Some Is Better Than None A week of trying to find the running mojo. I expected nothing and gained a lot. It was a simple plan, run until I didn’t feel like it each time. No goals or times. I managed a grand total of 9.9miles over 3 runs which is well short of my weekly goal of 21 miles but I am not bothered. It was all about finding some rhythm and motivation to push on. Mondays run was 3.5 miles at a 7:54 per mile. Every mile got slower than the last, but it was better than expected. It was warm out. It was a small victory.
Change from the usual Braunstone ParkRun and went to Victoria Park. Ran a sub 20-minute 5k and a 3-minute PB at this course. (The last time I ran it was New Year’s Day and I was hung over!). I was over the moon as I had felt good all the way around! A very sensible week of listening to my body and my head. I’m off to Derby next Sunday to run the Half Marathon. I am very much looking forward to it.
Next weeks target is steady miles through the week and rounding it off with a solid performance at the Derby Half! Happy Running!
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The Week The Wheels Fell Off I managed to get my weekly target, but it was hard, really hard. After an incredibly tough previous week, Monday was about recovery. A nice and steady 2.6 mile and the legs felt amazing, the two half marathons felt a distant memory. I have recently invested in a running weight vest, it weights 5kg (0.7stone) and I am very glad I didn’t go for the 10kg! I went out in on Tuesday and ran 10km in just in 47 minutes. It was comfy and didn’t rub and made a steady run, a lot more difficult. The second half of the run was really hard, but I set a goal of 10km and I did it. Sometimes it’s about pushing through that barrier but other times you do need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. I think this run was the beginning of the struggle.
Have a great week and run safe!
7 Days, 2 Half Marathons and plenty learnt What an unbelievable week. Some serious highs (Not just the weather!) and a couple of lows. Its been painful yet rewarding. It’s amazing to see how far I have come and how much I believe I can continue to push. MK Half 2018 The weatherman had been reporting on some seriously hot temperatures and possibly the hottest Early May Bank Holiday on record but wow – it was something else. Even an hour and half before the race I was sweating. The atmosphere around the stadium and the surrounding area was incredible, I found the red starting pen and had a chat with a couple of fellow Instagram runners. I didn’t really have a plan, it just wanted to get around and then enjoy a beer with the family but as it got closer and closer to the start I made the decision to run with the 1.35 pacer. For the first 5 miles it was a great decision however it fast became a bit of a mistake as the heat got to me! Miles 5-10 were pretty average and my slowest mile was in amongst this. It wasn’t enjoyable, I was drenched with sweat and water. 28c and running 13.1 miles for fun?! This would be unheard of a few years ago. In between mile 8-9 was when I had to stop; as I was running I noticed a fellow runner starting to sway left then right and then he was down. Me and another runner helped him out of the hedge he collapsed into and his inner competitiveness wanted to carry on! We lowered him to the ground and gave him some water, luckily a marshal was on route. I knew I had to get running again before the legs seized.
I managed two runs in between MK and Bosworth. A pretty quick 3-mile negative split run and then an even quicker ParkRun. The weather forecast was looking perfect. 8-12c and cloudy. Got up early Sunday morning and it was time to do it all again… Bosworth Half I grabbed my race number and enjoyed a little walk around the water park. The conditions could not have been more perfect, I was even slightly cold. 09:55 and its time to get ready to rock and roll. I wish Nick and Simon (@runs4bling) good luck and its go time. The first mile was very narrow and caused a couple of bottle necks but after that I was way. Then out of no where the sun came out and the wind dropped. It was now rather warm. The first 4 miles were perfect. No issues, no aches and the legs felt good. I was averaging under 7 minute a mile. I knew I wanted to push on and found myself running with a couple of guys who were going at a good pace. All was going well until mile 9, I hit the wall. The legs had given up, it was difficult to keep them turning over and I had dropped off the group. I struggled form 9 – 11 but out of nowhere; the legs returned and my final 2 miles were both under 7 minutes again. I finished in a time of 1:32:21. My second fastest half marathon after Paris. It was great to see my mum and dad out on the course and at the finish. After a gut busting 32 mile week, its time to get ready to go again in 3 weeks with the Derby Half Marathon. Obviously enjoying a few beers as well! Have a great week! Next up Derby Half - 3rd June! The Calm Before The Storm
Didn’t complete the weekly target this week, partly through laziness and partly as I have two half marathons next week. The MK Half looks to be a bloody warm one on Monday and then Bosworth half on Sunday. Nothing major to report, so its short and sweet this week. 3.2miles Monday @ 7:27 per mile 7.1miles Thursday @ 7:42 per mile ParkRun on Saturday was a warm one, nice to be able run a very steady and controlled 21:21 at Braunstone. Time to hydrate the temple before Mondays run! Should be a lot more to report next week! Simon Leicester Big 10km Four solid runs this week. No major issues and nothing to moan about. I can’t believe we are about to start the month of May. May is going to be busy. I have the MK Half on the 7/5/18 and the Market Bosworth Half on the 13/5/18. Would be good to catch up with any runners doing these two events as well, drop me a message? I appreciate to some the number of miles I run is not many and to some its an incredible number but for me its been a huge undertaking. Four months of running more miles a week than I have ever ran before. I clocked up my 1000th mile of running that I had tracked since 2015, I have run on and off since then, and then this year I want to run 1000 all in one year!! Just want to say thanks for all the support once again, the donations are much appreciated and a big shout out to my family for putting up with me doing this for the first four months!
Sunday was the Leicester Big 10Km at Abbey Park. I had one goal, a 10km PB, I wanted to beat 42:33. The start was very hectic, 1400 runners and not split into pace groups so took about a 0.25miles to find some space but after that was great. The route was all over the place and involved been in the park, on the road around the outside and along the canal. My only personal criticism of my own performance was the pacing. I went out a bit quick looking for space. Mile 4 was the worse mile, legs suddenly felt heavy and I had worked hard to catch a group a head of me. Once we re-entered the park for the final time, it was mind over matter. I dug deep and finished with an official time of 41:20. Knocking over a minute off my pervious PB. Splits – 628,639,637,655,643 & 647. All in all, a great morning of running and congratulations to everyone who ran! Time to get set for back to back half marathons!
Have a great week and have a good month of running! Simon Back On The Wagon What a week. After a shoddy previous week, I wanted to come back and refocus on my running rather than just ticking off the miles. I achieved my goal. I didn’t hate any of the runs. The weather was beautiful and incredibly warm midweek but the main thing is, I got it done. 25 miles ran this week. I sometimes feel Monday can set you up for the week or knock you down but I wanted to ensure I started the week right. I broke my run down into two runs, 3 and 3.9 miles both ran at the same pace. I felt good, I focused on nothing but letting my feet tick over one after the other. With the Leicester 10km coming up, I wanted to see where I was at by running a 10km solo. I clocked it at 47mins, which is miles off the personal best but after a hard day at work and the warm weather; I will take that. It sets down a marker for next weekend.
ParkRun! Still warm but with a nice light breeze to keep things cool. The start was a nightmare! I didn’t hear the countdown and got stuck in the middle of the pack and had to work hard to get further up the field. I appreciate ParkRun is not a “race” but I LOVE pushing myself to try and achieve my best possible time. The first mile was done in 612. I still had some work to do if I wanted to get near my PB. The second mile was 626, I did take a slight breather to ensure I had something left in the tank for the final mile. I glanced down at my watch and half way through the third mile I suddenly realised, this could be it. I left everything in Braunstone Park on Saturday and with a final mile time of 626, I crossed the line with a PERSONAL BEST of 19:44. If you have never got involved with the ParkRun community I would highly recommend it. The London Marathon was on Sunday. It was incredible. Inspiring. Moving & emotional. I saw many of you on Instagram cross the line after tracking you on the app and congratulations to you all. My friend Nick completed the marathon in 5.33. It looked tough due to the weather so well done! Enjoy the medal and the memories.
On a more positive note, it’s the Leicester 10k on Sunday and I am feeling pretty good and I am hoping for a half decent time. Run safe and treasure every step. Simon Must Try Harder A pretty poor week with regards the mileage. It wasn’t down to injury or lack of time but more laziness. The amazing thing is this time last year if I had run a 13-mile week I would have classed that as probably a fair good one! Recovery run on Monday was pretty painful after Loughborough. I wore my old trainers due to the mud that was on the run and they destroyed my feet. Monday was a very steady 5km in around 25minutes. Absolutely nothing to write home about. My only long run this week was a nice steady 7 miler on Thursday. I averaged 7:40 a mile and I felt pretty comfortable all the way around. Squeezed in 3 more miles on Friday and that was that. It was at good pace (7:06 per mile) but I just lacked a bit of motivation this week. As people have already said, its to be expected. You come to appreciate the good runs more and more! No ParkRun this week due to a day out at the rugby with my dad and sisters. Its time to regroup, refocus and get set for the Leicester 10km on the 29th April. I’m looking forward to running a different distance to the normal half marathon. Anyone else running it? The final thing to say this week, is in 7 days, the Virgin London Marathon will be done. A big big shout out to all those who are running it and the volunteers for helping to put the event on. The weather looks like its going to be warm, stay hydrated and try and enjoy it! Part of me is slightly jealous of it all! Drop you run number to me and I will keep an eye out for you! With regards to the VLM, my friend Nick Shepherd is running it and its his first marathon. I have seen him stick in the hard work over the last few months; so good luck Nick! The amazing thing about it all is that Nick is not only running the marathon or that he is running it for an incredible charity (British Heart Foundation) but he suffered a heart attack in October 2015! You can check out his just giving page here - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nicholas-shepherd2017 Good Luck to everyone who is running in London on Sunday!
Have a great week and happy running!
Simon Mud, Sweat and Beers What a tough old week. The highlight of this week was the Loughborough Half Marathon. Its labelled as one of the toughest half marathons in the East Midlands. I knew I wanted to run well, so I changed my week up. Tuesday was the only day I ran in the week, 3 miles @7.34 pace. I then did my run to and from the ParkRun but this week I volunteered. I was assigned Number 1 Marshal, or Marshal Number 1, depends how you interpret it! Was great to see all the runners from this perspective, each one battling something different and pushing each other along!
The race started well, legs felt good, the knee holding up. Mile three kicked in and all of sudden everything changed. My knee was aching. I had ten miles to go. I tried to stick with the same group but kept finding myself dropping off the pace, and then forcing myself to almost sprint to catch up. It was hard work but I was holding on in there. The long hill up the road wasn’t so bad the first time around and was nice to get a steady down hill section. The worse was still to come. The muddy hill. I’m not sure how far it was, but it felt like miles. It was very very soft under foot and there were a couple of times I thought I was going to fall. Once I conquered the muddy hill the first time, I kept going still with the same bunch of runners. The second lap didn’t feel like it took as long but was painful with almost every stride. I had fallen off the group and luckily picked up another bunch of runners. Loughborough was hard. For example, my mum and dad came to watch, after passing them the first time I thought I had a rough idea where they were. After the second lap began, I was looking forward to the much-needed support. In my head I had approximately half a mile and one small hill climb. It was closer to two and a half miles plus two hills. Was hard going. With my knee aching, I said to them as I passed, “Its ok, there’s only 5miles to go”. How times have changed from when I wouldn’t even run for a bus but maybe a buffet.
The medal is pretty cool as well. Shows the route you have ran. Great atmosphere at the start/ finish area plus at points along the route. Well done to Amy & Macaulay for completing a pretty gruesome run!
The next event for me is the Leicester 10km on the 29th April. Happy Running and once again, thanks for all the support! Simon Time for Loughborough This week and next are all about getting set for the Loughborough half marathon. As weeks go this was pretty solid. Monday was warm and I was over dressed for the 6miles I had set out to do but 5.4 was done and was nice to be running in daylight after work! Thursday was awful. It was wet. Very wet. I had decided that Thursday was the day to run my Coventry half marathon. Basically, the organisers said that if we proved we had run the distance we could claim the medal! Within 1 minute of setting off I was soaked. 1 hour 46 minutes later the run was done. No records were broken. It was tough but it just proved I could do it on a wet Thursday night in Leicester by myself! I decided to take miss the ParkRun this week. This was due to some aching legs but mainly down to the fact that my highly competitive nature I would always try and push myself to run quick. I did venture out and managed just under 4 miles taking March’s running miles to 83. I am happy with that considering I had six days off due to injury! On the 8th April I have the Loughborough Half Marathon. I am looking forward to it as its pretty tricky course due to the hills and the two-lap set up! I have also signed up for the Leicester 10km on the 29th April. Happy Running & Happy Easter!
Simon On Your Bike! A great week all-round. No complaints. No issues. No injuries. I have still been a bit tentative with running due to my knee issue but this week its felt great. The tape has gone and it feels back to its old self.
Tuesday, I wanted 7 miles as it was a nice evening and I did it, averaging 7:31 a mile. I ran past the site of the recent explosion in Leicester and that was incredibly eerie as there is literally nothing there now. For a while now, I have been looking for a bike and finally found one. This should allow me to mix up the training and take the strain off my knees. I picked it up Friday night and rode 9 miles home. It’s a road bike, so takes a bit of getting use to with regards the gears etc. Obviously these miles WILL NOT count towards the 1000miles but its nice to mix things up sometimes! Saturday! ParkRun time. For the first time in a while I was injury free and no half marathon the next day so I wanted to run quick. For the first time in four weeks I was back under 20 minutes, running in at 19:57. (Just!) I did start to run out of energy towards the end but was great to be back in the 19 something club! Splits of 6:12, 6:27 & 6:30. I am now two weeks away from the next half marathon. Its on the 8th March in Loughborough and it looks a tricky course with a fair few hills in it. It’s a two-lap run which is probably not my favourite type of half but I will give it my best shot! Have a great week and enjoy the lighter evenings!
Simon |