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Lucozade Sport Super Six: Right Said Aouita (3:45)
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Dan,
I hope your dental pain is more under control. There is no good time to have dental pain but I suppose better now rather than later in the schedule. However, your kid teething may last a tad longer.
Glad you enjoyed Edinburgh - lots of great pubs there - some with good beers. Oh yeah, and a castle.
Last nights 15/15/15 went ok but but there are definitely a lot more disturbances in the force at threshold pace, luke.
Have a good weekend and keep taking the tablets.
the sun it blasting out here over Worcestershire (at parents-in-law) so morning all, feel much more human today. All I can say is thank god for pennicillin (sp?) and ibuprofen, both wonderful inventions. also I thank the stars its just a minor gum infection and nothing related to root canal. fat face your experience sounds painful to say the least.
wotsit, your enthusiasm for pilates is infectious, I am going to try and get to a session in the next week or two. hope you're doing well.
shona - hi there, I hope your training is going great guns, no pressure on you of course.
jl3 - yes, threshold does play games with the force, its enough to put a trainee jedi off his game. we must be strong over the coming weeks.
yesterday was not the greatest day, not hugely motivated to go running but since the whole RW blog experience trains you to be relentlessly positive, I decided to experiment and get out there. quite interesting:
- the mind was being negative (tired, aching gums, etc), but the body was willing and the body conquered the mind, and it was all ok. I did Thursday's run which was 45 mins with middle 20 at marathon pace
and in fact the run was introduction to an old friend...
...the well-natured, popular '7mph'
In december I spent a lot of time with 7mph, since as all good 3.45 people know that's the magic number. We got on well and struck up a good relationship.
Yet in the last 2 weeks the running has been at 'slow' or 'threshold', and my body, having got accustomed to 7mph, got quite confused. We're so fickle aren't we.
The result: running too fast, which is easily done. I was aiming for 7mph and kept going up to 7.5mph, which is fine for 20 mins in week 2 but going to cause me trouble over longer distances like, umm, a marathon.
Who would have thought putting one leg in front of the other could be so complex?
All good fun though,
Dan
Totally forgot, if anyone is wondering how far to run tomorrow:
100 minutes slow
nick sent through weeks 3 and 4 of the schedule 2 days ago, will put up tomorrow
Dan, you should have popped in, seeing as you're in my neck of the woods!
Hope the run goes well today. I'm glad that the torrential rain of last night isn't still about. It woould have made for an interesting run, to say the least.
Sezz and meself were in Alverstone near Bristol last night for a party. That anywhere near anyone? Glad the gob is getting better Dan.
helen - where are you? we were near redditch, sun in the day and you're right, brutal rain last night, a very chilled weekend.
rob, haven't a clue re. alverstone, hope you had a good night. this takes us back to the old topic of running with hangover - or did you run yesterday?
i'm quite embarrassed about writing anymore, but you have to do it right....
..so you've heard the excuse "the dog ate my homework" - well, i have something equally pathetic:
"i didn't do the long run as my mates took my shoes to london"
i'll explain: some friends came to stay last night. as they were packing (they also have baby, hence 'packing the car' is a task akin to demobilising a squadron of hungover 18 year olds), one of them got a bit zealous.
he saw my lovely, stinking sauconys, figured they were his wifes, and stuck them in his car.
they leave, and I am ready to run. I then search for 30 minutes, going mad, figure i'll call them on the off-chance they know something....and it turns out the shoes are halfway to Balham.
So, no running for me (I only have 1 pair currently), I am behind schedule, and I now need to buy some more tomorrow. that's ok i guess, since i'll need to get a second pair in march (as per nick's advice re. breaking in your race shoes in time) and so I'll just get them now and use them until my others return.
the only annoying thing is that i'll need to do 100 minutes slow after work tomorrow, Monday, in either a) the gym (how many kilometres on a treadmill?), or b) in the dark, which makes it fstreets-only since all the parks are closed and the river has no light. I'll figure it out.
I bet this doesn't happen to paula radcliffe.
dan
Dan - Worcester is about 25 mins away from Redditch. We almost bought a house there once. Till we realised the proximity to the prison...
Bad news about the shoes. I ordered some new ones yesterday, same as my old ones. Even down to the pink colour, which I detested. But they were half price, what can you do?
Mind, as excuses go, someone stealing your shoes is a good one. I doubt I'd let my students get away with it
I bought some luverly new ones on Thursday.
Hi Dan,
Well at least you seem to be getting all the bad luck out of the way early!
I did the 45 mins on Friday, but having slept awkwardly on the Thursday, I had the mother of a stiff neck. Not the best time, but at least I got the run done 20 minutes at mara pace not to bad
Didn't have a chance to check the schedules before yesterdays long run so did 120 minutes (13 miles exactly according to the Iplod) Felt slow yesterday and tired, having said that I set off at a slower pace than usual, and did notice that the last 3-4 miles were quicker than usual and not as painful. I suppose I'm going to have to admit it, but everyone is right, You should start off slow (Its only taken me about 5 years to realise!)
A friend of mine has a Garmin, and has said i can borrow it in the run up to FLM so that will reduce the amount of Jedi time I need to put in.
Hope you find your shoes Dan, look forward to seeing the schedules and following your progress this week
Mark
LOL at the shoes Dan. 1 pair is never enough anyway, so good excuse to tap wiggle into the search bar and get another pair!
News on the nutrition front, tried Shot Bloks this weekend. Fantastic - can highly recomend them!
Keep on plodding (slow down)!!
Hello Everyone,
I'm ashamed to admit that I'm the person who stole Dan's running shoes. I'd like to stress that I didn't do this to hamper Dan's training but on a more practical level, to help rid my cellar of unwanted rodents. I'm convinced that by leaving the shoes out overnight, I have successfully managed to drive some uninvited guests from my house. Sadly, I feel that I might suffer the same fate the next time I see our running hero.
On a more positive note (for us - not the royal mail), the shoes have been boxed and are on their way back to Dan's Running HQ.
Best of luck Dan with your next run, and remember, if you ever hit the wall or question why you're putting in all this hard work, you've already managed to help the residents of Balham with a pest problem. Imagine what else you could achieve over the next few months.
Cheers
The Shoe Thief
Slotty,
Surely your own socks would suffice as a potent rodent deterrant? That said, I like doing good work for the community so I'm glad to have helped.
Off to go shopping now, will put week 3 schedule up tonight & more
dan
well, its been quite eventful.
fat face and wotsit and psc, i know that buying new shoes is a perk of being a runner, but my retail therapy was limited, this was business not pleasure: first, i bought the same shoes i have now, so there goes the novelty factor, second, i needed them today so i had to pay an arm and a leg retail price rather than hunting around online or even visiting a site like wiggle, which, lets face it, i am fairly familar with
So, running diary, Week 2 - 100 mins slow just a little bit late, don't tell Nick...
I set out like a Ron Hill version of Eddie the Eagle: my water bottle had gone awol so I used the daughter's baby bottle full of water; i was in a radio mood, couldn't find my digital radio and so took my old man's tranny with headphones, the kind commonly found in garden sheds alongside a man building a model railway with a thermos of tea; and I wanted to go by the canal which lacks lamposts, so I had a bike light in my hand.
Not a pretty site.
Although I did see something graceful: focusing squarely on the puddles in the dark, I did not clock two large white shapes up ahead. Just as I was about to brush past, I suddenly realised they were two enormous swans, standing still, asleep perhaps or just chilling, enjoying the peace.
The rest of the 100 mins: uneventful. But it is good for the morale, don't you think. Running for ages in the cold and the dark, talking to yourself to have something to do, it proves to yourself that you have the willpower and the get up and go.
More useful to you are the Week 3 and 4 schedules.
Week 3
Sun - 100 relaxed easy conversational pace. (that means yesterday)
Mon – Rest
Tues – 50 mins including 4 x 6 mins @ threshold (controlled discomfort 3-4 word answer pace). Aim for 2-3 min jog rec between each effort and warm up/ warm down well.
Wed – Rest or a Pilates class if possible
Thurs – 45 mins and build the pace as the run progresses. Therefore – 15 easy/15 steady/15 @ threshold. I call this a 15/15/15 run.
Fri – 30 min recovery run.
Sat – RestWeek 4
Sun - 80 mins easy relaxed conversational pace. We are not going as far this weekend as you have now completed 3 long run weekends in a row. Time to freshen up slightly and enjoy a slightly shorter long run. Don’t increase the pace though!
Mon – Rest
Tues – 5 x 5 mins @ threshold with a 2 min jog rec between. Try to run with controlled discomfort but don’t push so hard that you have to slow during the 5 mins.
Wed – Rest or a Pilates class if possible
Thurs – 50 mins with middle 25 - 30 mins at marathon pace (MP) this session will build over the weeks and become key for us.
Fri – 30 min recovery run.
Sat – Rest
Hess, don't read this, but found the threshold business tonight harder than i'd like
As per the instructions, did 4 x 6 mins at threshold, with 3 min easy jog in between
As a novelty I left the garmin at home, the results of which are quite predictable: its easier to run at 1 pace, but you have no idea what that pace is. Hmm.
We are all Garmin addicts now.
And no, I haven't used it on the treadmill.
In fact, I think the pace sagged towards the end of each threshold section just like the Da Vinci Code sags, lurching from plausability to rediculously about 2/3 of the way though. Perhaps it was having done the long run yesterday, perhaps it was the late lunch of pasta weighing me down like the proverbial anchor.
Does Barack Obama go running? George '8 minutes a mile' Bush loved his running, I think Barack might be more basketball.
Will talk about training races tomorrow - which ones are you doing?RSA - I`ve not posted a great deal but liking & read your posts with interest (esp the stolen shoes) - keep up the good work....
Dan,
Just to mix things up a bit this week (and becuse i will have to train in my lunch hour today) I will be doing the Thursday Session today and the Tuesday Session on Friday. So will be able to let you know how I get on in advance!
Nice gentle 30 min recovery last night about 9:30/mile, and felt quite rfreshed afterwars, although it is getting cold again here.
I'm doing all my long runs along the towpath at the moment, which in some parts is very slippery, and quite boggy, I'm sure that this is slowing me down, but I'm hoping that overall this wont cause me a problem. I suppose that at somepoint I will need to do a couple of long runs on the Tarmac!
Re:Races;
I will definately do Berkamsted Half (1st March) I set a half mara PB there 2 years ago (1:41).
Will probably do a 10k later in March for some speed work, and that will probably be it for me. Family comittments mean that lots of racing is out of the equation for me
Good Luck for the rest of the week, its certainly been an interesting one so far
Mark
"Does Barack Obama go running? George '8 minutes a mile' Bush loved his running"
Obama is Kenyan "way back". He's got to be a decent runner, surely.
I think Dubya's needs a new challenge. His pace could be greatly improved if he was forced to run through Gaza. He can do it. Just don't misunderestimate him.
mark, sounds like you're going great guns, right on schedule and in control. towpaths are generally 'a good thing' in my book, since by definition you're by a canal, and canals are more stimulating to look at than other treadmills, sky sports on mute, or that guys with the long arms on the ergometer. Yet, it is true, frozen puddles in the dark present obstacles and one must take care.
jl3 - you have a point. Instead of 'high altitude training', what about 'high violence training', it would surely act as a motivator. My only doubt about Barack is that he loves his smoking. This doesn't mean you can't run (remember Serge Blanco, French rugby legend and famous smoker) but he also has quite a lot on at work currently.
in terms of training races, and I don't think dubya will be donning the high-wicking texan running hat and diving into southern england, this is what i've agreed with nick:
Bath half, 15th march go for the PB
Its a two lap course (not ideal) but Bath is perfectly placed, it seems a great race and the Bath hills do give off quite a stimulating energy. That may sound as if I have swallowed some crystals, but it all adds up. It is 6 weeks out from the marathon, which nick says is the ideal time to go for a PB (far enough into the training so we're fit, fit, fit, but far enough from the marathon so we don't over-stress ourselves).
Reading half, 29th march, run at marathon pace
It says it all doesn't it - train the body to run at marathon pace to build muscle memory. (OK, i've added that last phrase in myself but it sounds very professional). My guess is that running halves at marathon pace will be a good challenge. No doubt the 3.45 crew will be straining at the leash to go faster, and therein lies the test: slow down, slow down, tortoise and hare, etc.
Nick initially also advised the Kingston breakfast run on 5th April, which is 16 miles.
However that small thing called life/wife/family/obligations/friends appeared on the horizon, and while I may do the 16 miles on 5th April, I just may not be in South London at 8am wondering where I have parked my car.
As for pilates...well, the nearby 6pm class is full. Who would have thought it. Actually, as I wrote above, Oxford is a welcome home for all things yogic and full January classes imply resolutions being followed and goals being ticked off the list.
That's the good thing about training for a marathon: lots of self-righteousness whenever the subject of 2009 goals and new year resolutions arise.
On that note...
In complete agreement regarding the dreadmill. Occasionally you do get a good view though
Fell off the structured training wagon yesterday, set out to do the 15/15/15, but decided that since it was such a glorious day, and that I was feeling good about just about everything, I'd run the 10k trail on the old dissused railway line out the back of the office. Once I got out there I just went for it. So the 15/15/15 became 47minutes at 08:00/mm. Its good to have a blast once in a while
Looks like your work/family/life committments are similar to mine Dan, I'm struggling to juggle 2 races before FLM. it's difficult!
I find the smug self righteous feelings start to kick in around mid Feb, As many fall off the resolution wagon about then. Does help to get you through the Dark mornings and nights on the frozen, slippery and muddy towpath though
Wanted to being you up to date on a few things.....
1. The rodents have indeed left the building - thanks to Dan for the use of his running shoes.
2. But...still no word from Dan as to whether his shoes have turned up? Am losing sleep over this. Bit like pinching Van Gough's Paintbrush and then losing it. Am worried I'm keeping a master from his art.
2. Finally, and somewhat randomly, I was signed-up for a Triathalon in May for which I was undertaking a punishing training schedule. Luckily, my best mate is having his stag do that weekend so I'm out of the gym and embarking on a totally different type of training programme. Not sure why I'm sharing this. BT must be right....it does feels good to talk...
Keep it going Dan
Slotty
Now Slotty, there are *plenty* of other triathlons around. May? London ish? Have a search on the British Triathlon website. Sure you'll find something suitable.
slotty, i think stealing my running shoes is a bit like nicking your daughter's paintbrush rather than Van Gogh's. You'll be pleased to know that the shoes are back where they belong, and they have some new identical twin friends to meet. They are bonding heavily. As for your triathlon, there's one at Blenheim this summer, I think they need you to raise the standard.
as for running today, well, it was fine, the old 15/15/15 (slow, steady, threshold) until the garmin froze in the last 15. Problem: I didn't know how far I had gone, and I made the schoolboy error of stopping to fix it. Next thing: i'm freezing cold, the lactic acid's gone and the whole point of the 15/15/15 is down the pan.
Cue a man in black fleece, leggings and headphones shouting at his wrist down a dark alley.
Then cue 10 minutes fast threshold self-flagellation to make up for it. We're a weird lot aren't we.
Memo to self: if the garmin crashes, carry on running and take a watch/phone so you're not reliant on the garmin for the clock.
Or just run.
Dan,
Also had a Garmin (205) issue this evening doing the 3x10 thresh w/ 5 recovery.
Pilot error here though. Tried to set the intervals into it in advance, but I must have got them the wrong way round or something (it worked ok when I set it to 5min and 5min rec last week). So I started to hit the lap button manually but in the dark I had hid the pause button instead. Battering on in the dark during the 1st threshhold section wondering why it was not showing me my blistering pace. Answer - it was paused showing my average warm-up pace. Result - did the first effort too hard I think and used up all that Carb/Glyco too soon.
On top of that the battery died on the mp3 player early on tonight.
I know this device has a back light which I do use but I usually have a glance every time I pass under a street light - yes we are a weird bunch with all the must have devices we lug around out there - I also carry an LED head torch for the section without street lighting on that route.
Hi Dan,
Good to chat earlier in the week and see you tomorrow. Well done with the weeks training and loved the running shoe story/excuse. I have heard that one before though as a coach..! Now you have 2 pairs there can be no excuse.
Wotsit is now putting Vodka in her Lucozade sport so I am rather up against it with you two I guess.
Well done on the threshold and longer runs. It seems to be falling nicely into place. You were tired earlier in the week due to the long run (Shoes!) being a day later and therefore this was probably a bit to close to the key session day. No worries as you wont have to normally move the long run. However, I guess the lesson for all see is that we must allow the body time to recover from a long run. This will particularly be the case as we move forward and the Sunday runs go longer than 2 hours etc. There is never any point in pushing a session when still tired from a long run and energy levels are low.
Anyway, keep up the good work and run like a Jedi please. Feel the effort and dont worry too much about the pace on the Garmin.
Cheers, Nick
jl3 - when you find yourself running around at night wearing a headtorch, well, you've crossed a line.....! And yes, I am in the market for a headtorch.
Nick, thanks for the feedback, always good to know there's a professional pilotting this ship. Your comments re. resting after the long run make a lot of sense. I'll see you tomorrow at the Lucozade workshop (FYI for other people, its a day of running-related workshops and training put on by Lucozade. Its not just for the Super Six, but I think open to all those who've applied to be in 'Team Lucozade'.
No doubt after it myself and other members of the super six (belly boy barnes; sue c; fat face; wotsit; mystic) will write what we've learned, or even just talk about all the free product we're being showered with (tough life...)
Headtorches! Yep you will have joined a new community there Dan..........
Great bits of kit but try to run where you can see, and use the street lights! Always good to be seen though and motorists never seem to respect us runners.
See you tomorrow. Nick
shona,
Thanks for the note - very impressive attention to detail. Thanks for an excellent day at the Lucozade workshop. I'll write to Mr Witty and let him know you have everything under control!
Dan