This month was the final building block in my preparation for the challenges that lie ahead in 2017. It went pretty well. There was a distinct lack of long runs, just the one of 15 miles. I did manage to race and was pleased with my 35:08 at the 5 Mile Rudolph Run, that could well be my December 2017 race.
It was another record mileage month, beating the record I had set in November, I just ticked over 162 miles on my run today. I hope that record doesn't last long. There were 24 runs so an average of 6.75 miles a run. Other than the race I think my favourite runs were a frosty run around my favourite loop in Sandy and my Christmas Day run in Suffolk with my Brother Luke. It's always nice to run away from your regular routes and even better to do it with good company.
My already busy race calendar has found room for a couple more races. The most important of the 2017 races, The Marcus Gynn Newmarket 10K on the 2nd July is now paid for and in the diary. Another race also booked in is the Sandy 10 Miler. This has been on my radar for a while and I'm finally doing it. A good PB opportunity early in 2017. I'm still looking for a race in June after the rescheduling of the Southend Half Marathon. All suggestions are very welcome.
So there we have it, Month 3 and Week 14 completed. I have run 456 miles in the last 3 months of 2016 out of a total of 913 miles for the entire year. The sharp eyed among you will notice that bar a little rounding that is 50% of the entire years mileage in 3 months. I couldn't be much happier, perhaps a parkrun or two more and another one or two long runs but I'd give myself 9 out of 10 for the training block. Now onto the serious business of racing in 2017. 12 races booked and paid for already.
If you could find a pound or two to sponsor me in my 2017 Challenges it would be hugely appreciated. Here is the link:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runformarcus2017
Saturday 31 December 2016
Sunday 4 December 2016
November 2016 Training.
Month 2 of my training in preparation for 2017 was another successful block. 158.2 miles run, why so precise you ask? After 90 months of running this was my biggest mileage month but only by 0.3 miles. Such fine margins, but a really pleasing target met.
I managed 21 runs, a longest run of 15 miles. No races, I missed St Neots Half as we had guests and so it didn't quite fit. Without the racing, it was just solid training runs, 36 - 38 miles a week across my 5 runs. I've had some illness at the tail end of the month, sore throat, cough and cold but I've managed to train through it and I seem to be through the worst of it.
December is a short month at work, but there's still plenty to cram into those three weeks before the Christmas and New Year shut down. I'll still find time for plenty of running, with some time off over the festive period and an extra day I'll be looking to set a new mileage month record, and hopefully by more than 0.3 miles. I've signed up for a 5 mile race next weekend and am hoping to fit in a December parkrun at some stage so should have a better gauge of whether all this training has been worth it or not.
Come back early in the New Year to see how my training and racing has gone.
I managed 21 runs, a longest run of 15 miles. No races, I missed St Neots Half as we had guests and so it didn't quite fit. Without the racing, it was just solid training runs, 36 - 38 miles a week across my 5 runs. I've had some illness at the tail end of the month, sore throat, cough and cold but I've managed to train through it and I seem to be through the worst of it.
December is a short month at work, but there's still plenty to cram into those three weeks before the Christmas and New Year shut down. I'll still find time for plenty of running, with some time off over the festive period and an extra day I'll be looking to set a new mileage month record, and hopefully by more than 0.3 miles. I've signed up for a 5 mile race next weekend and am hoping to fit in a December parkrun at some stage so should have a better gauge of whether all this training has been worth it or not.
Come back early in the New Year to see how my training and racing has gone.
Tuesday 1 November 2016
October 2016 Training and the 2017 Plan
It appears I haven't written a running blog since way back in August 2015. I think that probably gives you a fair indication of how well I have run in 2016. Prior to October my 2016 mileage totalled a paltry 457 miles. A 49 minute 10k in April, a pleasing 1:47 in the Half at Stratford upon Avon, keeping my streak of Southend Half Marathon's going in June and dropping out at halfway in the Berlin Marathon was all the racing I had done.
A number of factors then combined to give me a kick up my no good lazy butt. My abject preparation for Berlin meant using it as a training run was definitely the safest and best option and I didn't want to enter races only to perform way below what I was capable of. The second factor was the target I have set myself for 2017, to run at least one race a month, anything from parkrun to Ultra, all to raise funds for Sarcoma a charity that is raising awareness of this rare form of Cancer, that my friend Sophie's brother Marcus succumbed to in February this year.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runformarcus2017
Armed with this new found motivation and keen to start as I meant to go on I have thrown myself into training in earnest.
October saw me running 136 miles over the course of 19 runs. 4 or 5 times a week. I have only run more miles than that in a month, 3 times over the 7 and a half years I have been running and so it's been a start that me and my coaching team (supportive friends and family) have been really pleased with. It's been dominated by steady base building running, but I did make it down to Southend for a parkrun and finished 32nd in a time of 22:16, I was beaten by those younger and older than me and so some how managed to be first home in the Male 30-34 category. I've not been brave enough to check back at the results to find out how few turned up in that category but a win's a win.
Looking forward to November I will look to run 5 times a week, hopefully beating the October Mileage, even with a day and a weekend less. I also have another parkrun planned and would expect to beat my previous time, as well as running St Neots Half Marathon to see what shape I am in over the longer distance. Come back in early December to see how I have fared. #runformarcus
A number of factors then combined to give me a kick up my no good lazy butt. My abject preparation for Berlin meant using it as a training run was definitely the safest and best option and I didn't want to enter races only to perform way below what I was capable of. The second factor was the target I have set myself for 2017, to run at least one race a month, anything from parkrun to Ultra, all to raise funds for Sarcoma a charity that is raising awareness of this rare form of Cancer, that my friend Sophie's brother Marcus succumbed to in February this year.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runformarcus2017
Armed with this new found motivation and keen to start as I meant to go on I have thrown myself into training in earnest.
October saw me running 136 miles over the course of 19 runs. 4 or 5 times a week. I have only run more miles than that in a month, 3 times over the 7 and a half years I have been running and so it's been a start that me and my coaching team (supportive friends and family) have been really pleased with. It's been dominated by steady base building running, but I did make it down to Southend for a parkrun and finished 32nd in a time of 22:16, I was beaten by those younger and older than me and so some how managed to be first home in the Male 30-34 category. I've not been brave enough to check back at the results to find out how few turned up in that category but a win's a win.
Looking forward to November I will look to run 5 times a week, hopefully beating the October Mileage, even with a day and a weekend less. I also have another parkrun planned and would expect to beat my previous time, as well as running St Neots Half Marathon to see what shape I am in over the longer distance. Come back in early December to see how I have fared. #runformarcus
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