Two months of 2013 remain, yet I feel it's time to take stock of what I've achieved so far this year and make some plans for 2014.
If you consider the past twelve months rather than just 2013 then it had been a bizarre year. At the start of November 2012 I was having agonizing physio to try and recover quickly from plantar fasciitis in time to allow for the Reggae Half Marathon in Jamaica. I went into that half with barely any cardio and a desire just to finish.
Paula & I crossed the line together at 2:20, a combination of knackered knees, swollen feet & no lung capacity. Yet I was satisfied. Sure it was slow, but I felt I was over the injury.
In retrospect it wasn't until after the Barcelona & Milton Keynes halves in the spring that the mental wound of the injury was healed.
It was then that I embarked on a training plan that I'm reaping the benefits of.
Even now, I'm taking it relatively easy, no super long runs yet enjoying myself, enjoying my pace and feeling better about it.
With all that in mind it's time to start plotting my course for 2014. I've picked two half marathons for the spring; Brentwood in March & Helsinki in May. My focus for this year was a 1:55 half. Though this never materialised, aiming for it drove me to a PB in Copenhagen.
So for Helsinki I'm lowering the bar. I know with application I'm capable of 1:55, so 1:50 is the target. If I can put in the hard work, then who knows what's achievable. The potential is there to continue to make significant progress at all distances, from past experience I just need a plan to execute. The target is a hard one, but I think aiming again for 1:55 would be underselling myself. To seek a 7 minute improvement over a half marathon is drastic, it will involve dropping 20 seconds per km, averaging just over 5:00 per km. It might not be sustainable, it might be too quick, but why not try?
If you consider the past twelve months rather than just 2013 then it had been a bizarre year. At the start of November 2012 I was having agonizing physio to try and recover quickly from plantar fasciitis in time to allow for the Reggae Half Marathon in Jamaica. I went into that half with barely any cardio and a desire just to finish.
Paula & I crossed the line together at 2:20, a combination of knackered knees, swollen feet & no lung capacity. Yet I was satisfied. Sure it was slow, but I felt I was over the injury.
In retrospect it wasn't until after the Barcelona & Milton Keynes halves in the spring that the mental wound of the injury was healed.
It was then that I embarked on a training plan that I'm reaping the benefits of.
Even now, I'm taking it relatively easy, no super long runs yet enjoying myself, enjoying my pace and feeling better about it.
With all that in mind it's time to start plotting my course for 2014. I've picked two half marathons for the spring; Brentwood in March & Helsinki in May. My focus for this year was a 1:55 half. Though this never materialised, aiming for it drove me to a PB in Copenhagen.
So for Helsinki I'm lowering the bar. I know with application I'm capable of 1:55, so 1:50 is the target. If I can put in the hard work, then who knows what's achievable. The potential is there to continue to make significant progress at all distances, from past experience I just need a plan to execute. The target is a hard one, but I think aiming again for 1:55 would be underselling myself. To seek a 7 minute improvement over a half marathon is drastic, it will involve dropping 20 seconds per km, averaging just over 5:00 per km. It might not be sustainable, it might be too quick, but why not try?
For this to happen I'm going to need some clear goals, like all of my goal setting they won't be mandatory, just a means to guide me.
Goal 1 - Weight
My weight loss has been decent this year, losing a stone since January. This needs to continue, the goal being to drop under 13st (182 lbs). That is still some distance & the eventual target is to drop to 12st (168). So far this year I have managed the weight loss without changing my diet, as has been demonstrated in various posts on this blog. To continue the progress though, it might be time to look at eating slightly better. One method I have to this is a long term one, make chocolate taste crap. This is something I expect Kraft to complete for me having bought Cadburys. Should this plan take too long, I should perhaps try consuming less.
Goal 2 - Speed work
Continue the weekly speed sessions on a Thursday. The running plan has definitely given me more focus & the Thursday sessions that consist of fast running, fartlek or hill sprints are paying off. On top of this I'm going to try to up my commitment to parkrun. My 2013 goal was to attend once a month. This is something I've achieved & though I'd like to attend fortnightly I think that is a bit too optimistic. Instead I'm going to schedule myself a parkrun for every third Saturday & attend more where circumstances allow. If I can reduce my 5k & 10k times significantly then the potential for a 7 minute improvement is possible.
Goal 3 - More speed work
It's time to look at different speed work as well. Training with faster runners is something that will assist me in improving. Forcing myself outside of my comfort zone will lead to further improvement.
Goal 4 - Stamina
My issue in half marathons has always been 2nd hour drop off. A negative split is the hallowed ground & one I don't know if I'll ever reach at any distance. What I can work at is improving my second hour performance though. In Copenhagen I was on target for a 1:55, but lost drive (potentially due to illness) & dropped to a 1:57. It was still a PB, but taught me I need to train better. Perhaps in training I need to run beyond half distance, extend to 25km. Another option is to run an hour easy & then push for an hour. My long runs are something I need to look at in order to achieve the 1:50.
Goal 5 - Recovery
Time to inject some realism. I'm never going to be injury free, but I need to keep myself in decent condition. This means better post run stretching, better pre run warm ups. I suspect the yoga course I'm currently taking will also assist with this.
With all this in mind, I'm going to put some work into a full 5 month plan to take me to the Helsinki start line. The Brentwood Half will be treated more as a training race, to see where the potential is. At that point, 6 weeks before Helsinki I'll know just how realistic the targets are.
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