Over the hill

Allerheiligen / All Saints day today, public holiday here in B.W. Freezing fog outside was not so inspirational to get out the door but once I started I enjoyed the run. Plan was a nice and steady easy med-long run, started a little too fast but a 2k uphill section helped put the brakes on.  Total 20k in 1:36:13, av pace 4:49/k or 7:45/mi.

Freezing fog again this morning, 10k recovery run was in the plan but ran uphill a little longer hoping for an inversion from the top of a ridge, no such luck. Total 14,3k in 1:14:03 at av pace 5:11/k or 8:20/mi.

16k easy run was in the plan, woke up at 4:40 am and was out the door earlier than in the week. Since the clocks have gone back to winter time I've still not adjusted. In contrast to the last few mornings it was 10°C and clear, a pleasure to run. In the woods I noticed some sort of weasel or stoat run into the bushes, then nearly trod on a snake in its death throes, obviously its breakfast. The turning point of the loop is at 8,5k and gives a wonderful view down the valley, autumn is my favourite time to run and running back downhill was just pure enjoyment. Total 17,5k in 1:24:02, av pace 4:48/k or 7:44/mi.  I keep one garmin screen  on time of day only to run easy days by feel, checking the av pace on completion, this ended up exactly the same as Thur's easy run pace.   

A.M. Lauftreff or running group day, I started running with a group one day a week this year and this has really helped me. It's potluck with the route and pace depending on who turns up. Today our fastest runner was there and as no one else wanted to run with him I gave it a go. Luckily for me it was his recovery day, we started out easily downhill along a horse riding trail, then steep uphill to a castle that had my calves burning. Through the castle grounds then out along a ridge with great views across the valley, return was on the flat and got progressively faster until I was running about my halfmarathon race pace. The last 1k I couldn't stay with him but was pleased nevertheless. Total 13,4k in 1:00:33, av pace 4:32/k or 7:16/mi.

A.M. 2nd week of endurance training. 32k long run was in the plan, I was unsure of what pace I should aiming for in these runs. Pfitzinger states 10 to 20 percent slower than your goal marathon pace which for a 3hr marathon would give me a pace range of 4:40 - 5:05/k. McMillan's running calc comes out to 4:35 - 5:12/k. The german advice is more conservative, Dieter Baumann's plan puts a long run pace at 5:10 - 5:30/k and the plans in the german running magazines echo this. In the end I decided to treat it as an easy run, keep my garmin screen on time of day and just concentrate on a good rhythm and relaxed form and not consciously brake.  

It was cold and clear when I set out and when the sun eventually rose the warmth was welcome. The run seemed to go quickly, perhaps because I was thinking of the great women's and men's race in the NYM we watched yesterday afternoon. I tried a gel for the first time 6k before the end, surprised that it tasted quite good. In races I've only been able to drink water as I always feel nauseous but I had no problems today, didn't feel any advantage either. I got my garmin to record the 1k splits to check out when I got in.  On the flat I averaged 4:45-4:50/k, uphill stretches upto 30 secs slower and downhill about 15 secs faster than this.  Total 33k in 2:40:01, av pace 4:51/k or 7:48/mile.

A.M. recovery run day. The weathervane turned direction in the night and we're getting cold wet windy weather from the north now, thankyou Scandinavia. Felt a little tired and stiff to start and kept the run slow and short, with just me and the deer in the woods for company I enjoyed the run. At the end I felt better than when I started so purpose achieved. Total 12,1k at 5:23/k or 8:41/mile.

A.M. another cold, wet & windy morn. In the plan was 13k with 10 x 100m striders but I wanted to do something more interesting. After warmup I ran alternative km's at easy/marathon pace for 12k, an idea I picked up from Sasha's blog last week. Really enjoyable & the time went quickly. Total 16,5k in 1:14:30 at av 4:31/k or 7:16/mi.

A.M. slept badly in the night waking up at 3am and struggling to go back to sleep again. Felt tired and a grey wet morning did nothing to help. A med-long run was on the cards and I picked my roller-coaster loop, on the crest of the 1st hill I knew it was going to be a drudge day. Set my legs to auto pilot and went along for the ride. Total - 3 little ducks 22,2k in 1:46:44, at 4:48/k or 7:44/mi. Surprised as I felt sure it was much slower.

A.M. storm winds rattled the shutters in the night but it had calmed down by the morning. Slow paced recovery run on a fresh carpet of leaves. Total 10k in 54:05, 5:24/k or 8:42/mi.

P.M.  Snuck a go on the treadmill, first time I've used one and I was cooking after 5 mins. Time has never gone so slowly, 5k at rec pace, 5:30/k. When I got off I felt I was still moving for a couple of mins, does this count as an extra 100m?

A.M. 2°C and first decent snowfall of the year this morning, so begins the snow shuffle uphill - 2 steps forward, one backward & repeat and cautiously slow downhill. Strong winds that seemed to ancipate my direction of travel and remained headwinds added to the flavour. Seen from above, the lightly dusted town rooftops at the end of the run looked positively cosy & inviting. Total 18k in 1:28:27 at 4:55/k or 7:54/mi.

A.M. much warmer this morning and all the snow has disappeared. I persuaded my wife to come with me to Lauftreff, then to our disappointment only 2 other runners turned up. Both were too fast for her so I acted as Hase pacing her a 10k round at 6'/k finishing just under the hour. It was extremely windy today and the trees were swaying alarmingly but none down. I finished with a quick 3k at mp for myself which to my surprise I struggled to hit. Total 13k in 1:12:26, averaged out to 5:34/k or 8:58/mi. 

2 events today here, St Martin's day and  it's traditional to tuck into roast goose today but not in our veggie household. Its also the start of the "5th season" or carnivel  at 11:11am, finishing on Ash Wednesday next year. As if Germans need an excuse to feast and drink. 

A.M. The planned long run dips this week to only 28k so I ran this a wee bit faster than easy pace. The km's went by quickly and even the sun showed its face to give a psychological boost, I think I may have even been smiling.  At the end my legs felt like they'd had a good workout. The sobering thought was to break 3 hrs I would have to run 27 secs per km faster and for another 14k. Still, one day at a time. Total 28,3k in 2:12:47, 4:42/k or 7:33/mi.

A.M. slow paced recovery run. Total 12k in 1:04:59 at 5:25/k or 8:43/mi. We're both off this week and so the country bumpkins are venturing into the big city this morning for shopping.

A.M. Our 10th wedding anniversary today and it was snowing when we got up. I decided to drive us to the Breitenauer See, a lake about 20k away with a 4k gravel path around it. It is a lovely spot and more importantly flat. The other side of the hills the temp was warmer and it was only raining so it was perfect to run. I set off for 4 laps round while my wife walked round once. 5k warmup, then 7k at 1/2 marathon pace 3:59/k or 6:25/mi, then cooldown for 4,7k. Total 16,7k in 1:13:48, av 4:26/k or 7:07/mi. Now to celebrate.

A.M. Easy 22k planned, it snowed gently throughout the run and other than slight achilles soreness no problems today. My easy run pace was a tad slower today, I could blame the snow underfoot but more likely the Sekt I drank yesterday. I've registered for a 10k race on Saturday, its a local race and I'd just like to get to know the course. For a Volkslauf it attracts quite a lot of runners and looks interesting. Total today, 22,6k in 1:50:02, av 4:52/k or 7:50/mi.

A.M. Cold icy morning, a quick check of the thermometer -2°C so I wore a light fleece mid-layer. My legs felt sore, unresponsive and heavy today, I thought I would pick up a little after 5k but the run stayed a plod. The winter views compensated a little, when the sun showed its face the landscape was sparkling. Slow rec run, total 12,1k in 1:05:26 at av. 5:24/k or 8:42/mi.

A 10k local race on a bitter cold afternoon. The temperature was about freezing point and I was unsure what to wear for the race. I opted for shorts, long sleeve top and gloves, handing my warm overclothing to my wife just before the race start. It was a small handful of runners that wore shorts but once started I quickly warmed up and in the end rolled my sleeves up. The race was sponsered by a local wine producer and the start was from the winery. A fast course, pretty flat with 2 x 5k loops, the 1st km was narrow for the amount of runners and controlled the initial pace. Through town it took some tight turns with cobblestones underfoot, but there was a good loud band in the center to cheer us on. The timing was by bibchip, my first experience of this. Instead of a mat you ran through gates to give the start and finish time, the start reminded me of penned cattle waiting to run out into the field.

For the first time in a race I used my garmin to record the km splits which were: 3:49, 3:39, 3:37, 3:38, 3:59, 4:02, 3:56, 3:43, 3:48, 3:56. It was a certified 10k course, the garmin measured 10,1 with a last 100m of 3:43 pace. Looking at this I should have pushed harder in the middle kms and I would have wished for a faster last kick, I was just hanging on at the end with ragged breathing. This was a surprising result for me, I set myself up to PR in Oct on a flat 10k course, I tuned up and tapered and failed miserably, now in a workout race I've done far better than I anticipated. 

After the race I drank a couple of warm fruit teas in the finish area and  it started snowing.
My poor wife was chilled through, so we headed straight back home leaving the lure of free wine tasting, Bratwurst and Glühwein in the winery behind us. I've just found out the result now on Sunday afternoon.  There was a total of 569 runners for the 10k, I finished 28th overall, M40 4/88 and got a 2 sec PR. My one complaint from the race is they had 5k walkers that started 5 mins after the runners. This meant they were blocking the way in town on the 2nd loop. Why do they walk in clumps?

A.M. Recovery run after yesterday's race.  R achilles is tender and my thigh muscles are sore today but I was just happy to be out running again this morning. Skipped Lauftreff as I wanted to run my own pace today. It was bitter cold yesterday and we left the race straight away, I'm still waiting for the result to be posted on the race website. I know it was better than I anticipated. Total today 14k in 1:14:16, 5:16/k or 8:29/mi.

A.M. Back to bread and butter running. It had been a clear night and was cold and frosty this morning. I still felt a little residual soreness from Sat but the kms passed easily enough at an even steady pace. It was at km 23 on a 1k uphill stretch that I started to just get slower and slower. I checked the garmin near the top and I was running at 6:22/k, a granny with a zimmer frame could have overtook me. For the next 5k I gathered myself a little but slowed up again on the last wee hill. The 2k drop into town was no problems but I was happy to finish. Total 31,2k in 2:28:08, av pace 4:45 or 7:38/mi.

A.M. Recovery run day, the plan calls for a double today, 10k in the morning, 7k in the evening. I was raring to get out the door, it was a little warmer and the run felt really easy. I added 5k as I was enjoying myself so much. Total 15,2k in 1:18:19, av pace 5:09/k or 8:18/mi. This is faster than my normal recovery run pace, I'm half anticipating a crash soon.

P.M. Couldn't face the treadmill so went out zigzagging through the vineyards above the town. A bit of moonlight and a lit up castle helped me along in the dark. Short and easy 7,5k in 39:03, av pace 5:12/k or 8:23/mi.

A.M. A little tired to begin this morning, I woke up feeling hungry in the middle of the night then struggled to get back to sleep. 16k  with 10 x 100m strides was on the plan.  After warmup I decided to run alternate kms at easy pace and gmp. Initially it felt easy but the last couple of kms was a conscious effort to hit mp. The coup de grace was the strides at the end of the workout, I was trotting slower and slower in between to recover. Much warmer temperatures this morning and I was overdressed, but thankfully the snow is nearly all gone now. Total 19k in 1:24:28, av pace 4:27/k or 7:09/mi with 8k at gmp.

Happy Thanksgiving to you across the pond.

A.M. Med-long run day and it dawned warm, wet and muddy. A pleasure not to feel cold today. England had crashed out of the Euro 2008 last night after a truly dismal performance and my concentration on the running wasn't there intially. Up the hill and into the woods and the first thing I saw was a dead deer across the track. A few seconds later and the hunter's 4x4 was following me to pick up the carcass. Trying not to look like a deer I settled into a steady rhythm enjoying the downhills and cursing the uphills, a normal run. Felt tired again at the end and I look forward to a recovery day tomorrow. Total 23,3k in 1:52:11, av pace 4:49/k or 7:45/mi. Enjoy your turkey.

A.M. Another wet, misty morn with visibility down to about 100m. Recovery run today and after feeling battered at the start, felt progressively better during the run and picked up the pace a little. Kept the distance to the planned 10k, at the end I really wanted to run a couple more k but resisted the urge. Total time 52:57, av pace 5:18/k, 8:31/mi.

A.M. Last week after my race Sasha had left a comment suggesting I try and run 800 meters all out on the track to see what speed I have at the moment. I incorporated this into todays med-long aerobic run. I warmed up, then ran the 800, ragged breathing from 200, felt myself involuntary slowing dramatically at 600 then picked up again for the last 100. It was an honest effort and the time was 2:45. The McMillan calculator based on a 3hr input marathon time shows the 800 meters time should be 2:24. I'm way too slow then and its showing me I need to work on my speed.

Immediately afterwards I felt really drained and still had another 16k to complete my run. I picked up slowly then felt not fast but really strong, and I ran far better than my normal easy run pace. The rest of the run went like a dream, really enjoyable, hills no problem. I wish I could feel like this more often. Total 21k in 1:34:44, av pace 4:31/k, 7:16/mi.

A.M. Lauftreff day and on a cold miserable grey morning 5 of us turned up to run together. The carpark is on top of a ridge in the woods and it was snowing well when we started out. The course we took was a lazy meander gradually downhill followed by a sharp steep uphill climb back to the start. Easy pace, the only memorable thing for me was the difference in temperature between the top and bottom of the hill. Snow above, rain below. Only 8k and we were back so I ran an extra 8k alone. Total 16k in 1:18:55, av pace 4:56/k or 7:56/mi.

An idea that is kicking around in my head at the moment. My training here is all on hills, can this have a detrimental effect on my speed.  I started placing for the first time this year in my age category, all on hilly race courses but get my backside kicked in flat course races. A 10k time this year for a race with a 120m ascent was 38:44, on the flat 38:34, the pace is virtually the same. I know, too much thinking, just run. 

A.M. Despite adequate sleep my mind was rebelling at the thought of a long run this morning. Outside it was grey, cold and wet with snow-rain and for the first 5k I was full of negative thoughts concentrating on my own discomfort. I know that I can think my way into a bad workout so I tried working some postive imagery into my mind. Remembering some good races helped, I subconsciously picked up the pace. Concentration on form also helped, don't sit in a bucket, don't tense my shoulders, relaxed running technique is the key. By 10k I was feeling more positive, time for the next weapon - smile, show people this is a sport to be enjoyed. At 14k I was enjoying myself, the weather's not that bad really. The kms then went quickly and I soon had only 10k to go, with a couple of hill climbs. Don't fight the hill, flow up it smoothly, this went better than last week and then I wanted to push the last 6k. I increased the effort but to my disappointment I was getting slower while my breathing was getting more ragged. The last downhill 2k felt easy and helped me recover for a 1/2k dash at the end. Total 33k in 2:35:25, av pace 4:43/k, 7:35/mi.

A.M. Double run recovery day. My resolution was waivering again this morning so I decided to change my scenery. Ran a neglected route that takes in two castles, one complete and one in ruins, and with some great views. Longer than I wanted to run but the motivational boost was more important. Easy and slow 16k run, av pace 5:23/k, 8:40/mi.

P.M. 8k run in the dark completes the day, stuck to a cycle path in the valley that has no obstacles only to nearly trip over a sleeping policeman in our street. Slow & easy again at 5:11/k, 8:21/mi pace.

A.M. 4 loops around a lake on a bitter cold morning with minus temperatures. The workout was a warmup 6k, then 7k at just under half marathon pace, then 5k at gmp. This was similar to a workout I completed 2 weeks ago but I found it harder this time to hit the 7k at 4:00/k pace. The gmp at 4:15/k afterwards felt much easier to maintain.  It was a long time before I felt warm afterwards, my left hand much colder than the right and the left hand side of my face felt like a spider was crawling on it as it warmed up. I try to concentrate on one aspect of my form each day and todays was my awful habit of swinging my left arm across my body.  I've struggled to correct this and read a good tip yesterday from a Ron Daws book, "Running your best". Rotate the palm slightly upwards to bring the elbow in and keep the arm carriage low. This did help. Total 18k in 1:16:45, av pace 4:16/k, 6:52/mi.

A.M. Decided on a hill run this morning and the route is a favorite in summer but one I tend to neglect in winter. After a 2,3k drop into the valley the loop climbs up a wooded ridge for 8,3k with an ascent of  300m/984ft. I always find this tough and a benchmark for me earlier this year was to be at the antenna tower at the top of the hill under 1hr. I was really surprised to hit the top at just under 56 mins this morning, an indicator that my condition is improving. The sun appeared on cue and I spents a few mins soaking up some warmth, appreciating the view and drinking some sweetened weak lemon tea. On with the run, a smattering of snow on top of the ridge for a few k, then the long descent back out of the sun. The bonus was the mud was frozen on the trail and gave good footing. I saw my first person of the day after 1½ hours as the trail drops into a side valley with a series of trout ponds. Two more small hills to finish that always sap my strength. I miscalculated the distance and still had to run one more k at the end, through the streets which I hate. Total 24k in 1:58:42, av pace 4:57/k, 7:58/mi.

A.M. Recovery run. The temperature had gone up in the night and was plus 5ºC this morning. It felt wonderful to be warm again whilst running, the rain really didn't matter. I started with some muscle soreness from my hill run yesterday but this soon eased off. Sasha & Michellel had recommended to incorporate strides into my training for speed. At the end of the run with the garmins help I chalked out a 100m stretch on a wine terrace. This one leads to a dead-end so I wouldn't be disturbed by any dog walkers and more importantly, I wouldn't feel like a plonker as no one could see me. 10 x 100m, the first 2 in 21s, then 6 at 19s and the last 2 at 20s jogging back to the start of each one inbetween. It felt difficult at first then I really enjoyed the feeling. Total 16k in 1:22:47, av pace 5:10/k, 8:20/mi.

I would appreciate if someone could confirm my understanding of strides is correct. That this is controlled sprinting, not quite all out effort and full recovery inbetween each one.