20 Sep 04 - 26 Sep 04

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Wednesday 22nd

Week 3 of marathon training. Uh hmm. After two rest days, I went for a 5km run tonight after a very trying day. It was a bad run in that nothing really worked right. Sore legs, lack of rhythm, bad breathing etc., but posted a very reasonable time, and my HRM confirmed that my cardiovascular fitness is definitely increasing, as my HR was considerably lower this time. But my legs are not happy. They're insisting I look after them a bit better, and telling me that if I think they're going to run the scheduled 10km tomorrow then there's going to be tears and bitter disappointment. Well, we shall have to see.

The signs are there for better times and longer runs ahead however.

Yea!

[Nigel]

These are familiar problems caused by pacing and racing.

The experiences you describe - in particular, bad run, but surprisingly good time, suggest you are actually running too fast without realising it. Perhaps because you have just run a race, or more likely because you are getting fitter now, it suddenly becomes hard to slow down in training. But you really must do it. Not to do so is a classic training error.

It is extremely tricky to get the pacing right at this stage. I had the same problem in almost exactly the same week of marathon training last winter, when I wrote about "The seeds of doom" http://www.runningcommentary.co.uk/forum...eadid=102.

Having run the race just recently, you are also likely to feel sore, heavy-legged and a bit jaded for a while. You've already experienced the upside of racing, through increased confidence, ultimate speedwork, and just having a good time. Now comes the downside. It is why some people recommend that you don't race at all whilst marathon training. I wouldn't go that far, although I have also overdone it in the past, notably when I ran the Bath Half Marathon http://www.runningcommentary.co.uk/forum...eadid=158, and then felt T-I-R-E-D afterwards http://www.runningcommentary.co.uk/forum...eadid=161.

The solution is either to take a step-back week after a race, or, it that doesn't fit, simply to take it really easy in terms of intensity and self-forgiveness. You've got to cut yourself a lot more slack over the next few days. That way you can gradually recover over a week or so, back into the normal training rhythm.


Finally, as I mentioned to Andy once, just because I can sometimes come up with advice, that doesn't necessarily mean that I always follow it myself..... It is surprisingly difficult to back off, even when you know you should. Sometimes the adrenaline can take you too far. But perhaps just understanding the root of the problem will take you half of the way towards finding the best solution for you.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Wow, awesome advice Nigel, thank you.

In thinking about what you wrote, I realise that I am indeed continually pushing the envelope. No sooner do I manage a new distance than I want to push on to longer distances and greater challenges. That this is foolishness is evidenced by the fact that, apart from the initial 'baby steps' stage of running, my pace has continually slowed, from an average pace of 5:24 per kilometre to my current average of 5:49 per km. Which of course is the exact opposite of what I expected! And therein lies the frustration, but I guess the answer isn't in running the longer distances faster, but building endurance through slow long runs and using the shorter runs for speed work. Which... I think... is what every coaching site says... duh.

Then again, Khalid Khannouchi turned running on its head by doing not just fast long runs, but ferocious long runs, particularly the last 25%.

Yeah, but I know, I'm not Khannouchi. And my speed is falling, not picking up.

Sigh.