Tom Roper's Running Training

Hastings Half Marathon

I took part in the twenty-fifth running of the Hastings Half Marathon, though I can only claim to have run it six times. It was a beautiful sunny day for spectators, though a little too warm for comfortable running. I saw several casualties on my way round.. I managed 2:04:09 according to my Garmin, though this was the course on which I achieved my personal best for the distance, twenty minutes less.

The event is well-supported, with flags, pipe-bands, jelly-babies and oranges. There seems to be a considerable Cornish diaspora in Hastings, to judge by the Cornish flags that cropped up along the route. Once more I ran in a Seaford Striders shirt, which gained some cheers from spectators. The first section was very busy and it's easy to waste energy dodging other runners. Then at three miles, a long two mile ascent challenges the runner. I did not look forward to this, but kept at it; at this stage my pace was still good, but at the top the Runners World 9 minute mile pacer passed me and left me a long way behind. Then came the ridge, with fine views over Sussex and Kent, the descent into the Old Town and the final slog along the sea front. Once more, as at Eastbourne two weeks previously, I had little left, and was only able to manage a slight acceleration at the finish.

Also as at Eastbourne, I had toe trouble. One of the toes on my left foot, the fourth, for a couple of years has felt loose when I run; that is to say it seems to wobble about in my running shoe, as if about to detach itself from my foot. This has been disconcerting, but not, until recently, painful. Towards the end of both races, it started to hurt a lot, simultaneously numb and tingling, with a sharp pain that seem s to drive back into the foot itself. I am going to take it to the doctor. I hope I am not about to imitate Ms Radcliffe and have to withdraw form London with a broken fourth metatarsal.

Time: 2:04:09
Distance: 13.09
Pace: 9.29

Also this week, a short run on Friday, along Seaford front:
Time: 45:58
Distance: 4.47
Pace: 10.17

Total this week: 17.56
Six weeks till the London Marathon

Another running week

I have no great progress to report. Yesterday I did about nine miles, up to High and Over, then to Fiveways and back to the sea and along the front. I say about as I am still finding the new Garmin difficult. I fear it may be a bad unit and I shall have to send it back. It was very windy and hard work.

It's time to reassess the long runs ahead: after next week's Hastings half, I run 20, then 15, then 20, then 15, then 10.

Time: c 1:25
Distance: c 9 miles
Pace: who knows?

Total distance this week: c 18

Seven weeks till the London Marathon
One week till the Hastings Half Marathon   

  

Two runs

I ran last night with the Seaford Striders round the town's hinterland and back along the sea front. I am still struggling to understand my new Garmin, so only got it to start recording the run half way through. I'm told it was about six miles, and I went with the medium pace group, though I must say I find them fast; even the dog is faster than me..

On Tuesday I ran up Seaford Head, by the South barn route. This time the Garmin claimed to be low on battery and then, two-thirds of the way through the run, suddenly went into GPS mode. As with the half marathon, while it seemed to be timing the run, there was no data to transfer to Garmin Connect. I have learnt two things:

1. always lock the bezel while running
2. press reset at the end

I hope the battery improves. It was fully charged on Friday and left in power-save mode for most of those three days, apart form two and a half hours ruing, and perhaps another half-hour when it was on as I set it up. The advertised battery life is two weeks in power save mode, and eight hours with GPS on.

Wednesday evening's run:
Distance: 3.46 (in reality 6)
Time: 33:08 (about an hour)
Pace: 9.35

Tuesday's run: 3 miles

Peregrinations mean prizes

I was delighted to learn that I am one of the three lucky winners of a cookery book in a competition on the splendid JogBlog's blog. My prize is a copy of Veg: The Cookbook by Gregg Wallace. My winning comment and the others may be seen here.

Ms JB describes her runs through the mean streets of North London in a unique voice, as a Joycean stream of consciousness. Her statistics too are a joy. I have often thought of adopting the idea here, as a hommage but I am sure I could not carry it off as well as she does.

Books by Masterchef judges won: 1

Eastbourne half marathon

I ran the Eastbourne half marathon yesterday in 2:01:53, being 549th out of 900 finishers or thereabouts. The time itself is acceptable. I would rather not have been on the wrong side of the two hour barrier, but under the circumstances, a reduced training programme on doctor's orders, and no running at all since last Sunday, I'm not too disappointed.

But I did not enjoy the experience. My feet, knees and toes hurt from about eight miles onwards, I had nothing extra left for the finish, and I had odd cramps and pins-and-needles afterwards. These physical symptoms are as nothing compared with the existential runner's crisis I had in the latter stages. While the early stages of the race take runners through the Victorian and Edwardian villas of Meads, up an impressive hill, and then a nice fast downhill, followed by a stretch along the front, the latter half goes through the new, but already shabby, Sovereign Harbour. Twisting and turning round the housing estates and the harbour itself, I wonder why, as a rule, the east end of a town or city is always the rough end. For all the yachts, whose owners can probably no longer afford them, the development looks as if it is on its way to slumhood.

Some good things: crowd support was enthusiastic and cheered me up no end. I ran for the first time in Seaford Striders kit though I think most of my fellow Striders finished way ahead of me. One of us, Geoff Gray, won the men's race in 1:16:36.

See a much more detailed account by Sir Jogalot

Marshalling the Brighton half

Since I was unable to run it, I volunteered to marshal the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon. My first posting was to a junction by the back of Brighton City College, not the prettiest part of the course, but about a mile from the start. After they had gone through there, I was sent to stand by Concorde 2, where a Jaguar had been parked overnight in the way of runners. I and a fellow steward were asked to stop runners colliding with it. We were sent at the last minute so poorly prepared, and unable to answer questions asked by passing runners:

Where's the next water? The water stations weren't marked on the map we'd been given, though I was sure that in previous years there was at least one water station, perhaps near the Marina.

How far to the finish? I thought that we must be standing about the ten mile point, so told runners that. I hope I didn't mislead anyone

Where's the nearest loo? Sorry to the runner who asked this, I remembered later that are re some at the children's playground opposite.

We did our best to encourage the runners as they passed. I suppose I must look the same when I run, but it was striking how few look happy by that stage.

Next year, I hope to be back running the event.

A week's restraint

I spent last week, half-term, on drugs and, on the doctor's instructions, was not allowed to do anything too strenuous, so I restricted myself to regular, but mostly short runs around Seaford. The figures below are for Saturday and Sunday runs, and I also managed a 1000 yard swim on Saturday morning.

Saturday:
Time: 34:10
Distance: 3.58
Pace: 9:32
Sunday:
Time: 30.52
Distance: 3.1
Pace: 9:57Total mileage this week: 16.83 (and 2750 yards swimming)

On Sunday it was
Nine weeks till the London Marathon
One week till the Eastbourne Half Marathon
Three weeks till the Hastings Half Marathon   

Spring in Seaford

On a sunny day with the scent of spring in the air, I ran along a crowded seafront in the afternoon, dodging dogs, toddlers, prams and wheelchairs, a suitable complement to a 1000 yard swim in the morning.

Time: 34:10
Distance: 3.58
Pace: 9:32

Two runs, two swims

I have followed the doctor's advice so have kept to an easy pace, with one exception. Nevertheless, I have managed to run or swim every day this half term, making the most of my time off.

  

On Tuesday I ran for five miles along the front. It was warm, so though I started with a fleece on, I quickly took it off. I ran as the diggers and shingle-moving lorries were at their work. Last night I ran for the first time with the Seaford Striders. There were apparently fewer runners than usual, as many members had gone to the Sussex Grand Prix prize-giving, the Striders having won the Overall Club and the Ladies Open Team, and Geoff Gray and Natasha Swan the Mens and Ladies Senior League titles. I ran with a group who were perhaps a little fast for me but don't tell the doctor. I felt fine afterwards, and came home with a Striders vest for Eastbourne and Hastings.

Monday's run:
Time: 50:02
Distance: 5.00
Pace: 10:01

And last night's:
Time: 48:59
Distance: 5.15
Pace: 9:30

As for swimming, I went on Monday and today to the small, 25-yard Seaford Head pool, and managed 750 yards on the first day and 1000 on the second, quite respectable, if not fast. I illustrate this with a photograph from the 1908s, when I would swim in the Cam at the University bathing sheds. In those days the Cam was still polluted, and this may be the reason for the large amounts of duckweed.

How are the mighty fallen

Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

Today I should have run fifteen miles; instead I ran three. And those are the only three I have run this week. My asthma has been bad, so I went to the doctor, who prescribed a ten day course of prednisolone, with instructions to run gently. So I cancelled today's long run, and I've pulled out of next week's Sussex Beacon Half Marathon, though I've volunteered to marshall instead.

I may be able to substitute the Eastbourne Half for the Brighton event, and when I think about it, my training for London covers sixteen weeks, that is 112 days, so I can manage ten days of easy running. As it's half tem and I'm at home, I'm going to alternate running days with swimming days, and maybe go along with the Seaford Striders on Wednesday night.

The three miles I did today took me along Chyngton Road, up Seaford Head and back along the cliffs. I felt a little weird afterwards, and my legs were tired.
Time: 30:42
Distance: 3.01
Pace: 10.12

Ten weeks till the London Marathon
Two weeks till the Eastbourne Half Marathon
Four weeks till the Hastings Half Marathon