Friday 24 July 2015

What I talk about when I should be working

Less than a month now until the first of my two hip operations, and (with apologies to Mr Murakami for the title) a short post outlining my current thoughts on what's on the horizon.

Is it really necessary?


Every time I wonder if I really need these operations, I'm reminded that I do. I mentioned a few races in my last post - Thursday's race at Girton was a little uncomfortable, but I didn't suffer much at all on either the Friday (sports day) or Sunday (Ekiden), and Tuesday's training run was fine, nothing hurt, and I couldn't wait to run again the next day. Wednesday's run was fine to start with, but from about halfway the old discomfort came back again, and it was a tough last couple of miles. I could easily keep going like this - I can manage short distance races fine, and also do a bit of training in between, providing I don't try to do too much - but ultimately, I'm not going to improve a great deal unless I can get back to a higher mileage, higher intensity training schedule.


A slightly tortured golf analogy


I remember when I tried to take up golf a few years back - I never really got the hang of it, but I used to go the local driving range and do my best to improve. Prominently displayed in large lettering on a sign at the range was a quote attributed to Albert Einstein - "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."


Oh. Fair enough.
I just did a bit of research on this quote, since I wasn't sure I'd remembered it word for word. As is often the case when you research something on the internet, you end up more confused than before you began - I'm now not entirely sure if it was Einstein, or Ben Franklin, or Mark Twain - but it doesn't much matter, because it's a great quote and it really made me think at the time about why I wasn't getting anywhere with my golf swing. Clearly, I was doing something wrong, and then just practising doing something wrong again and again. To improve, I first needed to understand how to hit a golf ball, before then practising hard to attempt to perfect it. So how did I manage this? The answer - a series of expensive golf lessons with the club pro - obviously, the reason why they displayed the quote so prominently at the range. 

Happy with that one. Trousers may have been a mistake though
I learnt a valuable lesson from all this - I have no talent whatsoever for golf, and it didn't matter how much money I threw at it, I was never going to be able to play at a decent level. To be fair, I improved enough to be able to enjoy playing a bit more, and didn't spend quite as much as I used to on replacement balls - but I could still easily get through a new pack each round. Lakes and rivers add not only to the aesthetic beauty of a golf course, but unfortunately also to the cost of a game!

The theory though was sound - acquire the knowledge first, before... practice, practice, practice. I think subsquently the reason I never managed to lower my handicap was not purely down to lack of natural talent - although this was undeniably a major factor - but it was also because I just didn't have the time (or money) to be able to play every week, and once a month wasn't often enough to get the hang of it.

Running - an easy sport?


The beauty of running is, as I've mentioned before, that it doesn't require a great deal of skill. I know some people who group runners into two categories - those that they feel are inherently talented, and those that they feel get there by dint of hard work alone. I'm not sure I agree with this - certainly, the runners I know who appear to be the most talented (ie quickest, and with the best running styles) I also happen to know work very hard in their training too. It's similar to that quote "the harder I work, the luckier I get." I'm not going to google that one to find out who said it - life's too short, and I'll only get confused. The point I'm trying to make is, you don't need specific skills or talent to be able to run, but you do need to work at it. There are certain things you can learn, be it how to improve your running style, how to choose what shoes to run in, how to approach certain races psychologically, etc, etc - but undeniably, above all else, the more time you're able to devote to running, the better you'll become. 

Unlike with my golf, I can (nearly) always find time to go for a run. Since I love reading about running, and listening to the advice of the many good runners that I'm lucky enough to know, I have learnt a lot over the last few years about how to get it right. I understand the importance of good running form, I've worked on my foot strike and my cadence, I have the right shoes, I know plenty of decent training routes, and plenty of decent types of training workouts - and I know which types of races I'm likely to do better in than others. In short, I have everything in place to continue to improve for many years to come - but only if I can apply my knowledge and experience to a decent training programme, and I can't do this all the time I'm struggling with discomfort.
This is my handicap chart from Run Britain. My running handicap (unlike my golf) has come down a fair bit since I began, but its no coincidence that the periods of significant improvement always correlate with periods of decent training.


It's not the end of the world - I'm much luckier than many, and I don't want to sound like I'm complaining - but I know that if I want to improve as a runner, it's a necessary step to have these two operations, even though it's going to put me out of action for a long time. The decision becomes harder every time I have a decent race - do I really need to do this? - but it's about whether I'm happy performing at the level I'm currently at, because without getting this sorted, I'm just entering races time and again off the back of very little work, and hoping for different results. Which is insanity, as Einstein almost pointed out. Possibly.

What level will I be able to run at after the Operations?


I'm hoping that, once I'm back running pain free, and am able to up the mileage and intensity of my training, that I'll push on significantly and tackle some much more demanding targets. High on the list is a sub 30min 5 mile - I'm close, but I'm aware that the difference between being able to average 6m15 pace - as I can now - and being able to hit 6min pace for 5 miles - to get under half an hour - is much bigger than it sounds. My current pace over 5 miles should be enough to get me a sub 40min 10km, but I haven't managed this yet either - so if I don't grab one at Littleport next week (more on this in a bit), then this will be my first main target once I return to training properly, which I expect (providing I can have the 2nd operation in December) to be Spring next year. Ultimately I want to be able to hit 6min mile pace for longer distances - a  10 miler in under 1 hour and a sub 1hr 20 half marathon would be very nice - and if I can do this, then my shorter distances could potentially become seriously quick - sub 18min for 5km at the very least.

But....I have to consider the possibility that, after the operations, I may not quite be able to get back to the level I'm at now. I am very fortunate to have Charlotte in my life - for all sorts of reasons of course, but within the context of this blog because of her understanding and her own knowledge when it comes to running. She knows better than any one else how important it is to me, and to my state of mind. She knows I'm going to find it hard being unable to run for so long, and will be a massive help in keeping me sane over the next few months. And she has also considered the chance that I may not be able to return to my current level - and has very sensibly suggested that the most important result will be not how quickly I can then run afterwards, but how comfortably.

Her idea is that, if I can't quite return to current pace, it may be that at the very least I find I can enjoy my running again, and that longer training runs then become the thing to do instead, leading to longer distance races again. In addition to the many great marathons out there, there is a whole world of ultra running to explore. All the time I can run at a decent speed, and improve, then this is not the direction I want to take - but her point is that if I can't get the speed back, I may find I can enjoy the greater distance instead. 

Next Up - Littleport 10km


Definitely my kind of race
And so to the next race - this coming Sunday, at Littleport. Deep in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, this race is completely flat, and so appeals to PB hunters across the region. Hills definitely make my condition worse, so I've been avoiding them wherever possible! I mentioned briefly above how my current 5 mile times suggest a sub 40 minute 10km should be achievable. To get a sub 40 minute run over 6.2 miles you need to run each mile at 6m27 pace. My last 5 miler at Great Bentley saw me average 6m13 - so do this for just one more mile (and a bit) and that's the target beaten easily. Of course, in reality I didn't run this pace throughout: I had a good first mile, a good last mile, and averaged around 6m20 pace for the remainder, with a couple of dodgy stretches thrown in for good measure. But even so, I am pretty sure that if the race had been a 10km, I'd have hung on and gone under the 40min barrier.

In fact, I've averaged under this pace for a couple of other 5 mile races, at Sudbury this year and Hadleigh at the end of last year, so I really ought to be able to manage this - but in three attempts at the distance this year, in addition to those in previous years, I've never quite got a 10km right. The tactic this time around is simple - don't try and get a decent first mile in, as I do for both 5km and 5mile races - instead, set off at the required average pace, or even slightly slower, and leave a bit for a push in the final mile. If I ran at 6m30 pace up until the end of the 5th mile, I'd have 7m30 left for the last 1.2 miles, which should be pretty straightforward since I always find a bit towards the end of a race. If I could match my 5 mile pace, I'd actually get well under the target - but given that it's always eluded me in the past, I'd prefer to be sensible, and to finish feeling I could have gone a bit quicker, rather than to set off at 6m15 pace and then struggle throughout.

This one was likely to be competitive
Psychologically, in order to do this, I probably need to start a little way back from the start line. In most shorter races I try to line up with the quick runners right on the line, no matter how quick they look - and this helps me to get off to a quick start - but it does usually then mean I get passed by a fair few runners in the middle part of the race, before clawing back positions in the last mile. This time, with a slower starting pace in mind, I know that if I start at the front I'll not be matching the speed of the leaders - so there's no point. Better to start a few rows back, and then gradually gain places (hopefully!) throughout the race.

And this one not so much....
There are a couple of courses where I've deliberately employed this tactic of starting further back - and at a slower pace - because I've known the first part of the race is much tougher than the last part -- I've blogged previously about the Newmarket Heath 6km, which I've run 3 times, and I approached this year's Kedington 5km in the same way. The feeling I've had, overtaking throughout rather than being overtaken, and recording notable negative splits (where the second half of your race is quicker than the first) means they rank amongst the most enjoyable races I've competed in, and this seems like a good way to approach Littleport.

But without anything on the course to slow me in the first mile (like the big hills at the start of Newmarket and Kedington) it's going to have to come down to being sensible. What can go wrong?!





Monday 20 July 2015

A busy few days

As you'll know if you read these ramblings on a regular basis, I'm currently cramming in as many races as I can before I'm temporarily incapacitated! It's been a really enjoyable last few days - here's a quick (ish) roundup.

Girton 5km - Thursday 9th July


Usually it's me convincing Charlotte we need to enter races, but this one was all her idea - she's really enjoyed the races we've been doing for the Friday Five series, as well as the Kevin Henry fixtures, and this local fixture (just outside Cambridge) offered the chance for another evening race.

2013 had been much tougher
I ran here in 2013, and remembered it being pretty tough - flat, but multi-terrain (including some very muddy farm tracks.) This time around, with the weather having been pretty good, it was likely to be a bit easier, and so whilst I didn't expect to PB, I was hoping to get around the 19min mark. The race was a sell-out, which is always a good sign of a well-organised and enjoyable event, although the free beer at the end is probably also a factor.

A pretty competitive field of runners lined up for this one, and although I did my best to keep pace with the early leaders, this was a pretty futile exercise, and I began dropping back quite significantly as the race wore on. Fortunately, as often seems to be the case, I was able to find something again for the last kilometre - helped by the fact that it was pavement for the last part - and in the end I recorded a time of 19m36, which got me 31st place out of 198 runners.

Far more impressive was Charlotte's run - a new PB (how on earth she did that on a primarily off-road course is totally beyond me.) It seems that the tougher the course, the better she does in relation to other runners, a theory backed up by her finishing as 8th lady.

Another fellow club runner, Terry, made the short trip as well, and showed his usual determination to complete in fine style despite recent health issues that would have stopped most from continuing to run, let alone race. I hope I'm still able to get around the 30min mark when I'm in my 70s!

DEFRA Sports Day -- Friday 10th July


Thanks to a temping agency, I'm currently working at Natural England until my new permanent position with the Civil Service starts in September. According to our website -

We're the government's adviser for the natural environment in England, helping to protect England's nature and landscapes for people to enjoy and for the services they provide. Natural England is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

And the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - DEFRA - hold a sports day each year, pulling together all the various offices around the country to compete in a number of sports in a reasonably competitive yet very enjoyable event.
I totally had this race....


I originally entered just one event - the 1500metres veterans race - but as the day grew closer, it became apparent that I may be needed to help out elsewhere since we were struggling to fill all the slots in the Rounders and Football teams. In the event, I was just needed for the 1st rounders match - I was fine at running between the posts but in 3 attempts I didn't manage to hit the ball once! Unsurprisingly, my help wasn't needed after that - but I did play in the 4 group matches for our football team, in a very enjoyable 6-a-side competition.

Despite being hammered in our opening match, we managed to win the next three, meaning we qualified from our group to get through to the knock-out stages. Unfortunately our quarter-final clashed with my 1500m, so at this point I had to abandon my team mates. I didn't need to ask afterwards how it had gone, as I saw them walking back from the changing rooms freshly showered and changed - clearly no semi-final for us! Apparently we lost 5-0 - I can't imagine how bad it might have been if I'd been playing also.

It was interesting playing the football - I was definitely much fitter than the last time I tried to play, a couple of years ago, but I still found the short sharp bursts of energy required much more draining than going for a run. And it meant that, even with a half hour break between my last game and the race, I felt exhausted lining up for the 1500m. They ran the open race and the veterans race together - partly to save time, but partly in case there was a veteran quick enough to get a podium in the open event - it would be unfair to exclude them from the chance of winning the main prize. And that's exactly what happened - the race was won by a veteran (sadly, not me!) Speaking to someone who knew him afterwards, it turns out he does IronMan stuff - but that wouldn't necesarily lend itself to a fast 1500m time, and he's clearly a strong all-round athelete.

I didn't have the run I hoped for at all, and even though it was clear from the start who was going to win, I do feel I should have come in 2nd - but for whatever reason, it just didn't happen on the day. The football beforehand will have played a part, but I suspect the other runners had also competed in other events on the day too - so everyone was probably in much the same boat. My time was 5m26, whereas I'd been hitting 5mins in training, so I have to confess I was a little dissapointed. I came in 4th overall - however I did pick up a Silver medal (for 2nd Veteran) so it wasn't all bad. More importantly, Charlotte was table to take a rare term-time day off so we could spend the day together, and we both had a really enjoyable time: I particularly enjoyed the football tournament, and got to spend time outside the office with some really friendly work colleagues.


Now THAT's a Parkrun!


The sports ground we used is owned by the National Physical Laboratory, which is within the grounds of Bushy Park. This park was where parkrun all began back in October 2004, and for this reason it's now something of a Mecca for parkrun tourists - regularly attracting over 1000 runners, which is huge compared to the norm. It's a long way for us to go on a Saturday morning, but I definitely want to run this one sometime - although it's a lot more competitive than most: to put into context, the times that have seen me win at Great Cornard recently would only just get me into the top 50 at Bushy Park!

Ekiden Relay - Sunday 12th July 


An Ekiden is a long distance relay race. The term originates in Japan - the very first Ekiden was run to celebrate a change of capital city and was run between Kyoto (the old capital) and Tokyo (the new one) - a distance of over 500km. It remains a massively popular sporting event in that country, and is run over various distances. So there you go - a little bit of history for you.

In this case, a team of 6 of us each ran legs of varying distance to make up 42.2km (or 26.2 miles) in total. Hosted by Ipswich Jaffa club, the course is a 2.5km loop - which is therefore run twice by those on a 5km leg, and 4 times by the 10km runners. My leg - first off - was 7.2km - a strange distance in order to make up the exact number of kilometres required for full marathon distance, and comprising of a slightly shortened 1st lap and then 2 full ones.

He's from Framlingham in Suffolk - famous for ...
erm.....being the place that Ed Sheeran's from...?
I struggled a bit in the humid conditions, and I think my legs were still feeling the effects of all that football on the Friday (and a bit of sunburn behind the knees for good measure!) If I'm looking for excuses, (and let's face it, I often am!) I could also point to a lack of sleep the night before, since we didn't get home from seeing Ed Sheeran in concert at Wembley until about 2.30am, and had to be up again at around 7am. Obviously I'm not going to complain about that though - an amazing night out, and a truly exceptional musician.

In the end, I was pleased to be able to find a little bit for the last kilometre, and I approached the line at just under half an hour, so achieving respectability if nothing else. I handed over to Charlotte, who ran a 5km leg, and who then handed on to Gareth (10km) before it was time for Jason (5km), Angela (10km) and finally Danny (5km.) Six commandos (plus partners), a gazebo, plenty of food, some beer, a barbecue, and plenty of other friends out there competing for different teams - HRC, Gt Bentley, Harwich, Sudbury, to name but four - all in all, a really fun day out. As a non-affiliated team (the Commando Runners is simply a group of friends rather than an official club) we were competing in the social category, in which we achieved 4th position, with a total time of 3hr02mins. Pleasing enough, and we're all determined to come back next year to try to break the 3 hour mark and hopefully grab a podium place and some trophies! It has given me even more respect for runners I know who are capable of running a sub 3hr marathon on their own. There are plenty of challenging running targets that I hope to crack in the next few years - but I don't believe I'll ever manage this one!
From left to right - Danny, Angela, Jason, Gareth, Charlotte and me. Not a bad team, but lousy at doing YMCA


Back in training


I mentioned at the end of my last blog post that I hoped to return to a more structured training schedule prior to what will now be my last race before my first operation - the Ipswich Twilight 5km next month. This hasn't quite happened - since I'm trying to fit in as much racing as I can! - but short races can play a useful part in building towards one particular key race, and whilst I've not quite hit top form in any of the three I've mentioned above, hopefully they will all have helped in the greater scheme of things, as quick tempo runs if nothing else. 

That said, I'd missed getting out on my regular 5 mile training loop, and mentally too it did me the world of good to get out on both Tuesday and Wednesday to do just that. On both occasions, with my ipod for company, I simply enjoyed my running - something I don't do often enough. If it feels good, I try not to check the watch too much to start with, preferring just to go with it and not worry too much about pace for the first mile - which, after all, should ideally be a bit slower anyway on a training run, since it's effectively a warm up. On both these runs, I ended up settling into a pace of around 7m45, which felt comfortable, and I saw no need to increase the speed - as I've mentioned, the races I've done recently can double up as fast training runs, and for these two I just wanted to get some time on feet, some miles under my belt, and to run without pressure. 

Haver5k - Sunday 19th July


And so to the last race of this particular post - a last minute decision to enter this fun run organised by a club colleague, and part of the Haverhill Summer Bash - a fundraising event held each year on the town's recreation ground. I wanted to run this for two reasons - firstly, because I wanted to support a good cause and Jack's hard work, and secondly because I knew the route offered PB potential. I'll leave you to work out whether I've put those reasons in order of importance....

With a small line-up of only 50 runners, and none of the really quick runners that normally attend local events, it was never going to be the most competitive of races - and although winning appeared to be a possibility, my main focus for this was to try to break 19mins, and maybe my PB in the process. The route started and finished at the recreation ground, and included a stretch up the high street before joining our club's time trial route, which I know better than any other 5k course. Knowing there would be hardly any climb anywhere on the way gave me the confidence to set off quickly, which is pretty much my standard 5km tactic now - unless I know there are tough parts and easier parts. It was a strange feeling to be charging up the high street, out in front, running past Haverhill shoppers who clearly hadn't got a clue what was going on, but knowing I was building a healthy lead, and feeling really good.

Which is when I made the mistake of checking my watch - and discovering I was running at 5m30
Checking your watch mid-race can be a bad idea,
 And running in a suit doesn't help either.
pace. I talked last blog about how the watch can sometimes have a negative effect on my racing, and this was certainly the case here, as I immediately slowed to something more manageable. Not for the first time, I wonder what I may have done had I not known - could I have maintained that pace a little longer perhaps? No matter, I still managed to complete the first mile in just under 6mins - but given that the first half mile had been 5m30 pace, this meant I was now running at 6m30 pace, which indeed is what the watch showed as I began the second mile. Not only was my pace slowing, but - not surprisingly - the runner in 2nd place was gaining on me. I maintained 6m30 for the remainder of mile two, which was off-road along the railway path we use for time trial - and although the gap remained about the same, I began to anticipate being in a bit of a battle for first place.

In fact, I had a couple of slightly negative thoughts - the first being that it may be helpful if he caught me, because it's a bit easier to chase someone than it is to lead them - and the second being that actually, second place wouldn't be all that bad! This had been billed as a fun run - it was for good local causes - it really wasn't that important - all these thoughts were running through my head before I managed to remind myself that what I'd actually wanted from the race was a good time! Time to stop worrying about position and start worrying that I was in the last mile and the sub 19min target was slipping away.

Jack doesn't skimp on the trophies!
Of course, pushing the pace not only got me re-focused on the job in hand, but it also ensured I didn't get passed, and I ultimately collected a really nice 1st place trophy. Unfortunately, the distance showing on my watch at the end was too short for me to be able to claim it as a PB - 18m26 would have meant almost 30secs off, but 4.74km isn't really close enough for me to happily accept it - you always get a GPS margin of error to some extent, but not 260 metres! Being a bit of a stats geek, I've calculated a "real" result, based on how long that extra distance would have taken had I managed it at the same pace I was running the last mile at - the answer being just over 1 minute, taking my time to just under 19m30 - and this makes perfect sense, being about what I've been doing over 5km recently. It's a similar situation to that at Shelford fun run last year - and you just have to accept it: it's billed as a fun run, so you know there's a possibility things won't be quite as accurate as in larger events. Having played a part in organising a handicap time trial race for our club recently, I understand what it feels like to have to deal with complaints when you've given up your free time to help - it's put me off getting involved in race organisation again, and I have a healthy amount of respect for anyone that puts their neck on the line as a race director! Our monthly time trials are more than enough for me.

And so it was nice to pick up an award, but further confirmation that I've currently plateaued at around the 19min30 mark. I anticipate getting another similar time this week at time trial - I volunteered for the last one so my conscience is clear to allow me to race this time around. And then on Sunday, it's the Littleport 10k - fast, flat, and could it possibly be the sub 40min time I've wanted for so long?

In all probability - no! As discussed previously, my current lack of improvement is all down to lack of training in between all theses races - a subject I'm going to address in my next blog post. I'd love to go out on a high with a couple more decent race results, but I know I'll only do this with some serious hard work. 

Thursday 9 July 2015

Kedington 5km & Gt Bentley Friday 5

Kevin Henry Fixture 4 - July 2nd

So the "home" fixture for Haverhill Running Club, the 4th of this 6 race series, and we were all hoping for a big club turnout, with the aim of breaking 100 club members. As you'll see from the photo, loads of us showed up - a total of 112 in all, which was a fantastic result.


Last year I had a number of disappointing runs in this series, and so it's been fairly straightforward to improve my times in 2015. Although a cold prevented me from registering any improvement in the 1st fixture at Impington, I took more than a minute off at both Newport and Newmarket, and I've been edging ever closer to a top 50 finish in what are without doubt the most competitive fields I find myself racing against at any point in the year. Last year at Kedington I decided to take it steady up the hill, and then kick on at the top - this didn't quite work out, and although I picked up pace for the last part, I wasn't happy with finishing outside the top 100, with a time of 21m32. Looking back to my post this time last year, I can see that I was struggling more than usual with my groin pain at the time, and had eased off the running as a result - I also note I weighed a fair bit more than I do now. So there was every reason to expect a better result this time around, although to do so on this tough route I'd need some kind of plan.

Race Strategy


The route is about half a mile of flat to start with, and then you hit the hill. It's almost exactly one mile from the bottom to the top, but the first half of this is the steep bit, and the second half - whilst still going up slightly - is no-where near so bad. This takes you to the halfway point of the race, and from then on it's all either flat or downhill to the finish line.

Theoretically then:

Not for the first time, Charlotte regretted asking if I had a race plan
* Mile one needs a good first half mile off the start line to compensate for time lost on the tough part of the hill, but as a result shouldn't be too much slower than usual pace.

* Mile two is half slight hill, then half easy downhill, so that should average out probably about usual pace.

* Mile three is all either flat or downhill, so should be well below usual pace. There's no reason, therefore, why you can't get a good time here.

My aim was to run 6min mile pace to begin with, maintain effort (and accept a loss of pace) on the hill, then push hard from the halfway point, with a sneaky suspicion that I may be able to record my quickest ever mile split for that nice last section - my best previously was when I got a 5m48 at the end of Hadleigh 5 last November.

Split Times


So a comparison of what I wrote on my arm, and what actually happened:
(incidentally, I just scribbled some numbers on my right arm, I didn't create a table or anything....)


Distance         Spilt Time                             Elapsed Time
(Miles)           Predicted        Actual             Predicted            Actual

0.5                 3m00              3m15              3m00                 3m15

1.0                 4m00              3m24              7m00                 6m39

1.5                 3m30              3m21              10m30               10m00

2.0                 3m00              3m05              13m30               13m05

2.5                 2m45              2m55              16m15               16m00

3.0                 2m45              2m56              19m00               18m56

So how did it go? Well, as the above table shows, I wasn't too far off my targets throughout the race. As it turned out, I was a bit slower than expected on the quick parts, and a bit quicker than expected on the slower parts, but only 4 seconds out by the time I completed the 3rd mile, so pretty accurate for once.

I managed to get myself boxed in at the start, meaning I didn't quite get the flying start I wanted, but I suspect this was actually quite a good thing, since I had plenty of energy when I hit the hill, which I managed a little quicker than anticipated. I was within sight of three club runners who I've mentioned before - Mark, Craig, and Sian-Marie - the four of us tend to finish close together at the moment, so I knew I was doing okay when the gap between us didn't widen significantly as we made our way to the top.

So as we reached 1.5 miles, I checked my watch and I was bang on 10mins. On a flat 5km this would mean I was heading for over 20mins, but I knew due to the "race of two halves" nature of the route that I'd done the tougher part a bit quicker than expected, and providing I could get that quick last mile then I was on for a decent time.

Knowing the route so well gave me the confidence to start to push much earlier than I would ordinarily, and whilst one or two runners had passed me on the hill, I soon began to gain places, and continued to do so throughout the remainder of the race. To run the 2nd half of a 5km stronger than the first was an unusual and enjoyable experience for me, and it was a good feeling knowing I'd paced well for a change!

Looking at the splits, I can see I was slightly pessimistic about how much the hill would slow me down, and then slightly optimistic about how quickly I would manage the downhill section - but I did at least keep that last mile under 6min pace throughout, if not quite getting the mile PB I'd hoped for.

In addition to over 100 runners, we had loads of club members along the route taking photos and offering support.
This is taken on the home stretch, just before the 3 mile mark
Going through 3 miles in 19 mins would normally lead to a sub 19m30 finish time - but you never know in a race exactly how close your watch will show to 3.1 miles at the line, so I don't normally predict how long the last little bit will take me - and it varies wildly depending on how much I've got left for a sprint finish. There wasn't really anyone just ahead of me to catch as I entered the last part, but I managed to push on respectably enough, and (with 3.13 miles showing on the watch) I recorded a final time of 19m38. Almost 2 minutes quicker then than I've managed before on this route, and my finish position of 51st, whilst agonisingly still just outside the top 50, is my best KH position ever, so all in all a good evening's work. 

Most pleasing was the way I managed to execute a sensible race plan, and I have to say I didn't experience any of my usual discomfort at all during the race, although I suffered the rest of the evening and again the following morning as a result of my exertions, which is why this impending operation is so important.

Not much time to recover before racing again the following evening - some ibuprofen would be required before the off and I'd get round okay, hopefully grabbing that 5 mile PB in the process.

Great Bentley Friday 5 - July 3rd


The last race of the series, my 4th of the 5 - and since they take your best 4 results, this meant each one counted towards my final score. Although an overall top 3 finish was already mathematically impossible, 5th or 6th would be a decent achievement in a very competitive age category - but this mattered to me more as a one-off race, since it offered a clear opportunity of getting a quick 5 mile time and was likely to be my last proper race for a while (I'll give my all at both Ekiden and the sports day but they're more fun/social events than serious races.)

Just to ramp up the pressure, both Charlotte and I had decided to submit this race as our bonus for our club Grand Prix series. I've mentioned this before, but briefly, in addition to entering a selection of races chosen at the start of the season by our Grand Prix organiser, you get to chose any other race (that you think you'll run well at) to add in as a bonus. The club GP is scored on WAVA (a percentage score based on your time and accounting for your age) rather than position - so it doesn't matter how competitive the race is that you chose, you just want to pick one you think you'll run quickly.

 I was feeling particularly stupid today
It's a rare but nice feeling to line up at the start line feeling confident you're about to get a PB. As I mentioned in my previous post, this was as much because of the fast and flat nature of the course than anything else, but my basic speed has been good recently, and buoyed by my race the previous evening I felt confident enough to go off hard for the first mile and see how things progressed. Although the target was sub 32mins, I had a suspicion I may be able to get sub 31 if everything went well - which needed about 6m15 pace per mile, with a quicker last mile thrown in if possible.

I purposely avoided checking my watch for pace for as long as I could - eventually having a glance as we approached the first mile marker - and I was pleased to see I was bang on 6mins for that first mile. Although - not surprisingly - I wasn't able to maintain this pace throughout, mile 2 was still below target pace, and I passed mile 3 at around 18mins30. A quick bit of maths - which I quite enjoy doing in a race since it takes my mind off the physical effort for a bit - and I knew I was on course for a PB, and that if I could keep up this average, a sub 31 was on the cards.

At this point in the race, I realised that - had the race been a 5km (3.1miles) - I could have pushed on for the last part and probably grabbed a new PB for that distance. Whilst this was nice to know, it suggested to me that I'd gone off too hard with still 2 more miles to go. Sure enough, I dropped significantly in mile 4, and I had to work very hard in mile 5 to pull things back.

Not for the first time, I wonder how big a part psychology played in this slowing of pace. The first mile had felt great - almost comfortable - and yet was under my usual 5km pace. Perhaps if I'd not had my watch on, and not known this, I'd have been able to continue at the same pace - but as soon as I knew, I began to slow. I am certain that, once I realised I'd just run 3 miles at 5km PB pace, I immediately began to doubt I could continue like that. I can run 6 min miles on a treadmill without too much difficulty, because there's no option to slow unless you physically press buttons to alter the speed. All you need is enough willpower not to do so, and you just grit your teeth and let your body respond to the speed of the belt underneath you. As soon as you come off the treadmill and run outside, you introduce a greater element of choice into the equation, and fighting the signals that your aching body is sending to your brain (generally shouting "slow down!") is surely the hardest part of running.

That's what I said.
I just used more words.
But of course you can use psychology to your advantage too, and throughout the last mile I was telling myself that I'd never find a better course on which to set a PB, and that it was really important to do the very best I could in what was likely to be my last serious race for some time. Whilst I wasn't able to pull back quite enough time to grab the sub 31, I was really happy in the end with 31m04 - a full minute and 6 seconds off my old PB, good enough for 39th in a field of around 390. It also proved to be good enough to secure 5th place in the series rankings for my age category - which I was pretty happy with, although it was'nt as good as Charlotte, who achieved 4th in hers, or indeed club colleague Trevor, who came 2nd in our category, and whose improvements this year have helped inspired me to progress as best I can too. I'm really looking forward to the time, probably in late Spring/early Summer next year, when both operations are over and I can knuckle down to some serious training. I needed a decent time at Gt Bentley to take me into these next few months on a running high, and I'm convinced I can improve a lot further once fixed!

Harry seems to enjoy racing - he certainly puts
plenty into his sprint finish
It was great to see afterwards that all 5 of us representing Haverhill, plus our friends Kerry and Chris from Colchester, all got new PBs. Harry ran well in the children's race beforehand, as did Kerry's two children and one of Chris and Jenny's daughters, and and the whole event had a nice friendly, family atmosphere to it, in addition to attracting some of the best runners in the region (it's clearly not just me that purposely seeks out fast courses!)

My WAVA score - that now goes across as my bonus score for the Grand Prix -  came out as just over 73%. As well as being able to judge yourself against others runners (of different ages, or gender) using WAVA, you can also use it to compare the various race results that you've managed over different distances, to rank them in order, should you so wish. This is my best ever WAVA score, and consequently I can say - with some level of certainty - that this was my best ever result. A nice way to bow out for a while.

Or at least, so I thought......

 

Operation Delayed


I can't fault the Nuffield Hospital in Cambridge, who have been brilliant since I was first referred to them at the end of last year. Since then, appointments have come up pretty quickly, and progress has finally been made. Therefore, I didn't want to complain when they called to tell me they'd had to rearrange the date of my first operation. However, given the recovery time needed afterwards, particularly the first couple of weeks on crutches, it proved quite tough to find another date that worked - in terms of fitting in with my new job starting 10th September, and with the added factor of a holiday already booked for mid August.

Race kit sorted
In the end, we settled on a new date of 27th August, just after Charlotte and I get back from Lyon. It only gives me 2 weeks before I start my new position in the Civil Service,
but I'm assuming the first couple of weeks will be sitting at a desk doing training modules, etc, and not too strenuous - so hopefully that will be fine, even if I'm still fairly immobile at that stage. The only alternative was 4 days before we are due to fly out - and despite Charlotte's kind offer of pushing me around France in a wheelchair, this seems a much better option.


And every cloud, as the saying goes - because I can now do a few more races! Keen to make the most of what I thought were my last few days of running, we'd already booked in to race the  5km at Girton (Cambridge) this week, before I run the 1500m at my sportsday, followed by Ekiden Relay at the weekend. But now, I can do a few more, including three races I was particularly disappointed to be missing.

First of these is the Littleport 10km, fast and flat, and another chance to have a go at breaking the 40min barrier for 10km. If I can replicate my recent 5mile form, then it looks a realistic prospect.

I can also now look forward to the next KH fixture - a new one for this year, at Ely - meaning I'll only end up missing the last one of the series. This will be the first KH fixture I've missed since joining the club, with the exception of one I helped marshal at in 2013, but I hope to be able to go along and support Charlotte and my running club colleagues.

And best of all, I've been able to enter the inaugural Ipswich Twilight 5km race - which requires a qualifying time that I've been trying to get all year, and finally nailed at Kedington. The requirement was either a sub 40min 10km - which regular readers will know I've tried and failed to achieve  3 times recently - or a sub 20min 5km - which I've managed plenty of this year, but all parkruns or time trials and so ineligible, since the qualifying race needs to have a UKA license. I knew Kedington would be listed as an official race, but obviously at the time thought I'd be unable to do Ipswich due to the operation - so didn't realise the significance of breaking 20mins until the date got changed and I saw I could just fit in Ipswich before I go for surgery.

I have time now, unexpectedly, to get into that structured training routine I talked about in my last post, and will do so right up until Ipswich, where I'm really looking forward to seeing what I can do on a flat road 5km - hopefully a chance to go out on a new PB.

Next post though will talk about what should be a couple of enjoyable running events, at the sportsday (where I've also got roped into the 6-a-side football tournament) and the Ekiden relay. I'm looking forward to running with my Commando friends at this one, and being on the first leg means I can then relax and enjoy cheering everyone else on - I've been the last couple of years, and it's one of the highlights of the racing calender.






Thursday 2 July 2015

4 races left

This particular post is now on it's 3rd re-write. I should probably explain:

1st edition (written Monday 22nd June)


Initially it was going to be called "How to get a PB." A particularly brave, or possibly stupid title. The thinking was, with Gt Bentley 5 on the horizon, that I would write the blog almost in diary form, over the course of two weeks, detailing how I was changing things in order to grab a new 5 mile PB and hopefully get under 32mins for the first time in the process. By giving the post such a confident title I hoped to convince myself in advance that I would definitely achieve this - and also, by telling everyone it would happen, I would force myself to ensure it did, to avoid looking like a complete idiot.

By saying "telling everyone" - I mean of course, telling everyone who reads my blog. According to the stats available to me, I'm nearing 7000 views since I began back in March 2014. I've posted 27 times, which would mean around 260 readers for each post - so once again, many thanks to all of you for taking the time to plough through. It was never really meant to be just a race write up, but more about concentrating on the thoughts that accompany my running - and from the individual feedback I get from time to time, it seems it's this aspect that is of more interest. So with this is mind, the plan was to try to get back to this format - not to ignore the races, but to blog mainly about my training and preparation, both physical and mental, with the race reports a gauge of how things are progressing.

I quite like the idea of diary format, though - and it would help keep the blog up to date if I wrote a bit each day, and posted once a week. It would also - hopefully - be a better way of following the thought processes as I trained towards what I hoped would be improved times throughout the rest of the year and beyond.

All of this seemed like a good idea, but then, having thought about things a bit more carefully, I changed my mind...

I sometimes think I spend more time writing
about running than I spend actually running.

2nd edition (written Wednesday 24th June/Thursday 25th June)

This revised post was going to concentrate more on longer-term aims and objectives, looking at how much I race (and whether to reduce this) and pinpointing some key races later on in the Summer that I wanted to do well at.

Why did I shelve the "How to get a PB" idea - well, a couple of reasons really.

The first - I realised that, if I ran the course at Great Bentley without changing much, I'd have a good chance of getting a PB anyway, so it would be a bit disingenuous to claim it was anything to do with any alteration to my training. The reason I'm targeting this particular race is because it's flat, and on road - much easier than the other 5 mile courses I've raced recently. I think that if I can run Great Bentley at the same level I ran Bury, for example, the result will be a slight improvement on my best time for the distance.

And secondly, it was unlikely that any changes I made over the two week period would have any effect on me physically in time for 3rd July - the body takes a while to adapt, and although different experts draw different conclusions as to exactly how long it takes before a specific training session can be expected to have an impact in terms of improvement, it seems it's somewhere between 8-14 days at best. So if I managed to get myself into a proper training regime, I needed to look further ahead than this particular race.

However, by getting into the right regime now, it would mean psychologically that I'd be in a much better place when I lined up in what is the last of the Friday Five Series that I've enjoyed so much. With the knowledge that I've been pushing myself hard in training comes increased confidence that I can do the same come race day, and my sense of belief is key to running well. And if a warm-up before a race gets your body prepared for what you're about to do to it - well, surely running 5 miles most days in the week leading up to a 5 mile race would have a similar effect? As much as anything, it's about getting in the zone, if that's not too over the top.

So the conclusion to all this was that I was going to start training more wisely, as I've done before to good effect, and whilst was I hoping this may have some effect in this key race, it was probably now more a question of looking slightly further ahead, to other races on the horizon, in particular with a view perhaps to finally getting that sub 40min 10km at Littleport at the end of July, and then looking even further ahead to the remaining Suffolk GP fixtures.

Over-racing?


I'll be fine, just give me a minute. Oh, and I'll see you
at Parkrun in the morning?
I've been thinking a lot recently about how often I race - which is all the time! Hardly a week goes by without one, even if just a parkrun. When I say "just" a parkrun, I don't mean to belittle these fantastic events, which have become a big part of my running life over the last couple of years. But even the parkrun organisers themselves like to say they're not races - and although I almost always treat them as such, I suspect I probably shouldn't. And it's not just parkruns - with Kevin Henry fixtures, Suffolk Grand Prix races, attempts to get a sub 40min 10k races, attempts to get sub 32min 5mile races - it's been a pretty packed schedule for some time now, and undoubtedly it's been too much.

Why too much?


Because you simply can't expect to get a PB week in, week out. Training schedules should include easier weeks, to give the body - and mind - time to recover. Ideally you should be building week on week towards a peak, before easing off a little and then going again. Charlotte and I have been enjoying watching the diamond league athletics on TV recently, plus the recent European Team Championships in Russia. Frequently throughout, I've heard commentators talking about athletes building towards the Worlds later this year. They don't enter every event in the build up, instead they seem to just target a few specific ones - presumably that they then use to find out where they're at. Quite a lot of Team GB's best athletes didn't travel to Cheboksary, again presumably because it didn't quite fit with their training schedule. In fact, although very few of the really big names seemed to be there, it was good to see some of our up-and-coming athletes representing their country instead.

And with all these ideas floating around in my head, I was starting to look forward to knuckling down to some proper training, rather than just moving from one race to another. I probably wouldn't reduce the races - it's what I love - but rather, I would prioritise them: so some races might be "A" races and would be PB attempts, but the majority would be used simply as stepping-stones to get to those more important fixtures, and perhaps I might even use some - particularly parkruns, which I do so often - to experiment with different tactics.

All of which seemed like I was in danger of finally settling into a sensible training regime. Which leads me to the reason why I then shelved edition 2, and am ending up posting the following instead....

Consultant Appointment (Thursday 25th June)

How many times have I bleated on about my "injury" over the course of this blog? It's a strange one, because it's never really stopped me running, but it has definitely affected what I've been able to achieve. At times, specific races have been really grim, but in general I've found I've been able to compete reasonably well, and there have been quite a few races where I've not felt any discomfort at all. However, what is undeniable is the effect it's had on my training. As a general rule, the more I train (whether in terms of regularity or distance), the more discomfort I'm in. Perhaps not surprisingly, given that I haven't been prepared to stop racing, I've sought at times to lessen the discomfort by reducing the amount of training I do.

And I've found over the last two years that the only successful way to deal with things has been to concentrate on shorter races, which in turn require less training. If at all possible - work permitting - I attend speedwork club sessions each Tuesday. I nearly always rock up at parkrun on a Saturday, and then if I'm free on the Sunday, I'll probably race somewhere. Other than that, if I go out just once more in the week, my body seems to be able to cope with that.

I was gutted when the police brought my run streak
to a premature end...
Of course, because I'm not really doing a structured week of training, I'm finding it hard to improve. For some reason, without any obvious side effects, I was able to ramp up the training a bit towards the end of last year, and as a result I improved over all distances - but when I began really increasing the distances as I commenced marathon training, the pain started to return again. I was really pleased with my Half Marathon improvement in February, but after a fairly disastrous 20 mile effort at Tarpley (due to starting too fast, not the injury!) it's been getting steadily worse. A calf injury, which ultimately led me to pulling out of London this year, coincided with my last treatment - Hip Manipulation - and as a result it was hard to tell if this had been successful. But once this newer injury eased, I began to increase the training again - and about 2 weeks into what turned out to be a 30 day running streak (definition: where you see how many consecutive days you can go running without a break), I started experiencing the old discomfort. Although I stubbornly kept training, it has now got back to the stage where every day is uncomfortable, running or not, and it was a relief to know that I had a follow-up appointment booked in where I could update Mr Khanduja and see what else could be done.

And the answer, apparently, is keyhole surgery. I'm no expert, but I have to say I'm still not 100% convinced it's to do with the hips - referred pain - but I have no option but to trust him! The best news is that part of the procedure involves getting a camera in there to have a look at things, so no doubt if it's not what he thinks, he'll at least discover what is causing the problem. Assuming he's right, he's then going to shave some excess bone off, and I've been warned that it's a long recovery period: 4 weeks off work (I'm a temp at the moment - so that's not going to happen!) and 16 weeks in total before he can then move on to doing the other hip. So the plan is - and I am very lucky that everything's moving so quickly - to get the first operation done 16th July, which gives me plenty of time to recover and get back working before I start my new permanent job in September.

My new job will involve studying for exams and a degree alongside working full time, and we can only take holidays in between terms, so ideally we'll get the other hip done to fit in with the Christmas holidays. At this point, having been through it once with the first op, I'll know how long I actually need off work (I'm hoping 4 weeks is overly cautious on his part.) I've also been warned that I'll be on crutches initially after each op - a new experience, having been fortunate never to have broken bones or anything before.
So, having been hit with this news - what next? Race, of course!

Wibbly Wobbly Log Jog (5mile) - Friday 26th June


My next race was the day after, so no time to dwell on things - off to Thetford Forest on the Friday evening for what turned out to be a really enjoyable event. Named the wibbly wobbly - possibly because of the twisty-turny circuit, or possibly because of what it does to your legs - this is an off-road 5 miler set in and around High Lodge, which is between Brandon and Thetford. The route takes you along a forest track to start with, before you divert off into the forest itself and follow a narrow path in amongst the trees, with plenty of dips and craters to negotiate, (including one really tough "bombhole" with an ascent similar to the North face of the Eiger) before you get back onto a nice flat stretch to finish with, where I was able to find enough for a strong sprint finish, which seems to be happening at the end of most races at the moment - which is nice!

Strangely, it was when you were running the flatter, easier parts that you realised how exhausted you were - once on the trails you just dug in and went with the flow, more concerned about keeping your footing and following the correct route than you were about your time or how tired you were. I have to say it was one of my favourite event of the year so far - in part probably because there was no pressure to do anything. So many races this year have been part of a series, or offered PB potential - this one, I just turned up and had no idea how I'd do, and probably relaxed a bit more than usual
because it really didn't matter.
Oh Great!

Oh. Really Great!











In the end, although my time was (as expected) down on my usual 5 mile time, I was really happy to grab 11th place out of a field of over 300, and to make it home in one piece without being attacked by adders or succumbing to Lyme Disease (seriously, we were warned about both in the pre-race briefing, whilst being nearly drowned by a sudden downpour - and we do this for fun?!)

Gt Cornard Parkrun - Saturday 27th June


Happy with my last kilometre, and a
sprint finish to claim 2nd place


With a slightly sore ankle after the previous evening's exploits, and a bit of a struggle to get out of bed in time, I wasn't expecting great things when I made it with minutes to spare for this week's attempt to defend my title. Which, incidentally, is meant tongue in cheek - I'm well aware that I'm only grabbing first places because this is one of the less competitive parkruns around. I like it because it's so flat that it's a really good gauge of where I'm at - and the truth appears to be that I'm comfortably in the low 19s but not getting any quicker, which ties in with what I mentioned earlier in relation to not really training properly. No matter - at least I've found some consistency, which I've always struggled with in the past - and regular sub 20s is something I'd have been very happy with a year ago.


This week, Bury parkrun was cancelled, so it was no surprise to see one or two of the regular runners from Nowton Park turning up at Gt Cornard, including one Odette Robson, who is well known locally as one of the fastest ladies in the region, and certainly considerably quicker than me. I knew I was racing for second at best, and in the end I needed to work hard on the sprint finish to just grab it from a young lad who, I later realised, was Odette's son, and who is clearly going to be very quick himself in years to come. So anyway, the winning run has come to an end, but another decent time (19m14) and I guess at least I was first male!


Coming up next? 


So the plan to get a decent training regime going has failed spectacularly - but I did at least manage a good club track session on Tuesday, and I feel I'm running strongly at the moment: I genuinely believe I'll get that 5 mile PB if run as well as I have done in tougher 5 milers so far this year. Before that, there's the small matter of the next Kevin Henry race - I'm writing this late on Wednesday evening, so in less than 24hrs time.
My first ever race for the club was at this same fixture in 2012. I'm hiding in the back row somewhere - but I'll always remember one or two runners took the time to come and talk to me and I was made to feel very welcome. I hope, despite a push to become more competitive over the last couple of years, that we never lose the "Happy Running Club" tag.

This fixture at Kedington (a village just a few miles outside Haverhill) is our club's home event. We're hoping to hit at least 100 HRC runners, and I love the fact that everyone who takes part for the club knows that they're contributing to our score. Particularly pleasing is the number of new members, including those who have just completed our latest beginner course, who are planning to run - it's not an easy course, and they'll be rightly proud of their achievement when they cross the line. Hopefully we'll be able to hang on to 2nd place in the table - the highest the club's ever been - and tonight I've just heard we remain top of the Suffolk GP table now that the most recent race result has been factored in, which is more great news for a club that is now both friendly and competitive.

I wanted to mention too that, in the Suffolk Grand Prix Individual Competition, Charlotte has now moved up to 3rd place in her age category (18-35) - a fantastic achievement for a runner who is much better than she thinks she is (and I make no apologies for being a bit biased!)


I'm not sure how I'll get on at Kedington - the hill is a real killer, going on for nearly a mile (I actually drove back that way tonight after dropping my son off and measured it on my car's odometer!) I think the plan is to go out hard, to get as decent a first half mile in as possible, before tackling the ascent, hopefully not losing too many places - but importantly, trying not to get too disheartened if I do - and then push on hard once I get to the top of the hill. I should have a big advantage on this route since I used to live on it - pretty much at the halfway point - and I can visualise each part of it pretty well, which is extremely helpful during a race when deciding when to push and when to ease off. However, I am slightly traumatised by last year's run, when I had a bit of a mare - one of the races where I was affected by the injury - and so I'm not expecting a PB, or anything close to it, but a sub 20 would be nice.

Working hard to improve my times
One change I have managed this week is more sleep - often overlooked by runners, but if you're looking for something that can have pretty instant results, this is a sure fire winner, and is something all the best coaches stress as being vital to decent performances. Obvious perhaps, but we all have busy lives and it's often neglected. I've managed to get a good 7 hours each night since Sunday, and it's bound to have a positive effect.

So with this better sleep pattern, coupled with encouraging runs over the weekend, I'm feeling confident that I can go out and grab some good performances before I'm sidelined for a few months. There are four races in total to come - after racing KH and Gt Bentley, it's only a week before the Ekiden relay, when I'm running a 7.2km leg as part of this team relay event - competing alongside Charlotte in a Commando Team.

And then finally, 3 days before the first op, I run the 1500 metres at the Defra Sportsday. Seriously, such a thing does exist. Without taking it too seriously (!) I am keen to see what I can do over this shorter distance - and besides, I get to represent Natural England - and more to the point, it's a day off work but still on full pay. I believe I may also have been roped into the veterans football tournament as well, and it should prove to be a fun day out if nothing else - and since it will be the last time I run properly for quite some time, I'll certainly give it my all, and just see what happens.

For now though, I'm just going to try to get the most out of these last four events, and my next blog will deal with the first two - hopefully including a report on a new 5 mile PB.