Tom Roper's Running Training

High and Over

My first run since Saturday. I went on the round trip to High and Over. It had been a fine day but the weather was becoming duller.
Time: 49:05
Distance: 5.02
Pace: 9.47 (best 8.34)
No heart rate reading for some reason.

The training sessions I have missed so far are two long runs, a timed run over 6 miles, a session that I have as 15 + 10 +5 min fast, 3 min, so don't really understand, and two races. That seems to me not catastrophic, so if I can keep the rest of the programme, I should still be OK for Beachy Head.

Mist and pheasants

On Saturday morning I ran for seven miles out across the fields, nearly as far as Halsingfield. Though I left Cambridge in bright sunshine, within half a mile I was in thick mist, disorientating and creating strange acoustic effects, so that a man calling his dog on the edge of a field far away sounded as if he was by my side. I remember little of my school geography lessons under Malcolm "Max" McFarlane, in which we were taught that Cambridge sits on a variety of soils. There's chalk, I think, gravel and clay, and possibly more. This run took me over wet clay, excellent exercise for the leg muscles.
Pheasants fed in the fields, safe in the knowledge that they cannot be shot until next weekend.
Time: 1:07:27
Distance: 7.09
Pace: 9.31 (best 7.12)
Average heart rate: 181 (some mistake possibly)
Since Saturday, training has been disrupted by the death of my mother. I shall be running when I can.

Technorati Tags: cambridge, pheasants

Seaford front

Family illness means my running has been curtailed, I was unable to run in the Hove Prom 5 miler (though the achievements of the BSMS should be recorded here, Joanna did 44:42, Claire 44:45 and Steffi 44:48). Today I ran for the first time for nearly a week. I chose to do a set of repetitions, three three minute fast runs, with two minute recoveries and the usual ten minute warm up and cool downs. I went along Seaford front, in sun and a strong wind which whipped up white crests on the waves. On Newhaven pier the waves broke with some force.
Time: 38:05
Distance: 4.12
Pace: 9.15 (best 6.56)
Average heart rate: 148

For the three minute fast sessions, distance and pace were as follows:
Session 1: 0.38, 7.58
Session 2: 0.37, 8.02
Session 3 (into the wind): 0.32, 9.19

Technorati Tags: repetitions, seaford

Seaford front

Back in Sussex briefly, yesterday afternoon I ran three eight minute fast runs, with three minute jog recoveries and the usual warm-up and cool-down, along Seaford front.
Time: 58:13
Distance: 6.37
Pace: 9.08 (best 6.21)
Average heart rate: 143

Fast run 1: 0.92/8.42
Fast run 2: 0.93/8.38
Fast run 3: 0.92/8.44

Technorati Tags: repetitions

Two more Cambridge runs in one post

Things re a little disrupted at the moment, so this post covers two runs done in Cambridge earlier this week, one a six mile easy pace run, the other a four mile steady paced one. The first was run along Grange Road, up Storey's Way and along the Huntingdon Road as far as Girton. For the latter I ran along Grantchester Meadows, remembering a free music festival I went to there once in around 1970.
Tuesday's easy pace run:
Time: 56:01

Distance: 6.05
Pace: 9.15 (best 5.41)
Average heart rate: 150

Thursday's steady pace run:
Time: 36:41

Distance: 3.97
Pace: 9.15 (best 6.52)
Average heart rate: 152

Technorati Tags: easyrun, steadypace

Barton, Comberton, Toft and Kingston

Training has been disrupted by family illness, and I lost a hill session I should have run on Saturday. Indeed I did not feel like running yesterday morning, but in the warm evening, after a day's hospital visiting, I relived the stress with a 2 hour 15 minutes run out of Cambridge as far as Kingston.
Time: 2:17:05
Distance: 14.26
Pace: 9.37 (best 7.55)
Average heart rate: 149

Total last week: 28.01
Seven weeks till the Beachy Head Marathon

"4 miles easy and strides"

Thus spake my training programme, but when to do the strides? At the beginning, in the middle or at the end? And for how long?
So I ran down to Seaford front and included four strides sessions in the middle of the run, about 160 metres each.

Time: 36:25
Distance: 4.00
Pace: 9.06 (best 6.59)
Average heart rate: 149

Technorati Tags: easyrun, seaford, strides

Two runs in one post again

I find myself back in Cambridge due to family illness. Monday was a rest day and I was unable to run on Tuesday, so yesterday and today I ran the sessions that should have been run on Tuesday and Wednesday, 4 X 1 km repetitions with 3 minute recoveries and a four mile easy run.

Wednesday (on the Trumpington and Grantchester or TAG route):
Time: 53:24
Distance: 5.71
Pace: 9.22 (best 7.08)
Average heart rate: 156
Time and pace for the 1 km sections
Km 1: 5:06 (8.15)
Km 2: 5:03 (8.10)
Km 3: 4:44 (7.39)
Km 4: 5:03 (8.09)

Thursday: 4 miles easy along Grange Road and out along the Madingley Road as far as the veterinary school and the university observatory.
Time: 36:48
Distance: 4.00
Pace: 9.12 (best 6.34)
Average heart rate: 141

Technorati Tags: cambridge, easyrun, repetitions

Two runs in one post: Saturday's 5 mile easy and Sunday long run

Yesterday I ran a 5 mile easy run to Seaford front before the triathletes took over. Today, In Cambridge, I ran my long run to Haslingfield, beyond up Barrington Hill and a little way round the perimeter of the cement works.
Saturday:
Time: 48:02
Distance: 5.02
Pace: 9.34 (best 8.11)
Average heart rate: 139

Sunday:
Time: 2:00:04
Distance: 11.78
Pace: 10.12 (best 7.20 )
Average heart rate: 143

Total last week: 43.51 (target 36, but last week's long run ended up as part of this week).

Eight weeks till the Beachy Head Marathon.

Technorati Tags: cambridge, easyrun, longrun, seaford

1-2-3-4-3-2-1 pyramid on Seaford front

I ran a pyramid run, that is to say a run of 1 minute followed by 1 minute jog recovery, then 2, then 3, then 4, then 3 then 2, then 1, with 12 minute warm up and cool down. There was a strong south-westerly wind, so I ran half the session into the wind and half with it behind me,
Time: 49:29
Distance: 5.12
Pace: 9.40 (best 7.34)
Average heart rate: 147

Distance and pace for the fast sections:
1 minute run: 0.13 (7.52)
2 minute run: 0.22 (8.55)
3 minute run: 0.33 (9.01)
4 minute run: 0.43 (9.19)
3 minute run: 0.34 (8.45)
2 minute run: 0.23 (8.42)
1 minute run: 0.12 (8.27)

Technorati Tags: pyramid