Bupa London 10k

The Bupa London 10k yesterday was a pretty disappointing day for those chasing fast times.

I'd gone into the race fairly confident of a decent time, certainly sub 31. The wind seemed to drop Sunday evening after a blustery weekend, and with the field absolutely stacked with Brits, all eager to go quick, the omens were good.

I travelled to the race with my Bedford team mates Darren Deed, Andrew Inskip and Owain Matthews and found the UKA Championship building. The atmosphere was really positive and I was really grateful for the amount of people happy for my recent good news on an England vest. The running community are a really good bunch of lads.

We warmed up and I felt like I was going to have a good day, there was a noticable breeze, but as the sun came out this compensated for the warmth.

We were walked down to the start and it wasn't a very satisfactory set up to say the least. I'd seen a youtube clip of the 2010 start and the road was extremely narrow. The depth of field this year was much better, and the start still just as narrow. As we looked across at the ladies, they had plently of room, whilst we were squeezed in - far too compact. I was a good few yards from the starting mat, which didn't concern me as I didn't want to get drawn into an overly fast first mile anyway.

The horn sounded and we were away, I took a good few seconds to cross the mat and then had to weave around runners for much of the first few hundred metres. Despite this I was feeling ok and was soon surrounded by the right guys for where I wanted to be timewise.

From 2-3km I was moving through fairly well and could see the lead clock ahead, much closer than I would have expected, especially given the Mo Farah was in the field. After 3k we hit an incline and I started to feel stretched and was now into my race. Up to this point I was operating at sub 31 pace, but this was the last time my splits indicated this. Thereafter my split readings slowed, yet bizarrely I was moving through the field all the time.

I found 3-7km just extremely twisty, way too twisty for an Olympic Marathon course in my opinion. In fact, there were plenty of sharp turns as I recall, and a cobbled section that wasn't too welcome. As I was running, trying to concentrate on the pace, I was also thinking this wasn't a fast course, and Farah's 27:44 from last year was an amazing run given the circumstances.

The last 3k was along the embankment and I was continuing to move through the field gradually. I went past Mick Hill who ran 31:22 at Manchester two weeks ago and is getting quicker almost daily, this indicated I was running ok, nothing amazing but certainly solid.

I felt alright in the last km and pushed up to the finish line to run 31:44 (on my watch). As soon as I finished it was immediately apparent that everyone was baffled with their times. Mo had run well over 29 minutes for the win, slow for him. Jo Pavey was well outside 32 minutes. All the familiar names and faces I follow were well down on expectations - 30-40 seconds seemed the general opinion and does seem to stack up having looked at the official results.

A few reasons were given, the wind and warm sun being two of them (though I can't say I found either a problem). A few guys went out fast but only in line with what recent runs suggested they were capable of, and to be fair I wasn't one of them. Nobody seemed to go quicker in the second half of the race. It was all very strange. My own splits were 15:34 and 16:10.

There were a few GPS readings suggesting 6.4 miles but I think these could be unreliable anyway, especially with the amount of tall buildings in central London, and a couple of underpass sections.

All in all the race was a bit of a let down as far as fast times went. I think the course (again, in my own opinion) needs looking at ahead of the Olympics next year, it just seems a bit twisty and if it is going to be four laps, it will be up and down the embankment eight times and much of the rest will be winding around tight bends.

Otherwise it was a sound race and the organisation was largely spot on with the exception of the tight start. As UKA Championship runners, we were treated very well.

I'm a bit perplexed at getting an official time of 31:47 with no chip time evident. I recorded 31:44 on my own watch - it's normally maybe one second out, but not three. Again, this was more or less consistent to everyone else I have spoken to.

I was 49th, which gives some idea to the depth of the field. As a team I scored second behind Darren, with Owain just behind me. Not sure if we were among the prize money yet, but seems unlikely.

England vest

Today I got the most fantastic news - I got the honour of a phone call from Ian Ladbrooke confirming I've been selected to run the Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon on 16th October for England in the International Team Challenge. It's a full England vest. I couldn't be happier.

It's especially satisfying because I seem to have found a real flow in my running over the last few months after a difficult period. Running round Chicksands Woods last summer with my knee screaming "STOP!" at me after just 10 minutes of running, I could not have imagined getting an England vest over my favourite race distance 12 months later.

My main concern will be ensuring I make the start line in Toronto injury free. It's early days now but I think I'll be looking towards a shorter build up to make sure I peak at the right time - 10 weeks is likely, this worked for the London Marathon this year well enough.

More immediately I've got the Bupa London 10k on Monday, and I'm really hoping for a decent outing. My recent excursions over 10k haven't been that impressive, but since the London Marathon nearly six weeks ago, I've dropped my mileage and added more sessions to enable me to run inside five minute pace. I'm hopeful of going inside 31 minutes, which I haven't done since 2008. My pb stands at 30:34 from way back in 1999. I'm tempted to have a go at it, if you don't go hard you can't find out what's possible.

My last couple of weeks training are below. My mate Matt Janes is back from injury and getting fitter by the day, so we've put some runs together and a very encouraging session of 2 x 3 miles on Tuesday of this week.


Saturday 7 May - AM 4 miles warming up and down, 6 x uphill reps in Chicksands Woods. These are 915 metres with a long drag for the first half and a flat section along the top, they're tough and this was my first session since London. I ran with Rob Heaney and the first effort was way, way too fast [2.40m jog recovery back downhill] 3.01, 3.08, 3.13, 3.14, 3.17, 3.19 (not happy with how we slowed), PM 6.1 miles easy
Sunday - 15.1 miles feeling very sore from yesterday, 6.15 pace

M - 10 miles at 6.45 very tired and very sore
T - AM 6.4 miles steady, PM 6.1 miles with 6 x 100 strides after
W - 6.7 miles trying to get my legs back in order
T - 10 miles of fartlek, feeling better at last - alternating 1 mile at 6.30 and 1 mile at 4.55, very pleased
F - AM 8.15 miles steady, PM 6 miles easy
S - AM 8.9 miles with 10 x 60s/60s fartlek, PM 5.1 miles easy
S - 15.6 miles at 6.43 pace
83 miles

M - 5 miles easy
T - 3 miles warming up, Bedford 6 in 30:56 (2nd to Neilson Hall), 5 miles warming down. Very bad guts in last two miles of race, desperate for toilet
W - AM 6.4 miles at 7.15 pace, PM 7.5 miles at 6.25 pace
T - 10 miles at 6.20 pace
F - AM 5.5 miles of warming up/down, 4 x Bedford Park Reps (1.17 miles) 5.46, 5.48, 5.52 and 5.53 - tired but saw them through, PM 5 miles easy
S - 15.1 miles at 6.45 pace
S - AM same session as 7 May but much better, with Andrew Inskip, 5 miles warming up/down 3.06, 3.08, 3.08, 3.09, 3.10, 3.09 [also did 6 x 100 strides], PM 5 miles easy
87 miles

M - easy off road 7.75 miles with 6 x 100 strides
T - AM 6.4 miles easy, PM 4.5 miles warming up/down, 2 x 3 miles off 5 mins - did 15.00 and 15.15
W - AM 5 miles easy, PM 5 miles easy, tired

Back at it

Things seemed to get back to normal in the last week after a grim few days feeling very tired.

I sensed a return to normal following a really encouraging fartlek session over 10 miles around Bedford Park midweek last week.

Cracking on early morning before work, I set the GPS to notify me mile splits and then set about a session of one mile steady, one mile fast for 10 miles. This went pretty much 6:20/4:55 throughout and was one of the most enjoyable sessions I’ve done for some time. I felt great, really controlled.

By the weekend I stuck in my favourite 1 min/1min fartlek on the road during a 9 miler, and again felt pretty much there or thereabouts. The next day was an easy 15.6 miles with my mate Matt Janes in advance of a midweek race outing in the Bedford 6.

I’m not a fan of evening racing at all as I just find it hard to get focused after a day at work. It’s almost like I can’t get myself up for the race until I leave the office. And this was no exception. However, I think for an evening race on a testing course with a stiff breeze on the return I raced ok.

We set off and it was clear Neilson Hall was going to be time-trialling as he was well up after just the half mile. I went through one mile with club mates Andrew Inskip and the aforementioned Welsh Wizard Janesy, who to be fair is a sub 29:30 10k man when fit, but has had a calf injury.

Shortly after this I eased away from Inskip and Janes and was moving quite well. The early splits had a following wind, so I galloped through 3 miles in under 15 minutes. I was feeling ok, apart from needing the toilet badly. This felt horrible.

The feeling came and went until about 4.5 miles when I developed an unwelcome gut ache, which at times was forcing an involuntary groan from me. I worked into the windy part of the course and was in real pain for the last mile. I must have lost some seconds as the feeling of needing a crap was unbearable and surely impacted on how I was running.

Still, 30:56 is sub 32 for 10k, and with no company on a less than ideal course I’m happy with it. It was a good workout for the London 10k later this month, and with a few sessions and two more weeks I should be in shape by then to clock a similar time or faster with the addition of another 0.2 of a mile.

I ran back home five miles after the race and got that light headed feeling you get when you’re running low on sugar. I managed to get home before passing out.

Domestic 10k races
It was great to see a glut of good runs over the two 10k races in Manchester and Bristol over the weekend, some great times from many guys who work hard. Well deserved. I really wanted to be there racing myself when watching the Manchester race on TV, but will have to wait until London on 30th. That field is going to be STACKED.

Wanjiru
Finally, what a loss the death of Sammy Wanjiru was. The guy was an absolute phenomenon. His slowest marathon in six outings was 2:06:39. Unbelievable. People forget he ran 26:41 for 10,000m and had the world record for the half marathon at just 18. Dead at just 24 years old and so much to live for. His surge after surge to beat Kabede in Chicago last year was typical of his style, in a race with half a million dollars up for grabs.

Wanjiru wins Chicago Marathon 2010

It does makes me wonder how you can experience running into the Olympic Stadium to claim the marathon gold medal (the pinnacle), and having had that experience you then take your own life. I find that hard to believe.

Beijing was a masterpiece in running and running with unbelievable confidence from the front. Amazing talent.

Knackered

Following some positive months I’m now finding things difficult. It seems that I’ve had a delayed onset of fatigue since London. It’s taken three weeks to really hit me.

I felt tired but OK in the first two weeks after the race, nothing special but not alarming. Buoyed by my pb, I felt I could come back after a few weeks and race well. Any fatigue was totally expected – plus I was getting over another viral infection.

However, last week I was really dragging myself around runs, and I wouldn’t say I have stepped things up too quickly. I really needed a day off on the Friday and then joined Rob Heaney for a session on Saturday morning in Chicksands Woods. We did 6 x 3 min efforts (first half of the effort uphill, second half flat) and despite going fairly well (taking into account running the first two efforts miles too fast) I felt absolutely battered afterwards.

I somehow managed a respectable 15 miles the next morning, but by Monday of this week I was in bits. My quads were well messed up, my shoulders as well(?). I dragged myself around 10 miles and it was a real effort just to jog.

Maybe I’ve introduced double days too quickly? Maybe the session with Rob was a week too early?

However, this isn’t right and indicates I’m just not recovered from London yet. It’s totally abnormal for me to feel so terrible off no more than 70 miles steady running per week. I’ve decided to back right off and wait for things to return, not force them.

I’m pretty sure I’m fit right now, the session I did on Saturday was very decent, but my ability to recover is not good at this moment in time. There’s no bounce in the legs, just soreness.

I’m planning to race the low key Bedford 6 next week and hope my body is in better nick by then. I fancy just one race outing before a burn up at the Bupa London 10k on 30th of this month.

There’s no need to panic at the moment, but running is not a pleasure feeling like this.

Planning Ahead

It’s just over two weeks since London and I’m finally moving on from that day. I spent the days after the race getting into the swing of things in my new job.

Unfortunately I was also struggling with another virus, but I was much less bothered about this one - with the race behind me this was a great time to be laid low.

My legs were well beat up after London, and I didn’t run until the Thursday. My calves were a right state. It took a few runs for this to ease off. I then ran a gentle 55 mile week in the second week, all easy running. It was great to do a few easy runs off road with Janesy as he returned from his calf injury. I'm looking to push on now with a few sessions over the next couple of weeks.

What stood out for me from London was the performances of guys who ran solid times compared to their build up races and vice-versa. There were some good performances at London off the back of some really mediocre half marathons and cross-country results in the weeks beforehand. One lesson I’ve learned from this is that build up races just do not really matter when your primary focus is the marathon. They are no indicator of what to expect in the big one at all.

So far this week I’ve been feeling pretty sluggish and my Achilles has been a bit niggly. I need to take real care with it. I’ve got some races planned now and I’m definitely thinking about an autumn marathon. I think I need the goal of another marathon to drive my training on. I’ve got some options already and am excited by some possible opportunities that may come up. I’m 37 this summer but have seldom enjoyed my running quite as much so I really want to capitalise on this.

Next up is the BUPA London 10k on 30 May. After I ran the Lisbon Marathon at the end of 2008, my form into the new year really took off and I was flying in training and racing once recovered. I’m hoping for more of the same this time and the 10k would be a good opportunity to crack out a quick one before a fairly low key half marathon in Southend mid-June.

Team prize money is generous in the 10k, which doubles up as the UKA Championships. It’s a shame Neilson Hall and Janesy won’t be competing as together with Darren Deed we surely would have come close, however we’ve still got a decent team entered and should feature well up the field. Mo Farah’s inclusion in the field makes this a high profile event. It should be a great day as we’ll be running one loop of the likely 2012 Olympic Marathon course.

I’m going to change my training a little over the coming weeks, certainly until I turn my thoughts towards 26.2 again. I’m going to tackle some shorter sessions and run steady mileage. I found a ten week build up rather than a longer 12 or 15 week specific period worked well for me in the lead up to London, so I’m going to look to do this again prior to my next marathon, albeit with the additional fitness I will have as earlier this year I wasn’t exactly fit before commencing my build up for London. That’s the plan anyway.

I’m not blessed with a great deal of speed, which is why I didn’t cut it on the track. Clearly slow twitch fibres predominate where I’m concerned. It’ll be interesting to see what happens this summer. Either way I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can.