“If you want to run faster, you need to run slower” read the quote from an old edition of Runners World as I lay in the bath trying to relax my aching muscle this morning. The idea behind the quote is that instead of charging off like a headless chicken over the first km then dieing an ignominious death 500 metres later you start off controlled, picking up the pace during the race for a faster overall finish time.
Looking out the window of my editing studio at the blustery, wet and cold conditions I did for a minute think that running the 5km race today could be missed. Besides I had had a great track session on Tuesday and a good 16 mile steady tempo run on Wednesday but unfortunately it’s not really in my nature to turn down a race.
The field was not as strong as usual due to a number of runners taking place in a national relay competition on Saturday, but there were still a number of good runners that would push me today.
My legs felt pretty heavy as the gun went off and thankfully the first 1km into a strong head wind up along the side of Hyde Park was relatively slow at 3:30. Tucked in behind the lead pack of 6 or 7 runners I felt relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of being in control. Past 2km the pack had been whittled down to 3 and I started to sense that I might get my second win in as many weeks. By the 3rd km it was down to me and a fellow Serpentine runner called Eric Phillips. The previous month he had run past me at this point, finishing more then 20 seconds in front and would not have been unduly concerned about my presence.
My advantage would be that he had no idea how much training I had done over the last month and passing under the bridge at 3.5km I wanted to see how he was feeling and surged up the hill creating a 3 second gap. I was feeling great, feeling like a real runner, I was in the unfamiliar position of leading this race and loving it, looking back now to my first outing over the course I finished down in 78th in over 20 minutes. Back then it would have been almost unimaginable to be in this position.
Eric was still there however and breathing down my neck with 400 metres to go, I knew and he knew that if it came down to a sprint finish he would win so I tried to up the tempo again, but with just over 200 metres to go he came passed me. I tired to respond but it was too late, my vision started to blur and darken due to the lack of oxygen to my brain (or it might have had something to do with shutting my eyes). My efforts had been in vain, disappointingly I finished only 1 second behind him.
The time 16:57 was not that quick and 17 seconds slow then I had hoped for, but through 4km it felt like I was on a fast paced tempo run. What the race taught me was the need for good pace judgement from the start; certainly for the longer races pacing will be everything.
Friday 28 September 2007
OVERTRAINING SYNDROME
Last week I dropped out of the first race that I have every entered. It was a 10 mile race staring at 7:45am in Battersea Park which I was treating as a tempo run. Through 5 miles I felt alright, not moving great, tight hamstrings but matching stride for stride with a good runner from Belgrave Harriers. A mile and a half later I just stopped… I had had enough…
Was it the early start, lack of breakfast and warm up time, heavy training load over the last few weeks, or was it the idea of running another 2 and a half laps around a park circuit that I have done a hundred times and suffered so much in the process.
Earlier in the week I stopped during another tempo run – I had had a very tough few days training and realised that I was working too hard for the pace so just jogged in the final few miles. Is this experience coming into play or am I getting mentally weaker?
Overtraining syndrome has been researched extensively in runners – increase in quantity, quality, stress not enough sleep are all to blame. It affects every runner in a different way and can play havoc to a training programme and race results.
Chronic fatigue is the general side effect of over training, the effect on the body are clear but to me it’s the mind that can be just as easily effected by this. Due to the nature of the Road to Beijing project I feel that I have been on the precipice of overtraining since I started running in January 2006.
Looking through my old training logs in the 18 week build up to the Paris Marathon it amazed me that I could handle the work load then. Some weeks I was running 2 track, 2 tempo, 1 hill session and a 25 mile long run. What’s interesting is that my minds motivation to reach the target for the Marathon blocked out the body’s fatigue.
One of my best results the Wokingham half marathon (1:15:23) came after a period of overtraining. On the Thursday evening down the track I ran 3 x 1 mile – 5:30, 5:42, 6:10 collapsing exhausted afterwards. This should not have been that tough a session but on the 3km jog back home I noted in my log that I cried due to being so tired.
What I have learnt from looking back through the old log is that you can get away with overtraining for a short period of time but over a sustained period it will come back and hit you hard.
A few days of easy running/rest should do it… I hope…
Was it the early start, lack of breakfast and warm up time, heavy training load over the last few weeks, or was it the idea of running another 2 and a half laps around a park circuit that I have done a hundred times and suffered so much in the process.
Earlier in the week I stopped during another tempo run – I had had a very tough few days training and realised that I was working too hard for the pace so just jogged in the final few miles. Is this experience coming into play or am I getting mentally weaker?
Overtraining syndrome has been researched extensively in runners – increase in quantity, quality, stress not enough sleep are all to blame. It affects every runner in a different way and can play havoc to a training programme and race results.
Chronic fatigue is the general side effect of over training, the effect on the body are clear but to me it’s the mind that can be just as easily effected by this. Due to the nature of the Road to Beijing project I feel that I have been on the precipice of overtraining since I started running in January 2006.
Looking through my old training logs in the 18 week build up to the Paris Marathon it amazed me that I could handle the work load then. Some weeks I was running 2 track, 2 tempo, 1 hill session and a 25 mile long run. What’s interesting is that my minds motivation to reach the target for the Marathon blocked out the body’s fatigue.
One of my best results the Wokingham half marathon (1:15:23) came after a period of overtraining. On the Thursday evening down the track I ran 3 x 1 mile – 5:30, 5:42, 6:10 collapsing exhausted afterwards. This should not have been that tough a session but on the 3km jog back home I noted in my log that I cried due to being so tired.
What I have learnt from looking back through the old log is that you can get away with overtraining for a short period of time but over a sustained period it will come back and hit you hard.
A few days of easy running/rest should do it… I hope…
Sunday 16 September 2007
First Race Win!
It had been a long time coming, but for the first time since the start of The Road to Beijing project I managed to win a 10km race. I entered the race in Clapham Common as a last minute re think as I had confused the date of next months Henley Half Marathon. Having read reports by last years entrants complaining that the race was in fact 12.3 km might have had something to do with a rather weaker field, with the more competitive minded runners worrying about the chances of getting a PB. Races that are 100 metres or so long are short are annoying but 2.3km long is just ridiculous.
I had one aim in mind and that was to stick with the leaders for as long as possible and finish as high up as I could, a time would be pointless so I decided to leave my watch at home. 400 or so runners toed the line and after a fast start over 500 meters I snuck in behind the lead pair trying to ascertain how good they really were. One guy was breathing way to hard for this earlier on but the other guy although older looked strong and experienced. After the first 2km or so I decided to put in a 30 second surge to see if he could stay with me. The gap opened at once and remained for the remainder of the the first of three laps, but the second place runner had changed, I did not recognise him from the start and he was beginning to close the gap.
I felt very relaxed, but decided that now was the time to step it up a gear, I felt like I was reaping the benefits of the hard work in training over the last two months. I still could not quite believe that I was winning, I was in the lead of a race and by quite some way. Towards the end of the second lap I started to lap some of the slower runners and decided that as I was still feeling very fresh I would pick it up another notch. By now the challenge from behind was fading and even though I knew the gap must have been more then a minute I could not quite bring myself to believe that I was going to win a race. With 1km to go I was passing the bulk of the field. I passed one group of guys who cried out as I passed them "you've got to be joking, that's so unfair" another commented "Its alright for some" as I steamed passed. It did make be think however that this guy trundling along was me 18 months earlier, I don't have a genetic advantage over him, it's just that I have been prepared to train harder then him, and Yes I am afraid it is fair that I am lapping you.
I cruised the final km and crossed the line, awesome, love it, I've won a race! I was presented with champagne and gave a quick speech about how well all the runners were doing, the merits of the charity "Starfish" and also had time to congratulate the 2nd and 3rd place runners before jumping in the car and headed home. Job done.
The Serpentine 5km at the end of the month won't be quite this easy.
I had one aim in mind and that was to stick with the leaders for as long as possible and finish as high up as I could, a time would be pointless so I decided to leave my watch at home. 400 or so runners toed the line and after a fast start over 500 meters I snuck in behind the lead pair trying to ascertain how good they really were. One guy was breathing way to hard for this earlier on but the other guy although older looked strong and experienced. After the first 2km or so I decided to put in a 30 second surge to see if he could stay with me. The gap opened at once and remained for the remainder of the the first of three laps, but the second place runner had changed, I did not recognise him from the start and he was beginning to close the gap.
I felt very relaxed, but decided that now was the time to step it up a gear, I felt like I was reaping the benefits of the hard work in training over the last two months. I still could not quite believe that I was winning, I was in the lead of a race and by quite some way. Towards the end of the second lap I started to lap some of the slower runners and decided that as I was still feeling very fresh I would pick it up another notch. By now the challenge from behind was fading and even though I knew the gap must have been more then a minute I could not quite bring myself to believe that I was going to win a race. With 1km to go I was passing the bulk of the field. I passed one group of guys who cried out as I passed them "you've got to be joking, that's so unfair" another commented "Its alright for some" as I steamed passed. It did make be think however that this guy trundling along was me 18 months earlier, I don't have a genetic advantage over him, it's just that I have been prepared to train harder then him, and Yes I am afraid it is fair that I am lapping you.
I cruised the final km and crossed the line, awesome, love it, I've won a race! I was presented with champagne and gave a quick speech about how well all the runners were doing, the merits of the charity "Starfish" and also had time to congratulate the 2nd and 3rd place runners before jumping in the car and headed home. Job done.
The Serpentine 5km at the end of the month won't be quite this easy.
Thursday 13 September 2007
The experience of age
8 weeks ago author of "The 50 Greatest Marathon Race" Will Cockerell invited me down to join in a with a group of runners at Battersea park track coached by one of Britain's best coaches 80 year old Frank Horwill.
I hated every minute of the first few sessions. I was unfit, overweight and pretty disillusioned with the state of my own running and the course of the documentary at that time. I did know that if I stuck it out and came week in week out it would get easier and in turn become a more rewarding experience.
My cameraman turned up to film one of the first track sessions, this was at a time when I was still getting quite a few abusive e-mails from runners angry about the way I was making the documentary. I was rather sheepish and apprehensive of the what the other runners down at the track would think. Fortunately for me they are a great bunch of people who are highly motivated and encouraging in equal measures to those around them.
This evening after the first 500 metre rep I had a really painful stitch in my diaphragm. I asked Frank what the best way to get rid of it was. Stitches are something that every runner experiences and over the years I have tried every methods of getting rid of them; breathing all the way in/out, stamping it out etc. Franks said "ahh now, get to your knees and bend over". I cautiously got to the ground half expecting Frank to shock the stitch out of me by kicking me. He picked up my legs and pulled them up over my head so that I was in a vertical handstand position and began to count to ten.
Amazingly after this I ran the remanding 10 sets without any discomfort. After the sessions I thanked Frank and asked him where he had learnt this trick "Ahh, you see the thing is when you get to my age one is very well read. I learnt it from a group studying the causes of stitches in New Zealand. They found out that if you tip someone on their head the ligaments around the diaphragm release and prevent the cramping" he ended this with his trade mark smile and walked off with his hands behind his back.
I hated every minute of the first few sessions. I was unfit, overweight and pretty disillusioned with the state of my own running and the course of the documentary at that time. I did know that if I stuck it out and came week in week out it would get easier and in turn become a more rewarding experience.
My cameraman turned up to film one of the first track sessions, this was at a time when I was still getting quite a few abusive e-mails from runners angry about the way I was making the documentary. I was rather sheepish and apprehensive of the what the other runners down at the track would think. Fortunately for me they are a great bunch of people who are highly motivated and encouraging in equal measures to those around them.
This evening after the first 500 metre rep I had a really painful stitch in my diaphragm. I asked Frank what the best way to get rid of it was. Stitches are something that every runner experiences and over the years I have tried every methods of getting rid of them; breathing all the way in/out, stamping it out etc. Franks said "ahh now, get to your knees and bend over". I cautiously got to the ground half expecting Frank to shock the stitch out of me by kicking me. He picked up my legs and pulled them up over my head so that I was in a vertical handstand position and began to count to ten.
Amazingly after this I ran the remanding 10 sets without any discomfort. After the sessions I thanked Frank and asked him where he had learnt this trick "Ahh, you see the thing is when you get to my age one is very well read. I learnt it from a group studying the causes of stitches in New Zealand. They found out that if you tip someone on their head the ligaments around the diaphragm release and prevent the cramping" he ended this with his trade mark smile and walked off with his hands behind his back.
Sunday 9 September 2007
Middlesex & Open 10km
Last weeks 5km had give me a real boost of confidence. Not because it was particually quick or that I ran that well but I felt that I was approaching some kind of form again. Today's 10km had a very strong field with club runners from all over London taking part. It was also the Serpentine RC club championships 10km race and there must have been about 100 member turning out.
Over the last 2 weeks I have been really working on my speed over 300-500 meters at far faster then 5km pace and today it really paid off. As always the race started way to fast, through 1km in 3:20, however I was not overly concerned as by 5km I had over taken a number of the more eager runner and settled into a good steady rhythm.
The only problem with concentrating on speed is that you tend to neglect distance and by 8km I was starting to feel the effects of not running over 16miles in the last 2 months. Coming into the finish with just over 200 meters to go a veteran runner huffed and puffed his way passed my in long kick for the finish. I reacted well and caught up along side with 100 meters to go. I glanced at the clock - 34:55 - in a bid to squeze a few more seconds from my time and create a competitive sprint for the line I mentioned to my fellow competitor "That he was doing well for an old man" at this we both took off for the line, him through anger at this young upstart's cheek and myself at the thought of saying this and then being beaten.
I pipped him to it, before projectile vomiting over the finish line. Before I had time to catch my breath my fellow competitor who was now red in the face demanded my age. Spluttering to explain my tactics he soon saw the funny side of it.
35:05 and a PB by over 20 seconds (I think I have run 34:30 in a half marathon) but another good solid result to build on.
The evening before I had been around at a friends house having dinner when he said to me that although what I am doing is very commendable I could not win with the project. He explained further that if say next year you run a marathon in the 2:20's people will say "Well he had loads of talent" and if I did not break 2:40 then they will say "Well he did not train hard enough".
The documentary will explain why some people are more suited to running faster then others, but that even if you are not well suited to running you can still achive a great deal. I could have taken a half hearted attitude that if I ran a 3:00 hour marathon and then said "That it I'm not going to run any faster because xyz" then the documentary would not work. It will only work on the basis that the effort level is extraordinary, and only then can you say I gave it everything.
Over the last 2 weeks I have been really working on my speed over 300-500 meters at far faster then 5km pace and today it really paid off. As always the race started way to fast, through 1km in 3:20, however I was not overly concerned as by 5km I had over taken a number of the more eager runner and settled into a good steady rhythm.
The only problem with concentrating on speed is that you tend to neglect distance and by 8km I was starting to feel the effects of not running over 16miles in the last 2 months. Coming into the finish with just over 200 meters to go a veteran runner huffed and puffed his way passed my in long kick for the finish. I reacted well and caught up along side with 100 meters to go. I glanced at the clock - 34:55 - in a bid to squeze a few more seconds from my time and create a competitive sprint for the line I mentioned to my fellow competitor "That he was doing well for an old man" at this we both took off for the line, him through anger at this young upstart's cheek and myself at the thought of saying this and then being beaten.
I pipped him to it, before projectile vomiting over the finish line. Before I had time to catch my breath my fellow competitor who was now red in the face demanded my age. Spluttering to explain my tactics he soon saw the funny side of it.
35:05 and a PB by over 20 seconds (I think I have run 34:30 in a half marathon) but another good solid result to build on.
The evening before I had been around at a friends house having dinner when he said to me that although what I am doing is very commendable I could not win with the project. He explained further that if say next year you run a marathon in the 2:20's people will say "Well he had loads of talent" and if I did not break 2:40 then they will say "Well he did not train hard enough".
The documentary will explain why some people are more suited to running faster then others, but that even if you are not well suited to running you can still achive a great deal. I could have taken a half hearted attitude that if I ran a 3:00 hour marathon and then said "That it I'm not going to run any faster because xyz" then the documentary would not work. It will only work on the basis that the effort level is extraordinary, and only then can you say I gave it everything.
Saturday 8 September 2007
Abdi
On Wednesday evening I joined a number of Serpentine Club runners for a steady run around the 3 Parks (Hyde, Green and St James's) at around 4:00 per km pace. I was feeling a little stiff from the track session the previous evening but good enough to get a good run in.
During the run a friend of mine Abdi came bounding up alongside me before we had a good chat about how his training was going. Half way round our conversation was cut short when Abdi informed me that he had to take his leg off to drain the sweat in the knee socket caused by the humidity in the air!
In one of the first races that i did over the Serpentine 5km course I was approaching 3km and noticed Abdi a few seconds in front of me and was staggered at how well he was running. I thought there was no way that I was going to be beaten by a guy with one leg, to my relief I did beat him... by a few seconds.
It is amazing what he has achieved and the courage and humility that he goes about it. Unfortunately he won't be able to run in the Paralympics next year due to the distances only going up to 400 meters but he does tell me that he is going to be running the London Marathon! If he does I can assure you that he will beat a great many abled bodied athletes and he'll do it with a big smile on his face.
During the run a friend of mine Abdi came bounding up alongside me before we had a good chat about how his training was going. Half way round our conversation was cut short when Abdi informed me that he had to take his leg off to drain the sweat in the knee socket caused by the humidity in the air!
In one of the first races that i did over the Serpentine 5km course I was approaching 3km and noticed Abdi a few seconds in front of me and was staggered at how well he was running. I thought there was no way that I was going to be beaten by a guy with one leg, to my relief I did beat him... by a few seconds.
It is amazing what he has achieved and the courage and humility that he goes about it. Unfortunately he won't be able to run in the Paralympics next year due to the distances only going up to 400 meters but he does tell me that he is going to be running the London Marathon! If he does I can assure you that he will beat a great many abled bodied athletes and he'll do it with a big smile on his face.
Wednesday 5 September 2007
The need for Speed!
Down at the track last night I joined the 800 and 1500 runners group who were running 10 x 300 metre repetitions at their 1500 meters pace. I dawned on me during the session the importance of speed in Marathon running.
While training for the Paris Marathon I had got to a stage where my 5km time was run at almost the same speed as that which I could achieve over a half marathon. This was a great indication of how much endurance I had built up but that while running at 3:30 per km was reasonably comfortable running at anything faster then 3:20 per km spelt disaster.
What I realised during the running of the 300's last night was that I was running at my 400 meter race pace and even if I had wanted to run quicker I just did not have the speed in my legs to achive this. This brings me back to a comment made by Emil Zatopek on his training methods, "Why should I practice running slow? I already know how to run slow. I want to learn to run fast." Although churning out 100 x 400 meter reps for a week might not be advisable I am certainly coming around to the importance of speed in my training.
While training for the Paris Marathon I had got to a stage where my 5km time was run at almost the same speed as that which I could achieve over a half marathon. This was a great indication of how much endurance I had built up but that while running at 3:30 per km was reasonably comfortable running at anything faster then 3:20 per km spelt disaster.
What I realised during the running of the 300's last night was that I was running at my 400 meter race pace and even if I had wanted to run quicker I just did not have the speed in my legs to achive this. This brings me back to a comment made by Emil Zatopek on his training methods, "Why should I practice running slow? I already know how to run slow. I want to learn to run fast." Although churning out 100 x 400 meter reps for a week might not be advisable I am certainly coming around to the importance of speed in my training.
Tuesday 4 September 2007
Back Racing
Just over 7 months to go till the London Marathon!
Having suffered from a string of injuries and at times the resulting disillusionment from the end of April through to June, I have been stepping up my training in one last push to get as close to a qualifying time in the 2008 London Marathon as is possible
It has been tough work getting back to full fitness over the summer but feel that I am now approaching a level of fitness similar to that of March earlier this year.
I ran a good solid 5km race on Friday 31 August in a time of 17:12. I have certainly learnt the importance of rest and recovery and while I will be training incredibly hard over the next 7 months I will also be training smart.
I will be updating the blog with my own progress and developments in the documentary.
Having suffered from a string of injuries and at times the resulting disillusionment from the end of April through to June, I have been stepping up my training in one last push to get as close to a qualifying time in the 2008 London Marathon as is possible
It has been tough work getting back to full fitness over the summer but feel that I am now approaching a level of fitness similar to that of March earlier this year.
I ran a good solid 5km race on Friday 31 August in a time of 17:12. I have certainly learnt the importance of rest and recovery and while I will be training incredibly hard over the next 7 months I will also be training smart.
I will be updating the blog with my own progress and developments in the documentary.
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