Hello!

[Debbie]

Have just found this website through a link from the Runners' World site (where I am a frequent poster!)

I haven't read all of your diary entries yet, Andy, but I've really enjoyed what I've read so far. Your style is witty, self-deprecating and enjoyable. I was especially interested in your London Marathon diary as I'm hoping to run in this next year if the ballot decrees it shall be so ...

A bit about me - I've been running for about 18 months now, and have just started to get into racing a bit this year. I ran Race for Life in 2002 which really took me from an occasional runner to getting pretty serious about it, and ran Race for Life again this year (same course, and I knocked almost 3 minutes off last year's time and came 7th out of more than 3,000 entrants). I did a 10K the following week over the same course again, then the Nike 10K in September, followed by the Windsor half marathon in late September (1:51:05).

At the moment I'm concentrating on a period of base training, aiming to increase my mileage and pace whilst keeping my heart rate aerobic - this currently means that I'm doing 10+ minute miles and walking up hills a lot! The theory is that if I keep at it I'll be able to run further and faster at the same heart rate, and conserve more energy which over marathon distance should make me more efficient.

I live in north London (pretty much where it meets Hertfordshire) and we have a lot of hills, which makes keeping the heart rate down quite tricky! I'm an evening runner, preferring to get out there when I get home from work rather than dragging my reluctant body screaming from beneath the duvet at ungodly hours of the morning.

In two years I've gone from 10 minutes on the treadmill twice a week to pounding the pavements for 40 minutes or so a day, and I can bore for England on the subject of running if I get half a chance!!

[El Gordo]

Ooooh Debbie, you're just the sort of lady we like around here....

Erk, you came 7th out of 3000? Caramba! Shush everyone, we have a genuine star in our midst....

A half marathon in 1:51 after 18 months is really good. I've not managed below 2:19 yet. Mind you, I bet you haven't spent 25 years of your life smoking.

I keep hearing about "base training". What is it? Is it just running slowly? If so, I'm something of an expert. If you need any advice, here I am...

Stick around -

Cheers

Andy

[Debbie]

Hi Andy,

I should add that 7th out of 3000+ was probably because a lot of people walked! (Well, Race for Life is supposed to be a fun run/walk). I did 24:11 over a very undulating course, so I was dead chuffed with that. I was pleased with my half marathon time too - it didn't hurt at all and I didn't have to take any walking breaks. That said, though, do you find you have days where you go out and everything just seems to come together, you feel great, move well and could go on forever? Other days are just total non-starters. If the former coincides with a race then you're laughing. This certainly happened for me at my half marathon. Just three weeks before that, though, I ran the Nike 10K and it was a different story. Although I ran a PB, my first 10K was over a much more difficult course and I only managed to knock off a few seconds in the Nike. I know I should have been able to kill off 3-4 minutes, but I just didn't feel right on the day - tired, heavy, dehydrated ... and it was pretty humid and I don't run well in the heat.

Base training. Hmmm. How long do you have?? Seriously, it's not just about running slowly, it's about training totally aerobically. You don't do any fast training at all. The idea is that because the effort is so low you can ramp up the mileage quite quickly without risk of injury. You train at a certain heart rate, determined by 180-age then +/- 5-10 bpm depending on other factors. This feels ridiculously slow, but over time you should find (if you're doing it properly) that you can run further and faster without having to increase your HR. This makes your aerobic (fat burning) system much more efficient and helps to develop the slow-twitch muscle fibres you use for distance running. If you're interested in finding out more, the most concise article I found on it can be located at:

http://www.rrca.org/publicat/slowdown.html

I've been doing it for a couple of weeks now but I have to confess to finding it extremely frustrating. To keep my HR low enough I've gone from 8:30 minute miles to 10+ minute miles, and the slow pace is affecting the way I run (I find there's more, not less, pressure on my joints). Not sure how long I'll stick with it, or I may just make my own modifications ...

Debbie

[El Gordo]

Thanks Debbie, that's interesting (as is Nigel's post on the same subject). I'll look up the links you've mentioned. I kind of like the idea of having to run slowly... though I agree that it's not quite as easy or as comfortable as you'd expect it to be.

Cheers

Andy