Week 14 – High Miles, Low Motivation

Week 14 – High Miles, Low Motivation

Sunday – 20 mile race. 32.19km 02:11, avg 04:03 pace.
Monday – 26.12 km, 01:54:25, avg 04:22 pace
Tuesday – Warmup plus 6 x 4 minute intervals, 22.35km, 01:38:00, avg interval 03:38 km pace.
Wednesday – Hill session, 21.78km, 01:35:16, overall avg 04:22 pace, hill avg 04:10 per lap.
Thursday – Windy medium run. 20.58km, 01:32:16, avg 04:29 km pace
Friday – Medium run, 22.00km, 01:35:25, avg 04:19 km pace.
Saturday – Run to local 5k, 25.52km 01:52:20, 04:24 km pace
Saturday – 5k race, 00:18:46, 03:47 km pace.

Total 12:38:30, 175km (108 miles)

This week started and ended badly, with some good runs in the middle.

The 20 mile race was a key race in the marathon training schedule.  We have had a lot going on at home and I was distracted on the morning of the race.  I leave late and just as I hit the motorway I realise that I didn’t have my garmin and so I would be restricted to tiny stopwatch on my normal watch.  I get to the venue and get sent a mile away to park.  I rush to pick up my number and chip.  I have only a few minutes to get into racing mode.  The start is chaotic, a van is blocking the road and there are no signs indicating where to stand for expected finish time.   All 1000 runners need to walk past the start line to get their place in the pack.  By the time we start I’m keen to get clear of the chaos so go out fast, I get to mile 2 in less than 12 minutes –too fast.  I lose track of pacing.  I know I get to 10 miles in 1:04 and finish in 02:11.    For the first 10 miles I’m struggling with pins and needles in my feet (maybe taper, maybe shoe laces too tight?). I don’t finish strongly but generally hold my pace.  When I work out the average pace its not too bad, but I had hoped for better,.  This works out as a 2:54 marathon, so an improvement on my pb but not enough return for the effort I have put in.

I come back with a longish run on Monday at an acceptable pace.

Tuesdays intervals go well and I’m holding a good pace vs the other guys doing intervals.

Wednesday was the highlight of the week.  I’m struggling for motivation thinking where has my training gone wrong?  The answer to my motivation problems is for me to blast my regular hill training route with only a PB acceptable.  I set a good pace on the way out and head straight into the hill session, the pace varies but generally I keep the laps under 04:10.  I had hoped that during my marathon training I could manage to average under 04:00 for the 8 laps but I accept that’s not possible.  I blast it on the way back.  I stop at my usual place at the end of the run feeling that I’ve given it a good shot, but I can’t remember my pb time.  I get back and look it up, I’ve beaten it by 2 seconds!  The previous pb had some time in it where I had to stop and do my shoelaces (and stopped my watch) so in terms of effort this run is better than 2 seconds.  I take that as a good sign and my motivation goes up.

Thursday was crazy windy  (30 to 40mph) and I was so close to giving up at 5k and going home.  You can’t pick and chose the Weather for race day, so I keep myself going by telling myself it was possible that we get this wind on April 17th and I should push on.  I don’t quite manage a half marathon but it was probably one of the hardest runs I have done so far.

Friday I take a run along the canal past the new Olympics stadium, however when I got close to the stadium they shut the canal.  I stare at the map and it makes no sense.  I go with my instincts and get completely lost in deepest darkest east London.  I finally find my back onto the canal and push all the way home.  I won’t be doing that route again!

Saturday I ran to the local park run, I got lucky with the wind and got pushed all the way along (ie a point to point route not a out and back) and let the car suffer into the wind on the way back!  I get there early and add on a few km’s –what a mistake.  I get to the start and don’t have much pace, I hit the wind that pushed me all the way to the start and its strong, I struggle to stay below 4 minute k’s.  The other runners with fresher legs come by me.  I end up sixth beaten by people I take for granted that I will beat.  Try to console myself that I’ve had a hard week, it doesn’t work…