Sunday 30 May 2010

Training Week 25 + 26 Recap

Hi all,

The past couple of weeks have been pretty scant on recaps, due to business, Copenhagen marathon and a brief Danish holiday, so I'm putting Weeks 25 and 26 in this post. Here's how the last two weeks panned out.

Wednesday
Type: Easy with hills
Time and Distance: 34 mins 37 secs, 7.4 km.
Detail: First half at 17:57. Second half at 16:40.

Sunday
Type: Marathon
Time and Distance: 223 mins 17 secs, 42.195 km.
Detail: Kept the pace and intensity easy the whole way. Legs started getting tired around the 25-30 km mark. Still managed to go faster as the race went on.
Splits: 1st half 1:54:19. 2nd half 1:48:58
Average pace between splits: 1st half: 5:25 mins/km (11.07 km/h). 2nd half: 5:10 mins/km (11.62 km/h).

Total Weekly Distance: 49.595 km.

Saturday
Type: Recovery with hills
Time and Distance: 44 mins 37 secs, 7.4 km.
Detail: First half at 23:12. Second half at 21:25. Not a great run actually, felt very flat throughout.

Sunday
Type: Recovery
Time and Distance: 53 mins 48 secs, 9.5 km.
Detail: Kept it slow, had a few walking breaks.

Total Weekly Distance: 16.9 km.

Comments: A pretty easy couple of weeks, just to stay fresh for Copenhagen and to recover from that effort. I actually felt pretty good in the first few days after Copenhagen, without too many sore muscles or walking difficulties. However when I went for my first run yesterday, I was feeling very flat, which might be a consequence of running the Copenhagen marathon last Sunday. Hopefully I won't be low on energy for too long.

Improvements: The business end is upon me! There are 17 weeks to Berlin, which is the event I'm targeting to hopefully break 3 hours. I'm intending to take next week easy, but the next 16 weeks will be the key. The FP Run Club will give me a 16-week sub-3 hour training programme, which I will follow as closely as possible. If the 1st week is going to start out tough, then I need to be properly rested to start with. So I'll take it easy this week, and see what's in store for me after that.

I'm currently drafting up an entry on running form and technique, and how addressing these points in my running has helped me so far. It will be here very soon!

Best,

Aaron

Sunday 23 May 2010

Copenhagen Marathon 2010 - Race Report

Hi guys,

I'm finally back from Copenhagen and have some time to write a race report. In summary I kept it pretty easy, paid very close attention to form and technique, and wanted to see if I could go under 4 hours. I'm happy to say I managed to do this, and even managed to speed up as the race went on.

The days leading up to Copenhagen weren't that great as I had to travel to Spain on business, and there were some travel nightmares on the way to Copenhagen. So by the time I arrived in Copenhagen very late on Friday night I was thoroughly exhausted after a 15 hour travel experience.

The next day, I simply picked up my race number from the marathon expo and had two portions of pasta (although it did cost me 80 Danish kroner). That's around $20 in New Zealand, or £9. I was still feeling pretty tired that day and all I really wanted to do was just turn up and run in Copenhagen. After the strain of the previous few days, the mentality I was carrying was "let's get it over and done with".

Race day came, and the conditions were pretty much perfect, if a little windy. At times I encountered a few strong headwinds along the Copenhagen waterfront. It was a 9:30 start time, the sun was already high in the sky, but the clouds were also out and so it was quite cool and pleasant to run in. Around 15000 runners congregated on Islands Brygge, where the start and finish line was, and it was announced that the number of foreign runners taking part this year has also grown, which is great for the event.

Eventually I was under way, and if you're going to take a marathon slowly, the first few hundred metres are always going to feel like a walk in the park. Initially, I wanted to just go under 4 hours. However when I passed the first km marker at 5:40, which is pretty much the pace required to go under 4 hours, I thought maybe I could shoot for 3:50 instead. I tend to speed up as the race goes on, so a faster time per km will get me safely under 4 hours.

The halfway point comes up and I registered 1:54:19. Still feeling good and on track for 3:50:00. How about I push the pace a little, but not too much so as to completely wreck myself? Of course the run did get harder on the legs as the distance went on (my hamstrings are usually the first to complain), but at no point did I fatigue heavily, hit the wall, or cramp up in the latter stages of the run. The second half was 1:48:58, which gave me a finish time of 3:43:17. A new season best for the year!

Expecting to finish in just under 4 hours, I didn't expect to run this time coming into the race. However, I also didn't feel any sense of delight when I knew that I was on course for this kind of time. I just felt indifference when I crossed the finish line. I guess it was due to it being just another training run, and that I know I can go faster... so I guess the real question now is how much faster can I really go? Not wanting to sound arrogant, but I didn't even feel that tired at the end!

Afterwards, I had a quick massage and managed to walk back to the hotel. The hotel was around 2-3 km from the finish line, yet I didn't have any difficulty walking back. I would've thought I was going to limp the whole way, but I just managed to walk normally without any pain or difficulty. Instead of crashing to sleep, I actually stayed awake for most of the day and treated myself to a huge pizza.

After a bit of reflection, I have to say that the extra attention to technique has really helped carry me over 42.195 km. One focus point is my breathing, and when I really concentrate on breathing and getting sufficient oxygen into my system I just find that running becomes that much easier. Maybe it's a combination of the psychological (getting the mind off the pain in your legs) versus the physiological (oxygen for energy). Another area is the use of my hips when running. I found that my quads and calves weren't as fatigued because I engaged my hips a lot more, especially in the final 10 km of the marathon. Of course they became sore the morning after, but during the run I never felt any cramp, fatigue or extreme tightness and I was still able to keep pace and even speed up when I needed to.

I also have to credit the hill work I've done over the past month and a half, which in conjunction to better technique, helped me through the tough parts and made me a stronger runner. Copenhagen is a predominately flat course with a few hills included for good measure, so the hill work I've put in has certainly paid dividends.

I really shouldn't feel indifference now towards that race time. I broke 4 hours without much effort, and that run bodes well for the future especially if I increase my training intensity in the coming weeks. With only 120 days left to Berlin, I'm really entering the business end of my training and am excited at what I can achieve at Berlin in September. The dream of running a sub 3-hour time is still alive!

To summarise, here are some of my personal highlights, and lowlights, of this year's Copenhagen Marathon.

Highlights
  • Free t-shirt with your race pack. Always a nice thing to have.
  • Plenty of lovely looking Scandinavian lady runners taking part. That's always a good thing! ;-)
  • Decent crowd support along the way. Not as great as Rotterdam, but still decent.
  • You get to run through/past some of Copenhagen's major landmarks such as Christiansborg Palace, Gammel Strand, and The Little Mermaid (currently in Shanghai).
  • Free massage at the end! Unfortunately, since it's free, demand is quite high, but I only waited for 10 minutes.
Lowlights
  • Running on Copenhagen's cobbled streets can be uncomfortable.
  • Course was largely a 2 lap repeat, so it can be a bit boring and discouraging at the same time.
  • Live bands not that inspiring. Mostly just played classical/big band music, which doesn't really suit what a runner wants to hear when they run.
2 down, 3 to go. Helsinki is next, but I'm currently debating on whether I should really take part in this event. Berlin is 6 weeks later and I'm considering whether I'll be in proper shape come race day at Berlin. More on this later.

Another solid time in Copenhagen. However, the most important thing was that I focused on the key objectives, in particular keeping attention to form and technique, and keeping the effort easy as well. I think I was successful in meeting these objectives. The sub 3:45 time was just the icing on the cake.

Best,

Aaron

P.S. Here's a picture of me with my medal, just after I crossed the finish line. Even though I mentioned that I felt indifferent when I finished, I seem to look pretty pleased in this picture. Maybe I'm thrilled that I can definitely do better at Berlin, another 17 weeks away!


Thursday 20 May 2010

Off to Copenhagen

Hey all,

Just a quick note that I'm running the Copenhagen Marathon this Sunday. This is the 2nd marathon of the year, and I'm already heading into new territory with the amount of marathon running done this year. I've only done a maximum of two marathons a year (back in 2007), so with a few more planned this year I'm already raising the number to crazy heights!

I don't know much about the Copenhagen Marathon, or the city as well, so it should be an interesting experience, which could turn out to be "love it or hate it". If their website is accurate, the number of runners is around 12000+ and they're still accepting registrations! The course profile indicates a undulating race from start to finish so I don't think it will be a fast race.

As intended, the goal is to keep this as easy as possible, so if I can do another sub 4-hour time, I'd be extremely happy. Over the past few weeks technique has really been hammered into me. So the things to focus on are: correct running form, proper breathing, and keeping the effort to around a 6/10. If I feel like I'm running on oxygen alone (figuratively speaking of course) then I've done my job! Let's see if I can concentrate for 42.2 km!

See ya

Aaron

Saturday 15 May 2010

Training Week 24 Recap

Hi all,

This is going to be a short recap for the week. Tomorrow (the usual day of writing these recaps) I fly to Palma on business so I'm going to write this now.

Tuesday
Type: Continuous Hills
Time and Distance: 49 mins 33 secs, 11.8 km.
Detail: 1.1 km warm up. 3 sets of 4 hill reps (400m up, 400m down) with 2 mins recovery. First set was 12:35, second set was 13:00, third set was 12:58. 1.1 km cool down.

Thursday
Type: Intervals
Time and Distance: 45 mins, 8.55 km.
Detail: 15 mins warm up at 10.5 km/h pace. 4 x 800m at 15.7, 16.0, 16.3, 16.5 km/h pace with 3 mins recovery at 8.0 km/h pace. 6 mins cool down at 10.5 km/h pace.

Total Weekly Distance: 20.35 km.

Comments: A poor week in terms of quantity, but hopefully not in terms of quality. Continuous hill session and intervals have been upped or modified a notch but I had to cut the long run out as I'm going to be flat out this weekend, plus the Copenhagen marathon is next weekend, so I'm intending to enter this event as fresh as possible. Like Rotterdam, I'm going to take the event easy, and hopefully recover as quickly as possible.

Improvements: I'm going to take it easy in the coming week to be fresh for Copenhagen. I'll still do a continuous hill session and an easier run. There is my normal running route I did in Palma that incorporated an uphill climb, which is going to be great for my continuous hill session. Plus I know what sort of time I can get on this run, so if I better it this time round I know I've gotten fitter since the last time I ran it.

I've checked the running calendar and there is only 19 more weeks to the Berlin marathon, which is the event I'm targeting for sub-3 hours. Time really does move fast! There's also 3 more weeks till the start of my 16 week training programme designed by the FP Run Club, so I'm really eager to start training according to a plan designed by the experts. I'm also eager to see how difficult it can get, just to see if I'll handle the rigours of their training plan!

I had a sports massage last night, and I have to say it was okay, if a little disappointing. It didn't hurt as much as I had expected, which is good as I have no injuries or niggles to worry about. Plus it seems my legs are in great shape. However I wonder if the masseuse could have gone a little harder - obviously she doesn't want to give me huge amounts of pain brought on by her elbows and knuckles.

My separate entry on running form and technique will have to come in a later post, sorry. I've been too busy this week on other things, so I will visit this section in future. Don't miss it.

Cheers!

Aaron

Sunday 9 May 2010

Training Week 23 Recap

Evening folks,

Here is my training recap for week 23. This was a great week! Let me tell you why.

Tuesday
Type: Continuous Hills
Time and Distance: 81 mins 26 secs, 17.8 km.
Detail: 5.5 km warm up. 2 sets of 7 hill reps (400m up, 400m down) with 3 mins recovery. First set was 22:53, second set was 23:18. 1.1 km cool down.

Thursday
Type: Intervals
Time and Distance: 45 mins, 8.47 km.
Detail: 15 mins warm up at 10.5 km/h pace. 4 x 800m at 15.5, 15.7, 16.0, 16.3 km/h pace with 3 mins recovery at 8.0 km/h pace. 5 mins cool down at 10.5 km/h pace.

Saturday
Type: Long
Time and Distance: 120 mins 50 secs, 24.6 km.
Detail: Kept it easy and conversational. Focused really hard on breathing and proper form.

Sunday
Type: Recovery
Time and Distance: 30 mins, 5.23 km.
Detail: 30 mins on treadmill at 10.5 km/h pace at 1.0 incline.

Total Weekly Distance: 56.1 km.

Comments: This, I believe, has to be the best week quality wise. I was really happy with my long run yesterday. At that pace it seems to be a little on the fast side for me, almost close to my last year's marathon pace. Yet I still kept it easy and conversational, and it really did feel like that. The trick was just a slight tweak in my technique and breathing. Okay, I basically focused all my attention to these two areas, and I believe that made my long run much easier. Compare with last week's long run where I struggled through the same distance in more time, this week was pretty much a breeze. I have to owe it to my change in technique, which has really been hammered home to me recently.

Improvements: After this week's encouraging results, I'm going to pay a lot more attention to my technique on every run I go on. Continuous hills, threshold runs, intervals and long runs - you name it. Will still maintain the quality of these runs for next week.

This basically feels like a rebirth to running, having gone back to the beginning, examining the basics, looking at areas for improvement, and applying them in training. And honestly, it feels like it has paid off. I don't have much time to blog about this now, but I will definitely visit this area on technique in a separate post. This isn't something to ignore because a few tweaks in your running technique will definitely yield positive results. It worked for me this week!

Cheers!

Aaron

Sunday 2 May 2010

Training Week 22 Recap

Afternoon all,

I have to apologise for the lack of material here on this blog! The past few weeks have been mainly training recaps and hardly anything else, and I feel that I've let my reading audience down here. I hate reeling off excuses; all I can say is that I've been really busy of late not just with training but with life as well. Hopefully you'll still find them useful.

Here is the recap for week 22. Another solid week, but I will need to up the ante very very soon!

Tuesday
Type: Continuous Hills
Time and Distance: 81 mins, 15.9 km.
Detail: 5.2 km warm up. 2 sets of 6 hill reps (400m up, 400m down) with 3 mins recovery. First set was 19:53, second set was 20:38. 1.1 km cool down.

Thursday
Type: Intervals
Time and Distance: 45 mins, 8.47 km.
Detail: 15 mins warm up at 10.5 km/h pace. 4 x 800m at 15.0, 15.5, 15.7, 16.0 km/h pace with 3 mins recovery at 8.0 km/h pace. 5 mins cool down at 10.5 km/h pace.

Saturday
Type: Long
Time and Distance: 135 mins 15 secs, 25.6 km.
Detail: Kept it easy and conversational. First half 69 mins, second half 66 mins 15 secs.

Total Weekly Distance: 49.97 km.

Comments: I've had a pretty hard week this week. Even though they're not meant to be easy, I'm finding the continuous hills a little more manageable now, but the intervals and long run have been rather difficult because I haven't done these for a wee while now. These have been a big shock to the system, so hopefully I can adapt and improve on this.

Improvements: Having looked at my training diary for the past few weeks, I noted that most of my weekend long runs have been less than 20 km! I think that must be why my recent long run was a little on the difficult side. Despite trying to keep it easy and conversational, the legs were starting to ache a bit. From now on, all my long runs have to be at least 25 km long (obviously I can take it easy on my easier weeks!). Apart from that, just focus on the quality of my threshold runs and continuous hills. After this week's interval session, I'm tempted to resume doing treadmill interval work. However this week was a one-off as the local athletics track was unavailable to the public so I wasn't able to do any threshold running this week. If I can help it, I'll keep the intervals on the shelf for now.

This week, I read an enlightening blog post written by George Anderson on The Secrets of Faster Running. Most of these secrets were known to me, but it's amazing how much of it I actually apply in my training. In fact, when I trained for the Berlin Marathon last year and set my personal best, I neglected all of those secrets. If I knew how to apply them better at the time, imagine how much better I would have done. Let me go into more detail.

Secret # 1: Elite athletes TRAIN SLOW
Sure, I know how to run slow, but when doing my long runs and especially closer to the marathon, I was running them just slower than race pace, instead of 1-2 minutes per mile slower than was prescribed. In fact, two weeks before Berlin, my long run of 37 km was around the same pace as my actual race pace! Imagine if I didn't go that fast in training I would have arrived at the start line probably with more energy, and finished probably with a better race time.

Secret # 2: Elite athletes run fast
Throughout my "marathon career", I've learnt to increase the pace of my runs. However, I also become obsessed with pace so much that I tended to run at a particular "fast pace", then bettering it a little in the next training session. I didn't really know that by pushing the pace so often I wasn't allowing myself to get used to the pace I was running at. To compound this further, most of my fast running was done on the treadmill, which, surprise surprise, doesn't translate to fast running on the road!

Secret # 3: Elite runners don't just run
Yeah I also knew about this, but I didn't exactly know what they did outside of running. But now I know. Drills, stretches, body conditioning, mobility, stability and strength exercises. How much of this stuff did I actually do when training for Berlin last year? Absolutely none, apart from the odd bit of stretching after a run. How much of this stuff do I do now? Well, not a lot I'm afraid. I'm hoping to address this now! As an aside, before I took up marathon running, I was into strength training heavily, and no doubt this has helped in the transition to becoming a marathon runner. However, for me, doing strength training and marathon running at the same time is almost near impossible to do, so unfortunately I've had to ditch all the heavy weights. The result: I'm thinner, lighter, a better runner no doubt, but also not as strong as before. I'm not saying you have to include a full-blown strength training routine on top of your marathon training, but doing a few simple strength exercises can go a long way.

Secret # 4: Elite runners train on hills
I know about hill work. Do I actually do it? I looked at my training schedule for Berlin last year, and was quite surprised to see that I only did ONE hill session in my 24 weeks of preparing for Berlin. That session was a hard sprint up until my muscles were about to shut down, and then a walk/jog down while trying to repay my oxygen debt. Just doing it on its own isn't going to pay big dividends to my training. Actually this wasn't the only hill I ran; I did do a variety of hilly routes in my training runs but to be frank I only did one specific hill session. So far this year, I've done four quality hill sessions - four times more than last year! And still many more to come!

Secret # 5: It's not just what you run, but how you run that really matters
I've watched a lot of marathon coverage on TV and YouTube, and even seen the very best runners run in the London Marathon. And they run so effortlessly. Technique and form have been driven home to me only recently after watching George Anderson's video on YouTube, so much so that every training run I've been doing I've been paying very close attention to my running form. It hasn't been very pretty so far, especially with regards to my breathing. At times I'm trying very hard to monitor my breathing, but then I sometimes trail off into my own little world before realising that I don't remember taking any breaths for the past five minutes or so! It's because breathing is such a sub-conscious activity. Oh well, I'll get there someday!

Train hard, but also smart!

Aaron