London Marathon ....Final Countown....

Final Fortnight

My sister who died of MND

The Final Fortnight of London Marathon training has gone to plan. Last Sunday’s 12.5mile run was rewarded on Monday by a rest day but on Tuesday it was back to speed work doing 1mile jog, 10x400m @5k pace and 1mile jog. I was a bit worried that my hamstring might be a problem but there was no cause for concern and I was happy with my session. I was a bit tight for time on Wednesday lunch time, so I settled for 30mins on the power plate at the gym and saved my 6mile run for the evening. Thursday was another evening run with 3miles at Half Marathon pace, sandwiched between 1mile jogs. There seemed to be a lot of runners, particularly female ones, out and about in the South Side of Glasgow, presumably in training for the forthcoming Women’s 10k race.


parkrun 104
Whilst Friday was another rest day, I still rewarded myself by having a few drinks in Sammy Dow’s in the evening. Some bad company resulted in me doing my 104th parkrun in the morning slightly worse for wear. I decided not to risk the drive to Strathclyde Park, where they were celebrating their second birthday, opting for my 89th running of the Pollok Park event instead. My 3mile easy 27mile run ended up being a 5k in 25:03 but no less enjoyable for that. I like to take the time to encourage other runners and thank the marshals for their support, when I am not running flat out.

Results

It was good to chat with some fellow London Marathoners before and after the race, to make some new running buddies and to reconnect with a few old friends too. Some strong coffee and good banter was in order at the Burrell Café before making my way home for a quiet day watching the football and rugby.

Sunday Run
A beautiful Spring Sunday morning and I made my way back to Pollok Park. Mine is usually the only car parked at the local rugby club but there was a woman’s rugby tournament taking place and I was lucky to get a parking place at all. My start was a little delayed as I chatted with Bellahouston Harrier, Ian MacLeod who had just finished his run before I dragged my second day hangover around Pollok and Bellahouston Parks. My Sunday schedule was 10 ‘steady’ miles, which my plan told me means 8:30min/miles. I enjoyed my run and, as usual, saw a few other runners too, including David Mooney and Julie Docherty who were doing a crazy 24mile run!

Just under 85mins later, I warmed down around Cartha Queens Park Rugby playing fields taking in some of the Women’s Rugby before making my way home through the large travelling Hearts support on their way to a successful Hampden Semi Final.

My foot started to hurt after about 55mins and I felt a few niggles too but nothing serious. I’m now looking forward to my London Marathon.

Final Week
Monday’s another rest day, Tuesday 1M jog then 12 x 200m at 5K speed (or 45secs) with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries then 1M jog; Wednesday 4M easy (approx 36 mins) with 5 marathon pace 100m strides; Thursday 3M easy (approx 27 mins) with 4 marathon pace 100m strides; Friday: Rest, Saturday 2M easy (approx 18 mins) with 3 marathon pace 100m strides and Sunday….hmm Sunday must be on the next week’s training plan..

Not long now…..I wonder what the weather will be like.


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My Highest and Lowest Couple of Weeks

Pic by Sandy Ferguson

Cup Heroes – Highs and Lows

It’s been a strange and indeed unique couple of weeks with Killie beating Celtic at Hampden to win the League Cup and the ecstasy then turning to sadness as the news broke of Kilmarnock’s Liam Kelly’s father Jack having a fatal heart attack at the end of the game.

Having run 20 miles on the morning I was too tired to go to Hampden and I must admit that my last two League Cup Finals were not happy occasions as first Celtic and then Hibs demolished the ‘stars in stripes’.  

I managed the 20miles and stuck to my training schedule pace of 9min/miles though my left leg did most of the work, as first the pain on my right abductor muscle and then the sole of my foot took their toll.  With Monday an official rest day, it was Tuesday before I tested my legs again but with the pain in my foot I opted for the softer treadmill option to do my interval session. 

£100 Trainers

Although I had recently invested in my Asics 2360s, it appeared that my right foot, in particular, was not getting enough support.  A lunchtime trip to Run4It and after expert analysis of my running style, I left almost £100 lighter with a pair of shiny, new, Asics 2170s.  Well I would have if I hadn’t got my 10% discount, which reduced the price from £99 to a still hefty £89:10.

However I left my new trainers at work and on Wednesday I gave my Asics 2360s another chance as I ran my 9mile run.  The pain in my legs and foot was too sore to run on Thursday and, as Friday was a rest day, it was Saturday before I gave my new 2170s an outing.  Nothing too serious though, a 4mile easy run @9min/mile pace. 

100^th Strathclyde parkrun

Of course, I combined this with the 100^th Strathclyde parkrun and it was great to see some old friends there, including Tom and Marie McChord; Clare Purdie, loads  of Motherwell AC runners and young Amy Friel, who I provided some encouragement too in the latter part of her maiden parkrun.  She was delighted to finish in a time of 27:51.  Another delighted runner was Jammy Jo Smith who, wearing his Kilmarnock FC 125^th anniversary vest, recorded a course PB of 20:50.  John and the rest of the team at Strathclyde had further cause for celebrations when the barcodes revealed that the event had attracted a new record of some 183 runners crossing the finishing line.

Full results

 Perfect Day at Rugby Park

In the afternoon it was my turn to wear my Kilmarnock FC 125^th anniversary vest as I made my way to Rugby Park for the first time in years.  I wanted to show my gratitude to the team for their great performance at Hampden and the impeccable way that the club had conducted itself through a difficult week.  Motherwell FC were the opposition and their large travelling support showed tremendous dignity and were a credit to their Club and Scottish Football as a whole.  A decent game of football; gorgeous weather; a fine result and an emotional post game parade of the League Cup would have added up to a great day but add a Killie Pie and meeting some old friends and it adds up to an almost perfect day.

Worst Day in Pollok Park

A quiet night in on Saturday, albeit an hour shorter than normal, and I was ready for my long run in Sunday.  With the Dirty Duo kicking off at Ibrox at 1pm, I was keen to ensure that my training was completed as soon as possible.  Porridge and pre-run fuel taken and body and feet covered in Vaseline, I made my way to Pollok Park in what was probably the hottest morning of the year.  I was perspiring after my 1mile jog warm up!  A quick wipe down, I refuelled and set off for a mock Half Marathon with a target of 8min/miles.  Running around Bellahouston and Pollok Parks, I refuelled every 5k and was feeling strong but by the time I reached the 9mile mark my right leg and foot were hurting badly.  My pace dropped as the pain increased and by the time I reached 12miles the pain was excruciating.  Perhaps foolishly, I hobbled on until I completed my 13.1miles and then almost in tears I limped the 0.7miles back to my car. 

Woe

A cold bath, hot food and a sleep were to follow.  A search on the Internet now has me thinking that the pain in my foot isn’t due to the lack of support from my trainers but possibly a navicular sprain*. Whatever the problem is, the confidence gained by last week’s 20mile run had been replaced with a major question mark over the ability of my leg and foot to survive a marathon and there’s less than 4 weeks to go!

All the nines.................and a new plan too...

It was all the nines last week as I completed my ninth week of Marathon training.  I ran my 99th parkrun and I ran my longest run, 19miles.  I should also have ran 9miles at race pace on Friday but work interfered with my training plans and I forgot to check my schedule before doing my10mile run at race pace instead.

99th parkrun

Despite the temptation to get involved in a race, I managed to discipline myself and kept my 99th parkrun pace steady throughout the undulating 5k.  It was still good for the confidence though, as a number of those around me faded in the latter part of the event, resulting in me placing 72nd out of 363 finishers, in a time of 22:24.  It would have been a good day to race, with perfect conditiions and lots of runners about my level too.  It was a successful day for Pamela Joss and Sarah Whalen, who both celebrated their 50th parkruns by achieving PBs.  Well done to both of you.  Alexander Laughlan also clocked up his 50th parkrun but no PB.

I'll be doing my 100th on Saturday and I won't be chasing a PB, that can wait for another day.  However there'll be cake and chocolates at the Burrell Cafe after the run, so please feel free to come and join me.

Full Results


Nineteen Miles

I managed my longest run, in a long, long time when I ran around Pollok and Bellahouston Parks three times on Sunday morning.  19miles in all.  I met a few running buddies on the way and enjoyed the company of my new cordless Sony Walkman too.  I've never ran with an MP3, i-pod, tape or even a stereogram but I thought it might keep my mind from wandering off into negative thoughts.  It may have worked but even with my energy drink and in good spirits, I'm afraid that there was no convincing my old legs that everything was fine and they became more tired, stiff and sore as I took on the latter miles.

My legs were still stiff and sore as I put them through a 10mile run on Monday, albeit on the treadmill, before cycling along to Embody for my, now weekly, massage.  Is there such a thing as good pain?


Nine Weeks to Go
With the previous nine weeks having taken their toll on my legs and on my enthusiasm for running, it was time to review my training schedule, which although I had been sticking to it rigidly, just wasn't working for me.

New Plan
I've therefore decided to replace it with another plan which has a rest day after the long run and which even includes the parkrun as an option on some Saturdays.  Unfortunately not this week though.  A three mile run in 27mins is the schedule and yes, of course, I'll run the parkrun instead, just even slower than usual.
Let's hope that the refreshing of my training will help me through the next few weeks and bring back some of the love that I have for the sport.  Of course you can help too by making a donation to charity in memory of my sister who died of Motor Neurone Disease.


May All Your Miles be Happy Ones!