13 and Groovy

First run in sub zero temperatures this winter.  13km around the river and town,  with 10 bursts of speed, almost reaching 13 mph. Felt good and quite exhilarating to run almost flat out. With a 12 miler last Sunday I really feel I'm getting in the groove.  Last week I only ran on 4 days but the mileage was a step up and I feel fresh. So far so good.  Passing nod to a spectating goose near York Rowing Club.  I think he nodded back.

Best Supporting Actor. And the winner is...

Short, slow jog today.  I find them the hardest, as you never feel you get going.  Saving myself for 12 miles in the morning.

Been to the cinema again, three times in a week. Probably only went three times last year.  War Horse. Sort of an equine Barry Lyndon.  Hmmh,  good reviews and supposedly a tearjerker but I found it rather one dimensional and dull.  No plot twists, bland characterisation.   Based on a children's book and it shows.  Horses were good but the highlight for me was the fine performance of the goose, surely overlooked in the Academy Award nominations.  Shame he only appears in the first half hour.  Must be saving him for the sequel.  War Goose, can't wait.

Flying High

Grey, miserable and wet today.

I mean the weather, although it is a pretty near perfect description of myself.   Little 14km run last night, so beginning to lengthen the runs a bit. Overall my ETP will have more miles than last years training plan, with more longer runs. The longest will be only be a 20 miler (did a 22+ miles last time) but will build the long run a bit quicker and there are,  I think,  three runs of 20 miles in the plan.  I'm hoping that will help my stamina as all three of my completed marathons to date have had positive split times, so I have run significantly slower over the second half.  No running today in this weather but I'm cycling to work most days now which gives me some good cross training.  Body holding up so far.

Anyone watch Earthflight last night on the BBC?  I watched a bit until recorded Eastenders took priority.   Some wonderful shots of Bar-headed geese (didn't think I'd forget did you?)  flying over the Himalayas.   They have amazing physiology that any runner can only envy enabling them to fly at heights at which most animals couldn't survive.  Highest sighting?     33,383 feet above sea level! Amazing. Mind you the highest recorded bird strike on an aircraft is 37,100 feet - a Ruppell's vulture.

Andy Murray lost but looks like he  gave it a good shot.  Getting closer and I believe if he wins one Major title he could win a few.   

No B in my BLT

And he's off...   Last night was the first instalment of my ETP (Edinburgh Training Plan) and consisted of an LT sandwich (no bacon) comprising a 6km tempo run between two 3.5k slices of easier running (instead of bread).  No butter either.  Felt good considering I had felt a bit iffy through the day and today I feel really fresh physically. This training thing must have benefits.

Is it only me?  You're running down a street at night when suddenly the dark shadow of a large man races by, he's right behind you.  You flinch expecting  a blow and to be mugged for your iPod.   The terror is transient as it dawns on your over imaginative mind, that it's your own shadow.  You just ran past a streetlight. Doh!  I fall for it everytime.    I'm sure I'll get used to it, as long as the shadow doesn't have a long neck and a beak.

Rest day today.  This is too easy!

A Gander at Hynek's Scale

Here we go!  Today is the start of my Edinburgh Marathon training plan.  Quick check on the chart ... and it's a rest day.  Off to a flying start. Actually all Mondays are rest days in the plan.  Did do 10miles yesterday at a moderate pace, in a blustery wind.   Went to see another film too: "The Artist" which was well worth it.

Following on from my previous post I did research  into the nature of Close Encounters of First and Second Kinds ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_encounter ).  Surprised I hadn't looked this up before.  It seems Close Encounters come in a scale of seven kinds, although four of the these are extensions to Hynek's original scale (academic stuff this), and most of them are possible with geese judging by the criteria:

   1st kind:  Aerial objects that are not attributable to known human technology
                               Yup, I've seen them fly

   2nd kind:    Human paralysis and Lost Time: a gap in one's memory associated with UFO encounter                           

                                  Oh yes, those looks they give you: definitely affect your neurophysiology

   3rd Kind:  Bloecher subtype E fits, although it  is a bit inconclusive.   But as I haven't seen the geese's mothercraft (yet) none of the others categories apply.
  
   4th Kind: abducted by - that has me distinctly worried

    and I won't mention seventh kind encounters.

Serious run tomorrow 13k with the middle 6k at a brisk LT raising pace.  

The Knotty Ash Connection

Went to see "The Iron Lady" this afternoon.  Thought it was rather good and Meryl Streep excellent.  At least I think it was Meryl Streep because she looked exactly like Ken Dodd. Same hairstyle apart from the colour.  

Rest day yesterday but had a trip out this evening.  Felt good but kept having to check my pace.  It's so hard to run slow.   I'm still waiting for something exciting to report from a run but still no shootings,  escaped lions, or close encounters of the third kind.   One day I must find out what encounters of the first and second kind are.   Maybe I've had one or two.  Maybe with  geese.   I'm sure the Ouse geese will yet have a role to play in this tale.   Once spring comes and they have bred they will be possessively patrolling the riverbank around Kings Landing, with their oversized  goslings in tow, strutting up and down menacing tourists and giving runners that look.   You know what I mean.  I'm sure those geese are responsible for most of the street crime in this fair city.  Where would a goose get the money to buy his own iPhone?  Or those shoes.  Perhaps I misjudge them and they just know how to play the benefits system.  They do have a lot of children.

Amstrads & Oranges

This time last year I was in uncharted territory preparing for London but a year on, fitter stronger and a veteran of 2 full and a half marathon, I feel mentally and physically much better prepared for the challenges ahead. I use a HR monitor and foot pod for pace and distance monitoring. The pod uses accelerometers rather than GPS but occasionally I take out a GPS unit to check the calibration. The foot pod slightly underestimates the distance run (assuming the GPS is accurate). I could recalibrate it easily but I like it underestimating as in the race I’ll get a free few minutes!

Such technology didn’t exist when I ran Berlin back in the mid 80s. Hadn’t then bought my first CD player or PC (an Amstrad with 512 kilobytes of RAM and no hard disk- yikes). No idea how I judged my pace. I did some fartleks but basically I just ran at what I thought felt right:  the pace I hoped to complete the marathon. No slow recovery runs, no lactate threshold runs. Now most of my runs are well below marathon pace with occasional LT session and a few miles at marathon pace in an otherwise long slow run.

And then there are fluids and nutrition. When I went to school it was sucking on a slice of orange at half time, as drinking fluid just before or during exercise was banned.  It was considered dangerous and likely to lead to terminal stomach cramps. Things had moved on a bit by 1985 but I didn’t know about gels and carb top ups during the race.  I set off at a ridiculous pace reaching half way in 1h 30m. This was before individual timing chips so, as it took me 5min to get more than 200m past the start line, I must have been running at around 2h 50m marathon pace and, not surprisingly,  I paid for it struggling and suffering on the second half and finishing in 3 h 15m. I suppose you could knock of a couple of minutes for an equivalent time today wearing a chip. With experience I’m sure I could have cracked 3h but  life prevented a return to serious running until last year. It remains a dream goal but unrealistic now, so I’ll go for the 3h 30m target which is now the age equivalent for me.

Mind you I was 10kg lighter back then so if shed a bit … going to have to consult a book.

Googling Geese

After 2 days rest and not appearing on Star Gazing Live (although hundreds turned up to the York event) decided to return to the road. Briefly tempted to extend my no running streak:  a simple marathon training plan of 0 miles per week tapering off down to raceday when energy stores would be fully stocked and legs fully rested.  No, I'd get bored but I bet it's brilliant plan.

Bit late back from work so not on the road until 7.40pm.  Felt good and decided to go short and fast to get back for food and be showered in time for Masterchef.    Warmed up at moderate pace and then a good tempo run slowing down a bit for the last mile, although as it was mainly uphill kept my heart rate up.  Felt fresh and pretty good. Only 6.7km but good quality stuff.  Almost entirely niggle free which is almost a first as I have spent all of the last 2 years with achilles, calf, gluteal aches and strains and pains.

To attract a following thought I should look for some excitement to report but, other than a whiff of cigarette smoke running past some pedestrians, nothing much happened.  Nothing to compare with the 6 police cars, 2 ambulances and a fire engine all with flashing blue lights I ran past last week.   All the other runners had packed up for the night, the google of geese parked by the Ouse ignored me (think that should be a gaggle but I like the image of googling geese), and the dog walkers all responsibly had their hounds leashed.

Next week I start my marathon training plan for Edinburgh.  I'm going to stick with 2 rest days and not be too ambitious with miles.  Being 50+ i think my body will benefit from a little bit extra recovery time and not too much punishment.

Time for bed said Zebedee  

(Dougal and the Blue Cat definitely in my top ten fav films)

Rusting hulks and wise old wols

Judging by my previous form with twitter, facebook etc this blog will soon be a disused and  rusting hulk.  Who'd read it anyway?

I've been inspired to start this by a fellow runner (follow him at belmontroadrunner.blogspot.com) who is aiming to run every day of 2012. Oh and run 2012 miles too.

My goal is to coax my ageing frame around 2 marathon courses culminating in a return to Berlin in September.  I ran in the 1985 Berlin marathon at the tender age of 27. It was my only serious run as a youngster and the intention to run another lay dormant for many years.   I started running again about 18months ago (figured I'd saved my legs enough by then) and ran 2 marathons in 2011.  Now, 27 years on  (729 = 27 x 27 - well I had to come up with something for a blog title),  I'm going back to Berlin for another go.  I don't expect to beat my 1985 time but sub 3h 45m would be the age adjusted equivalent and my dream goal would be sub 3h 30m  (age adjusted that would be equivalent to sub 3h).  We shall see!

Before that I have an April Fools day 1/2 marathon in Reading and the Edinburgh marathon at the end of May.

Inconveniently have to go to my day job too.

Well that's my first post done. Didn't run yesterday and won't be today, so my training is going well.

Backson (as Wol might say)