Tom Roper's Running Training

Six miles steady

I ran over the A27, to Newmarket Plantation and beyond on the downs above Kingston. Some of this route I last ran during the Jog Shop Jog, some I had not run for over a year. It was a glorious day for the end of January. I had trouble getting a GPS signal, so what was meant to be six miles ended up recorded as and I guess was probably more like seven and a half.
Time: 1:07:39
Distance: 6.71 (probably nearer 7.5)
Pace: 10.05 (best 7.50)
Average heart rate: 144

An early morning run to the sea

Up at 6, though it wasn't cold, to do 3 X I mile fast runs, with 400m recovereis and mile warm-up and cool-down.
I was not as fast as I should be over the fast sections: my pace was more like steady.
Time: 57:05
Distance: 5.74
Pace: 9.56 (best 8.21)
Average heart rate: 141

Mile 1: 9:12
Mile 2: 9.26
Mile 3: 9.55

According to the programme my pace targets should be:

Jog recovery - a period of extremely slow running in between the efforts in a speed session: 10"59
Easy - a gentle jog at below 75% maximum heart rate (MHR): 10:32
Slow - conversational pace (73-78% MHR): 10:15
Steady - a comfortable, but purposeful, pace. About marathon pace (79-84% MHR): 9:09
Brisk (or Threshold (THR)) - around your target half-marathon pace (87-91% MHR): 8:47
Fast-10K - 90-94%: 8:25
Fast-5K - 93-97% MHR: 8:03
Fast-above-5K: 7.47

Nine miles to Firle Beacon: end of the second week's training

I marked the end of the second week's training with a run to Firle beacon and a little way beyond. The Exmoor ponies, having eaten all the tor grass they could find in their old home, have moved to just under Firle Beacon.
Time: 1:30:18
Distance: 9.01
Pace: 10.01 (best 8.14)
Average heart rate: 152

Total mileage this week: 26.09
Three weeks till the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon
Six weeks till the Hastings Half Marathon
Fourteen weeks till the Neolithic Marathon.

Great Wood

I ran at lunchtime with Claire and Jana on a longer route, round Stanmer Park and up into the woods.
Time: 41:37
Distance: 4.08
Pace: 10.12 (best 7.37)
Average heart rate: 156

An icy early morning run

I ran at 6 this morning down to the front. Surfaces were very icy, especially along the front, where the wind had which stopped me going as fast as I was supposed to; it should have been a 1 mile slow, 2 miles brisk, 1 mile slow run.
Time: 43:41
Distance: 4.33
Pace: 10.05 (best 8.38)
Average heart rate:156

I ran the middle 2 mile section, which should have been brisk, at a pace of 10 minute miles, slower in fact than the first slow section, which I ran at 9.24, but I would not run a marathon very quickly with a broken leg;  better to be careful in these conditions.

Loose Bottom

Today I should have done a 5 mile slow run. In fact I only managed about three miles (the Forerunner didn't record it all). It was snowy, cold and, in places very muddy. I ran out the back of the campus towards Loose Bottom. I saw some students tobogganing.
Time: 28:56
Distance: 2.68 (3 miles I think)
Pace: 10.49 (best 08:00)
Average heart rate: 159

Seaford front, Tuesday morning

I ran at 6 on a cold morning down to the front for two 1.5 mile fast runs, with 800m recoveries and a mile warm-up and cool-down.
Time: 58:13

Distance: 5.99
Pace: 9.43 (best 8.02)
Average heart rate: 145
For the two fast legs, time and pace were as follows:
Run 1: 13:24/8.57
Run 2: 14:15/9.31
I should have been faster on the second leg.

Firle Beacon and the end of the first of sixteen weeks of training

With something of a hangover, but on a beautiful bright and windy morning, I ran to Firle Beacon and back. Conditions were very muddy, especially on a section of the path where the Exmoor ponies had been. Going out was hard work, coming back a little easier.
Time: 1:26:23
Distance: 8.33
Pace: 10.22 (best 8.05)
Average heart rate: 149

Total mileage this week: 21.44. A good start for the first week of training, though I do find some of the targets a little unchallenging. This will change as the programme becomes tougher.
Four weeks till the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon
Seven weeks till the Hastings Half Marathon
Fifteen weeks till the Neolithic Marathon.

Three runs, one post

I'm very tardy in writing up my runs, so I find myself covering three in one post. The first, on Wednesday, was supposed to be a slow four miler, but the Forerunner malfunctioned, so I ran a circuit of Stanmer Park with Claire and then a little way further, probably three miles in total. Early on Thursday morning, undaunted by storms, I ran down to the front, to the sailing club and back; this, which should have been a two mile easy run, became the previous day's four mile slow. Then today, technically a rest day, I did a circuit of Stanmer Park with Claire and Joanna and a little extra on top.
I now find that I have downloaded the wrong training programme from Runners World; I have the heart-rate based one, not the pace-based one.No wonder it beeped oddly. It makes no big difference in the early days of training and I shall download the right one this weekend

Wednesday's run: c 3 miles, no further data

Thursday's run:
Time:40:57
Distance: 3.93
Pace: 10.26 (best 6.28)
Average heart rate: 144

Friday's run:
Time:29:00
Distance: 2.93
Pace: 9.54 (best 7.39)
Average heart rate: 142

Two runs, one post and the start of marathon training

I rose at 6 this morning and ran under an indigo night sky, the stars visible for the first time for a long while. This was the first run of my sixteen week training for the Neolithic Marathon, 26.2 miles from Avebury to Stonehenge over Salisbury Plain. Anyone who wishes to sponsor me and save the Great Bustard may do so here.
I did not manage a long run yesterday, but did do five miles to High and Over, the hedges bare except for bright flowering gorse.

This morning:
Time: 32:48
Distance: 3.25
Pace: 10.05 (best 8.07)
Average heart rate: 151

Sunday:
Time: 51:04
Distance: 5.08
Pace: 10.03 (best 7.45)
Average heart rate: 149

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