A different kind of post, this one. Some random thoughts collected in the build-up to Chester. Hopefully more digestible than some of the other warblings I commit to screen on here!
Grumpy. The Grand Pier
Half was never meant to be spectacular but the way I felt doesn’t give me
confidence for sub-3h30’ in Chester. Go for a run just before 7am and do 3.2mi
in 27’00” at 8’24”. How am I meant to manage 26.2 at sub-8’ if I’m just about
on eight and a half for three? OK, recovery and all that, but still…
Feeling mardy today.
OK, mardier than usual. This is the first race in a long time on which time
really matters for me. In fact, it’s never mattered so much: first attempts at
any distance were about getting round, I’ve been able to dismiss recent halves
as pseudo-training runs… OK, time mattered in Bath, but not as much as this
time. Need to ensure I put myself under the right amount of pressure: not too
much, not too little. Will follow 3h30’ pacer and hope to keep up with the
group till the end, but prepared to step back and make do with sub-3h45’ if
need be.
Still, at least I
weighed in at 72.5kg this morning – bang on race weight. First time it’s been
at that level since the day after the Sheffield Half back in May. It’s probably
just the body tricking me, but I’ll take it. Need every trick in the book.
Not sure 3.2mi is
enough but have decided not to up the mileage day-on-day this week. You’re not
meant to when tapering. So will stick to two back-and-forths along Down Road
for the week. 26’20”, 16”/mi faster than yesterday. Nothing spectacular but I
guess I’m heading in the right direction.
Having not touched
tea or coffee since breakfast yesterday, this is my first full day
caffeine-free. Giving it up during pre-race week. Haven’t a clue as to whether
it will make any difference, but don’t want to cross the line wondering.
Besides, denying myself something I enjoy is a form of painless torture that
can’t do much harm. Something else to look forward to come Sunday, alongside
cake and beer. Toughen up, Lad!
Decide to go for a
runch rather than a morun. Means I can get up leisurely just after Karen and
The Boys. Legs appreciate the extra hour or so in bed and I’m well aware that I
run better when fully awake. Had Mike worried, though – he e-mailed me at 9:19,
panicking because he’d not seen any Strava data!
7’42” – first sub-8’
and sub-25’ of the week. Numbers aside, just felt better. It’s about feel more
than numbers over such a distance.
Looks like Fletch may
be pacing for 3h30’ on Sunday – that’d be grand! Planning on following the
official pacing group but would rather run with a friendly face.
Get my pre-race
haircut sorted: almost asked for a one but best stick with a two. It’s worked
for thirty-odd years, after all – and I do need to look somewhat presentable…
Nip into Tesco for some nuts and granola. Didn’t realise it was a good time to
top up on peanut butter: mention my error to Karen and, miraculously, later in
the day a jar of peanut butter appears. She’s getting perilously close to
actively supporting my running endeavours, rather than passively tolerating
them…
Sort out my Chester
weekend schedule. Allowing some flexibility over when to eat the various
bagels.
Went out around 11am.
Felt as smooth as I have done in a while. Tested myself by running free,
without checking the watch once. Well, other than when I checked it for
distance (covering up the time) late on – wasn’t sure whether or not I had
another stretch to go!
Turns out I ran at
7’36”, covering the 3.2 in 24’41”. Amazingly, ‘unmonitored’ splits turned out
to be almost identical: . 7’34”, 7’38”, 7’37”, 7’37”. So much for technology,
eh?!
Encouraging to be
2’19” under Monday’s effort and 1’39” under Tuesday’s. All the more so for having
run naturally and for feeling better at the end of it. Feel, feel, feel.
Today’s worried soul
was David’s newspaper companion. I really ought to figure out his name. He
shouted across from his front lawn, commenting on the late nature of my run. Replied with “Running late
this week – got a marathon on Sunday” and got a “Good luck” in
counter-response. Good to see I’ve been missed by my usual early morning crew.
Spend fifteen minutes
or so in a Radox® bath once home. Felt fine but aware of how much better I felt
after one last week when legs still hp40’d, so making sure I don’t wait to feel
bad to feel good.
In the afternoon,
pack my stuff. Other than shoes, toiletries and food, that is. So, even with
kit and civvies, I’m really not even halfway.
I’m getting waaay too
used to this tapering malarkey!
Out just after 10am,
run the usual 3.2 in 24’25”. Blustery today, so splits not quite as even as
yesterday but still pretty damn good. Still feeling good and, mentally, all the
better for a couple of tweets yesterday…
Firstly, Andrew said:
“It would be a pleasure to get you round in 3:30, it's a great target to go for
:)”. We’ll see how it goes but it’s a great, magnanimous gesture. I’d certainly
far rather give it a shot alongside him (and any other nutters feeling that way
inclined) that as part of a pace group – much as that remains an option! May or
may not make a huge difference on the day, I don’t know – but it’d be another
of those special shared memories we runners thrive on!
I then posted about a
hilly trail HM in
Bristol (well, outskirts – my side of…) on November 7 I’d just found out
about and, within a couple of exchanges, Rich had offered to cycle round to
Portishead with two pairs (same type, different size) of New
Balance trail shoes! I’m not sure whether my Kalenjis were trail: I do know
that a) I ran the HP40 with them and b) they didn’t have much sole left before
then… will definitely see what Rich has to offer and how much I can part with!
Again, such a selfless offer… OK, he’ll class it as training, but it’s a fair
cycle round… then again, this is the looney who ran 26 miles to get to the
starting point of the Grand Pier Half Marathon on Sunday!
Feeling upbeat today.
All packed, ready to go… still nervous but getting the sense that some things
around me are coming together. And the tapering’s helping. Well, I’m withholding
judgement on the direct impact on the marathon: but it’s helping to have that
extra time in bed, to go running after breakfast and awake. It’s… nice. Almost
too nice. It’s going to be hard to don the head torch again next week! Maybe I
just need to stretch the recovery to a full week..?
Up at 7, out half an
hour later. Leisurely “Police HQ Lap” – it’s hardly Mount Everest (or the Peak
District, for that matter), but thought I ought to get in some hillage! That
and it’s the route I always run before a race. And maybe a 7:30 run before a
5-hour train journey is daft, not least because a tune-up might be better done
on site, later in the day… then again, it probably makes no difference at all.
Ran past Dave and his
friend, the one whose name I really ought to find out. As always, they were on
their way back from the supermarket for their papers. Dave’s friend shouted
out: “Shouldn’t you be resting?”. Kept the response to: “I will be in five
minutes!” – easier than “Well, by the time I’ve left home at 10:54 and got to Chester
Train Station after four this afternoon, it won’t really make a blind bit of
difference whether I’ve rested an extra quarter of an hour or not!”.
10:54 – yup, that’s
when it all begins. Here’s my little plan:
Note:
Plan doesn’t mention Clif Bars. They’re my wild cards. Oh yes, that’s me –
wiiiild!
Hope you’ve got plans
for the weekend, too. Ultimately, mine can be summarised as follows:
1. Travel up to
Chester
2. Have a cracking meal
with mates*
3. Run 26.2mi
4. Come home and have
beer with pizza (in that order) and summat sweet with a cuppatea!
That’s been my week
building up to Chester
Marathon. I’ll be back Monday with The Verdict. But gotta go now. Time is
of the essence…
* the food will be
average at best for my spoilt tastebuds… as in, ‘spoilt’ by growing up on Nonna’s
home cooking, nothing wrong with them! But it’s all about seeing Catherine,
John, Philip with Judith and Lucy, Lorna, Adele, Natalie, Mike with Sarah,
Rachel with Darren and Simon, who’s kindly sorted out our “pasta party room”.
Some familiar faces, some that until now have ‘just’ been avatars on Twitter…
but reight looking forward to it!
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