away, but.. food, nutrition and supplements..

thought i'd take the chance to go over what i eat and drink normally, during training.

day to day, i'd say we're a pretty healthy family. most of what we buy is fresh fruit and vegetables, some meat (chicken, fish, ham/salami), pulses, beans and pasta/rice. we do buy butter over spreads, and for our sins we buy diet yoghurts over full-fat ones.

as soon as i get up i'm hungry. so i usually have a bowl of muesli (with semi-skimmed milk), a tall glass (300ml) of a sparkling water and juice mix, and a cup of coffee. debating these days whether i need that coffee - gone off it over the last year or so. mid-morning, i'll either snack on fruit, nuts and dried fruit or have a smoothy and Eat Natural bar (depending on whether i make it myself or not). For lunch i'll either have a sandwich or a salad and a few slices of homemade sunflower or wholewheat bread. During the day - at work (where i do most of my training runs) - i drink tea (maybe 3-4 cups across the day) and two 500ml bottles of water - one in the morning and another in the afternoon. depending on the heat of the day, i may even get through another in the afternoon. In the evening, we cook from fresh, but do have the tendency to eat a little too late on Mon-Wed - maybe 8 or even 9. there's no simple way round this, as the kids both eat at nursery/childminder on those days, and we dedicate our time to them from when we get back through to their bedtime. it's a balance..

dietary supplements are a new thing for me. i thought that they'd be a sensible idea about a year ago, and since then i've taken 500mg cod liver oil and 1200mg glucosamine and chondroitin combined. i also drop a 1000mg vitamin C tablet in my first bottle of water, mostly just to add some flavour, but i figure it can't harm..

i do drink the odd glass of wine, and maybe a beer or two. we'll probably have a small glass of white wine with dinner, no more (except for the expensive bottle bought cheap we opened the other night - had to have a second glass of that). on a Wednesday, i occasionally go out with the lads after football and may have two or three pints of bitter. during serious training, i back this all off and hardly touch alcohol - especially so during the first few months of the year during the build up to the marathon.

i guess my only other vice that i could claim is half-healthy is chocolate. try as i might i can't cut it out. can easily do without any other type of sweets or candy, but chocolate has to remain part of my staple diet. i wouldn't say i'm too fussy about what kind it is, but i'd err on the side of simple milk chocolate - not plain, not flavoured.. maybe with some kind of nut in. i really do believe i can feel the serotonin levels increasing and me feeling all-round better when i eat it.. that's what i like to tell myself anyway..

away for a week or so, but..

i'm off on holiday to France with my family. we're journeying down to the mid-Loire Valley. there's an old wine-pressing estate with four gites that we found last October and booked right then. going via the EuroTunnel for the first time, which should be an experience.. Joe is very excited about the whole trip - especially as the place has it's own swimming pool and lots of stuff set up for families with small kids. we are hoping for the best of weather, and it looks like it shouldn't be too bad - if not scorching hot.

there's every chance i should be able to train a little while i'm there. it looks like a lovely region to get out and run - and hopefully mornings at the gite will provide enough distraction for the kids so that Poll can have a lie-in and i can fit a few miles in too. maybe the pool's even big enough to do some laps. will obviously not be able to restrain myself on the food and wine front as usual.. it's France after all! apparently the local markets are great, so there'll be lots for us to cook, eat and enjoy. can't think of a better holiday.. [Disclaimer here for Joe that it's not near the sea, and that's undesirable - but a pool makes up for that just enough.]

i'll have no internet there to distract and leech away the hours. so to keep this fresh, i've scheduled a few posts through the week. won't be the usual daily training report, but have tried to stay focused on the running and why it's got me hooked..

recovery..

6m at 7:00 average. started off at around 7:00, but dropped back to 7:10ish by 3m in, as i was feeling a bit drained. but at 5m, on the downhill to the bottom of Hyde Park from Speaker's Corner, i picked it up and tried to maintain the just-sub-6:00 pace i'll need in the 10k to make 36min. i felt a little better at that point and thought it would be a good test of endurance and stamina to see whether i could maintain that pace for about half a mile or so. it went ok, and i found i could stay up there with a little higher heart rate and concerted breathing. weather is still good; a little more overcast - and it rained a bit last night. the tree pollen is still very high though - i could even see as a haze across the open spaces in the park. hopefully it'll die down soon.

what was apparent during that fast-paced section was the importance of form. i've been practicing the mid-foot strike and higher backlift, as well as slightly tilting my torso forward, off and on for a while now. i'd tried it earlier in the run today and noticed again how it immediately focuses one's effort and momentum - and makes you run faster. later on in the faster section, i tried this style again, and noticed the benefits immediately. will definitely have to work on incorporating this style-change into all forms of training in the coming weeks..

today was meant to be some fartlek or intervals or pyramid training. but Tuesday's hard run plus last night's football game have taken their tool, and i didn't feel up to it. i stick with the 'trust your body' mantra now, so i decided to just take the usual course around Hyde Park and run it at a decent enough pace. football was again disappointing, and i'm seriously wondering whether to keep going. will definitely enquire at the local athletic club when we get back off holiday..

racing..

so i cut through the crap in about five minutes this morning and got myself entered for the Orpington 10k on 4 July. it's also my daughter's best friend's birthday party that day, but i should be back in time. Orpington's no distance from our place, so it should be easy to get down there and ready for the 11am start. now to see if i can get my running mates to enter too. the course is multi-terrain, which is new to me, but as it's a mid-summer race, it shouldn't be too disruptive. i've put myself down for 37min, but i'll try to get as close to 36 as possible. that'd be a big jump from my 38:08 best, but i think it's on the cards, as long as i focus into some intensive training now.

i think that's all that was needed. i need goals. without goals, i'm still very keen to train, and beat myself up for not getting out there, but i lose the initiative to aim in on some specific routine. 4 Jul is five and a half weeks off now, which is ample time to get myself in the right shape, even with the holiday coming up and the trip out to the States thereafter.

don't think there's a suitable half in late July - early August to fit in with everything else. however, i might go for the Serpentine 5k at the end of July to fill that gap. maybe i'll find a half i can do in August. there is a late August 10k that's a possibility too. knowing what i know now - that i need these races to focus - i'll book myself in soon. i knew this last year, when i entered four races straight after the marathon in Paris. i already had the Stratford half booked (1:27), so i added the Beckenham 10k (38:18), the Dartford half (didn't start), the Serpentine 5k (19:05) and the Cancer Research 10k in Crystal Palace (38:08). we'd also already entered the Run to the Beat O2 (1:24) half in September. it all made for a good year, and i don't know why i've not been as active this year. let this be the start..

lungbuster..

7.5m in 51mins at 6:30, with 3 x 200m at 5:30 (at 2/3/4m). we actually slacked off to somewhere around 6:40 for the last mile and a half.. both feeling pretty empty. the weather was good, not so hot as the days previous, but still early 20s. big problem was the tree pollen coming down like rain, clogging up eyes and throats. had to stop at Lancaster Gate for water just to clear out and stop coughing. none too pleasant..

i think i might have been able to push this out just a little bit more than my mate, who called it on the pace at around 5m. i slacked off a little with him but kept it ticking over. i certainly felt it too coming down the park through that mile, but maybe could have gone on.. i chose not to, mostly because it's nice to run out together,  but also because i could feel that emptiness creeping up on me too. probably should have pushed it, but hey..

we also had to contend with the Mall and surrounding roads being blocked off as the Queen was down and through opening Parliament. it meant that we had to head up onto Pall Mall and out across Green Park, rather than up the side. not too much of an inconvenience. because of the pomp surrounding the event, we did get to run past about 200 of the Household Cavalry as they made their way back to barracks along the south side of Hyde Park. that made quite a change!

felt great to run, and run hard. my mate wasn't going to run at lunch again this week, so we compromised on the choice of run and tried to mix it up a little. the plan was to intersperse with 200m sprints every half mile, but that proved too much. all the same, the run was a real push versus what we've done recently and my lungs are certainly tired out now. good to test the lungs over the legs.

a doldrum..

didn't run again. didn't do weights as planned. someone tell me why..

sat here watching the Eng v Mex football game, having just eaten the last of that damn chocolate torte. it doesn't take me too much self-reflection to see i'm pretty disappointed in myself. and why haven't i run or exercised in three days? don't know. just don't know.. i'll definitely be out tomorrow - planning some of that speed work. and i'll enjoy it too.

maybe it's because i don't yet have a specific aim. if i knew there was a race on the horizon, i'd focus and know what was expected to get me in shape and in tune for the day. with the holiday coming up, i don't expect there'll be time for us to organize the races. i just need to keep myself ticking over and feeling like there's something coming. it's a mind game.

might go for pyramid training tomorrow - quite fancy some high-intensity sprinting and really getting myself tired. some as a punishment for this inactivity, and some as a necessary workout to limit. think i'll just play football on Wednesday, then run a quick (something like 6:30) 7.5m on Thursday lunchtime. hopefully the holiday will afford me some time to fit in a few runs. don't want to lose condition, but also don't want to make the kids or Polly wait while i satisfy my own wants.

there's something about that last point that occasionally gets to me. i would always put my family first, especially on a holiday. but sometimes i feel like i should satisfy myself too. it's certainly happened across the first few months of this year, as they've waited for me to finish up the long runs on Sunday mornings, but not much more. i fit most of my weekly runs into lunchtimes and only very rarely need to go out early. increasingly, though, i think i should make that sacrifice to myself: go to bed early, get up and get out. i think my early-bird head goes through phases - this is not one of them..

no-go zone..

weekend has been taken up by a visit from my parents. they were down to see Carmen at the O2. it was a birthday present for my dad. i went too. none of us had ever been there before, and it's an awe-inspiring venue. the show was great. however, them being here has meant i've not fitted in that long run i wanted. it was 30C at it's highest today, so even when i got half a chance around 5pm today, it was still too hot to go out - especially because i'd not paid attention and wasn't hydrated enough.

have a course all-day tomorrow. perhaps i need to get up early to fit in a decent run. Polly's out later, so no chance then..

will definitely aim for some faster, shorter runs this week. i liked the feel of those speedier runs last week, and it's going to serve well in the shorter runs planned (but not booked) for later this year.

(please don't let this be) the jinx..

5m in 34 min with 2 x 0.3m at 5:30 pace. usual loop through Hyde Park but with a cut-off at the end that takes in only the northward turn of the Serpentine. weather is again hotter (25C) and the sunshine on the edge of cruel, especially as we're running in the hottest part of the day. this was meant as a recovery run, and was taken so for the main. we started off at a steady pace, but after about 1.5m, we picked up to 6:30-6:40. i backed us off for the last mile to nearer 7:00, just to cool down and relax. this run takes me to 28m for the week so far, which while i have no races soon makes it quite high. although, this is probably what i feel in myself is actually what i want to be covering in a normal week. don't know if i'm going to be able to get out this weekend - with family down - but if i can sneak a 7 or 8 miler in on Sunday morning, that'd be great.

i'm probably going to totally jinx myself by saying this, but i'm completely injury free and my body is taking this training very well. there was the glitch at the end of last week, but that wasn't from running, it was a clash playing football. all this bodes well for the rest of the year, and i need to take advantage. definitely need to target a 10k that's going to let me go for as close to 36min (5:54 pace) as i can get, and as well finding a half (i've got this feeling Windsor - the only booked race at the moment - isn't going to be it) in which i can try to get near 1:20 (6:07). my bests are 38:09 (6:14) and 1:24 (6:30). but with the injury-free training and all the great build-up i had to the marathon, i think these times aren't completely unreasonable. it'd turn into a dream year if i could pull it all off..

quick, quick, slow..

6m in 42min with 6 x 200m at 5:30. over the usual Hyde Park loop. fitted in the sprints (or that's how they seemed to me) at around mile intervals. got very tired before the fourth one, but waited a little and took it on a downhill. the first couple and definitely the fifth were down near the 5:00 marker - for reasons of youthful exuberance, and not sense.

was to take this run with another workmate, but he backed out mid-morning to go but tickets for a summer festival, and i took the option  to include a little speedwork. did consider an out-and-out speed session up and down the hill in Green Park, but thought better of it, because i was a little tired and not feeling totally on top of my game. as well as that, i'd had a 'breakfast briefing' up town and hadn't thought enough about water intake. it was a very warm and humid day, so going out and sprinting without having drunk a good amount wouldn't have been too clever. did stop once for water on the run i did..

day was pretty full on, and when i got back it was straight into tidy-up mode, as Poll has a kids group round here tomorrow morning and my parents arrive in the evening. consequently, only just sat down now at 9pm.. and very tired. could do no better than to slink off to bed now and read my book. however, there's some delicious chocolate torte in the fridge that's calling to me..

need for speed .. and water..

7.5m at 6:50. the long Hyde Park run. didn't mean to go this fast - the preference was for a run closer to 7:10-7:20, but it's such a nice sunny day, and we got talking about all sorts of things, and we upped the pace without thinking. probably ok really, considering we'll be running shorter, faster races soon - so the training speed is going to have to go up a notch or two. it was actually quite hot along Rotten Row, around 5.5m in - no shade, running on hot asphalt.. so we were both pretty light-headed at the end. lots of water later and no need for the bathroom any time yet! supposed to only get hotter towards the end of the week too.

i was pretty tired in the run and i can feel it now too. last night i went out with one of my oldest friends, Chris. we always meet on the third Tuesday of the month. we always meet in the same place, the Cork and Bottle. there we have a couple of glasses of great wine from their fantastic board selection. then it's off to the same restaurant we always go to, rossopomodoro. Polly thinks we're crazy to always do the same thing. well, i proposed it, and we both even look forward to it now. it is a little silly considering the huge selection of great places to drink and eat in and around central London, but hey.. we used to meet in a fantastic coffeehouse on Charing Cross Rd, called caffe vergnano, and i do miss their coffee - but it's not a great way to start off an evening. not in the same way a glass of wine does. anyway, we had two glasses of wine and went on and had the obligatory pizza. i admittedly felt overly full and weary, but that's sometimes a nice way to be. was home later than planned, so we went to bed straight away. i couldn't get comfortable too easily, and through the night was up three times to get a glass of water. either the food was too salty or i'm still a complete alcohol lightweight. probably a bit of both.

not enough sleep and a restless night can really effect my performance. i'm terrible at getting to bed at a reasonable hour, and this isn't helped by me being an early bird too. Joe and i are regularly up before the girls. it's crazy that i don't make it a rule to get to bed earlier considering how great i feel when it happens and the day after, when i'm all refreshed. must try harder.

full return to training..

6m at 7:00. the full, round Hyde Park route. it initially looked like it was going to rain, but a few drops later, it gave up on the idea and backed off, so we could have a nice run in the cool shade of full cloud cover, but not so cool that it was unpleasant. probably up near 18C. the run went smoothly, didn't feel the knee hardly at all once warm. managed to pick it up a little at the end and certainly sprinted it in down the Mall at the end. just like you'd want it. my running mate's knee is still troubling him, but he thinks it's just ITB trouble and is intent to go mind over matter on it and stretch enough to make it back off eventually.

now to settle into a simple, challenging routine that i can fit into the regular work week without too much hassle. will probably go for - in the week - one 6miler at a steady rate (Tue), a speed routine of some description - a fartlek or intervals (Wed or Thu), one 7.5miler a little slower (Thu) and a 5m recovery run (Fri); then either another fast 6miler or a long run or even hill training on Sunday morning. i think that's probably enough to be too much, but better to be optimistic about what i'm gonna achieve. also need to get these damn extra runs sorted out.. my lazy fault altogether.

watched a show the other night about the changing face of British music through the eighties. reliving my youth and watching how bands like Soft Cell, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and the Smiths emerged, it made me think what i should be searching for on Spotify to make my afternoons more bearable! still can't get much enthusiasm for compiling playlists for the ipod to take running. i think i generally prefer no music, but every once in a while it seems like a nice idea. will have to consider buying some of this old stuff and putting it together for a test run. there's a deeper connection to that music - the music you listen to a hundred times over in your bedroom when your fifteen - and maybe that will fit in better with the way i am when i run, which itself is another state to normal.

we did go on to watch one of those pointless top 50 best ever music videos shows after that succinct historical documentary. it culminated in me finding out that Polly had never seen the Thriller video - that was inevitably number 1 - and making her watch the whole of it at midnight. nice.

running again..

4m at 7:10. ran after work, back home: off through Lewisham and up over Blackheath and straight back down through the village - then back through Lee and Manor House Gardens. just a short run to test the knee, and cross fingers it's come out just fine. this is great news - and such a relief. i'll probably try to get out most of the rest of the days this week - and it'd be better again if my running mate at work is also back to full fitness and can run too. hats off to those that run in the evening after working a full day. i find it quite the low point of the day - tired from work, needing dinner and winding down for the day. i'm pretty sure i'll always be better in the early morning or at lunchtime.

i think you know an injury has gone when you feel for it, and recognize it's still there, then realize that's not the right knee! that might be my future test.

thinking of adding panels to the blog for future races, best times at different distances. i wonder who all that would be for. probably nice for me to see, but only that - i know all the details. especially the PBs. they rattle around inside my head all the time. i think all you do when you get a new PB is think about how you are going to better that. now i've got a sub-3 marathon time, i'm cautious of thinking i will ever better it - not getting any younger! - but i do find myself straying into the thoughts of how i could shave more time off it with better training, better diet, better weight control, etc, etc.

my mother was a sprinter when she was younger - the 60yd dash, as it was then. i've no doubt she was really good. i don't think she won any big races, but i know she'd have committed to it and done her best. she helped my sprint training when i was trying to get better playing schoolboy rugby. i invited my parents to come down to Brighton for the marathon. they were keen to come and share the day - help out with the kids.. it was nice having that reassuring warmth around me on the day before - when i was going out of my mind with self-doubt and worry. we were off to the start early in the morning, so we didn't see anybody til the halfway point, where we agreed they'd be to shout us on. i almost missed them, they were further past the marker than i expected. when i saw them all calling, it seemed distant but close all at once. i felt great - better after a half than ever before (in fact, i was probably going a little too slow, but there's that could-have gone-faster attitude again..) - and seeing my parents, Polly and the kids all there for me made my heart swell some. i have to say i get terribly emotional in races. i think i realized that in the early races. when i finished in Paris last year, i cried when i saw Polly waiting for me in the repatriation area. when i finished in Brighton, it was quicker to get out and to them all. they had seen me come up the final straight, and knew where i was - having finished well up the field, there were fewer finishers around right then. i cried again when i saw them. my heart leapt up my throat. both my kids gave me huge hugs, and Polly held me as i recovered. then i got to give my mum a hug - and it felt so good to have her there. my dad too - he had spent hours with me in our long fields kicking a rugby ball back and forth.

having your family there when you excel yourself - do something that you've worked so hard at and are living the culmination of - is surely the best reward you can give yourself. i mean the medals are pretty gaudy and i've got enough t-shirts. seeing the people you love the most reflect back to you that happiness you know is there inside - because they know what it's taken.. well, that's a special thing.

sloth and the running bug..

no running since Wednesday. does that sound like fun? no, not at all.

but i think i'm ready to get back to it. tomorrow. the knee's been tender through til now, and i've not been sure about testing it. still not completely sure, but i think it's time to find out. won't get a chance to run in the day tomorrow (on a course all day), so may pop out early or may go out when i get back.. probably only a few miles - say the short four miler from here. looking forward to it, and i hope it turns out right.

the weekend's been full. we had old university friends of mine over for lunch today - did slow-cooked belly of pork with quite a lot of sides. was great. turned out just how we planned. everyone enjoyed it, and we had a good time. hadn't seen them for ages, even though they live just across London. yesterday, we started off shopping but took off to a fantastic Woodland Trust wood called the Hucking Estate. we bought a picnic and at it at the top of a rolling field full of ewes and lambs. the kids loved it. we spotted all sorts of wildlife.. just as we finished lunch, just down the fenceline a family of rabbits popped out of the fence. the woods further along on the walk were wonderful. full of bluebells and all sorts of trees. a real find.

as i've not been able to run, it's made me think a bit about what it's like to not run. and how it must have been for me before i started to run. the first race i can remember doing was a 10k in Brighton back in something like 2002 (ran 39mins, but almost died in the process). after that, i don't think i ran again for a few years. can't explain why. i think i still ran here and there, but nothing serious. It wasn't until a birthday party round at my now running mate's house back in 2007, i think. he was telling me how he'd been running with another new dad, and that they were going to do a race. from that i entered the Greenwich Meridian 10k, and ran - without training much - 46mins. i even walked up the slope the second time. after that i thought i should take it more seriously, and we decided to enter the Myra Garrett 10k in May and the Swanage half-marathon in July. I ran 52mins in the 10k, after running most of it with Piero, then running off for the last 2k on my own. i think it was then that i realized i could do better and so - i can see this from my diary then - i planned out the 8-9 weeks before the Swanage race. we were going there for the weekend and camping outside the town. i can see from my diary that i got up to 9miles three weeks before. i remember that run, and thinking how hard and long it was. what did i know! what else did i know..

my uncle was dying of cancer, and it was having a big effect on me. he was my favourite when i was young, and someone who i modelled myself on. he was a physics PhD and funny and fun. he came to visit often and came on holiday with us too. and he ran - when i was say 12 or 13 we took a run with my other uncle. it was a hot summer's day and my other uncle couldn't keep up. he got lost, about a mile from our farm, and my aunt had to go find him in a car when we got back without him. the story's been retold in our family a number of times. so i feel i learnt running from my uncle Geoff. maybe it was just that i associated my running now with these childhood experiences of running with him.

he died ten days before the Swanage run. his funeral was just three days before. i was asked to say a piece at the funeral, but broke down and couldn't finish it.

we took off on that weekend hoping that a little time away would help. it did. the campsite was lovely. we were there with my running mate and his family, and it all went very well. we were both very nervous about the race, but i think i had some of the numbness in me from the events that week to calm me. the race is tough at the outset.. there's a two or three mile hill out of town at the start of the race, and not much of it is flat throughout. the race descends back into town at the end for a finish right next to the beach. i took it fairly easy at the start, but felt ok so pushed on up through the crowd. we'd split up at the start, knowing we'd run different times. i expected to come in around 1:45 if possible. not knowing at all how it'd go. it was a hot day, and the race didn't close off the roads, so there was traffic to be aware of too. i did ok through the first eight miles. that took us to the road that led off to our campsite. [my mate had it tougher and he seriously considered giving up there and just turning off..!] from there, the miles started to cut into my legs, and by ten i was really weary. the thought of Geoff came into my mind at that time.. it hit me really hard and tears bubbled up.. the downhill started in earnest, and i was able to pick up speed and fell better, not feel him with me, but feel the warmth of his memory. i finished in 1:35, no super-time, but i was shocked and very happy. i stood in the sea, cooling my legs off and thought that this thing was definitely right for me.

since then, i've thought of Geoff in most races. sometimes the thought comes to me, sometimes i invoke it. it always helps. i've knocked over ten minutes off that time now, and i'm sure i can go further.

frustration - no running (again) and poor planning..

so it's a lovely Friday lunchtime outside. it's not as clear and sunny as it was earlier, but it's still warmer than the last few days, dry and not too breezy. perfect for a run round the park. so what am i doing sitting here writing this in my lunch-break instead of doing that. well, the knee's still not right. i RICEd it again last night, but it's still not back to normal, and i know from experience that to not trust your body (in other words, don't listen to your runner's head: 'run! run! it'll be fine, honest..') is just wrong. i've missed some hard fartlek yesterday - although my running mate here did only go round the park, and ran his knee further into trouble, unfortunately - and a simple 5miler with intervals today. that was the plan in my head at the start of the week. damn football..

and the poor planning? that's because i knew i'd be this frustrated by now, so on the way home yesterday i thought that when i got back i'd go straight up and do a quick weights session - i have some simple dumbbells, some press-up handles and a pull-up bar.. there's a easy 20min session that i've tried to keep up with at least once a week (i did it on Monday night). i could have fitted that in, relieved the tension and worn myself out a bit. but instead, i was kinda kidnapped by the .. kids and then dinner was ready. before i knew it, it was 8:30 and the moment was gone. i should have really got my act together and done it then, but Thursday night is always the biggest energy lull of my week. whatever the excuse, i didn't train - at all - then stayed up late watching politicians debate election fallout til too late, then woke up this morning sleep-deprived and exercise-frustrated.

we don't have plans for the weekend, but i doubt there will be time for me to fit in alternative exercise like swimming, but will see.. there's nothing like saying 'i'm going for a run' on a weekend morning, when no one else is that bothered - it's not going to ruin their plans, they were going to take it easy anyway.. you can't really do that with other sports, whether they be team games or something like swimming or the gym (god forbid), where you need to be somewhere. i love running for that.

link of the day so far goes to the self help section of the Wharton active isolated stretching site, as recommended on the life of lemon blog. there are image streching guides, but also links out to a youtube site, which seems to be quite extensive. worth a look..

my choice of the best running blogs, so far..

so here are the blogs i've encountered so far that i've taken a shine to. most of them are very simple diarized training logs. and that's good by my book. i like simple. but they also offer just that little bit more. the insight into the life that has to cope with our obsession/addiction/preference (delete as appropriate, or most likely leave all three..) for running..

the life of lemon
Andrew Lemoncello on running, training and living his dream.. lucky lad

Ben Moreau
UK half and full marathon runner - GB/Eng team member for cross-country. His take on training and racing while holding down a full-time job too

miles to go before i sleep
really good writer who's a runner too! based in Cambridge, UK

diary of a rubbish marathon runner
nice blog diary from a guy based in Kerry, Ireland

running with Jack
NewYorker based in Germany. more frequent poster and good conversational style

Brendan's running diary
pretty much what it says on the tin, based in Cork, Ireland

Frank's running training
likewise, mostly a training reference, also based in Cork.. good reading

treadmill trainer blog
simple tips for training


also came across these general reference sites as i looked around..

runnersworld
needs no blurb, but thought i should mention it cos i'm subscribed and it's my biggest source of training and race info

runnerslife
sponsored by Saucony, follows nine runners of varying age, standards and disciplines from across the UK

completerunning
1700+ strong running blogger network, based in the US


if you read this and know of any others that you can recommend (pro-runners who blog?), please let me know - each post makes a perfect five-minute break in the work day and is immeasurably reassuring that i'm not going too nuts for running.. thanks!

not good..

have woken up this morning with a right knee that feels broken. smashed into the biggest (6'6") guy on the field at football last night and really felt it. i don't know what part of him i caught, but he full-force clattered my knee-cap. had to go off the field for a few minutes to even feel it again, and when i did it was really painful. the pain wore off and i went back on and played for another 40 minutes. walked home fine, without it nagging too much - the skinning the same knee took from another fall hurt more. (we play on astroturf that has a layer of sand on top - if you fall over, you inevitably skin yourself somewhere - elbows, knees most likely.) had a shower and iced the knee as soon as i could. thought i did quite a good job in fact. gave it a rest after a good icing session - bit of elevation as we watched Newsnight to see who our new government was going to be. took the icepack to bed with me and iced the knee a bit more as i fell asleep..

but now i'm up - six and a half hours later - it hurts considerably more than last night and i'm pretty sure it's internal bruising. i've got a tubigrip on it already, and i suspect some of the swelling - if that's what it is - is worse, or at least how it feels is worse, because i've just got up. could be that it feels better after i move around a bit.

whatever, i won't be doing the fartlek we'd planned for lunchtime today. and probably not the run out tomorrow. and maybe not even the hill-training at the weekend. who knows..

i hate the uncertainty of an injury - just after you get it. this one, i don't think, is going to be bad.. it's probably just some bruising that will dissipate over the next day or two.. let's hope. there's unlikely to be any tendon, ligament or cartilage damage, otherwise i would have felt it in the rest of the game or on the trip home. and i felt nothing.

the game itself was a total washout for me. i play left back, and yesterday must be close to the worst i've played in a long time. couldn't get any certainty to my play.. i actually fell over my own feet tracking back with that same big guy - who then went on unmarked and scored their first goal. five minutes later, i took a pass from our goalie and promptly fed it straight into the path of their best striker, who tidily slotted it past our keep for their second. they beat us 2-1. i was directly responsibly for both goals. and skinned my knee. and took a clattering that means that knee hurts this morning. maybe i should be going to the Tuesday night running club instead.

back to usual..

6m at approx 6:45. only know approximately, because we had some stops for crossings and i didn't pay enough attention to my watch. went out with my main running partner from work for a steady run around Hyde Park. he was testing his knee after giving it a break for a week or so.. don't think it went perfectly, as it was still tight throughout the run, but we still did ok and he's keen to run again tomorrow, so can't be too bad! weather is still cold in comparison to what it should be - it's down near 12C, when average for this time of the year is 16+C. still a very enjoyable run - and we had lots to talk about as we've not been out together for a few days.

have been contemplating joining my local club - Kent AC - who practice Tuesday nights at the local track, which is only a few streets away from where i live. i could alternate that and football (Wednesday nights). thinking that it would be a shortcut to learning some of the more intricate elements to the skill of running competitively. would also give me another group of people against whom i can measure myself. would be a good training session for sure, and - hey - they might even be a nice bunch of people too!

had a good chat about whether i should enter one of the Serpie 5ks. they are pretty good for us, as we can make it up to the start - just - from our office in decent time. i'm not confident that i'm any good over such a short distance, but would still like to give it a go. i mentioned that it might hit my confidence if i couldn't perform so well at this shorter distance in comparison to how i do at halfs and full marathons. [note to self here: i've actually only run two full marathons, so not a lot to go on.. but i did do ok, i'd say..] what came out of our chat is that, no matter what the distance, you have to set yourself an optimistic goal.. then you have to train and work at it.. then you run the race and see how you do. if it all goes to plan you get a realistic time - even a PB - to work from as your best, to be bettered. however, if there are complications and you get injured in training or the race even or something else untoward happens, you can gauge your time against these detractions. that way you can always stay optimistic and objective about your expectations vs reality. hopefully that'll work.. maybe i'll try the July 5k..

odd, isn't it..?

7m at 7:10 - early morning run across through Lewisham, across Blackheath, around Greenwich Park and back via Blackheath Park, Lee and Hither Green. beautifully clear morning, but cold.. colder than i expected when i peeked out of the window before leaving. i should have known so, the last thing i watched before turning off last night was the weather report. i even threw a few more clothes into the pile after watching it. [i make a pile of the stuff i need to drag on in the morning so as not to disturb anyone unnecessarily. this wasn't necessary this morning, as Joe was awake already, but at least it made getting ready and getting out quicker.] i ran in my old Asics 1100 Gel's, as i'd already taken the Mizunos to work. my form was all over the place as i started off the run, and at first i put this down to the fact that i hadn't moved much yet and my body was just adjusting to running, but after a while i started to suspect that the shoes were playing a part. then my mind changed again.. i'm not on best form when i go out first thing. an empty stomach makes me feel weak, i pretty much always need to stop to use a toilet (the guy in Greenwich Park this morning almost turned me away for being too early, but begrudgingly changed his mind when he saw the desperation on my face..), and the hill out of Lewisham always puffs me out completely - takes me a while to recover my breathing.

then i thought.. maybe it's none of this. maybe i'm still tired from the marathon. it was a strange thought, cos it felt like it - as a thought - had been waiting around for me to think it for a while. like i knew it already, but just didn't think it yet. that the race went so well, and that i've been feeling so good - mentally - has buoyed my spirits and made me want to train harder and more. but i didn't give myself a great deal of time to recover at all. you read up on the marathon runner blogs (Lemoncello, Moreau) and you find that they have about two weeks away from any intensive training after a marathon. i'm not saying my commitment to running is anything like theirs but there must, in principle, be some comparisons. i should check this out..

so i'm kinda doubting myself at the moment. should i carry on enthusiastically jumping at the chance to run harder and more and faster to improve on this success? or should i back of for a little time and let my legs properly recover? the latter supported by the fact that i don't think i've turned in a barnstorming training session since the marathon. i don't think i've come back with that feeling that it's all gone right and i was totally on top of the run. it could be that more often than not, lately, i've felt that the run got the better of me..

blue Monday

not blue from every aspect - just work is slow today, and nothing i do seems to speed up the hours ticking by.

rest day today, but will do some weights tonight, work out a daily routine for push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups -really got to get back into this, as i'm sure it played it's part in overall fitness for the marathon. that race, cos it went so well, is now my benchmark for 'how to train'. don't know how sensible that is, but for now it's fine. also need to work out what i'm going to do for the rest of this week - and from week-to-week for the meanwhile. remembered, only after arranging to run with my workmate earlier, that i have an afternoon seminar tomorrow afternoon, so will have to skip a lunchtime run and pick up a pre-breakfast run instead. don't think the weather's too mean at the moment, so shouldn't be too hard to get out.. also want to try to get to Greenwich Park this coming weekend for a hill training session. would be great to try that out, and even have a go at some barefoot training while i'm there. perhaps some strides across those open areas across the top.

have not been paying enough attention to bedtime of late, and so need some sleep to catch up. across the weekend i had two midnight bedtimes, and because Joe and I wake early, i didn't get much over six hours either night. i now know the difference and can feel it, so i'll need to try harder this week. have no evening commitments and might even skip the pub after football on Wednesday. we've got a fair amount of things taped to catch up with, and it's nice to sit down to an hour or so of TV you actually want to see, then head off to bed nice and early. who could say i'm getting old with an attitude like that..

long sunday..

10m at 7:20 - through Lewisham and Greenwich, up into the park and round - back out across Blackheath and down through Kidbrooke Park and Blackheath Park, then trace back through Lee and Hither Green - weather was ok, pretty cold, but not too windy; no sun, very overcast. good feeling to the run and had to hold myself back a fair bit from going faster. tried to run with no pressure, but found that i was constantly thinking about some part of it. stopped three times for a pee and twice for a drink (at the fountains in G Park). spent a good few intensive sections thinking about pointing my toe to reduce heel strike and increasing my heel lift behind. don't know what progress i made as it felt like i settled back into the old style as soon as my mind wandered, but at least the thought to change is planted. the new style seems to project me forward quite a bit more - especially when i straighten my back and lean slightly forward. this only makes keeping the form harder and i soon fall foul. the other thing i tried was to straighten the swing of my arms to reduce body rotation. the guy on a video i watched (not the one from the last post) talked about body torque - if you swing your arms across yourself, your legs have to compensate for that. when i straightened my arm swing, that also had that forward projection. seems like there would be quite some gains in speed to be made if i concentrated on these things in the future. will have to try hard to keep it up.

funny how my mind strays while i run. i thought about all sorts of things today. other days i can get back and not recall that a single thing went through my mind. for some of the long runs in the training for Brighton i wore headphones (Sennheiser PMX80, which are fantastic - believe me i've tried quite a few..) and listened to the radio (less praise for the reception round here). that's fine, and it's a welcome change, but i usually run with as little on me as possible. i don't like carrying anything - even when i'm not running - and even a clip on ipod shuffle can annoy me. i also like to get my head into my runs. i like it when i come back recalling nothing. it means i've got immersed and involved in it. but when i think about things - mostly sporadically and rarely deeply - i'm happy.

today i was aware of my surroundings. especially in G Park and through the rich areas after. in the park, spring really started. there are all sorts of blossom, and even though the daffodils and magnolia are dying back now, there are camellias and rhododendrons out. i don't recall now all the lovely things there to see, but it's surely one of the loveliest places i run - and i'm through a lot of the Royal parks.. along Blackheath Park there's hardly a single big place without wisteria in bloom. it's a lovely sight. there were some nice dogs to see in the park too, especially one of those fantastic Australian sheepdogs.. he was a little lost, having followed a trail too far, and was looking furtively for his owner - then sprung off in what i hope was the right direction.

yesterday was a rest day - almost out of necessity. i guess i would have run a 4miler given an opportunity, but one didn't arise. i took the kids off to Bluewater in the morning so i could shop a little and they could get out with me. i like taking them out on my own on the weekend sometimes when we don't have plans. they actually enjoyed it. we got there early, so there was hardly anyone there. they got to trace the Thames map all the way from source to sea.. which they really liked. i picked up some sunglasses and work shoes. useful trip. saves me a work lunchtime, in which i can run instead!

today i ran early and we saw off Polly's friend, who stayed over last night, then we took off to Ikea with the usual plans.. obviously we came back with much less than planned and different things than we went there for, but not surprised. was actually ok. lunch there can be quite healthy and cheap. they bake their own bread it seems, and the soup was good. we went on from Lakeside back over the river to a country park on the outskirts of Meopham. we've been there before - in the depth of summer last year, when there were blackberries to pick. this time it was considerably greener and damper, but was a nice refreshing walk after the shopping. we found five trees in blossom that must be similar to apple trees, but the blossom was deep red and they seemed to be ornamental, not fruit-bearing. would like to go back with a book to work out what they are.

running analysis off youtube

just watched this excellent short video from the njsportsmed youtube channel..

it's a simple explanation of heel striking and lifting before and after analysis and correction.

really makes you think about how you run. just today i was trying to lift my heel more on the back kick, keep my back straighter and lean forward to get over my foot landing on the way back down the Mall. i think i should watch this video - and maybe more of theirs - to think how better i can style my running. it's intriguing, and i'd love to get more out of the commitment i'm putting into it all. plus, it's bound to keep the injuries down.

gonna watch a little telly, then go soak in a hot bath.. on my own with the kids tonight so got to make my own entertainment now they're asleep. had a hot bath for the first time in ages about a week back, and it was so nice that i'm really looking forward to doing it again.

i could so i did

5m at 7:00 - two 1/3mile spurts at sub-6 pace. no running partner but i went anyway. was stiff to start and quite tired throughout. good weather and the park wasn't too crowded. only outside Buckingham Palace, where the news crews etc are setting up for any election action, was there a need to dodge and miss tourists.

woke up this morning with the echo of an ache through my left knee and up into my left hip. it was there last night, so i iced and heated it. doesn't look like that helped, and i even considered giving it a rest. it didn't trouble me on the run, but i think i may need to massage the ITB and maybe have a hot bath tonight. should really book myself in with the physio. should have done it by now, but put it off because i felt so good after the race.

shoes are still troubling me - felt too small on the run. how's that possible two weeks after i buy them? don't really know what to do apart from watch and wait..

all the books just arrived from amazon - woohoo! if the one i'm ready wasn't so engaging i'd be tempted to drop everything and start straight in on the Karnazes one.

can i? should i?

right now have a question out to my mate here at work inciting him to push me over the edge and go running at lunchtime instead of going to do useful housekeeping-like jobs up the road. hopefully he'll be up for it and we'll go running. i can get to those other things soonish.. no one will die.

searched around for blogs to follow and i've found quite a few. i've decided to follow some of them before i go ahead and link to them from here. better to see if they live up to the promise.. til then though, here are a couple i've read for a little while which are good..

miles to go before i sleep - not too frequent, but good thoughts about running and other stuff too.

the life of lemon - Andrew Lemoncello, the first British runner at London this year.. blogged a lot on the run-up to the race, but might become more infrequent now.

easy going thursday..

7.5m at 7:10 - long one round Hyde Park. no speed up - took it steady. nice clear conditions, and quite a bit of sunshine. felt fantastic, no stress and no aches. just what you want on a thursday lunchtime!

after playing a game of football last night, the legs were a little stiff. didn't get a huge amount of sleep either, as Joe was up early and wanting to do things. will have to catch-up tonight - i doubt the election coverage will be gripping enough.. especially as most of the results only come out at 3-4am. i can wait til the morning. anyway, legs were a little tight, but i didn't get any dynamic stretching in before starting off. we took it easy and didn't noticeably pick-up throughout. the guy who came with me from work did start to feel it around 4.5m, but he was happy to just stop the chatting and keep the pace. i tried to back off to 7:15, but we'd got up to a steady rate of 7:00 by then, and it felt just right and i couldn't back off much. some runs just feel right.

will probably run a 5miler tomorrow, perhaps with a couple of half-mile speed-ups in the middle. apparently the weather will cool off at the weekend, so tomorrow's the last we'll see of the sun for a few days. i should be taking my ipod touch up to the apple store as it won't play through the dock at the moment, but the running's kinda taken over at the moment..

shoes are still a bother. i loosen them out to wear down to football (not on the astroturf), and when i did that last night, they felt to me to be too small, butting up against my toes. plus the gel pad underneath my fore-foot on the left seems to in some way imbalance me. when i tighten them back up again and run, they don't trouble me, and feel good and responsive. perhaps it'll just take a little while for me to settle in to them.

we've thought about hill-training at lunchtime by tubing it out to Greenwich or Hampstead, but decided that would be a little obsessive. i think i'll just save them up for the weekend, when i can get to Greenwich Park more easily. maybe even this sunday!

still no decisions on summer 10ks - maybe the Rye run in mid-July. maybe the Orpington 10k at the start of July.

will take a few minutes this afternoon to look around for some top-notch marathon-runner blogs - to see if i can get some good tips on how to make this better.

rest day.. -ish..

today's a rest day. no running. was tempted to go out for a quick run this morning, after i got up with Joe at six. i wake up and figure it's probably better for me to get up right then than lie in bed and ruminate on the day ahead til seven. instead of running, i searched through runnersworld for some 10ks in Jul/Aug. we're booked in to do the half in Windsor on 26 Sep, but nothing in between. i like to have a few goal races to keep me ticking over, and also i feel so good i think i could probably better my PBs for 10k and the half this year. i figured it's probably a better use of my time to start getting organized for the rest of the year, than run when i really don't need to. i play football with work on a Wed night, which can be quite tiring stuff, and i know recuperation should be a focus right now as well as getting back into training.

that said, can't wait to get back to some serious speedwork and even start proper hill-training. will probably start to do some of that barefoot too - having read Born to Run, i'm obviously now obsessed with running form and the effect my shoes may be having. the new mizunos appear to have calmed down a little now i've been out quite a few times..

checking out Dean Karnazes' Ultramarathon Man on amazon last night, i found myself buying it and Feet in the Clouds and Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon. was a spur of the moment thing that i couldn't own up to right then considering i even told Polly the night before to not let me buy more books for the foreseeable future. now i can't wait for them to arrive. Got a lot out of Born to Run and Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running before the marathon. hope there are more experiences to learn from in the new books.

i'm in Ldn next year! .. i think..

6m at 7:00 - standard round Hyde Park, but speeding up towards Speakers Corner and fastest down the slope - up to 5:15 by end, up on toes, felt fantastic!

just got off the phone with Ldn marathon organizers. i'd already sent in my good-for-age details with the Brighton certificate, and was calling to make sure that's what was needed. they've not opened any of these applications yet - given that they've just had the race and the priority ballot's been running up to today for the full ballot opening. apparently i'll get a form to fill out with a request for a cheque, then i'm in! assured a place. couldn't be happier..

running's a funny lot, isn't it? think i over-hydrated myself this morning, and was light-headed by the time it came to change and go out. started running and went through that little twinge around my right achilles.. ran through the first three miles feeling pretty sound, then rounded the top corner and felt better again. by the time i got to Speaker's Corner, i was raring to go, so i just wound up and sprinted it down the hill. even up on my toes full on sprinting by the end - breath wasn't too laboured.. amazed in myself with the contrast to yesterday's labours. how does it all work out?

back at work today. still got a little head-cold, and the air-conditioning doesn't help. quite startling how quickly it shrinks citrus fruit - must be doing the same to us.

tough going..

8.3m at around 7:20 pace - through Lewisham and Greenwich, up through the park, around the top, out over Blackheath and down and back via Manor Park..

hard work run. it was cold - around 7degC - windy and my legs were still heavy from the start. wore compression underwear and it made me sweat from halfway. don't know why i'm still struggling this badly with runs of this distance and less, but i guess it's still the aftermath of the marathon. will have to work on the recovery a little better and not push the training so hard just yet. will have to book in with the physio too - i think the ITBs are in need of a little work.

took the kids out to the Maritime Museum this morning and met up with my running partner and his kids by chance at the coffee shop. we went round all the interactive kids stuff upstairs there together, and they invited us over for dinner later in the afternoon. was a nice way to end a bank-holiday weekend that had been til then quite solitary for us. i think it had been the same for them too. ate too much - even ice-cream and whisky!

haven't thought about what to fill the rest of the week with yet, so need to think that over tonight.. football on Wednesday, so runs Tue/Thu/Fri at work.

booked in for the Windsor half in Sep, but still no other halfs or 10ks in between. would like to sort at least two more out - to keep the training going with goals. or maybe i can set those goals personally now i'm at this better level. it's a thought.

rainy day..

so i didn't keep myself in line, and went out about 6pm for a 4.5m speedy recovery run up through Blackheath. it's a good simple jog that only takes 30mins but gets your metabolism back up.

we'd gone down to Herne Bay on the south side of the Thames estuary, and eaten fish&chips as well as ice cream.. can't say anyone really enjoyed the f&c, simply because it's so far away from our usual meals.. all of us felt heavy after eating.. the ice-cream didn't have that affect. that was happily eaten.

it's raining heavily today, so we're trying to think of something worthwhile to do. think i'm going to leave the long run until tomorrow morning. probably extend it out to 10m or so.

ran past a homeless guy in Lewisham last night. he was off to find his place for the night. made me think how little my problems are. imagine not even having a home to go back to - or run out from. we worry about our diets, our muscles, time to fit in a run.. he's worried about where he can sleep, where his next meal comes from..

Friday night, Saturday morning..

no running today. had a good sleep, after a bit of late night, and can feel the ache in my legs trying to get out. pretty sure this is old tiredness. i'll definitely run long tomorrow, and set out a better weekly plan from monday.

was skimming the Dean Karnazes book in Waterstones yesterday and checked out his normal routine. up at 4am to run 3hrs every morning, etc. makes me want to try harder with my training. not for any more purpose than being fitter and more content with my performances. it's an odd cycle for just a normal person, and my friends and i are in a debate as to whether this constitutes an obsession or an addiction yet.

off to pick the kids up soon and take them on to the seaside. weather isn't supposed to be great but they'll love it no matter what. have missed them for not seeing them when we got back last night. also have been out for last three nights.. but we have a long weekend now. some early nights and sleep catch-up.