So Far So Good...

121 Days to Go

Two days of running under my belt now. Tuesday went better than expected - Kangaroo Court wasn't in session and my day at work was again enlivened by the presence of 'The Shadow' in the office. The man absolutely fascinates me - he appears to have coasted through the last 28 years of his working life , producing absolutely nothing tangible but has still managed to work in some of the most interesting areas of business. It should make me angry, but it takes sheer effort to get away with it and such audacity must really be applauded.

Hellish traffic on the way home increased my journey by about an hour so it was through the door, quick change and out for the first run - a threshold session. I must admit to a shiver of excitement as my Garmin ticked towards the three mile mark and the four scheduled miles at pace began. I chose Cannon Hill park again, reasoning that it would allow me space to get up to speed without having to constantly stop at junctions. Oh, the travails of city living!

The miles were consistent which was a good omen for Stratford. Even better was the fact that I was only harangued by one member of The Youth. He ran with me for about ten yards before giving up - likely due to the danger of tripping over his ridiculously outsize pants. I can only put the lack of interest down to either looking like someone they don't want to mess with, or being too quick for them. Either is fine in my book.

Wednesday and 'The Plan' calls for a weekly medium-long run. I thought the most sensible approach was to run home from work. In the end it worked quite well, the route isn't particularly exciting but seems to be a similar gradient to the marathon course which will hopefully benefit me in a few months. Plus, the thought of dripping my sweat over the more affluent areas of the Midlands appeals to my inner left-wing firebrand...

Again, it was a good consistent pace and the route means that I can add extra loops of Moseley and surrounding environs as the mileage demands increase. Overall then, an encouraging start.

Tomorrow we are having a rare visit at work from Management to give us the lowdown on the Brave New World we will shortly be embarking on. Like most of their proclamations, it doesn't fill me with much confidence. Then in the evening it's back down the club with a steady run in the schedule. I just hope that with the London Marathon on the horizon, someone will be there to run with me!

- As an aside, I saw this yesterday. I could get used to being above average at something!

"Nothing Important Happened Today..."

Week One - 123 Days to Go

So it begins - somewhat underwhelmingly it must be said. I wasn't expecting a fanfare, but it is slightly dispiriting to open the the Big Book of Marathon Training only to be told that the first order of business is  "Rest Day or Cross Training".

Nevertheless, if I am to succeed then the plan must be followed. So, after work it was straight down the gym for an hour. Nothing else to say really except that, sadly, my favourite gym regular - the chap who looks like an Asian Danny Glover wearing the world's shiniest tracksuit and whose entire workout consists of an hour of sit-ups - wasn't in attendance.

After that it was the Bournville Harriers AGM and then home. 'The Plan' promises actual running tomorrow, just have to survive work and the likelihood of an appearance at Kangaroo Court. I expect that in a few weeks I'll be praying for any sort of rest day so I should really enjoy them while I can.

Not the most inspiring beginning but, as the Chinese philosopher Lao Tsu said: "the longest journey begins with a single step". 

I'm not sure if he ever ran a 'Good for Age' time though...

Confidence Building

A surprisingly productive weekend on a number of fronts. It was of course the last one before marathon training begins properly (Monday 20th is D-Day) and hit a couple of milestones. 

I decided to head down to Parkrun for this first time in almost a year. Officially my last visit was three  years ago, however I did make an incognito appearance last July as part of a somewhat unconventional date (that didn't go anywhere either, this seems to be a recurring pattern). In the end it went well and my time of 19:33 was only six seconds off my 5k PB - although on my Garmin it was actually 19:28. I could probably have been a bit quicker as well if I hadn't a) rolled out of bed about 45 minutes before the start and b) not started too far back in the ridiculously big crowd of participants.

My main reason for going was psychological. More than most, as any race approaches,  I suffer from doubts about my ability to maintain a pace over the distance. So with the Stratford half next week, a quick 5k at about 25 seconds a mile faster than my target for then allows me to think that a decent time and consistent running is possible. Silencing those nagging doubts will be crucial as the miles stack up over the next few months.

Today I did my usual 10 miles circuit down the Rea Valley. It wasn't the quickest, but crucially I felt pretty fresh both during and afterwards. We'll see how I feel next week after the first week of proper training has taken it's toll.

On a non-running matter, I also made a big dent in my final University essay of the year. This was particularly pleasing, I've struggled and procrastinated over it for the past few weeks - but in my defence I think most people would struggle to sum up any aspect of the Arab-Israeli conflict in only 3000 words...

More Hills...

The weekend's festivities caught up with me quite severely after Monday's run so the next day any thoughts of running were ditched for an early night. The joys of growing old!

So tonight run was my first one out for a couple of days. It wasn't the greatest turnout, most of the Thursday regulars were deep into tapering for marathons over the next few weeks (good luck to everyone running Manchester this Sunday) so mostly I was on my own.

The session was continuous hills and, in a pleasant sign that summer is on the way, was held at Cotteridge Park. A short course, but consistent running up and down the hills. It was also a pleasant boost after recent weeks to overtake everyone (some more than once!) - in fact I was sufficiently emboldened to contemplate a trip to Cannon Hill on Saturday morning to try my hand at Parkrun.

Of course, they say that running helps to relieve stress. If this is true then my increased performance is probably due to recent events at work. The way things are going, I could be looking at a world record time at Reykjavik...

Basics...

A great weekend in Liverpool, good to catch up with people but a sad reminder of the inevitable march of time. Not long ago I wouldn't have thought twice about two days drinking. Now however, I still feel a bit cherished two days on. 

So with the only PBs this weekend being the amount of booze consumed in a single twelve hour period, it was good to get out to the club for a run. Even better the longer nights are making canal runs a viable option. 

Sadly, I forgot to check my Garmin before heading out so upon reaching the Pavilion realised it was entirely out of battery. Another lesson in adequate planning.

I ran about 8 miles with Mike and Ian at a decent pace. You'll just have to take my word for it though won't you?

The Calm Before the Storm

Hit the club tonight (I must admit that I quite like the new beer garden set up at the Pavilion - not sure if it's very Bournville though) but chickened out of the rep session. It was a strength one, which usually involves shuttle runs interspersed with sit-ups. The last time I did them I ended up pulling something in my back, obviously this was my fault but it's still left me wary.

Instead I went out for a steady run with Stu and John, a nice pace and excellent timing down the canal to get to Bournville just as it was getting dark. To be honest, the long run was probably the better idea  as there won't be much activity this weekend due to heading to the Grand National for a Stag Do. The bets have been placed and the pink shirt is specially ironed.

I anticipate no more running until Monday. Just the the aftermath of a race, the recovery time from drinking is getting longer. 

A Walk in the Park

Pretty simple idea today - a three mile-ish threshold run (the ish being how far it is around Cannon Hill Park twice and then back out again). It went quite well, as I felt truly terrible by the end but didn't appear to slow down during it. I'm still running quicker than the half marathon pace that I should be doing, yet more evidence that I need to sort out my pacing pretty sharpish.

The main problem was that the unnaturally pleasant weather meant that the park was pretty much packed by the time I got there, turning the run into an obstacle course at times. Starve obsessives can attribute the slight drop in place to the points when I had to weave around oblivious walkers.

In other news, I've noticed that my increase in performance can be directly correlated to stress at work. This means that tomorrow's run with the club will probably be at a world record pace...