Category: ‘Daily Diary’

Thrashing out plans late into the evening, as I wasn’t keen on running on Friday evening with a long race Sunday, the only other slot available was the one that meant waking at 6 am and being out the door some time before seven.

I’ve never been good at waking, or doing anything before seven, running is especially difficult, made more so with the sixteen miles but completed until around nine pm the night before.

Somehow I got it of bed a little while after the alarm call, headed downstairs to put on the running gear and managed to get out by 06:40. The first couple of miles were no fun, being closer to nine minute miling than the seven minute I’ve been more used to when running at a sensible hour. Moreover, as it was still dark the out and back park route I normally run was not possible so I had to choose another, hillier, option.

With the worst climb out of the way I settled into a slow but comfortable rhythm. I could have gone on a little longer but I was on a tight deadline to get back to walk the kids to school. In the end another 5.7 miles were in the bank – ones that may help me get that sub-2:45 I’m so keen to achieve.

I’m glad I got the early morning run done rather than not run at all, but I hope it doesn’t have to become too regular an occurrence…

Before the run with GRC it was time to put in my usual four and a bit miles beforehand, although today it was a little closer to five as a few minutes into the run I realised I’d forgotten my hi vis top and running in pitch black country lanes doesn’t come recommended when you cannot be clearly seen. A quick turnaround to pick up the offending item and I back on my way, albeit running now a little faster to make up for lost time.

Once with the club and off running there was plenty of trainer talk, running styles and races entered in the upcoming months. The pace was mostly leisurely on the clockwise Sproxton circuit, but me and Ben up front picked up the pace on the uphill mile out of Sproxton itself, averaging 06:18 pace, and then on the run from Harlaxton down to Grantham on the A607 (fast becoming a favorite section of mine) I managed four fifths of a mile at 05:37 pace.

Those blasts out of the way it was a jog back to base, some more trainer talk and then running on back home. All in just shy of sixteen miles run in under two hours.

Today I had six miles down on the hastily constructed training plan. I decided once awake and being able to walk the kids to school without too much difficulty that I should aim to reacquaint myself with my Wednesday morning longer recovery run – a strategy I adopted in the autumn months of last year seemingly with no ill effects and presumably with some positive ones as my form was as good as its ever been.

I set off to do ten miles, which is handily exactly how far it is on a run I found last year, thanks to Grantham Running Club, that takes me out of Grantham to Little Ponton and back in a circular fashion. The legs were a little stiff and sore for the first two miles or so, but by no means was it impossible to run.

Before I came to live in Lincolnshire, I assumed that it was once vast flatland. Thankfully Grantham busts that myth with a myriad of lung-busting climbs. Today I tackled the climb on the A52 past RAF Spitalgate. I find that a tough old climb is a good way of telling the legs not to bother moaning on something as forgiving as flat ground – and so it proved today. Once the climb was done the legs felt fresher on the run of flat to gently undulating terrain that followed to Little Ponton. A reminder of the recent heavy rain was found at the bottom of a fairly steep hill where the road was entirely flooded with water – thankfully there was a small grass verge I could navigate across without fear of getting feet unnecessarily wet.

Leaving Little Ponton saw the last climb of the day successfully tackled. I put back on the headphones I’d removed whilst on the country lanes – not good etiquette in my book to wear them on the road – quietly cursing how twisted and tangled they could become in just the 20 minutes or so they’d been in my pocket. From then on it was a steady, but as it happened increasingly quick run down back into Grantham and home.

No real pains except the right groin I tweaked a little round a left hand turn yesterday was a little tighter than I’d anticipated. I’m sure I can dial that pain out with a little massage this evening. A protein shake and a good dose of sardines should mean the legs are ready for a long slow one tomorrow evening with the club.

With the base period over and with the Rotterdam Marathon entered it was time to get down to business in the first week of marathon training proper and the first hard session.

First things first there was the morning school run (walk), then an hour or so later and easy four and a quarter mile run, made a bit harder as it was to Great Gonerby and back, which involves a hefty climb which is said to be 8% on the road sign, but on the pavement which veers away from the road, feels a fair bit steeper. That climb over in the first two miles the rest of the run was a simple affair.

The afternoon saw a repeat of the school run. A cheeky few minutes shut eye on the sofa watching snooker before cooking the kids’ dinner, plus a strong coffee, and I was ready for the second run of the day.

I’d considered doing intervals with the club if they were doing 800s, 1km or 1 mile reps. As it was they were doing sprints so I opted to do a marathon pace session. A former staple of my training, I’ve not done any real sustained pace sessions since coming to Grantham so it felt hard going in the first couple of miles, especially trying to control the breathing in the cold conditions.

I soon settled into a pace dictated partly by keeping under my marathon max HR but more by what I felt I could realistically sustain for a marathon. I was pleased that after a fairly slow opening mile, the pace came down so that in the final miles I was hitting something close to 06:10 pace, which is a fair bit inside what is needed to break 2:45.

At the start of the run eight miles at this pace felt impossible. By the end I’d covered nearer nine and felt as though I could have gone on. A shade under 55 minutes for 8.75 miles at an average of 06:16 and it was job done and once again very encouraging for what was surely the quickest opening marathon paced run of the year I’ve ever done.