I'm three weeks out from the Cambridge Half and I think everything has just clicked. For the first time in this training cycle I'm as happy as I can be with where I am and have adjusted my goals accordingly.
Last week just followed the script perfectly, I got what I needed to out of the week.
Last week just followed the script perfectly, I got what I needed to out of the week.
The Run #1
This was a deferred long run from the Sunday just passed. A couple of extra days off had allowed my persistent cold to clear up again & not needing to get into London until 12 gave me some admin time at home and the opportunity to get out for a long run without time pressures. At half six I left the house with my headtorch on and took to the streets towards Bishop's Stortford. Even with some light the run alongside quite a busy B road in the dark was a bit hairy. At least this is the one pavement the local authorities have bothered to tidy up so I wasn't having to play with the traffic.
After crossing the A120 I took on the Parsonage Lane estate, my old home territory. A slow climb all the way up to the senior school, followed by a downhill along Dunmow Road, through the Hockerill lights and into the town.
I was soon on Rye Street, trying to keep my pace even on the relatively flat section before heading back into Stansted. My total distance was still a bit short so I threw in some diversions on the route home, clocking 15km. Once home I was straight onto the foam roller, easing out the quads, happy with the slow, but steady work.
After crossing the A120 I took on the Parsonage Lane estate, my old home territory. A slow climb all the way up to the senior school, followed by a downhill along Dunmow Road, through the Hockerill lights and into the town.
I was soon on Rye Street, trying to keep my pace even on the relatively flat section before heading back into Stansted. My total distance was still a bit short so I threw in some diversions on the route home, clocking 15km. Once home I was straight onto the foam roller, easing out the quads, happy with the slow, but steady work.
The Run #2
Later in the working week I broke up the day with a lunchtime jaunt to Battersea Park. Once more I used the run to go easy and increase the pace where it felt right. Getting out over halfway through a work day breaks up the routine nicely. Bizarrely the short section in Battersea Park can be the worst part of the run, all depends on how many dog walkers are determined to herd ever increasing groups of unleashed dogs through the park. Traffic fumes, cyclists, vehicles lacking in indicators, walkers without a sense of direction I can generally cope with, groups of dogs raises the heartbeat though.
The run itself passed without consequence. This time I didn't push too much, just used the occasion to join the hordes of lunchtime runners escape the office.
The run itself passed without consequence. This time I didn't push too much, just used the occasion to join the hordes of lunchtime runners escape the office.
The Run #3
After a stint of volunteering at Great Notley parkrun on Saturday it was time to fit a long run into Sunday. Our core team were due to meet at the forest for 1000 & I'd further condensed my timeline by offering a lift, so I'd need to be out of the door by 0925. Regular readers know I'm no fan of afternoon or evening running, this meant trying to get my 18km long run in before heading to the forest.
I counted back from 0925. Say 30 minutes to get showered takes me to 0855, allow two hours for running gets to 0655, the mandatory half an hour of pre run faffing takes the alarm setting to 0625. Knowing the penchant for procrastination I opted for a reluctant 0600 Sunday morning alarm. Technically a lie in, but I don't think 25 minutes is cause for much celebration.
I actually hauled myself out the door just after half six, head torch attached for the first half hour or so waiting for daylight. My route had a definite 16km and the need to add a bit of free styling upon my return to Stansted. I headed north, through Quendon and towards Newport before turning back to Elsenham. The section from the B road into Elsenham always surprises with its length, seems to take as absolute age!
After a slow first click, my pace settled into a nice easy rhythm, just over the 6:00/km mark. The goal once more was distance rather than pace, this week had been a light bulb one for me. I had realised that (yes it took a while) that the PB wouldn't be threatened at Cambridge despite that being the original intention. My job for Cambridge is to finish, maybe at best sneak a sub two hour, but generally run without pressure. It will serve as a long training run for the following weekend's Larmer Tree half, surely the toughest event I'll have taken part in. They'll be no point flogging myself around Cambridge for something that isn't achievable only to compromise the race the next week. This year is all about the marathon effort & for that slow & steady leads the way.
I counted back from 0925. Say 30 minutes to get showered takes me to 0855, allow two hours for running gets to 0655, the mandatory half an hour of pre run faffing takes the alarm setting to 0625. Knowing the penchant for procrastination I opted for a reluctant 0600 Sunday morning alarm. Technically a lie in, but I don't think 25 minutes is cause for much celebration.
I actually hauled myself out the door just after half six, head torch attached for the first half hour or so waiting for daylight. My route had a definite 16km and the need to add a bit of free styling upon my return to Stansted. I headed north, through Quendon and towards Newport before turning back to Elsenham. The section from the B road into Elsenham always surprises with its length, seems to take as absolute age!
After a slow first click, my pace settled into a nice easy rhythm, just over the 6:00/km mark. The goal once more was distance rather than pace, this week had been a light bulb one for me. I had realised that (yes it took a while) that the PB wouldn't be threatened at Cambridge despite that being the original intention. My job for Cambridge is to finish, maybe at best sneak a sub two hour, but generally run without pressure. It will serve as a long training run for the following weekend's Larmer Tree half, surely the toughest event I'll have taken part in. They'll be no point flogging myself around Cambridge for something that isn't achievable only to compromise the race the next week. This year is all about the marathon effort & for that slow & steady leads the way.
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| A stunning day down the Forest later on Sunday |
I had to complete a couple of laps of the railway station car park in Elsenham, waiting on the barriers to be raised (didn't fancy the multiple flights of stairs) & then once back in Stansted I felt fresh enough to run up Chapel Hill & take myself towards Bentfield Green before heading home. The 18th kilometre was the fastest by 40 seconds on the average & included a recovery post hill climb. To finish strongly felt great & I got into the house & straight onto the foam roller to start recovery.
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| Such a pretty face post run! |
The Eat
The past week was a feast of some sorts, seemed to consume some rather good food throughout the week. I started with a visit to Wimpy on Monday evening whilst away with work. Regular readers will know how much I love the consistency to mediocrity that Wimpy strive for, nothing like a throw back to a bygone age. Of course combining with a large shake meant that I was regretting the meal within an hour, but sometimes the feast is worth the torture!
On Wednesday evening I finally paid a visit to Sticks N Sushi in Covent Garden. I'd been trying to line up a meal there for a while & plans have not quite come off. So with Burak & I needing to do some planning for our Tokyo trip, it seemed like an ideal choice. The concept is simple. Sticks - yakitori style cooked sticks of food & sushi - standard sushi plus some more extravagant options. The food was sublime. We started with a sashimi platter, then dived into a plethora of sticks & some sushi rolls. Scallops on a stick, beef & crunchy garlic on a stick, asparagus wrapped in bacon & emmental cheese wrapped in bacon, all kinds of awesomeness. You could easily go crazy in a place like this & just keep ordering, we almost did but chose instead to opt for desert.
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| Sashimi |
I had a espresso cup filled with a white chocolate & licorice mousse, topped with a raspberry froth. This was just about perfect, the tartness of the raspberry matched the mousse perfectly & the licorice was a very subtle undertone. This was indeed a treat of a meal & one that will be repeated when pocket money allows. The menu presents an ideal introduction to those on the sushi fence. Just try a bit, if it isn't to your liking there are plenty of other good quality options.
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| Sticks |
Throughout the week I was supplementing my intake with limited addition Toffee Kitkats, as noted already Nestle, happy for you to send me a box or five so that I can carry out some quality assurance!
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| Offering my services to Nestle for taste testing.... |
When the weekend arrived I decided to try something else from my encyclopaedia style Mexico cookbook. I opted for pork ribs, cooked in a mango, tequila & chilli salsa. I served this up with a huge dish of mac & cheese. The ribs were excellent. I was really happy with the fruity sauce, had a nice flavour to it & then packed a bit of a chilli punch towards the end. The mac & cheese served a second purpose as I used some on Sunday evening to create my own take on the mac & cheese sandwich I'd tried from Grill my Cheese. In fact, nearly a week later we still have leftovers, might have to give that another attempt tonight :)
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| My attempt at Grilling my cheese... |
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| Oh Tequila, it makes me happy.... |
Despite all of this gluttony, I actually had a decent week of eating & the weight has dropped back down a bit, here's hoping that's a corner turned.
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| Forgot about this cheeky donut on Sunday afternoon..... |
The Conclusion
A week of running I was really happy with. After the disappointment of waking up with a cold last Sunday, I was able to get two long runs in & feel very comfortable throughout both. The strong finish on Sunday tells me that I can turn it up a little bit for the Cambridge Half, which is natural under race conditions. For a training cycle that has been quite stop start, I feel in decent form over distance. Paying little attention to pace has definitely worked on this occasion.
