Learning about some of the mental aspects of running

I like the saying 'every days a school day' and the idea that it's always time to learn something new and running is no different.  

Last Wednesday was certainly one of these days as I attended the third part of 'legs, head, heart' @RunningWorks, a seminar looking at some of the mental aspects of long distance running.

I really enjoyed the evening and took away a lot of learning points. The talks from Dr Dan Gordon and Andrew Cohen-Wray also posed me several questions I could apply to my training and racing as I seek to improve. 

Here are some points I learnt from the evening which I hope you will find useful: 

First up Dr Dan spoke about pacing, an understanding of what pacing actually is and means as well as insights into research findings from Anglia Ruskin University's studies into marathon pacing. 

An understanding of pacing, Dr Dan explained that everyone paces, even small kids playing in the play ground. 

Judging your pace successfully is about optimising your physical performance. This is the basic idea of being able to run any given distance in your fastest possible time. We tend to think of pacing more in terms of long distance running but it's good to remember that even Usain Bolt has to pace himself over his sprint distances. 

Pacing is physiological and emotional

The brain regulates your pace based on comparisons to your previous runs.

The idea of global experience or being able to relax ahead of a marathon because you have ran several before and completed many long runs so you can think, 'I have been there and I have done that' and you are not fazed by the challenge that lies ahead of you. This experience of having done things before is important as experience matters when it come to pacing you need to have a frame of reference based on previous race experiences. 

Pacing well in training does not equate to pacing well in a marathon. Pacing is a learnt response and cannot be learnt through training. 

If you are interested in trying to calculate what pace you should be running your next marathon at a useful tool might be the flying runner pace calculator. 

The second part of the talk was from Andrew Cohen-Wray, Athlete in mind sharing his thoughts on marathon mental preparation. 

Goals

He posed some interesting questions to think over that are quite hard to get your head around. When training for a specific goal, whether it being completing a distance or finishing in a certain time 'what will happen if you don't get it?' Or 'what won't happen if you don't get it?'. I found these ideas really interesting and gave me a lot to think over.

Fears 

Then to help you deal with any fears you might have about a race naming your fears can help, knowing what you are afraid of can help you to overcome them and to worry less. Also thinking about what's the worse that could happen? Being aware of the worse case scenario can help you to prepare for all eventualities. 

Chunks

It's a common concept that a lot of us do, break your event down into chunks to help you cope with the overall task. Whether this is by mile, kilometre, 10K section, next jelly baby or energy gel or next lap. 

A marathon is after all only 8 and a bit parkruns if you look at it that way! 

The two most important things I took away for the evening though are as follows: 

'Learning the difference that makes the difference'

What little thing can you change to your training or race preparation that will make a big difference? Whether it's mental or physical there will be little things that can make a change. 

'Be the best that you can be'

Be aware of your own limitations and know what your capable of achieving in both training and a race. E.g. Can you realistically commit to a long run every weekend during marathon training if you work full time and have family commitments? This leads to the idea that 'you can only do what you can do with what you have'. I know I do not have the body and physical capabilities to run a 2.30 marathon neither do I have the finances to have a weekly massage or personal training sessions three times a week. I know however that with the right training I can run a sub 4 hour marathon and that needs to be my focus. 

So that's my closing thought, be the best you can be, learn what you can and work hard to achieve your goals, simples! 

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. 

Robin Hood Marathon 2014 Preparation Evaluation

Robin Hood Marathon 2014

The robin hood marathon marked my 4th ever marathon and the second in my three in three months series.

I found the last few weeks in the build up to the run tough to say they least as you might have gathered from some of my previous posts, here and here. 

In the few days prior to the race I didn't feel ready to run mentally or physically and kind of stopped thinking about it in the hope that it somehow wouldn't happen. 

I was annoyed with myself for being so unorganised as well. Usually the few weeks prior to a big event I am very organised and focused on my preparations and rehearse my race build up and warm ups to replicate what will happen on race weekend. But due to a few other commitments the last two weeks didn't go to plan and I wasn't able to practice as I would have liked coupled with the fact I didn't feel well enough to run long and my preparations were far from ideal.  

I was also unorganized about a few other important factors including:

Pacing - In thinking about what kind of pace I was going to try and run, should I try and push for sub 4 even though I didn't feel like i was in the right shape to do so?

Trainers - I knew i needed new trainers prior to this race but left buying them too late and although I still had around 3 weeks to wear them in I didn't feel that this was enough. 

Race hydration & nutrition and logistics - I kept deliberating and procrastinating about what to do during the race. Should I wear my hydration pack? Should I bring energy gels or rely on the lucozades on the course? If I choose to carry gels should I then bring my hydration pack to carry them in or hold them in my waist strap? Should I carry my phone with me on the run and if so should I use my arm strap or pop it in my hydration pack? 

Toilet troubles - Over the last few runs prior to the marathon I was troubled by toilet troubles and needing to stop for both number ones and number twos! Not ideal preparation to leave you in a positive mindset! This issue was weighing heavy on my mind as no runner wants to have to factor in bladder and bowel complaints into their race strategy.

So basically I think I got a bit psyched out by the mental challenges that a marathon presented and I got too caught up in things without focusing on the basics of just running. 

Hopefully that's lesson learned and I wont fall into the same trap again! 

While thinking about marathon build up I wrote an article called Final Week Marathon Preparation for takitinyourstride.co.uk, please check out not only my article but also the site as an interesting and useful running resource.

Thanks for reading, I would love to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences, full race report to follow...........

Weekend run report 21st/22nd June

A busy weekend of running as is pretty much usual! Parkrun on Saturday and a long run on Sunday and both were successful and enjoyable.

Parkrun

My aim once again as it has been in the last few was to try and run a PB or close to PB time and to try and dip under the 22 minute barrier.

It was a beautiful summers morning but I thought it possibly too hot for a good time. 

This week I had decided on a different tactic, I thought I should be more conservative and cautious and not go out so fast.

My usual tactic is to blitz the first Km in around 4 minutes and then try to maintain as fast a pace as possible for the next 2kms, hang in there for the 4th then give whatever I have left on the 5th to try and finish strong.

This week I wanted to go off slower and try to target my efforts to running faster on the parts of the course that would give most benefit namely the sections on concrete or downhill. I also wanted to run stronger through one of the middle sections from 3.5-4Km which is a mentally draining straight path along a grass field. I am usually tiring in this section and find it difficult having this long straight, flat section laid out in front of me  without having the stamina to run it fast.

My race plan worked out pretty well I was more conservative and saved my energy for faster bursts on the concrete paved parts of the course. The dreaded section at 3.5Km was easier too as I managed to pass a few runners in front of me as well and worked hard at keeping in touch with another group of runners just ahead. 

I finished in 22.01 which i think is my 2nd fastest time and certainly my fastest time this summer.

Looking at my splits they were quite typical as I still ran a sub 4 minute first Km and still faltered a bit in the 3rd and 4th Kms.

Perhaps running faster when trying not to is a great sign of me getting stronger and faster?!

Sundays long run

My aim was to cover around 25Km building on my last few runs of between 20&22Km, in the end I covered 26Km in 2 hours 23.

I opted this week to pound the pavements rather than head out into a country park and my route took me from Hornchurch, into Upminster, back to Hornchurch, to Emerson Park, Gidea Park, Romford, back through Gidea Park,  Hornchurch, Upminster then out to Cranham and back to Upminster and Hornchurch. Quite a little journey!

Again I wanted to work on my race strategy and wanted to concentrate on a steady slower pace through the first hour and then build on this to see what speed I could bring and how strong I could run for the remainder. 

Learning as I run 

I am trying to use every long run as a learning experience ahead of the marathon.

For this run I wanted to think about pacing, pre run nutrition, using energy gels and of course bedding in my new trainers for their first proper long run.

Pre run nutrition

I again ate a flapjack around 1.5 hours before running, a banana 30 minutes before as well as an energy drink. This option worked well and I didn't experience any digestive issues or feel like I ran out of energy during the run.

My good energy levels through the run were also helped by the fact I had eaten a good big meal the night before in the form of my wife's massaman curry. The rice and potatoes providing a good carb source while the chicken providing protein for my leg muscles to be in great shape. 

My muscles were further aided by the fact I had a protein shake before bed as well. I think I will be adding both of these factors to my usual pre race routine, that is if I can persuade my wife to cook for me on most Saturday nights! 

Pacing

As I said I wanted to head off at a good slower steady pace rather than push myself through the first hour. I achieved this by covering 12K in the first hour. I then wanted to try and push my pace to try to get close to 18K in hour and a half, I managed 16.5K in around 1 hour 22 before I popped back into the flat for a quick refuel and toilet stop. 

After taking on some water and an energy gel I was able to push on inject some good pace as I headed towards 2 hours with the aim of covering 21K+ in 2 hours, I was pleased with hitting this pretty dead on the head as I covered 21K in 1 hour 59.

My aim then was to hang on and cover the 25K in under 2.5 hours, I was impressed with my stamina and endurance levels of then being able to cover 26K in 2 hours 23.

I continued my recovery experiments by taking another cold water bath as soon as I got which again I found incredibly beneficial. This coupled with a good stretch and a hearty breakfast to refuel with meant I was able to have the energy to crack on with a afternoon of gardening cutting back some seriously overgrown grass in my mother in laws garden.

I did however start to feel the side affects of my long run later in the afternoon as I started to tire and ache. A bit if a stretch, a quick nap and a cracking roast beef dinner soon left me feeling much better though!

So to the week ahead; I plan to run seven days straight through this week as it will be a restful weekend running wise as I will be away.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I would love to hear any thoughts and comments you have, all the best with your own training and running plans.