5 weeks to go and counting
The last week has been hectic to say the least, not all the planned training happened nor on the days planned, but with 5 weeks to go and after a good 17 mile run this morning I am feeling good and looking forward to the Peterborough Great Eastern Half next week.
Last Sunday was planned to be 3 laps of Pitsford reservoir, however once I got started from the Holcot Road car park the wind was very strong and in my face so I had a change of plan and headed off to run along the Brampton Valley Way looking for some shelter. I had forgotten how boring the BVW can be especially over 6 miles between Brampton Holt and the Draughton Road but I did get some shelter and when I got to Lamport I headed off to Old and Holcot on roads I had not run on before. When I got to Old I asked to check my directions and was sent in the wrong direction to get back to my car probably adding at least a mile onto the run. I ran 21 miles in 3hours 12'28", in what felt like a slow and heavy legged run probably caused by the number of hills on route.
The working week started with a slow low HR run of 45'08" covering 4.54miles at 9'56" per mile pace on Monday. The run was 71% in HR Z1 although more so as the Garmin data for the first 10 minutes or so was very erratic and in high HR zones. The day was wrapped up with a Pilate's class, small class this week at what felt like a slow pace but still hard work. Tuesday time pressures continued with a shorter fast steady run than planned, with 1 mile warm up, 4.5 miles fast and then 1 mile cool down - it should have been 6.5 miles fast steady. I completed the run in 56'38" with a pace of 8'34" per mile with 75% of the my effort in HR Z2/3.
I was off to Leeds for a conference on Wednesday through to Friday so the rest of the week had to fit in with limited time. I was up early on Wednesday for a run for a low HR easy session, I was out for 62'26" covering 6.24miles at 10' mile pace. No other data as Garmin wasn't playing! Later in the day at the (allegedly) luxury 5* hotel and golf course I went to the gym for an hour for a workout concentrating on core and upper body on the limited range of equipment and space available as well as playing on a power plate for the first time! I had a mid-week long run to fit in so I was up at 5.30am on Thursday morning with a simple out and back route in mind, heading from Oulton Park to Castleford and back for 11 miles. I enjoyed the run even though it was by the side of a busy road as it was misty and moody as the sun came up across the countryside and as I ran into Castleford, an old Roman town, I crossed the canal and headed up towards the castle and was reminded of an alleged 5th century battle at Barnside with all of the myths and legends coming to mind. I was pleased to run the 11 miles in 1hour 37'23" at an 8'50" pace. No Garmin data as it was not cooperating, again.
Friday was a poor weather day with heavy rain and strong winds, the drive back to Northampton wasn't very good so the calls I planned to make on the journey I had to make when I got home which left me with no time to go swimming so I had an unplanned rest day, sometimes the best even if it is frustrating.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny. Off on the bike, limited turn out for the club ride with the clash of races and other events this weekend, only 3 of us. Headed out to Cogenhoe and then Duncan suggested a different route so we headed cross country on some roads I hadn't ridden on before as we went to Broughton then Mawdsley and back via Lamport and Sywell. It ended up a longer ride than expected covering 51.32 miles in 3hours 15'32" at an average pace of 15.7mph with an average HR of 126bpm and cadence of 81rpm. An enjoyable ride, not to demanding with only 1 challenging hill the rest undulating (some big) mixed in with faster stretches.
The prospects for Sunday were not good, the rain started overnight. I had thought I would have another go at the Pitsford run but with the weather decided to do the WRR Sunday run from the Spratton Road car park on the Brampton Valley Way. I was slightly later than planned as I wanted an hour's run before the start of the club run, as I pulled in I could see Graeme Dent getting ready so we headed off together for a 7 mile run before joining the others expected to have to catch them up. The first 7 miles out and back from the car park was fast, we ran the 7 miles at 8'11" per mile pace, a bit on the quick side. As we arrived back at the start we found Terry and the other runners waiting for us so we then headed out on the Lamport loop started on the BVR for a few miles before joining the ripple of hills into Lamport and heading back at a steady pace. It is a really good route as it is in mainly quiet countryside with great views. This part of the run was a lot slower I am pleased to say with the hills being a bit of a struggle. The total distance was 17.02 miles in 2 hours 31'54" giving an overall pace of 8'55" per mile. The HR data was all over the place so not a reliable indicator of the effort. At the end I felt a lot better than last week's long run, it was good to run with other people especially in the poor weather conditions.
Next week will include a taper up to Sunday with easier days on Friday and Saturday as I look for a faster paced run at the Peterborough half marathon.
Last Sunday was planned to be 3 laps of Pitsford reservoir, however once I got started from the Holcot Road car park the wind was very strong and in my face so I had a change of plan and headed off to run along the Brampton Valley Way looking for some shelter. I had forgotten how boring the BVW can be especially over 6 miles between Brampton Holt and the Draughton Road but I did get some shelter and when I got to Lamport I headed off to Old and Holcot on roads I had not run on before. When I got to Old I asked to check my directions and was sent in the wrong direction to get back to my car probably adding at least a mile onto the run. I ran 21 miles in 3hours 12'28", in what felt like a slow and heavy legged run probably caused by the number of hills on route.
The working week started with a slow low HR run of 45'08" covering 4.54miles at 9'56" per mile pace on Monday. The run was 71% in HR Z1 although more so as the Garmin data for the first 10 minutes or so was very erratic and in high HR zones. The day was wrapped up with a Pilate's class, small class this week at what felt like a slow pace but still hard work. Tuesday time pressures continued with a shorter fast steady run than planned, with 1 mile warm up, 4.5 miles fast and then 1 mile cool down - it should have been 6.5 miles fast steady. I completed the run in 56'38" with a pace of 8'34" per mile with 75% of the my effort in HR Z2/3.
I was off to Leeds for a conference on Wednesday through to Friday so the rest of the week had to fit in with limited time. I was up early on Wednesday for a run for a low HR easy session, I was out for 62'26" covering 6.24miles at 10' mile pace. No other data as Garmin wasn't playing! Later in the day at the (allegedly) luxury 5* hotel and golf course I went to the gym for an hour for a workout concentrating on core and upper body on the limited range of equipment and space available as well as playing on a power plate for the first time! I had a mid-week long run to fit in so I was up at 5.30am on Thursday morning with a simple out and back route in mind, heading from Oulton Park to Castleford and back for 11 miles. I enjoyed the run even though it was by the side of a busy road as it was misty and moody as the sun came up across the countryside and as I ran into Castleford, an old Roman town, I crossed the canal and headed up towards the castle and was reminded of an alleged 5th century battle at Barnside with all of the myths and legends coming to mind. I was pleased to run the 11 miles in 1hour 37'23" at an 8'50" pace. No Garmin data as it was not cooperating, again.
Friday was a poor weather day with heavy rain and strong winds, the drive back to Northampton wasn't very good so the calls I planned to make on the journey I had to make when I got home which left me with no time to go swimming so I had an unplanned rest day, sometimes the best even if it is frustrating.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny. Off on the bike, limited turn out for the club ride with the clash of races and other events this weekend, only 3 of us. Headed out to Cogenhoe and then Duncan suggested a different route so we headed cross country on some roads I hadn't ridden on before as we went to Broughton then Mawdsley and back via Lamport and Sywell. It ended up a longer ride than expected covering 51.32 miles in 3hours 15'32" at an average pace of 15.7mph with an average HR of 126bpm and cadence of 81rpm. An enjoyable ride, not to demanding with only 1 challenging hill the rest undulating (some big) mixed in with faster stretches.
The prospects for Sunday were not good, the rain started overnight. I had thought I would have another go at the Pitsford run but with the weather decided to do the WRR Sunday run from the Spratton Road car park on the Brampton Valley Way. I was slightly later than planned as I wanted an hour's run before the start of the club run, as I pulled in I could see Graeme Dent getting ready so we headed off together for a 7 mile run before joining the others expected to have to catch them up. The first 7 miles out and back from the car park was fast, we ran the 7 miles at 8'11" per mile pace, a bit on the quick side. As we arrived back at the start we found Terry and the other runners waiting for us so we then headed out on the Lamport loop started on the BVR for a few miles before joining the ripple of hills into Lamport and heading back at a steady pace. It is a really good route as it is in mainly quiet countryside with great views. This part of the run was a lot slower I am pleased to say with the hills being a bit of a struggle. The total distance was 17.02 miles in 2 hours 31'54" giving an overall pace of 8'55" per mile. The HR data was all over the place so not a reliable indicator of the effort. At the end I felt a lot better than last week's long run, it was good to run with other people especially in the poor weather conditions.
Next week will include a taper up to Sunday with easier days on Friday and Saturday as I look for a faster paced run at the Peterborough half marathon.
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