Feeling optimistic

This weekend I'll be running the Bacchus marathon, a totally fun event and I won't be looking at my garmin.  This time last year I was upset about not being able to do my autumn marathon because of family commitments.  When I was off work sick, I managed to enter 3 marathons in the space of a week, and then got my place for London marathon confirmed a week later, which has had the effect of this wonderful year of running where I have already completed 4 marathons, and 43 miles of running at thunder run.

However, this blog was started because of my goal to qualify for Boston marathon, which requies me to run a full marathon in 3:35 or faster.  When I spoke to a running coach about how I would get there my pbs for 5k/10k/half/full were 24/52/1:59/4:33.  He said it was possible but would require work, and to be in with a chance of going for a 3:35 marathon, I needed to have a 22 minute 5k, a 46 minute 10k, and a 1:38 half.

I haven't raced a half since this years spring marathon training, where I got a pb of 1:43, but my 5k and 10k times are now 21 and 44 minutes respectively.  With over 6 months to go until London marathon when I get to run from the good for age start, I'm feeling very optimistic that I'm going to meet my goal, and indeed exceed it.

Vo2 max monitors on my garmin suggest a 3:15 marathon is achievable.  Last year I turned my September half marathon pace into my April marathon pace.  I'm sure I can do that again, but as always will exercise the caution necessary for winter training.  With no races planned after my ultra in October, I can really start building the base now, and clocking into marathon pace.  I certainly remember 8:30 feeling tough this time last year, but now it's my easy run pace, so marathon pace of 7:30; it seems scary now, but I'm going to go for it.  As always the pace for race day will come from how well I've trained, but training toward a 3:15 will certainly build me up well to get that BQ and be on the start line in Boston in 2016

One step away from being an elite athlete (Langham 10k report)

Langham 10k, 

-only signed up for it about 10 days before, but we really lack them around here, and its not a distance I would travel to race particularly.  This is the last one of the year that I am available to do, and I wanted to get a clean sweep of pbs before setting my sights on an even loftier marathon goal.  

According to my race predictor on my garmin, I ought to be doing a 10k in 43 something, but I am yet to run a sub 45 10k, so thought I would pace for that, needing to stick below 7:15 pace until halfway, and then see what I could do.

I started a bit too far back, and whilst the race was chip timed, it didn’t have a starting mat, only a finish mat, so I lost time getting over the start, and then battling through people, and getting stuck behind people who were running 2 or 3 abreast-  this was a road race, and the only road closure was the start area for about 7 minutes.  The country lanes were narrow in places, and clearly you wouldn’t want to face oncoming traffic.  Despite a lengthy warm up though, by 1km, my garmin was still saying 7:35 pace.  I didn’t want to over-egg it to catch the time up, but I did start thinking about picking up leg speed, and being a bit more aggressive to find my space.  This eventually worked, and I managed to pick up one of my running club friends Chris, in the process.  We crossed 1 mile in 7:08.  He passed one of his friends who was going for sub-50, Chris said so was he, and I politely informed him that we were on more like 45 minute pace.  It was good to have the company, but I know what I’m like in 10ks, I didn’t want to lose time here when I should be feeling strong and fresh.  I pushed on and Chris came with me, which was great.  It really helped spur me on when my legs were still feeling sluggish.  Second mile in 7:07 – ok, this was nice even pacing, and definitely on track for a sub-45, assuming that the course was accurately measured and there were no surprises (hills).  But when the next mile clicked over and I looked at my garmin again, I was on 6:40 pace, I reacted too quickly and it went to 7:30, and then I thought, clearly miles 1 and 2 were controlled enough, plus you’ve done some bloody long runs recently, lets just risk it, and start the push here.  

Chris stayed with me, but I lost him about half way, more from having the energy to dart around people than anything else.  He’s a very strong runner, and I was sure he wasn’t far behind me, but I daren’t look back, and lose my mojo.  As I passed the first water stop at 4.5k I reflected on how I used to stop for water in a 10k, but know that as long as I’m well hydrated to start the race, it isn’t really necessary.  I would allow myself to stop at the 7.5k one, if really needed.  Mile 3 complete in 7:02; I had sped up, but not as much as I thought, but my legs felt strong, and didn’t have that searing pain they usually have at the halfway point of a 10k.  Now was the time to push and start chasing people- at some point I was sure I would have my usual 3^rd quarter of the race lull, so I was trying to stay strong, but it never came... mile 4 was 6:57.  Aha, there was a reason, it was going to come in mile 5.  I was really starting to catch people here, who were capable of the times they were running, but had gone out hard from the start so were keeping even, or perhaps slightly slowing.  I could see 4 ladies all running very close together and this was my motivation.  I knew I would be quite high amongst female finishers anyway, but the opportunity to pass 4 of them at this pace could potentially put me in with a chance of getting a prize, depending on who else had showed up to run today. I focussed on them, and by the end of the 5^th mile (7:04) had passed them all, and they didn’t give any fight.

There were very few people in front and I was starting to hurt, though it was my breathing, not my legs... this was nothing compared to the 40kg deadlifts I had done  on Tuesday, clearly J.

During the first part of the last mile, I caught up with a guy wearing a Colchester half marathon t-shirt (what an uncomfortable thing to run it as its cotton, not technical).  I passed him on the inside and my pace was pretty quick – 6:30ish.  I couldn’t keep it up though, and he did give fight, which meant I had annoying heavy breathing in my right ear.  I’m not sure if he sped up, or I slowed to get that sound out of my head, but he got away.  There was barely anyone in my sights, and no women, it wasn’t far to go now, and I completed the 6^th mile in 6:51.  Clearly I had started the second half push too early, but was back now, and had some people to chase, even if they beat me over the finish.  I really don’t have much of a kick; that said I always seem to pass men in the last 400m of a race, who then out kick me in the last 50m, and you always wonder were they just holding back the last 9.5km.  Anyway, I crossed the finish line with a watch time of 43:56.  I didn’t place, but must have been close to placing as the commentator said he’d lost count but clearly I was high up.  When I checked the results later, my official time was 44:06, and I was 5^th lady.  Whilst pleased with a pb, I’m not sure it was the best race.  A well run 10k shouldn’t have 18seconds variation in mile split times!!  

It shows that despite improvements to my overall fitness due to running long and slow in preparation for the ultra, it takes me a really long time to warm up to top speed, as shown by the big negative split.

My garmin has told me I ran a 5k in 21:33 during that race, and very interestingly, my cadence was 179.  They say elites run at 180, so I guess I’m one step away.  ;-)