With the Chicago Marathon fully behind me, and after spending a month enjoying all the things that I couldn't afford to do whilst training (late nights, icecream, pizza to name a few), it's time to refocus and dedicate all my energies into training for the next big one. I mentioned earlier that I was itching to get back into training, however I was urged by Coach Tony to take marathon recovery seriously even though my legs felt fine and ready to run again. That meant no hard, fast and long stuff for a month.
I didn't stop running completely in that month, but when you've been running virtually every day for the past 3-4 months and then suddenly reduce it to 1-2 times a week, it does feel like a complete stop. It's amazing how much fitness you can lose when the volume drops dramatically. So it's no surprise that I've been finding it difficult to get back into my stride the past couple of weeks.
Aside from getting used to the physical demands of training, I've also had to regather my mental energy to prepare myself for another long training cycle, to get me through those repetitive days of constant training while juggling other commitments. It was a time of soul-searching. My increased responsibilities at work are now taking a big chunk out of my normal day, and winter has well and truly begun. It's really no joy to go out and train in the cold and darkness.
But I came to the conclusion that running London 2013 and breaking 3 hours really meant a lot to me, and that I'd do anything in order to achieve this holy grail of mine. When I first set this goal 3 years ago, and worked towards it for almost a year, only to miss out by over 21 minutes, I was gutted that all of that effort had amounted to nothing. But it also gave me the appreciation that running fast times requires a huge amount of commitment, patience and miles, which I didn't have at the time. So when I adjusted my training to align with that philosophy I saw my times go down. At first there was a small improvement, but in 2012 the improvements have been nothing short of dramatic! I am now only 3 minutes and 11 seconds away from breaking that 3 hour barrier! I feel like I am within striking distance, ready to hit that home run. Can I produce just more one final push at London 2013 to finally achieve that dream?
To give myself the best chance to succeed, I've had to make some changes to my approach to training, which is something I've been reluctant to do as it's worked so well for me in the past couple of marathons. I won't get into major detail or why I've decided to go down this road as it would make this post extremely long (maybe in separate posts). I've been waking up a lot earlier than usual (very hard to do in the winter when it's still pitch black outside). I've revisted my diet to ensure that I am fuelling myself with high quality food. And I've introduced more strength work into my programme to increase my overall strength, as a strong runner equals a fast/durable/injury free runner. But all those changes won't mean anything without the mileage and volume as the foundation for a successful training cycle. And since I've done that all before I'm comfortable and confident that I can fulfill that requirement.
There are currently 21 weeks to London, which I will split into 3 phases. The first phase will get me running at my best 5k/10k times. This will bring in shorter intervals with plenty of recovery in between. The volume will be low, but the intensity will be high. Phase 2 will then take that speed and start to add in some longer training. There will be plenty of fast intervals but now they will be longer and with less rest.
Finally in Phase 3, over the last 10 weeks I will get into the specific work necessary for the marathon, where I will bring that speed to the roads of London. At London I will look to run at an average speed of 4:15 per kilometre or 6:51 per mile. By doing plenty of speed workouts early on, running in the 4:15 mins/km range won't feel so demanding. The intention is to make marathon pace feel like running in 3rd or 4th gear. If I can do this, plus carry out those newly introduced changes (and it won't be easy), then this will set me up to run my fastest ever marathon and break the magical 3 hour barrier.
And if there is any moment that I start questioning myself or asking "what is the point", I don't have to look far than the stellar performances of Team GB at the London Olympics. If this Olympics montage doesn't inspire me to work hard this winter..... then I don't know what will.
I didn't stop running completely in that month, but when you've been running virtually every day for the past 3-4 months and then suddenly reduce it to 1-2 times a week, it does feel like a complete stop. It's amazing how much fitness you can lose when the volume drops dramatically. So it's no surprise that I've been finding it difficult to get back into my stride the past couple of weeks.
Aside from getting used to the physical demands of training, I've also had to regather my mental energy to prepare myself for another long training cycle, to get me through those repetitive days of constant training while juggling other commitments. It was a time of soul-searching. My increased responsibilities at work are now taking a big chunk out of my normal day, and winter has well and truly begun. It's really no joy to go out and train in the cold and darkness.
But I came to the conclusion that running London 2013 and breaking 3 hours really meant a lot to me, and that I'd do anything in order to achieve this holy grail of mine. When I first set this goal 3 years ago, and worked towards it for almost a year, only to miss out by over 21 minutes, I was gutted that all of that effort had amounted to nothing. But it also gave me the appreciation that running fast times requires a huge amount of commitment, patience and miles, which I didn't have at the time. So when I adjusted my training to align with that philosophy I saw my times go down. At first there was a small improvement, but in 2012 the improvements have been nothing short of dramatic! I am now only 3 minutes and 11 seconds away from breaking that 3 hour barrier! I feel like I am within striking distance, ready to hit that home run. Can I produce just more one final push at London 2013 to finally achieve that dream?
To give myself the best chance to succeed, I've had to make some changes to my approach to training, which is something I've been reluctant to do as it's worked so well for me in the past couple of marathons. I won't get into major detail or why I've decided to go down this road as it would make this post extremely long (maybe in separate posts). I've been waking up a lot earlier than usual (very hard to do in the winter when it's still pitch black outside). I've revisted my diet to ensure that I am fuelling myself with high quality food. And I've introduced more strength work into my programme to increase my overall strength, as a strong runner equals a fast/durable/injury free runner. But all those changes won't mean anything without the mileage and volume as the foundation for a successful training cycle. And since I've done that all before I'm comfortable and confident that I can fulfill that requirement.
There are currently 21 weeks to London, which I will split into 3 phases. The first phase will get me running at my best 5k/10k times. This will bring in shorter intervals with plenty of recovery in between. The volume will be low, but the intensity will be high. Phase 2 will then take that speed and start to add in some longer training. There will be plenty of fast intervals but now they will be longer and with less rest.
Finally in Phase 3, over the last 10 weeks I will get into the specific work necessary for the marathon, where I will bring that speed to the roads of London. At London I will look to run at an average speed of 4:15 per kilometre or 6:51 per mile. By doing plenty of speed workouts early on, running in the 4:15 mins/km range won't feel so demanding. The intention is to make marathon pace feel like running in 3rd or 4th gear. If I can do this, plus carry out those newly introduced changes (and it won't be easy), then this will set me up to run my fastest ever marathon and break the magical 3 hour barrier.
And if there is any moment that I start questioning myself or asking "what is the point", I don't have to look far than the stellar performances of Team GB at the London Olympics. If this Olympics montage doesn't inspire me to work hard this winter..... then I don't know what will.
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