NOvember

[Sweder]

Hi Tom, yes, Alfresco's, a good post-B10K venue. Happy days.

My P2P strategy has changed significantly, mostly because, as ever, training has not panned out as hoped. PB plans are on the shelf, completion and survival are now key. The weather is rumoured to be less than helpful, too.

Without giving too much away I plan to run the race in two sections. Perceived run-walk wisdom is one should pick a tempo - 1 minute per mile, 1 minute in every 10 minutes, or in every 8, or whatever - and start this from the off. P2P 2011 taught me that, whatever my intentions, there WILL be walking, so best be ready for it. I was inclined to go hell-for-leather until my legs seized up and run-walk from that point. Sadly 'that point' is likely to arrive much earlier this time, given my lack of preparation. So ... a hybrid it will be.

Steady from the off up to around the 10k marker, thence a walk-break of one minute per mile. This will degenerate into every kilometer, every few minutes and, finally, every pot-hole as the road twists towards its zenith and the lactic acid fills my battered legs. A controlled flounder is inevitable, for this is war of the cruelest kind. Unscientific? Perhaps, but as I found out today, run-walk does not compromise overall time and offers more than simple respite.

This morning I set off on the Moyleman climb to Blackcap, taking on the rivers of chalk flowing off the downs, wading through Somme-like conditions and claiming a spectacular 'bootie' in the first 300 yards. Whilst conditions under foot were challenging, overhead the winter sun shone unabashed, wobbling, watery-white, in a clear blue sky. A headwind kept my pace modest.

2.5 miles in I turned at the Trig Point, heading for home via the field where we start the Lewes Downland Ten. Here I conducted a short experiment. I set a new lap on my Garmin and ran off down the hill, turning uphill along the trail between the shrubs. I struggled manfully on the climb, into a now quite strong headwind. Back at the top I hit the lap button: 8:05 minutes for just shy of a mile. Without pause I repeated the loop, this time taking a 60 second walk break halfway up the hill. I walked slowly, slowing my breathing and checking out a few niggles. Exactly a minute later I set off on a plod to the top. 8:07. So, the walk break had actually cost me 2 seconds on that loop.

A third circuit, again with a one minute stroll, bagged 8:22. I was struggling at this point. A trapped nerve in my lower back, an uninvited guest since my recent visit to Japan, sent shooting pains through my right gluteus maximus down to a worryingly tight Achilles. I turned for home, wrapping up just under nine miles in eighty seven minutes.

What I learned was this. Walk breaks, for me, in an 8:1 ratio, don't impact overall pace on a given section. The recovered breathing and re-set posture are physically beneficial and provide welcome distraction. I like the feeling of starting again with renewed focus on gait and stance. I know the latter stages next Sunday will feature desperate, ugly scuttling, yet I may be able to break up those hard yards using these props.

There again it might all be for nought. It will be a slog, that much is certain.
Almost time to start packing.