The legs seem to have recovered nicely by now but the HR has been elevated for the last 2 days. This could be a sign that I am still recovering, or it could be down to the sore throat I have felt since Saturday. Lola has it too. I have been ignoring it in the hope that it will eventually go away, which seems to work; today I'm definitely feeling better. The other problem is a lack of sleep, thanks to Maia. She got up at 6 o’clock in the morning 3 days in a row from Saturday to Monday (why do they always do that on the weekend ?) and on Tuesday she woke the whole house by screaming at the top of her voice at 2 am, claiming that there was a mouse in her bed. She totally refused to get even near her bed again and spent the rest of the night wedged in between mummy and daddy, but took 90 minutes to fall back asleep, in which time I was repeatedly being hugged and kicked in the kidneys in quick succession. Niamh also thinks she (Maia that is, not Niamh) is suffering from a urinary track infection, which may or may not be the case (initial tests from the doctor are blank, more are being done), but the laundry pile she is creating at an alarming rate is rather impressive.
Anyway, I had plenty of time to think about my recent training. With every back-to-back run I'm getting more confident that I’m indeed set to break 3 hours; in fact, I think I can go a good bit under that time, but I don’t want to get cocky. I will run as fast as I can in Vienna but any time starting with a 2 will make me a happy camper.
It’s patently obvious that my recent improvement is down to the coach. In the past I have trained faster, slower, more, less, but never managed to hit the spot. During the base phase, things seemed to come round without even trying, which made me conclude that I used to run too hard in previous training cycles. On the other hand, the back-to-back runs have been really tough. In previous years I was happy to run close to 7:00 pace for my “marathon pace” workouts, hoping that the pace would have improved by the time of the marathon, which never happened. The 6:40 pace I have been doing recently would previously have been regarded as a HMP workout. It took the coach to tell me that this is my present marathon pace. Sometimes it takes someone you trust to tell you what you can achieve in order for you to trust yourself. Maybe that’s the real benefit of a coach. That, and the fact that I apparently need someone to stop me from ruining my own training.
- 21 Feb
- 8 miles, 1:02:15, 7:47 pace, HR 142
- 22 Feb
- 10 miles, 1:19:05, 7:54 pace, HR 145
- 23 Feb
- 10 miles, 1:16:49, 7:41 pace, HR 147
It's been really interesting following your recent training cycle with your coach.
ReplyDeleteI wondered whether you'd be able to resist doing your own thing but I'e been really impressed that you have stuck to the plan and you are now reaping the benefits.
Looking forward to following your marathon. Keep that positive frame of mind ... it's half the battle!
6:40 for your MP... all I can say is wow. I might need to look into getting a coach. You've always been an awesome runner, but you're going to a new level.
ReplyDeleteLooking at your training and dependent on how tough a course Vienna is, I fancy you to go under 02:57 or event 02:56.
ReplyDeleteI found that concluding that what was previously HMP is now MP was the defining moment in being confident/expectant that I could achieve my goal.
Sounds like you are mentally in a great place and, in my book, that is more than half the battle. Rock on!
ReplyDelete"Sometimes it takes someone you trust to tell you what you can achieve in order for you to trust yourself."
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with that Thomas,
As much as I give Ewen shit, at times, he has consistently said I could do better than I, deep down, thought I could. And I somehow trust that he is right ;)
Ewen and for that matter Rick's marathon prediction times for me are always on the lower side of what I think are improbable.
I appreciate this and will more often than not try to live up to this! But still worried when the day comes that they say "Sorry Scotty the Well is dry, give it up mate!"
Just hope they can phrase it in a more easy to digest way. Like...
"Have you ever thought of taking up darts?"
Bloody hell. Thanks Scott - the cheque's in the mail... I made it out to "Scott Brown's long suffering wife (who will stop suffering once Scott runs a 2:30 marathon)."
ReplyDeleteLike JK, I was wondering if you'd follow MC's coaching/advice every step of the way. Glad you have. It's good that he's given you the confidence that 6:40 is your MP. I believe it is too.