January '10

[marathondan]

The road to Brighton starts here...

Kicked off the new year with a short tempo run. A tad fresh – at 10pm, there was a substantial frost forming on the cars. But a still, clear, starry night; a good way to welcome another round of marathon training proper. The records show that this route and pace was also my first run of 2009 (on Jan 2nd). This time around I completed it 3 seconds slower. Probably not a decline in performance to get worried about.

The first long run of the year was just shy of 10 miles last night. This was postponed from Sunday night, so I'm pleased to have got it in while still allowing time for this week's scheduled three runs. Conditions were still sub-zero, but a little milder than on New Year's Day. I treated myself to an outing without the Suit of Evil - I figure that I don't have to wear it for all long runs, and a faster pace sometimes will probably do me more good anyway.

It all went very smoothly, more comfortably than the slower and sweatier version actually. I was getting well into the Danny Baker / Elton John interview but my battery went, leaving me 4 miles with just my footsteps for company. But I felt good, and was able to crank up the pace (or at least the effort) for the last 1.25 miles or so, and finish strongly, coming in at 3:55 marathon pace.

How great to be able to run 10 miles and feel almost no after-effects, either straight away or the morning after.

As 10 miles is now a comfortable long run, I'll stick at that level for two more weeks and then dovetail into Week 6 of the Higdon plan (which happens to be a step-back... )