Tom Roper's Running Training

Janathon the thirtieth

I took today as leave, not least so I could enjoy a speed session in daylight. It consisted of three one mile legs, with a mile warm-up and cool-down at either end, and quarter of a mile recoveries. I rather like speed training, but the weather has conspired against me so far; last week the pavements were far too icy to try anything fast. Indeed, today was more than a little windy, and the waves were big enough to satisfy any surfer apart from Garret McNamara. So my third leg, when I had turned and had the wind behind me, was run at 9:43 pace, while the first two were 10:02 and 10:09 respectively. Usually, in spite of my efforts to run each leg at the same pace, I slow down towards the end.

There's extraordinary things happening at the top of the Janathon table. Silvermetalfox is on 490 miles, I'm sure intending to crack 500 by close of play tomorrow. And I am proud to say that I have met and once marshalled for abradypus, who lies fifth with 219. 

Janathon the twenty ninth

Up early and out into wind and rain for four and a bit miles. It wasn't cold, but hard work in the wind and I see from my average speed that though I was on road, I was slow.

The evening has just been enlivened by one of those messages that plague anyone who blogs about running. It reads thus, with some annotations from me:

'Hi Tom! My name is [redacted] with [some company I've never heard of.com] I was perusing [why? why not just read or view] your site and couldn’t find an article on wearing costumes during races/events [full marks, that's because there isn't one. Do I look stupid?]. Many people like to organize teams for causes or just fun and dress up/accessorize to reflect that goal [more fool them, but if I were to do that, how would you suggest I dress to reflect my goal of violent revolution, the establishment of dictatorship of the proletariat and the withering away of the state?]. I was thinking that adding some content to your site that outlines the purpose and fun of wearing costumes during races? [This doesn't make sense. 'I was thinking that' needs to be followed by something, i.e., 'adding some content…would make you look like a gullible idiot'. And why have you put a question mark here. That's a statement, not a question] You'd obviously be able to approve/tweak the copy before it went live [That's very considerate]. If this interests you, please let me know! I look forward to a possible collaboration.[You'll be waiting a long time].'

Do people fall for these e-mails, and open up their blogs to complete strangers to flog their pox-ridden businesses? I suppose a few must. 

  

Janathon the twenty eighth

Did I mention I won a medal? Here's more proof.

I swam this evening, 600 metres, and pushed myself to go faster. It's very easy to slip into a leisurely pace, forgivable in a river on a hot summer's day but not in a pool in January when there's hard Janathoning to be done. By the end I had the pool to myself. I'm not sure what that says about my swimming style. 

Janathon the twenty-seventh and the end of week two, marathon training

Seven miles today, and whenever I have to do seven miles, the fact that it is more or less exactly seven miles from home to the end of the east pier at Newhaven harbour and back impels me to choose that route. It was worth it: high seas, a stiff wind going, but behind me on the way back. There was an odd moment: just after turning at the end of the pier and heading back, I had an episode of vertigo. I am prone to vertigo, and it was that same feeling of panic that I remember from taking my daughter and her friends on the London Eye for a birthday treat many years ago. Why this should occur on a firmly constructed, not very high pier I cannot explain. I am used to the sea, and if I'm on the water in a dinghy or RIB, am perfectly fine. I ran back to terra firma as quickly as I could. It was warm and I went out in shorts, t-shirt and top, and took the top off during the return leg.

At last night's Seaford Striders awards evening, I came third in my age group, Super Vet Men (50-59). I think faithful readers who have read my entries throughout Janathon deserve a look at my medal, don't you?

Miles this week: 17.23

One week to the Chichester Priory 10K

Eight weeks till the Hastings half marathon

Fourteen weeks till the Three Forts marathon

 

 

Janathon the twenty-sixth

Today was going to be difficult. I planned to go to London and it was going to be hard to find time for a run. In fact, the railways were so disrupted both by planned engineering and by an unplanned track-side fire, that I stayed put, which meant I could go swimming. As part of the session was spent on tumble-turns (towards which I made some progress, encouragingly) I didn't cover long distances, but, from memory, this is what we did:

• 100m front crawl
• 75m back stroke
• 50m breast stroke
• 25m dolphin kick
• tumble-turn practice
• 50m front crawl
• 100m back stroke

Tonight is the Seaford Striders awards night. 

Janathon the twenty-fifth: a short seaside run

Out in the evening for a quick run, two miles by the seaside. I had to be back quickly to meet a fellow Strider to talk about the Juniors page on the website. 

During the day at work, I came upon a NICE briefing for local authorities on how to encourage people to walk and cycle more regularly. I was very alarmed to read some of the statistics about levels of exercise in the population. For example, 'only 6% of men and 4% of women achieved at least 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity on at least 5 days'. I wonder what running clubs can do to help change this, and whether local authorities see us as organisations that can help.

Janathon the twenty-fourth: evening run, seaside

I shall say nothing more about yesterday and would appreciate it if you would do the same. Today, by contrast, I had a decent four mile run in the evening. It was cold but the ground underfoot seemed safe. The worst thing that happened to me was a wet foot from stepping in a puddle. Towards the end my left ankle was painful, but did nothing to stop me. 

The weather is supposed to improve at the weekend, that is to say become warmer, though no drier. 

No running

I didn't run today, or anything else. I could plead the excuse of being stuck on the A27 last night. 

Instead I offer you last night's Night Waves in which Alan Rusbridger and Matthew Taylor discuss running, playing the piano and amateurism. It starts about twenty minutes in. 

Day 22

I ran four miles this morning and spent five hours this evening in snow on the A27. I have nothing else to say

Twenty one today

And I celebrated with a swim, twenty lengths of Seaford Head pool.