Tonight, Matthew, I decided to run faster.

I wasn’t sure how fast, that was determined once I got underway, but since I hadn’t any intention of going too far (3.29 miles was the final range), speed seemed the way to make the legs know they’d been out.

Having missed last night’s planned run, I felt guilty too. I don’t want the half marathon distance fitness to disappear before marathon training kills me again, you see. But can’t raise myself to long runs again yet. So maybe the possibility exists to do longer runs in less time. That’s my theory. I know my speed will suffer for London gains but after it, I fancy getting proper speedy. I don’t know what I can achieve but not trying won’t find that out, so try I will.

I see Hauling My Carcass is going to join a club for his goals. I’ve discussed similar wih JogBlog. My plan is to move to Ashford then join their club (maybe…if I can stand the “induction” trauma!) and see if a bit of competition can draw something out of me, even if age is against me now. For now, my hills will help – might even do some hill repeats soon. But my curiosity is that if I can improve from 8.15 to 7.45 average on all distance runs in 6 months, then pick that up to 7.26 average over a half marathon with most forced pace runs averaging 7.16 over another 6 months (that’s where I am now), what can I do in another year? With a structured training and a bit of pushing and inspiration from other runners who’re much quicker than me again, i’d like a 10k at sub 7 minute average pace. Is it possible? Or is more than that achievable? Or have I peaked?

I want to find out.

Anyhow, after a quick first mile, I had a hill or two slow me in the second, plus a stop to tuck my lace back in (why is a flapping lace so annoying I stop to secure it even though it’s still well tied when i’m on a pace challenge? Daft) and a stop to let a car around a junction. Which resulted in a 7.03 average pace. The two hills were taken a bit slowly, really, with the turnaround used as a recovery pace for a couple of hundred yards, so i’m not disappointed at all. Next time I challenge myself, i’ll set the virtual partner to 7 minutes dead and nail it, i’m confident. But that will be just before I start marathon training, I think, so can wait a while.

Until then, it’s just great to be running pain, injury and aggro free with the temperature perfect for a long sleeved top and pair of shorts. Very relaxing.

Please forgive me for I have slipped up.

I ran on Saturday but didn’t blog. It was a wet and windy 3.5 miler, done in my cycling  jacket because I couldn’t find my reject rain coat until after i’d got back, a state of affairs that made it hot, sweaty but rewarding. The hill in the middle didn’t slow me up and a sprightly 7.15 average pace was maintained. I like the cooler temperature. It lets me run.

The immediate aftermath was a rushed purchase of a paper followed by a chase around to get ready for a wedding reception in Portsmouth that, despite hoping to meet friends before the do, turned into a cross country dash to arrive at a reasonable hour. Google maps reckoned on 2 hours 3 minutes. 2 hours after we’d left, we’d already checked in, changed and arrived a short walk from the hotel at the reception. Amazing what a clear road can achieve.

So yesterday was a wet visit to the seafront to photo some waves and a choppy sea with a ferry on it – even the Isle wasn’t worth a picture through the gloom – followed by work today.

And a run in the hillier Loose direction from site, averaging 7.20 for each of the three miles (but one was slow – the fastest was 6.55) rounded off a hectic day on site that has seen spirits raise with news of a survey on the new house tomorrow, an ability to chase my buyers instead of the other way around and a hope that a move will occur before Christmas.

Then I’ll be able to run around the garden, as well as investigating the running club as i’ve promised myself i’ll do. Woo hoo.

For the start of “winter” training, I though i’d head the other way. That means street lights, not dark narrow country lanes where i’ll get run over. It meant heading towards Maidstone to seek a new heading, not back towards Loose (which is also illuminated, but has been done).

And at first glance, it’s disappointing.

I lived in Maidstone for 2 and a half years back in ‘95 and used to occasionally run around my end of the town. I was more mountainbike and motorbike focused then and, despite being fresh from loads of cross country, hadn’t experienced the happiness of running on lanes. Maybe I knew no better or was just less critical. But tonight, I hated it. Noisy, busy and dirty. Despite cars supposedly being cleaner than 13 years ago, I could feel the dirty air. Hastings seafront also spoiled me. Plenty of traffic there, too, but little noise, the distraction of the sea (or the park when I headed uphill) and cleaner air.

Maidstone looks like it’ll be a chore as the mileage increases during marathon training so i’m going to have to find another few links, routes and directions to head in. I’m sure they exist, it is a large town after all, or maybe i’ll get accustomed to the place. Or maybe i’ll investigate the BMF that used to be (i’ll check if it still is) in Mote Park as an alternative indulgence.

I’ve a while to find something, anyway. But tonight was a disappointment i’ll be looking to put behind me. I guess the one positive is if I don’t like the runs, i’ll get them over with quicker and my pace will improve a bit.

So a negative post, but hopefully a marker to move from. If all else fails, there’s always the Loose direction. But it might become boring after 18 weeks of 3 runs a week…unless I throw marathon schedules to the wind and mix things up, Royal Parks training style.

My theory was that i’d have 13 days without running; 1 day to celebrate each race mile.

Now it felt good to start with but odd aches, pains and toe fatigue made the last 4 days more of a trial than the race, I think! I was enjoying the time that not running gave me back but feeling guilty and eager (not keen…no, no, no, no, no. Definitely eager.) for a run.

So yesterday, after letting lunch go well and truly down, I set off for the trusty old 3.5 mile route, dodging the showers as I went.

It felt good to be out without a training goal. Just running for the sake of it. Even if my right calf was feeling tight. Even though I developed a stitch immediately upon leaving the house which took a mile to clear. Especially after a call from my solicitor indicated I might well be moved before the end of November – the thought that all my favourite routes are going to be 15 miles from home isn’t filling me with excitement. It’s time to enjoy every weekend, I think – run all the best bits to keep the memory fresh for as long as posible. Hopefully i’ll find some new favourite routes, but having been here 9 years, the ones here really do feel like home.

So, the run was nice. A diseased rabbit made me jump about 2.5 miles in, a group of ramblers looked overdressed (I was in shorts and light t-shirt, they fully got-up in rustling waterproof coats and trousers and rucksacks and everything – the leader even had a map.) as I eased past, then I was home. No nervous checking of my pace as I went around, no excitement to see the Garmin read-out once downloaded; just a nice run around the countryside to keep me fit before marathon training starts again in December.

And i’m going to savour every non-pressured, no reason but to be out but for the sake of it, mile.

Smart.

Today was the day i’d discover whether or not a loosely laid out training plan works for me. Having cobbled something together based around fast runs mid-week and longer, slightly slower (but rarely slow) runs at the weekends, I was intrigued to fing out how it’d work.

After last week’s 6 miles at superbly easy, fast pace, I wasn’t hoping for too much, fearing i’d become a short, short distance runner and wouldn’t last the full route at such a pace.

The stats speak for themselves though, really.

1 hour, 37 minutes and 29 seconds.

The Garmin played up and showed 1.14 miles at the 1 mile mark and I panicked i’d not have a virtual partner to drag me around, indicated by mile 2 being whipped out in 7.09 pace. Then, at mile 2, I read exactly 2 miles so maybe the marker wasn’t spot on in location. Or maybe something adjusted itself. Whatever it was, every mile after was within 0.1 on the Garmin and I finished with it showing 13.12 and I don’t think it comes fairer than that.

The race was very good indeed. Getting the 6.53 train wasn’t much fun on a Sunday and it was busy (a game of spot the chip on the trainer was enjoyably conducted. Everyone was. Simple). Spotting Mark, an old bricklayer from 2001, with his wife exactly a year after bumping into him at the Ashford 10k was good, the drizzle as I got off the tube was a faff but then things picked up. I felt odd at the start, neither sprightly or low, just very nervous, but good baggage drops and enough toilets (at least for blokes) made for a smooth trip to the start. The start itself was ok – I got in the right pace area for a change, taking 1 minute to cross the line, then settling immediately into target race pace without too much jostling. In fact, very little overtaking or being overtaken went on. The only pinch point was the hairpin on Westminster bridge, after this things thinned out and a good run started to unfold. I settled in with a semi-pro footballer, a woman who was effortlessly gliding along and a bloke called James. Least, I hope he was since everyone kept yelling to him to carry on! The footballer dropped back at the 8 mile mark, the woman came past at 12 miles, I follwed and passed and lead and followed, then fell alongside James pretty much from mile 3 to the finish – he disappeared over the last 400m or so when I couldn’t be arsed to sprint!

The carrot and runner beans at 4 miles were surprising in their pace – took until 7 miles before I heard no more shouts of encouragement for them – if they’re that quick in fancy dress, god knows how quick they’ll be in shorts and that. Thankfully, they’ll not be proving it to me any time soon!

The other amazing thing of note, and not something i’ve had demonstrated to such startling effect before, was at mile 7. I couldn’t believe one of the race leaders (I hope! He was running behind the official car, but couldn’t have been the winner unless it was a slow racewinning time) had already sprinted through 10 miles, had a massive gap to the runner behind him, looked fresh as a daisy and was striding longer than I can long jump. Absolutely incredible.

The worst bit, for me, was the final straight. To see the finish clock from so far away, know there’s a good distance to go until you reach it, have a good margin of comfort on the Garmin for the target time and be knackered at the same time, discouraged any form of pace lift at all. I promised that i’d sprint if the time went to 1.38, but since it didn’t, I had no sprint. Good effort, though.

Made into an all round blinder of a day by meeting up with EatingTrees, Hauling My Carcass, JogBlog and Sophie (HMC’s girlfriend) for a couple of pints and a pizza. Super, splendid. I’ll link to a photo when Cathy uploads it.

Now, about that 7 minutes, 29 seconds to get me under 1.30…after the aching left knee and spirits have recovered, of course.

Resting.

I think.

The plan for the week was to cycle to work Monday and Tuesday, run Wednesday then drive the rest of the time for ultimate leg freshness.

It all went to cock when a) the weather played up and I couldn’t be bothered to get soaked every day, b) I bought a house and had to keep ferrying important paperwork to and from work and didn’t want it to get wet and c) wanted my legs to feel good for Saturday.

Wednesday remained run day despite not cycling, though, but with this I got absolutely drowned and proved the Garmin does indeed go wild when wet. The bezel functions went (literally) into a spin. The light came on, the screen I was in (virtual partner – 8 minute 10 second miles for a very easy pace to ease the legs around 3 miles) reset the pace up and down the scale like lightning and nothing would clear. I tried wiping it dry but everything had got soaked (it was only a heavy drizzle when I left) so I abandoned it until I got back to site, but even there it took 2 or so minutes to dry it enough to stop the timer, so all the information was pointless when I did make sense of it.

It’s all dried out and good now again, though, as am I. Tomorrow is my day for surveying the new house (a good, dispassionate look structurally to assess whether anything’s so dodgy I don’t fancy taking a gamble on it not collapsing before I can repair it – if it’s bad, i’ll get a professional opinion. I don’t know how bad it’d have to be, though. I’ll reserve judgement), on my own since Cathy’s at college, then an early night will be needed owing to the 6.53 train on Sunday being the only one that will get me to the start on time.

Eek. Not fair on a Sunday – I think next year, the Ashford 10k will be the race to do – i’ll walk to the start!

Oh, and some hasty communication with HMC and ET to arrange a sensible spot to meet for a post race pizza.

Hopefully Sunday will see a good run. At least I’m hoping to enjoy things and not suffer like the last half I ran.

Not me. Oh, no.

Just not making time for blogging, that’s all.

Wednesday’s run was put off until Thursday owing to tired legs but the run on Thursday was a pleasant enough 3 mile circuit around Boughton Monchelsea and the hills that entails. Then, Saturday was a frenzy of house viewing following an accepted offer on mine on Thursday which put the run off until Sunday.

But then the buyer wanted to visit to measure up, so Cathy called shopping duties for Sunday morning, visitors visited in the early afternoon and I went out for 6 miles around 3.30 ish. And if only the race went that well.

A slow start averaged to a reasonable mile 2 and 3, then between 3 and 4 things just picked up. At 4.5 miles I put the brakes on, not wanting to cause injury the week before the race, but the the last half mile before I did felt fantastic and the Garmin shows 7.18 pace, which was still growing and feeling easy. Simply don’t know where it came from. The average was 7.33 and the run felt easy, good and fun. Maybe it was the release from housing tensions.

Of course, reality today saw the house I like having stubborn owners (a management company who’ve terminated use of the property) who want £6000 more than i’m willing to pay but since it’s odd enough and different enough for me to really want it quite a lot, i’ll probably stretch tomorrow and find another £5000 and see where that gets me. Hopefully a low ceilinged dump with half an acre. Possibly a liability that eats money and I can’t sell if I want to in the future. Who knows.

One more run, then Royal Parks Half. Hope it goes like Sunday.

After setting some rules yesterday – and rules that will be kept (thanks for all the comments – very amusing. Hopefully something of the list will be used, at least as a guide. Not sure i’ll win on all fronts, though. Maybe if JB continues to talk to me, i’ll consider it a victory of sorts!), today was a return to work and a planned 5 miler afterwards.

After the weekend, my lower legs feel quite tired, so i’m looking forward to a reduction in effort over the next week and a half, but today was especially bad for some reason which almost made the meeting I got dragged into late on in the afternoon a blessing if it went on for some time and I could justifiably sack off the run. Only it didn’t. It went on a bit late, but I decided i’d get changed and run until 6 o’clock or thereabouts.

So I left site, ran the usual first 1.5 miles, took a new loop out towards The Cock, ran along the top road , turned for home, turned back toward The Cock to add another half mile loop, then headed for site the direct way. Considering it was a mixture of loops I hadn’t done before, on legs that felt tired and sore initially, then sore and achy, it went well. 4.3 miles, back at 1 minute to 6.

Now both ankles feel knackered as well as my legs, but it’s ok I think. I wore my New Balance race trainers from here to see if I think they’re the ones to race in, and yes they seem to be. The pace was reasonably good despite the hurting and protective style I adopted, the shoes feel great, so i’ll give them a pop. They felt good for the Stelling Minnis 10k, so why not? One pair of my Asics Gel Cumulus 10’s I got just before Christmas are now almost completely shot, the “fresh” pair I was saving for races are similarly on their way out after being used for long runs to give the other pair a rest, so I think they’re the best bet before I buy a new couple of pairs to run in (and out, i’m sure) for London next year.

So, a fair run. A girlfriend who talks to me and might run RPH if she’s in the right mood on the day (getting up after a day at college is the stumbling block. The excitement of a good race followed by a justified pizza with Hauling My Carcass and Eatingtrees might help, instead of an unjustified one. We’ll see) is nice. Sore legs but a chance for them to recover is good. My desire for sleep is bad, but about to win.

An odd post. Not of the usual variety at all. But I have a situation that needs addressing and the posting of rules means they can be checked against to see how things are being adhered to. Also checked to see how they need altering to improve things.

My current girlfriend (she may be well known to some of you – she can be found here) is slacking. No two ways about it. No arguing. No room for debate.

Everything came to a head this morning as she was excusing herself from the Royal Parks Half due to lack of training. But i’m not having it. I countered that she can run/walk the race and still finish what may well be her only race this year, having slacked out of the other one she entered in March. Then she complained that I don’t fancy her any more because she’s fat.

That’s not why I don’t fancy her at all.

But arguing that she doesn’t eat too much and doesn’t do too little also stretches the truth, as anyone who looks at her updates on Facebook will testify. Between FB, Twitter and occasional bit of work, there’s simply no time for her to exercise. Not walking to work doesn’t help, but I reckon she’s not doing 3500 calories a week of “non-exercise” (walks to the train, then to work plus the occasional lunchtime walk plus everyday lunchtime gym sessions) that she used to do without thinking while at work and that, I fear is the problem.

So i’ve made a multi-point action plan to make her super again. If she gets into London, I think she’ll need it. So:

• September/Octoberthon is the name
• She’ll blog everyday she doesn’t keep to the plan, by means of confession, as well as blogging runs as usual
• She’ll run every other day. 3 miles minimum. 0.5 miles more if she does a photo run/walk thing
• At least 0.5 hours rowing machine every day. Can be two 15 minute splits. Or 3×10 minutes on a harder setting.
• Maximum 2 days per week alcohol consumption. Including pre-arranged outings, date nights and special occasions. Beer o’clock can’t be declared until 5.30 earliest. Drinking after midnight counts as the second day’s consumption for the week.
• While i’m about it, only mixed cutlery to be used (ie one stripey utensil, one bamboo style).
• Oh, if i’m committing suicide, only squeeze the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube, not the top/middle so I have to sort it out every time I use it.
• And no unplugging the kettle. It’s a heart and mind workout – a whole new JB will emerge, blinking into the winter.

I think that’s it. I’ll reserve the right to a) be single when she reads this and dumps me, and b) change the rules on a future blog if things need altering.

Also, I need a vote – if anyone reads this, would they consider it bad form for her to do the Royal Parks Half as a run/walk thing while taking photos to catalogue the race as she goes, thus ensuring she’ll finish by staying fresh? She doesn’t think she can straight run it, but also feels it’d be insulting to other runners to do the run/photo thing – I feel it’d be cool and a good way to pass the miles – no-one offends me when they beat me running ahead, stopping to fill a charity bucket etc, then runs past again so why would someone at a slower pace mind her stopping to take pictures then go ahead again? Let me or her know if you think it’d be wrong.

Right, i’m away – i’ve a scoreboard to write up, some grovelling to do and a pizza to make.

This morning, despite loads of things on my mind, I sprung out of bed earlier than is sensible for a Saturday with the view that 12 miles weren’t going to run themselves and people were coming to view the house at 11.30. I didn’t think a sweaty short distance runner would be very pleasant thing to be escorted by, for some reason.

So I ate a hearty breakfast, put the washing out, tidied up, disturbed Cathy from a dream in order to offer her tea (“No. I just want to get back to my dream. Why aren’t you running. Go away” I think she wanted some peace!), checked my route and set off.

Just before the half marathon start time, so I guess it’s as good as practice gets. I started by concentrating on keeping my pace slow since both knees are sore for some strange reason and I didn’t want to flare anything up and that’s pretty much how the run continued, really. It was cold for the first two miles – goosebumps and everything, but by mile 5, things were as hot as usual and bouncing glasses, sweaty eyebrows and the rest started annoying me just like they have all summer.

Good job i’m getting my hair shaved off before the race – that should make a bit of difference.

Sorry, did I say getting my hair shaved off? That should say shame i’m not cutting my hair before the race since I don’t want to be single and Cathy likes it long, even if it does make me slower and as hot as hell as soon as I exercise. Still, guess it’ll mean I can keep the heating turned off for a couple of months yet!

Still, as the miles ticked on, everything started to stiffen up, I started changing my running style to accomodate this, sped up to ease the pins at around the 7 mile stage, got stopped at two junctions to make imaginary water stops in the race and rolled home with little drama for an average pace of 8.03.

So, the race plan is to do a slowish first mile, then settle into 7.35 miles as the route clears and see how things feel. This should allow me to assess things at 7 miles and up the pace as I re-enter the park if I feel fresh enough to drop 10 seconds a mile and finish just under 1hour 40 minutes. That allows for a bit of extra mileage (I did just over a tenth more on the Garmin at Reading) but also allows for having a bad day, dropping the idea of a sub 1.40 time and allowing me to enjoy the race without having all sorts of problems. Much as I fancy going at a pace I know I can handle, my training times have indicated a sub 1.40 is possible, so i’ll attempt it.

Next week will be a normal start,  cycle to work 3 days then an 8 miler at the weekend (I seem to be a bit early with my 12 mile run – the beauty of not having a fixed training schedule – hope I don’t regret it) then a taper during race week to include two short runs and only one cycle to work on the Thursday.

If that doesn’t leave me fresh, I don’t know what will.

Just about fresh enough to get a cold and balls things up some other way, I suppose!