Tom Roper's Running Training

Dog bite blues

On my long run today, windy and cold to the Beddingham masts and back, I was bitten by a dog by the Seaford golf club. It was a small collie-like beast, on a lead, with another larger but docile leadless friend, the two of them accompanied by two elderly men. I ran on the grass beside the path to overtake them, the collie-type thing barked, hurled itself at me and I felt a pain in my left knee. I thought that it had merely hit my knee with its head, but looked down again to check after a few hundred metres to see blood. Fortunately I wasn't far from home, so on my return I cleaned the wound to find a fine set of fang-marks above and below the knee, I applied antiseptic and dressed the bites. I haven't reported it to the police, but I may take a photograph.
I also saw an argument between some ramblers and a man I took to be a gamekeeper about pheasant shooting. I thought of intervening to say that I was having pheasant for supper tonight, but there wasn't time.
Time: 2:09:50
Distance: 11.97
Pace:  10.51 (best 7.58)

On Friday I ran on my own through Stanmer woods,

Time: 36:16 (+4 = 40:16)
Distance: 3.66 (in reality 4)
Pace:  9.54 (best 6.17)

And on Thursday I  did two brisk miles along the A27, with a mile warm up and cool down on either side.

Time: 40.54
Distance: 4.19
Pace: 9.46 (best 7.21)
Average pace for the middle two miles: 9.25

Total this week: 32.15
Five weeks till the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon
Nine weeks till the Hastings Half Marathon
Thirteen weeks till the London Marathon

Cow run with huntsmen

With Clare, Jana and Sian, I ran a cow run today, and we met the Southdown and Eridge hunt assembling at the foot of cow hill (or by St Mary's Farm as it is more properly known).
Time: 46:41 (+5=51.41)
Distance: 4.49 (+0.5=4.99)
Pace 10.24: (best 5.56)

Four miles fast, Seaford front

At 5.30 this morning I went for a session of four fast miles, with 400m recoveries and a mile warm-up and cool-down, along a windy Seaford sea-front. In the third mile, it started to rain. I often sing to myself while running. Today I sang mostly the Keel Row, remembered from my childhood, Listen with Mother, and from Kathleen Ferrier's singing, and, for some reason, perhaps to do with the rough sea, the Dubliners' Red Roses for Me:

A sober black shawl hides her body entirely
Touched by the sun and the salt spray of the sea
But down in the darkness a slim hand so lovely
Carries a rich bunch of red roses for me
Odd, because it was not suited to the pace.
Time: 1:12:12
Distance: 7.00
Pace: 10.19 (best 8.09)

First mile: 9:34.24
Second mile: 9:45.33
Third mile: 9:50.85
Fourth mile: 10:12.43

Technorati Tags: kathleenferrier, keelrow, dubliners

Skating on Cuckmere mud

I ran this morning in sunshine, but was too early for the Seaford lifeguards new year swim, up to Seaford Head, then out to the Golden Galleon, then back along the Cuckmere to the sea, where the paths were very muddy and I fell, and back over Seaford Head. There'll be no freezing mud in Greenwich Park, on 13 April, so I'm not worried. There can not be many finer places to run than this, I thought as I ran up Seaford Head, with the Seven Sisters behind me.
Time: 1:36:20
Distance: 9.09
Pace: 10.36 (best 5.27)

Two other runs to be recorded, a Friday lunchtime outing with Claire and Helen of the BSMS runners group, and four miles yesterday to the sea
Friday:
Time: 34:38 (probably 5 minutes more than this, delay in finding a GPS signal
Distance: 3.46, so therefore 3.96
Pace: 10.01 (best 7.40)

Saturday
Time: 40:33
Distance: 3.95
Pace: 10.13 (best 8.11)

Total this week: 32.42
Fourteen weeks till the London Marathon

Six early miles

I ran six miles early this morning, again along Seaford front, which was quite deserted, in contrast to yesterday's passagiatta.
It was hard work.
Time: 1:02:55
Distance: 6.02
Pace: 10.27 (best 6.57)

Runs past, runs future

In 2007 I ran in these races:

Sussex Beacon Half Marathon 18 February 2007
Hastings Half Marathon 11 March 2007
Neolithic Marathon 6 May 2007
Seaford Half Marathon 3 June 2007
Beachy Head Marathon 27 October 2007
Brooks Brighton 10K 18 November 2007
Mince Pie Ten Mile 9 December 2007

In 2008 I'll do these:
Sussex Beacon Half Marathon
Hastings Half Marathon
London Marathon
Seaford Half Marathon
Lewes Downland 10 M (a race I've often meant to do, but never quite managed)
Brooks Brighton 10K
Hastings 100th Anniversary Marathon
and perhaps some more as well

First run of 2008: 3 1.5 mile fast runs, Seaford run

For my first run of 2008, the programme dictated three fast sessions of one and a half miles, so off I went to Seaford front at sunset. though the day had been cloudy, there was a fine sunset, which many of the New Year's Day walkers I passed admired and photographed.
The run itself:
Time: 1:18:07
Distance: 8.08
Pace: 9.40 (best 6.17)
Pace and time for the three 1.5 mile sessions:
First 1.5 miles: 13:21.6/8.54

Second 1.5 miles: 13:48.09/9.12
Third 1.5 miles: 13:59.16/9.19

Technorati Tags: sunset

The Voyage Out

Ar the end of the first week's training for London, I ran eight miles early on Sunday morning to Firle Beacon and back. I had the best of the weather, though there was still a strong wind and, having run the previous evening, my legs felt tired. For some reason the outward trip was harder work than the trip home, and my legs feel it, but so they should; this is marathon training, after all. The downs looked splendid in late-December sunshine, though the Exmoor ponies were as forlorn as ever. I wonder if sugar-lumps might cheer them up or, in their absence, a gel?
Time: 1:28:00
Distance: 8.28
Pace: 10.37 (best 7.55)

Total this week: 24.59
Fifteen weeks till the London Marathon

Evening run to the sea

I ran to the sailing club on Saturday evening, for four miles.
Time: 42:05
Distance: 4.02
Pace: 10.27 (best 8.41)

Early morning three miles

I ran to the front and back, three miles, as the sun rose.
Time: 30:25
Distance: 3.01
Pace: 10.07 (best 8.40)