Chelmsford Marathon training review

Tomorrow the 18th October I am running the Chelmsford Marathon, marathon number 7 for me, my second marathon this year and another attempt at a sub 4 hour marathon. 

Life has been busy hence the lack of blogs about training in recent weeks and months. The hard miles have still been put in mind you, maybe not in the quantities I would have ideally wished for but that's life, everyone has things on their plate and no training schedule ever goes to plan. You can never do enough running or run enough miles.

Although in saying that a quick look over my training log shows that I have racked up 343K in this training stint since Spitfire Scramble pretty much exactly two months ago. The last two months has included two events, firstly me having an absolute ball at the Bacchus half and then also running just the 12 seconds outside of my 10K PB at the Barking and Dagenham 10K (didn't get round to writing a blog for this one!).

So in summary here's what I have learnt from training for my latest marathon, what I have differently and things I wish I had done differently.

Speed work - since being involved in the Asics 26.2 competition last year speed work has become more integrated into my training plans and even more so in the last few months.

Over the summer I have spent several an early morning before work out on the Regents Park running track mostly with running buddies Tony and Chris.

Examples of the kind of session I have been doing include 1K aiming for 10K pace (4.30 min/km) and 1K reverting back to marathon pace (5.40 min/km), yasso 800 sessions and repeating the Asics 26.2 5K session of 400m and 200m easy repeated over 5K.

No core - One of my objective of this training plan was to really work on my core strength and to really incorporate a lot of strength and conditioning work into my schedule. But for one reason and another this hasn't happened, mainly due to working longer hours and struggling to settle my training into regular schedule.

Trainers - My trainers have had it, they are dead. They have easily covered 600km and I noticed about three weeks ago that they had quickly deteriorated from being in good condition to being past it. At that late stage I didn't really feel comfortable changing trainers so I opted to stick with them. To be honest my feet have suffered and the ball of my right foot has become increasingly sore in recent weeks and I am pretty sure this is down to a loss of support and cushioning from my trainers. Hopefully they can get me through the next 42Km before being put out to pasture.

Faster long runs - One of the changes to my training I implemented following Asics 26.2 was to slow my longer runs right down to 30 secs/1 minute slower than my target pace. I now this is quite a standard training practice but for me I didn't enjoy it, it made me so much slower and I found I really struggled to run comfortably at my target marathon pace. Maybe I didn't mix my training up enough with faster runs and marathon pace runs but for me it hasn't worked so I moved back to running my longer runs at around target marathon pace and I feel much better and faster for it. 

Race Number Clips - Long overdue but I have finally got round to buying myself a pack of these so I can stop messing around with safety pins come race morning!

Sports massage - With all the high mileage in recent months including Baccus and Spitfire scramble I thought I needed a massage to make sure I was in the bets shape for this marathon. So last week I went for a sports massage, I figured about 10 days out was the best timing for one rather than the week before and it has definitely helped loosen up my legs. The therapist was concerned with tightness in my left ITband so I was glad to have that looked at and treated. Note to self; need to have more regular massages going forward!

In the last week I have focused on eating well, getting plenty of sleep and staying well hydrated. Then since Thursday my attentions have turned to taking on more carbs, whole meal pittas, jaffa cakes, flap jacks and pasta have all been on the menu.

So after a gentle little jog this afternoon my training is complete and all is left now is to relax, focus, stay hydrated and eat plenty of carbs! 

Target #asics262 finale

After 5 months the journey is finally over for the asics target 26.2 final 5 runners. Their triumphant finish to the Paris Marathon marking the end of Runnersworld's Asics target 262 project that I was fortunate to be involved with in a very small way.

You will have seen me make reference to it in previous blog posts and you may well have read my review of the bootcamp day as it is one of my most popular posts.

To anyone that doesn't know the asics262 is a once in a lifetime, money can't buy competition to win supported training towards and entry into the 2015 Paris Marathon. 

Over 3000 applicants entered and I was fortunate enough to be selected as 1 of 50 bootcampers for the first selection stage.

The final 5 were eventually selected in December 2014 and have been busy training hard with the support of the asics and Runnersworlds teams towards their target aims for the marathon.

The Paris marathon has just passed and after several ups and downs through the training period all 5 runners successfully completed the marathon in grueling conditions under the hot and sweaty French springtime sun.

I won't steal their thunder, I will let them tell their own story which you can read on the website here. 

It has been a great journey to be part of in my small way, to have met these intrepid runners at bootcamp and then to have followed their journeys and interacted with them on social media. It has been brilliant supporting and gaining support from the other bootcampers and the wider running community that have followed the competition.

Thank you to the final 5

Being part of the whole experience has been inspiring and motivating following the journies and stories on the way to Paris. Many of the forum posts and social media messages following Paris from the asics 5 have been messages of thanks to all who have supported them so I thought it was only right that I in turn thanked the asics 5 for the motivation they have provided to me and other through their training not to mention the time and dedication provided to updating their forums and responding to messages on other platforms.

Tony - first time marathoner and aiming for a sub4 marathon

I will be honest and say I haven't fully followed all the other threads apart from Tony who was part of my group at bootcamp and I therefore had more of an association with. I did try to keep pace (running pun intended!) with his thread as he made his debut attempt at the marathon distance.

Right from the bootcamp stage I was really drawn to Tony's sponge like quality of being so receptive and being so eager to absorb all the knowledge and expertise on offer. I found his story really motivating and refreshing as Tony developed through his training while eloquently sharing his experiences and knowledge gained with his enthusiastic band of supporters on his thread. His challenge of aiming for a sub4 hour marathon in his first attempt took a great deal of courage as he could have quite easily relaxed and just focused on finishing, but the fact he pushed himself towards an ambitious target made his story a must to follow.

I valued reflecting on Tony's realistaion after running his first marathon that a marathon isn't this insurmountably distance that is impossible to conquer but an achievable target for every runner that prepares and trains properly. 

Tim aka Superman, sub 3.30 target

A story of ups and downs, Tim pushing himself to new levels and recovering from shattering lows. As an experienced runner I was inspired by your high standards and your gritty determination to overcome adversity. Some of your posts have been wise beyond your years and  I have appreciated your motivational wisdom and clear insight into pushing yourself to your high standards.

I look forward to following your surely successful attempt at a 3.15 marathon in the near future.

Amy the pocket rocket speedster, sub 4 target

Amy's youthful exuberance, positive attitude and pace to burn literally blew me away at the bootcamp as part of the 5K time trial and she maintained this through her training and into the marathon. 

Well done on turning your short distance speed into a brilliant marathon finishing time.

Tom sub 3 hour target

Wow, I will be honest and say I struggle to comprehend running a marathon in this time and so didn't follow the thread that much as felt it was so far out of my league. From what I have read I was impressed again with the high standards you set yourself and your desire to achieve nothing but excellence. Your finishing time was still phenomenal and an immensely proud achievement.

Andrea sub 4.30 target

With keeping up with some of the other threads I unfortunately didn't get much opportunity to interact with Andrea's thread but I have enjoyed seeing tweets of your progress. A deserved finalist as it was clear to see the happiness and joy being part of the competition has brought you, again a well deserved finishing time and I wish you all the best for your marathons to come.

Thank you to all five of you for sharing your time and your experiences with us, I feel privileged to have followed your stories and wish you all every success in the future.

So what for me?

After missing out on the final five I initially decided that I would have my sub4 marathon attempt at the Halstead marathon in early May. As you have probably gathered this didn't materialise due to a combination of injury niggles, moving flat and starting a new job keeping me pretty occupied for most of the first quarter of 2015.

Its just been unfortunate that circumstances haven't allowed me to capitalise on my involvement with this competition but that's just the way it goes, life doesn't always work out that way. 

I will be honest and say I am so disappointed to have not followed the asics 262 journey by actually running a spring marathon but last Sunday morning as the Paris marathon was progressing I had nothing but excitement as I waited for the results to come through.

I was a mixture of nervous energy waiting to see how the Asics 5 had done as well as waiting to hear about other bootcampers and the progress of several other Twitter friends.

Following the other asics spring marathon in Manchester was also a great experience as at least three members of my sub4 hour group achieved a sub4 marathon, (awesome runs Angela, Matt and Craig) to go along with Amy and Tony's sub4 runs in Paris which was coupled with a sub4 run from another runner from the groups Chris. 

The year ahead

But for now I am planning some marathons for the autumn and it looks like I might repeat my three marathons in three months from last year but with different marathons this year hopefully picking more PB friendly courses.

In terms of asics 262 I am saddened as I know the ship has sailed for me, witnessing the journey of this years runners only made me want the experience more. realistically though I know I will not get another chance to be selected. If I run sub4 in the autumn I obviously wouldn't be selected in my sub4 category and would be so far off running a 3.30 for that to be a possibility. Having come close to running sub4 and being hopeful of at least getting close again this autumn I can't see why I would then get selected again for the sub4 category again anyway. 

I have still learnt a lot and benefited so much from the experience I have had, I am very grateful to asics for the chance of being part of the process and to all the other runners for sharing, supporting and just being awesome! 

My final thought is reflecting on something that Tim has touched upon on his thread about the idea that 'History is not destiny' and that to change the outcome of a marathon from what you have achieved in the past you need to train differently and act differently. 

A summary of my running year

In summary 2014 was an epic year, at the start of the year I would never have dreamed I would have been involved with most of what 2014 brought. I never thought I would start a blog and had no idea of the supportive world of social media that lay in store! 

In all I covered 1,648Km or 1,024 miles which passed my target of 1,000miles! 

They say pictures tell a thousand words and they are of course much quicker to view than hundreds of words so if you are a bit strapped for time a flipagram of my year is here: http://flipagram.com/f/OQy63MFpUe

The start of the year:

2013 ended with me feeling very disappointed after a poor performance at the Beachy Head Marathon in October. I was eager to quickly get this disappointment out of my system with another marathon in early 2014 but couldn't find anything that fitted into my schedule for the early part of the year.

So in January I instead took part in the Benfleet 15 not so much a running event as a mud fest! It was a great event though that I really enjoyed and quite liked running a 15 mile distance although it took me around 2 and a half hours! 

A half marathon PB

Come February I had entered the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon searching to better my half marathon PB of 1.46 and aiming to run sub 1.45. The event goes down as my best running performance as I smashed my PB and expectations finishing in 1.39! The feeling of catching the 1.40 pacers in the last mile and then powering past them in the final few hundred metres will live long in my memory as a real highlight! 

Three marathons in three months 

Around this time I hatched my plan to run three marathons in three months later on in the year, my three marathon challenge was designed with the aim of me running sub 4 hours for the first time and giving me a focus ahead of the impending doom of my 30th birthday in early 2015.

As things transpired I missed out on my sub4 hour target principally because two of the three marathons were tough off-road affairs where a PB time was never realistically going to be achievable.

The first of the three marathons was the Vanguard Way in August starting in Croydon and taking place over the North a Downs. It turned into a very eventful race as I got lost three times and eventually crawled over the finish line in 4.55. The race was probably the most enjoyable of the year as I enjoyed the camaraderie with other runners, the small scale of the event and the subsequent isolation and solitude experienced while running.

Marathon number two was an altogether different affair with a large scale inner city marathon with the Robin Hood Marathon in Nottingham. A great performance and a marathon PB of 4.09 which I was really pleased with.

The third marathon was a tricky kettle of fish, a local off road trail marathon the Weald Park marathon which consisted of 12 3.5km laps. Again really enjoyable but so demanding and again I was massively pleased with my finishing time of 4.34. 

Overall I loved running marathons so close together and really felt I gained momentum as I progressed through the three and I was able to learn more about myself as a runner as well as the requirements of running a marathon.

Spitfire scramble

Somewhere towards the end of my training towards my first of three marathons I ended up unexpectedly taking part in spitfire scramble which is a 24 hour team relay event which held its inaugural event in a nearby country park. I say unexpectedly as I ended up getting involved only days before the event was due to take place as a team had suffered with dropouts of runners with injuries and illnesses and I answered an urgent appeal on Twitter for runners to get involved. 

The event was amazing and it was a great experience to run late at night and in the early hours of the morning, in all I contributed six 9.5km laps in the 24 hour period towards our teams total. 

I enjoyed it so much I am already signed up for 2015! 

Running all the way home

My other memorable achievement of 2014 was the completion of my long held aim to run all the way home from work a route of some 18 miles. I capitalised on my marathon fitness to complete this aim in October and you can read about it here. 

30 Day runstreak  

After these three marathons and the relative disappointment of missing my sub4 target I was a little unsure of what my next aim would be. In November I embarked on a 30 day run streak to push my limits as a runner as well as aiming to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer awareness month while also fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer UK, you can still visit my JustGiving page here. 

Asics 26.2

I was only a few days into my runstreak when I got caught up in the whirlwind that is Runnersworld Asics Target 26.2. I was fortunate enough to be selected in 50 lucky runners from over 3,000 entrants to go through to the boot camp stage. It was an amazing experience and I was so lucky to have been involved despite not progressing any further in the competition. I have made some great friends though and am really looking forward to following everyone's progress in 2015 as everyone searches for Marathon PBs at various events in the spring. 

The year ended with me completing my 30 day runstreak and my last event being the traditional Santa run, which as always is great fun! 

Thank you again for all your support I really appreciate it, best wishes on all your running endeavors in 2015!

This weekends running update

After 35 miles of running last weekend as part of spitfire scramble its fair to say I have struggled a bit to fully recover. 

After a little recovery run on the treadmil on Tuesday I was feeling a bit more energetic by the end of the weekend so headed out Thursday evening and subsequently covered 15km. It was a very pleasing ran as I was able to cover each km in less than 5 minutes and average 4.57min/km overall.

This weekend I was definitely feeling the strain mentallay and physically of marathon training continuously over the last four months. Making the time to squeeze in the required miles and the hours has been demanding and becomes too much after a while and I think I am starting to reach that point.

This weekend required some careful planning and a hefty dose of dedication and determination to get in my run as I had to fit in quite a few responsibilties and plans into the weekend and finding time to dedicate a few hours to running was a challenge.

My training plans were brought into focus  when on Saturday morning I received my Nottingham Marathon race number and information. 

This weekend marks three weeks to go and I must say I am looking forward to it very much but also to a weekend away in a great city.

At the same time that I received this and my mind started to plan ahead my body was having other ideas. Ascending a hill as part of my run on Thursday night I developed a bit of a twinge in my right knee and it has continued to linger over the weekend. 

It doesnt bother me so much when I run but bugs me on stairs and when twisting and turning. A few general applications of ibruprofen gel over the weekend seemed to help and I came through my long run on Sunday unscathed. 

Speaking of my long run on Sunday I planned covering 25-30K across two stints if necessary.

I headed out and covered 18K straight off then popped into the flat for a quick toilet break, drink, energy gel and a change of tshirt before heading out and covering another 10K.

My aim had been to cover as much of a half marathon in sub 5 min splits and then hang on and cover the rest of the distance as best I could.

With my aim of running a sub 4 hour marathon I figure I need to be qble to cover a half marathon in around 1 hour 50 and then be strong enough to complete the second half in 2 hours.

My plan worked well as I managed to knock off the first 18 kilometres in either sub or just over and my last 10K was in a very respectable 57 minutes as well! 

The start of my run was a bit hampered by my eating the night before, my wife's home cooked moussaka seemed to be sitting right in my belly like an uncomfortable weight and it took around 10K for it to shift.

I am pleased though that I am able to run as well as I did despite this problem.

I am feeling buoyant ahead of my next marathon, my next challenge in terms ofsticking to my training and diet will be my trip away with work.

I am away for four days and three nights, I have packed plenty of running kit and am sure I will get the time to head out for a couple of little runs at least!

1 marathon down 2 to go, what have I learnt?

So after 1 of my 3 marathons in 3 months challenge where am I and what have I learnt? 

My challenge was to run 3 marathons in 3 months, I entered theses in early 2014 as I felt I needed something to work on and needed to achieve something positive and challenging prior to turning 30 in early 2015. My other motive was to give myself a great chance of running a sub 4 hour marathon, firstly so I can just say I have achieved this milestone and secondly so I could have the challenge of achieving this before turning 30. 

The first and third marathons in my mini series are trail marathons so the second marathon in Nottingham on the 28th September which is a standard city marathon on a flat course with strong PB potential was always going to be the ideal opportunity to crack the magical sub 4 barrier. 

I am pretty desperate just to get a clear run at a marathon and have a good crack at a sub 4. As you can read from my post run report of my first marathon it didn't quite go to plan and didn't give me any kind of chance of running a good time. 

As I train more and run more I continue to learn more about what it takes to train for a marathon and how to run one and I am increasingly eager to put this into practice and to try and run a 'perfect' race.

With the Notitngham Marathon coming up in September I know this city marathon will be my best chance of cracking sub 4 and probably my only chance of running sub 4 pre 30. 

So what have I learnt from my training and running the first marathon?

Drink more water - I am not talking about the actual race but more on a daily basis, although I have always drank a lot of water and stayed well hydrated I have realised I think I am not drinking enough especially when I am training a lot. So I have started to make a conscious effort to drink more before and after training as well as drinking more while at the gym as well.

Eat more protein - Putting in some serious mileage and training every day obviously puts a great strain on your body and your muscles and again I figured I wasn't eating as much protein as I could/should be. In the week or two before the marathon I started eating steak and chicken all the time as well as increasing the amounts of protein shakes I was consuming.

Now I am trying to pack my diet full of as much protein as possible with my main protein sources being chicken, steak, kidney beans, chick peas, hummus, brazil nuts, almonds, tuna, and mackerel.

Run more - I have finally broken some kind of mental block I had which stopped me from running on consecutive days and seemed to hold me back from running too much. Now I am quite happy running day after day within reason and have put together several 4 and 5 day plus runstreaks. It goes without saying really but running on more days means I am able to train more and get in more mileage which will benefit me massively. 

More strength training - A neglected part of my training regime as its hard and it hurts and its generally not as fun as running is. But unfortunately doing weights, circuits and body weight exercises such as press up, lunges and squats are integral to any training plan if you want to get faster and stronger and I am now making a real effort to include 2 or 3 strength training type sessions into my weekly routine.  

Thanks for reading and I hope you found this post useful for your own training.

Today's circuit training workout

After my marathon last weekend I ave realised I need to raise my game in order to give myself a chance of running a sub 4 hour marathon. 

As well as running more mileage I need to do more strength and conditioning training, with that in mind today I opted for some circuit training instead of going for a run. Here is my workout: