My planned 50 mile test run did not go well, and I only managed to reach the 23 mile mark before having to call it a day. I probably could have gone on for a bit longer because, as before, my head was strong and I felt no pain or strain in any part of my body, but my running partner was clearly getting nothing from the run and, more than that, he was expending his energy dragging me forward. The problem again seemed to be a lack of energy getting through to my legs which resulted in a very slow pace (actually excruciatingly slow) from mile 10. I had been very careful with my nutrition before the run and made sure I was hydrated but it didn’t seem to make any difference.
My second blood test came back with similar results to the first – with my bilirubin on the high side and my white blood cells on the low, although both levels showed some improvement.
Following my unsuccessful attempt on the 50 miler and having talked things through with my very understanding (and supportive) doctor, I have decided to go back to basics in terms of my training to see if strengthening the foundations of my fitness can help overcome the problems I seem to be having. I have done a 5km time trial and have used this to calculate my training times for a 16 week marathon plan which I began last week. I have been happy with how the plan has been going so far. I seem to be making the times (albeit not ‘comfortably’) and seem to be recovering well for the next training session. I have managed a 10km in 45 minutes and a 10 mile cross-country run without feeling like I needed to stop.
I am going to review the plan at week 8 and my doctor is going to take some more blood samples, this time to test a host of other things and to check my red blood cells. Hopefully this will give us some answers!
On a positive note, rather than wasting the entrance fee, I have decided to run the last lap of the Brecon Ultra with the team rather than missing out the race altogether. It will allow me to assess how the training is going, whether I am able to run for four hours in one go and I may even be able to help the team through the second half of the race!
One really exciting development is that my Personal Training web site is now up and running so please do have a look at http://cwpersonaltraining.com./ . Let me know if you have any thoughts on its layout or contents. Hope you like it!
Lastly, I did an Instructor’s course on suspension training this week and enjoyed it very much. The Trainer was good and the materials and the practical sessions were well thought out. It’s always good to brush up your technique and to learn how you can do things better. The course was run by Discovery Training http://www.discovery.uk.com
One last thought - always try to run with a smile on your face!
.JPG)
Start of the Pennine 100
Sunday 25 September 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Training Plan
| Week | M | T | W | TH | F | S | SU |
| 1 | Rest | 6-10 miles, including 4x1 mile at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 7-9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 90-minute run | 3-hour run (or about 18 miles) |
| 2 | Rest | 6-10 Miles, including 4x1 mile at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 7-9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 90-minute run | 3-hour run |
| 3 | Rest | 6-10 miles, including 2x2 miles at HMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 7-9 miles, middle 3 at MP (5:00) | Rest | 2-hour run | 3.5-hour run (or about 20 miles) |
| 4 | Rest | 5-8 miles, including 3x1 mile at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 6 miles, middle 2 at MP | Rest | 1.5-hour run | 2-hour run |
| 5 | Rest | 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 3.5- to 4-hour run (or about 20-24 miles) | 3-hour run |
| 6 | Rest | 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 3.5- to 4-hour run | 3-hour run |
| 7 | Rest | 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at HMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 3.5- to 4-hour run | 3-hour run, last hour at MP |
| 8 | Rest | 9 miles, including 3x2 miles at HMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 2-hour run | 2.5-hour run |
| 9 | Rest | 9 miles, including 6x1 miles at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 4-hour run | 3.5-hour run, last hour at MP |
| 10 | Rest | 9 miles, including 6x1 miles at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 4-hour run | 3.5-hour run, last hour at MP |
| 11 | Rest | 9 miles, including 3x2 miles at HMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 2.5-hour run | 3-hour run |
| 12 | Rest | 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 4-hour run | 5-hour run (or about 27-29 miles) |
| 13 | Rest | 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 4-hour run | 5-hour run |
| 14 | Rest | 9 miles, including 4x1 mile at TMP | Easy 5-mile jog | 9 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 2-hour run | 2-hour run |
| 15 | Rest | 7 miles, including 3x1 mile at MP | Easy 5-mile jog | 7 miles, middle 3 at MP | Rest | 1.5-hour run | Easy 1-hour jog |
| 16 | Rest | 6 miles, middle 3 at HMP | Easy 5-mile jog | Easy 3-mile jog | Rest: Stay off your feet | 50-mile race | Rest. (Duh.) |
Key:(MP) Marathon Pace: the pace/effort you can hold in a marathon
(HMP) Half-Marathon Pace: the per-mile average of your best half-marathon
(TMP) 10-Mile Pace: the per-mile pace of your fastest 10-miler
Recovery for HMP/TMP: Jog slowly until you feel fresh enough to start the next repetition.