrome in my calf muscles. After some treatment and rest I was back up and running but I have always paid close attention to any discomfort in my calves and given them special attention in terms of extra strectching and foam rolling. 

But now the problem has returned and I know I will need a period of rest before I am ready to resume with my running. 

So this week instead of enjoying the light and warm spring evenings out running I have instead been indoors on the sofa looking a bit like this:

I have a sports massage booked for tomorrow so I know that will help and I will see what I am advised in terms of when I should get back to running. 

Away from training the other notable news from me is that I have now set up a Facebook page for my blog, if you would like to follow me on Facebook here's a link to my page, thanks! 

Nutrition wise I have been more relaxed in my diet and have enjoyed a few homemade pizzas this week. Comprising of a whole grain wrap as a base, whatever veggies and bits in the fridge I have for toppings topped off with cheese they are a really tasty snack and a slightly healthier option to a takeaway or frozen pizza. 

I am also in the midst of a food addiction at the moment, it's not the unhealthiest of food addictions so I have not fought to curb my addiction. It is however starting to dominate my fridge: 

My addiction is yogurt! I just can't stop eating it! Whether it's a few spoonfuls as a snack, as part of a smoothie or with yogurt I am loving it! Especially Yeo Valley Vanilla and Blueberry flavours and Icelandic Skyr yogurt not only because it reminds me of my recent trip to Iceland but because it's so high in protein and so low in fat! I would definitely recommend trying it out! 

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone is out enjoying the early summer sunshine. 

Hackney Half Marathon

The Hackney Half Marathon held in East London on 10th May marked my tenth ever half marathon.

Spanning some 9 years my half marathon times have improved markedly from struggling to just be able to dip under the 2 hour mark in the early days to my impressive PB of 1.39 which I achieved last year that I am incredibly proud of.

I am pleased to say that Hackney marked my second fastest ever time where I finished in 1.43. 

A rather weary post race selfie!

After two disappointing half marathon races this year at Tunbridge Wells and the Hampton Court where I hadn't been able to train enough to put in a run I could be proud of I wanted a race where I could train hard for and run equally hard to at least get close to my PB.

So I opted for the Hackney Half marathon which is in its second year forming part of the Vitality series taking place on Hackney Marshes. Incidentally a venue I have become familiar with due to recent visits to the Hackney Marshes parkrun where I recently ran a 21 minute minute parkrun smashing my PB. I picked Hackney out of the plethora of spring half marathons as it was local (ish as in its in London as opposed to the other end of country), was around six weeks after Hampton Court which felt like an optimal time to build on this race and push for a PB and it is also advertised as a super fast strong PB potential course.

One of the landmarks on the route the RUN sculpture in the Olympic Park

And after parting with the best part of fifty quid to enter the race had a lot to deliver!

And to be fair it pretty much did!

Arriving at the race village was like walking into a festival field full of carnival atmosphere, people chilled, relaxed and ready to have a good time. Which I know isn't everyone's emotions when they think about running 13.1 miles around East London.

The awesome race village which had a real festival atmosphere

I had arranged to meet up and run with my Asics bootcamp buddy Chris Brammer as we figured we were equally matched for pace and both fancied a crack at breaking the 100 minute mark and running a sub 1.40 time, Chris to improve on his 1.46 PB now that he has two sub4 marathons under his belt and me to prove my 1.39 last year was no fluke.

We had a clear strategy in place, 2-3 kms at around 5min/km pace before settling into the required 4.45min/km rhythm before hopefully finishing with a few quicker kms closer to the 4.30min/km mark.

Negative splitting, fueling strategies, warming up gradually over the first few kms, using the 1.45 pacer as a market we had discussed it all like a well thought out military campaign.

The Obit and Olympic Stadium as I walked my way to the start area

The time soon came to take our place in the starting pens and this is where my only criticism of the race organisation comes in. The starting straight was far to narrow for the volume of runners and could have done with being twice as wide and as for having a designated walkway cutting through the starting pens still open minutes before the start? Sheer lunacy! Needless to say chaps congestion and a fair bit of runners being squeezed into the starting pens like stressed commuters on an overcrowded rush hour Northern Line ensued.

Organisers please take note!

Anyways we started the race around half a dozen tightly packed runners behind the 1.45 pacers. The first few hundred metres were similar to most races, finding your feet, warming your legs up and meandering in and out of runners trying to settle into your own rhythm. 

We covered the first km in around 4.45 minutes and I was conscious to slow it down a bit and relax into 5 minute km pace as to not peek to soon and burn up too much energy. 

However allowing the pace down didn't feel right I kept surging past slower runners and pushing the pace rather than easing into the race.

Around the 2k mark I started to feel too hemmed in as there was a big bunch of runners sticking close to the 1.45 pacer, feeling the need to see a few inches of clear road in front of me I pushed on. 

I went through 5km in sub 24 and tried to maintain pace through the halfway point where I passed 10 in sub 49. I wasn't suffering at all from the slightly faster start and realise now that my faster race start was due to a caffeine energy gel I took pre race, although I have used one before I haven't had one in a while so wasn't used to the sudden injection of energy. 

I had by now left Chris and the 1.45 pacer behind, I knew Chris wouldn't be too far behind and as a more experienced and disciplined runner I knew he would be running a steady and consistent pace towards his goal. I dare not look behind me as I didn't want to be panicked by my proximity to the 1.35 pacer. 

So what about the route? Well I will be honest and say it left me quite uninspired as it failed to live up to the pre race hype. You didn't see as much of the Olympic park as I thought although turning a corner to be greeted by the incredible view of Olympic stadium and Orbit at around mile 10 was pretty awesome. 

The course also wasn't as 'flat as a pancake' as runners were promised, true there are no hills but there are several inclines and undulations that are enough to blow the wind from your sails.

What about the support? The support in places was amazing, really amazing, some of the best I have ever encountered. One section in particular will live long in the memory, it was at almost 10 miles I think just around the corner from Hackney Wick Overground station as you go up a bit of an incline over the canal. The road narrowed and was completely surrounded by supporters banging saucepans, cheering and waving banners, it was like a scene from the Tour de France as words of encouragement had also been drawn on the ground, a truly inspiring scene that spurred me on and made my hairs stand on end. Thank you people of Hackney for your support you deserve medals for your efforts!

And the conditions? Last year the run was held in June and it turned out to be too hot so this year it was moved forward to May and guess what? It was still pretty hot! On Sunday evening as I relaxed after eating a mountain of food it was my sunburnt face that was causing me problems not my aching legs so that gives you an idea of how warm it was and how strong the sun was. 

Part of the mountain of food I ate post race

So my tenth half marathon, my second fastest time and a run that is definitely in my top few half marathon races. I think the half marathon remains my favourite race distance and Hackney is a great example of a brilliant half marathon which I would highly recommend for beginners and PB chasers. 

Check out the goodie bag below, quite a stash and an awesome medal so at least you can see what the fifty quid entry fee went on. 

Did you run the #HackneyHalf this year? Or were you were of the supporters helping to create a remarkable atmosphere? I would love to hear your experiences from the race, I hope you had a successful run and enjoyed the day just as much as I did. 

How I smashed my parkrun PB

How was your Bank Holiday Weekend? Was it an opportunity to get some running in? Maybe the Milton Keynes Marathon? A parkrun? Or just getting in some miles for your next event?

For me it was quite a low mileage weekend as I prepare for the Hackney Half next weekend the 10th May.

I did however head over to Hackney Marshes for parkrun on Saturday morning. Its my second visit over to their flat and fast course and where as last time I wasn't in great shape to capitalise on the speedy conditions this week I was!

Last month on the 3rd April I struggled to complete the course in 23 minutes and if it wasn't for the pacing from Chris Brammer I doubt I would have ran 24 minutes let alone 23.

But this weekend just four weeks on from my 23 minute time I crossed the line in a a superb tome of 21 minutes flat! Not only was my time vastly improved but I felt OK running faster compared to feeling awful at running the slower time last time out.

So how did I achieve this improvement in a relatively short period of time?

A disappointing time and performance in April made me realise how much my training had fallen off in the first few months of the year. I realised I needed to push myself hard to get my fitness levels back to where they once were so I could be in a good position to launch a good assault at a sub4 marathon later on in the year as well as being able to try and run a sub 1.40 half marathon at Hackney on the 10th May.

So running a faster parkrun become a small objective as part of my bigger running goals.

To help me towards my goals I launched my ambitious April campaign which set myself some ambitious goals for April as the name suggests.

But what were the changes to my training that resulted in me running so much faster? 

1. Speed work

The main element of my training in between the two parkruns has been speedwork which has comprised of two components:

Treadmill intervals - 

In the period between  the two parkruns I completed ??? Treadmill interval sessions. These runs were generally your typical interval splits of a period of high speed followed by a resting period at a more comfortable pace. As a general guide my sessions would comprise of 2 minutes of a slower pace of 10.0km per hour followed by 1 minute or 2 minute bursts of 14.0-14.5km per hour repeated 3 or 5 times.

I started off with 3 circuits of slower paced times at 14.0km and then building this up towards completing 5 circuits at 14.5km.

I also completed some fartlek sessions on the treadmill where I would alternate my pace between 10.0 & maybe 15.0 km per hour running bursts of 30 seconds, a minute or longer at a variety of paces.

The other session I did once or twice as I got faster and more confident was going from a gentle walk at 6.0km per hour to sprinting for up to a minute at speeds of up to 16.0km per hour, a real lung buster to keep things fresh!

Track work

Another element to my training which I have recently started to incorporate is track work. This follows my experiences at the asics 26.2 bootcamp where the main training exercise was a 5K track run. The run was split into sections 400m easy, 200m hard and repeated over the 12 laps which I think means you have a 400m hard section to finish with. 

So using the running track on the North West side of Regents Park I have been repeating this session. I cant pretend its an easy session but then its not meant to be either. Its pretty tough firstly to keep pushing yourself repeatedly for the harder sections, secondly to keep motivated to stick to the plan and thirdly to keep mentally focused on the task. It can be pretty tricky sticking to the 400m & 200m  splits multiple times when you get tired and your mind stats to wander.

Having completed this session twice I had improved by about 49 seconds on my second attempt a week after my first although feel I wasn't at the peak of my performance on either attempt. Apparently its common for runners to record times faster than their PB during this kind of session and I will be looking to record some faster times in the coming months.

2. Insanity fitness classes

In between the two parkrun attempts I have started attending fitjess fitness a local fitness class that do insanity classes on a weekly basis. I completed the class in three consecutive weeks prior to the second parkrun and although I have it hard I think it has been really beneficial.

The class is so tough with minimal rest breaks and has been a great cardio workout and has left me drowning in my own sweat every time! It has definitely been a big factor in increasing my cardio capacity which is so important in increasing my short term sprint capacity for a 5k run. 

I would highly recommend an insanity or similar bootcamp circuit training style class to any runner as a great way to improve fitness through cross training. 

3. Improving my gym training

Working on the idea that in order to change the outcome of a race you need to change the training that goes into preparing for the race I concentrated on changing the training I did in the gym.

Some examples of what I have done in the gym in the interim period between my two runs are as follows:

• 1 minute rowing sprints - completing 1 minute at maximum exertion on the rowing machine and either repeating or alternating with other cardio exercises.
• Higher intensity warm ups - Such as a few minutes higher intensity on the cross training rather than slower sessions.
• core/ab work - A few new exercises incoropoarted into my routine such as a plank push up which is demonstrated here a great exercise to work you upper body as well as your core muscles. 

Pushing myself that bit harder in the gym and focusing my efforts on training that is a bit more specific although harder has definitely been worth it in terms of feeling fitter and stronger. 

So mixing these improved training techniques with some good nutrition has been the foundation to achieve my faster parkrun time and smashing my PB. I hope you have found this helpful and motivational to help you improve your own training and results. If you have any other suggestions on techniques you have used I would love to hear them!

Easter Weekend Blog Update

The Easter Weekend provided a good opportunity for some training as well as the traditional chance to stuff my face with chocolate. 

I trained in some way or another on everyday getting my Ambitious April campaign off to to a great start. I incorporated running as well as my 30 day fitness ab crunch challenge.

On Good Friday after a good treadmill interval session on Thursday I didn't run but did a quick early morning circuit of ab crunches, squats and press ups before heading off to visit family.

On Saturday I was up bright and early to venture into East London for Hackney Marshes Parkrun. Linking up fellow asics 26.2 bootcamper Chris Brammer we enjoyed a good run on a crisp morning. Chris is on the verge of running two marathons in three weeks, Paris on April 12th and London on April 26th. His superior fitness levels helped push me round to a time of 22.59. I was really pleased to duck under 23 minutes and this was really down to Chris's pacing as left on my own I think I would have struggled to get under 24 minutes. 

Pictures courtesy of Hackney Marshes Parkrun facebook page

So a big thanks to Chris for his supportive pacing and the coffee and pain au chocolat afterwards! Hes looking in good shape, running so effortlessly and hes talking in a very positive way so I am confident he will go well below his sub4 hour marathon target.

I would recommend Hackney Marshes Parkrun as a great run with equally friendly runners and course. The course is beautifully flat out and back course withe real PB potential and I will definitely be coming back in a few weeks to try to take a good chunk of time off my PB.

This run also saw me debut my newly purchased calf guards. I am continuing to struggle dreadfully with pretty severe pain and tightness in my calves and these are just another step in trying to counter this ongoing problem. I will be honest and say I didn't notice any real benefit but I was quick to take them off after my run and will be keeping them on longer post run to aid with my recovery.

Sunday morning I was also out early for a pre Chocolate Egg binge run. I did an hours run down and back to the newly redeveloped Raphael's park. To be honest the first twenty to thirty minutes were agony in my calves deapite my calf guards. I perserved though and completed the tun just aiming for a slow and steady pace, I probably covered around 11K in the hour period. I then finiahed off with a few strides to try to continue to work on my speed.

Monday was eventful in terms of running gor several reasons.

Firstly it was a run to break in my shiny new trainers! A brand new pair of New Balance 680's.

Secondly I entered Hackney Half Marathon on the 10th May where I am planning to launch a serious attack on my PB.  

Thirdly I confirmed with myself that eating loads of chocolate and gorging on cake and rich food on Sunday before even more chocolate before heading off running on Sunday would not make for a very good run! I ended up walking at least half but it was fine as It was really about wearing in my new trainers which I did over a period of around 35 minutes.

So ambitious April has got off to a great start, new trainers purchase and another Half Marathon less than six weeks away, here is to an exciting few weeks ahead!