Epilogue - Daring Greatly

And so it ends, not with a bang but with a whimper.

3:06:54 - about a minute and a half slower than last time out, wasn't exactly how I wanted it to pan out. That's not the whole story though, the fact is that the training left me feeling in better shape than ever and I genuinely thought that something in the region of 3 hours was possible. On another day it probably was.

To avoid repeating myself, most of what I wanted to say is on the post I wrote for the club. Have a read of that HERE and then come back....

Done?

Right, it isn't all bad - there are lots of positives. Smashing a series of PBs en route has shown me the benefit of an actual training plan rather than the half-arsed attempts of previous years. It's something I can build on over Autumn and Winter. After the required rest, I'll be planning on not embarrassing myself in the Cross Country season and then look to post some properly quick times over some shorter distances. 

The simple fact is I don't regret trying to go for a quicker time, if it had worked I'd have looked like a genius. Sadly however!

When you are dealing with such fine margins, disappointment is a necessary part of it. It just makes me more determined to get things right on the next time out. Speaking of which - the London ballot is out in a few weeks. Maybe I'll be blogging again in the New Year...

Point of Departure

Three Days to Go

I'm writing this when I really should be sleeping, although I know that I won't be able to. Mainly because I'll be lying awake thinking of things I should be packing, or how I'm going to fall foul of the increasingly draconian baggage allowances.

Tomorrow I fly to Reykjavik so it's all over now bar the shouting. Just three simple tasks for the day:

1) Catch flight

2) Get to hotel (fingers crossed the online booking worked...)

3) Pick up race number from the Expo (assuming again that I can find it)

After that, it's sightseeing for a day and a half before an early night ready for the race.

Running has essentially stopped now until Saturday. I went out at club on Monday and did 6 and a half at 8 minute mile pace - probably the slowest of the entire training cycle, but necessary. I ran with a new member who recently ran his first marathon in 2:47, which puts things into perspective! Lots of support from friends which has helped calm the nerves - although the suggestion from one that I would run 2:55 didn't really help. The natural pessimist in me is now in full effect. 

There hasn't been any other running, 'The Plan' mentions a few short ones but I decided to deviate as before my last marathon I found doing almost nothing in the week before was the best policy. I did go to the gym tonight to try and burn off some nervous energy though.

Well that's it. I'll try and post something, wi-fi permitting, but if not my thoughts will have to wait until post-race.

I'll see you on the other side. 

The Event Horizon..

6 Days to Go

There was a time not too long ago when the thought of a 12 mile run of a Sunday morning would fill me with dread. Now, as I enter the last week of this training programme, it's a blessed relief. I thought that the old faithful route along the Rea Valley would be a nice change - before the marathon I used to   do it practically every week, nowadays I can't remember the last time I ran the whole way up to Northfield and back.

EDIT: According to the oracle that is Strava, it was at the end of March and I was twenty seconds faster than today. Ordinarily I'd be worried - but I hadn't had four months of 40-plus mile weeks back then. Actually, any excuse to be worried...

So that's just about it for the training. Next week is race week so Monday's club run will be little more than an exercise in calming the nerves, then a mandated session on Wednesday with a couple of miles at race pace before I put myself in the hands of Icelandair.

I've checked the weather and, barring a potential for showers on the day, conditions look damn near perfect. Training has gone about as well as it could. Even a natural pessimist like myself is struggling to find many negatives in the build-up.

Starting to get very nervous.

The Business End

8 Days to Go

The big day looms ever closer, this time next week I'll probably be entertaining thoughts of an early night before the race when in reality I'll be lying awake all night. Before then, I reached another milestone with my final session of speed work of the whole programme.

To the general bemusement of my running comrades, I decided to enter the annual BRAT 5k that takes place around Rowheath. People wondered why on earth I was doing it a week before the race but there was method in my madness. 'The Plan' called for 8 miles running with 3 x 1500 hard reps, so I thought that an actual 5k race would be an adequate substitute.

There is also the fact that this particular race and I have unfinished business. It was the first proper race that I ever ran - only a few weeks after joining the club and only to try and impress a girl. After wheezing my way around for the first time and cursing myself for my stupidity I developed a special hatred for the event - compounded by the subsequent three years when I failed to dip under 20 minutes on each occasion.

This year, the race again lived up to billing with a hard slog over two laps leaving me absolutely knackered at the end. That said, I did manage to knock twenty seconds off last year's time so a good psychological boost for next week. No doubt despite my protestations I'll be back again next year - who knows, I might even learn to pace it properly rather than going all guns blazing at the downhill start and frantically trying to hang on at the end...

One more 12 mile run booked in for Sunday and then it's basically all over bar the shouting. Time to start packing.

Final Tune-Up

13 Days to Go

We're almost there, and despite my initial scepticism, the race yesterday did me the world of good. The Stourbridge Stumble probably wouldn't be everyone's first choice of a tune-up run - seeing as it's mostly off road, very hilly and involves a fair chunk of running of sand - but it fit in with the plan so needs must in the circumstances.

Not for the first time during the training, I ended up running in some less than ideal weather. This time it was the heat (not sure why I'm surprised, it was August) however my previous runs home and in particular the Black Country Half meant that I was better prepared than some. Fellow Harriers Paul  Gorman and Mat Pollard seemed particularly affected by it which was a shame as they're both running well.

The race itself was the usual for Stourbridge - a steady start before a frantic dash to get a good position before the single file sections, holding off runners on the uphill sections before they passed me on the flat and then me passing them again on the sandy bit. This time I really felt the benefit of all the training as I spent the last mile in a bit of a battle with another runner before getting the jump on him in the last few hundred meters for a strong finish.

Overall, knackered but a good day at the office. So much so, I broke my detox rule and treated myself to a couple of Norwegian beers once I got home...

...which was a bit daft considering I still had to do a reasonably long run in the morning. I made it up and down the canal but it was a tough old slog. A combination of race fatigue, heat and a hangover didn't make for a particularly pleasant experience. Oh well, it was entirely self-inflicted so can't complain. At least I have the knowledge that it was the last long run I'll be doing. Until the big day obviously.

Soon be time to start packing...

Overthinking...

16 Days to Go

This is already getting ridiculous, I'm only three days into the taper and I'm already climbing the walls metaphorically speaking. It certainly wasn't this bad last year. Monday's club run was a nice, steady effort - apart from the first two miles which I did at a daft pace in order to catch up with Mike and friends. Not sure why I did this - it's obviously of no benefit, and there are lots of other nice people in the club to run with!

After a day off yesterday apart from a trip to gym, tonight brought another rep session. The plan of 5 lots of 600m runs was successfully executed over at Rowheath with extra points for dodging both the showers, a man flying a kite and the inevitable group of the youth. Managed to do the 8 miles and make it back before 7 o'clock which was a rare triumph.

Despite this activity, the mind is still racing ahead to the big day. I keep catching myself checking the weather forecast for Reykjavik - which is entirely useless since the race is still over two weeks away. There's meticulous planning and then there's a descent into outright madness! Hopefully Saturday's race at Stourbridge will help to burn off some nervous energy. 

It's either that, or start planning my Iceland itinerary...

Peak Performance

20 Days to Go

Made it! I'll be honest and admit that there were a few points over the last few weeks when I genuinely thought that I wouldn't, but today marked both the heaviest week in terms of mileage and the end of the hard weeks of training. From now on, it's tapering all the way.

A final 20 mile run was the order of the day, again along the canal into town before looping back through Summerfield Park - an unusual choice admittedly, but it did mean I could add another tick to my owl spotting list. Overall, it was a bit slower than previous weeks but that is probably due to deliberately trying to run the first few miles a bit slower so that I wasn't absolutely exhausted by the end. Unsurprisingly this didn't work.

Daft tactics aside, I still made it in a decent time and could reward myself with a big lunch and the knowledge that the next few weeks will involve progressively less running leading up to the big day. Of course the running will now be replaced by increasing levels of introspection. Have I put in enough training? Did I do it at the right pace? 

In the end, all this is entirely meaningless. There are only so many hours in the day and I'm pretty sure that I've spent far too many of them running in the last few weeks to the detriment of other activity. Ultimately, I've done as much training as I can. We shall see in a few weeks if it's enough...

That said, to stop myself going slightly bonkers through second guessing myself, 'The Plan' recommends a 10k race next week to clear the head. Handily, that fits in with the Stourbridge Stagger so a Saturday evening out beckons. 

Before that, I have to content with a new broom at work as our new boss starts in post tomorrow. I sense some meaningless charts in the offing...