PMMP

[marathondan]

And so to the Post Marathon Maintenance Program, or PMMP™.

I guess you know you're a creature of habit when you start planning out your running cycle a year in advance. 

Richmond was a fabulous event and fits my lifestyle perfectly. So if it runs next year, I'll be there, hopefully in bigger and better fancy dress. If not, I'll find another September marathon. 

Meanwhile, the maintenance plan is to average a mile a day, probably taken as a single dose of 7 miles on a Saturday. I will have the opportunity to mix it up, and maybe enter the odd event, in half terms and holidays.

Yesterday I got my 7 miles in running home from Windsor to Maidenhead. Just as I set out, an idea popped into my head, inspired by listening to Liz Yelling on Marathontalk last week. Could I start at a gentle 10 minute miling, and then speed up by 30 sec with each mile? Some quick mental maths revealed that the answer was very likely to be no, but I could probably manage 20 sec. 

I wasn't at all confident, but was pleasantly surprised to find I managed it, dipping below 8MM for the final mile. Well, all but mile 6, which includes a steep hill, and I was 3 sec off. So, a really nice session, which feels like it's combining endurance and speed work into a single outing. 

It will be interesting to see if I can keep it up, because my fitness should now be on a gently downward trajectory.

Footnote: it goes without saying that I am astounded to be able to do that session a week after a marathon, a point at which I am normally enjoying a month off running. Still not sure how it all went so right. Even in battered shoes .

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Congrats on a fine marathon, Dan, most excellent work indeed. I'm very curious to see (if you do end up just training once per week, even if it is 7 miles), just how well that works for you. A most intriguing possibility!

[marathondan]

Pleasantly surprised to hear that Richmond Marathon is back on for 2018! I'm in!

[glaconman]

Sorted!

[Bierzo Baggie]

Belated congratulations for the marathon effort Dan. You really seemed to get everything right!

And at first glance at this new thread I actually registered "PIMP" so I wondered what you'd been getting up to..  

[marathondan]

Still toddling along with the weekly 7 mile pyramid run. It's a lovely session, as it combines endurance and speed. From this base it would be an easy step to run 10 miles slow or 5K fast instead. There's always a bit of jeopardy - will this week be the week that I can't keep up the pace? Each faster mile seems a struggle initially, then about halfway through it suddenly becomes comfortable. Then often with 0.05 mile to go I find I've slackened off too much and have to step on the gas to make the all-important numbers.

I've already cut 5 sec off the start pace, which doesn't sound much but that's 35 sec off the whole run. In theory I can just keep doing that every month or so, until I really do find my limit.

Year to date: Jan 6 miles; Feb 19; Mar 39; Apr 56; May 69; Jun 61 (shoulder); July 109; Aug 125; Sep 44; Oct 40.

PMMP: 47 miles in 42 days.

[marathondan]

CWCUK have promised me the full Mr Bump costume for Richmond next year!

[El Gordo]

It's time I congratulated you, Dan. I've been rather tardy. It's why my chess match with SP is still going after 11 (or is it 12?) years. Very well done on your marathon.

[marathondan]

It's time I congratulated you, Dan. I've been rather tardy. It's why my chess match with SP is still going after 11 (or is it 12?) years. Very well done on your marathon.

Why, thank you. 

Looking back, I still can't quite believe how well it all went. It makes my previous marathon training look haphazard and ad hoc.

[marathondan]

Still quietly ticking over with my weekly 7 mile pyramid run. Today was a slippery affair around the fields; in road shoes I seriously thought I would miss my time goal, but on the (penultimate) 8:10 leg I suddenly turned it around and it was plain sailing from there. Extremely satisfying. The rule is that if I hit the target 4 weeks in a row, I knock another 5 seconds off. Three weeks in a row now for this one.

Year to date: Jan 6 miles; Feb 19; Mar 39; Apr 56; May 69; Jun 61 (shoulder); July 109; Aug 125; Sep 44; Oct 40; Nov 29.

PMMP: 83 miles in 77 days.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Great work, Dan. What's next?

[marathondan]

4th in a row this morning, so slightly faster next week. I have a feeling this one might be a challenge for me, with the seventh mile at 7:45 pace.

Nothing else on the horizon, running-wise. Teaching is still taking up the vast majority of my headspace (in a good way [mostly]), so I'm happy to just maintain a base level of fitness while the seasons come and go. Something may come up, or it may not. Maybe a half sometime, who knows?

[Antonio247]

You seem to be quite fit, M. A mile at 7:45 pace! Roughly that's my kilometre pace when I train.

It'd be great if you could come to Almería half marathon next year although I know the date is not good for you. However, I hope you can come to the Moyleman on 18th March so that we can meet.


Saludos desde Almería. Greetings from Almería.

[marathondan]

You seem to be quite fit, M. A mile at 7:45 pace! Roughly that's my kilometre pace when I train.

It's OK Antonio, I didn't make the target! Missed my 8:05 mile and only just managed to dip under 8 minute pace for the last one. Maybe this is where the fitness starts to slide. Or maybe I have found my level. Another go next week...

[Antonio247]

Best of luck, Dan! You're doing very well. I'm sure you can still improve your pace.I wish I could train from less to more but I'm going to try.



Saludos desde Almería.

[marathondan]

A very quick review of the year...

Jan 6 miles; Feb 19; Mar 39; Apr 56; May 69; Jun 61 (shoulder); July 109; Aug 125; Sep 44; Oct 40; Nov 29; Dec 34. Total 632 (1.7 miles per day). PMMP: 110 miles in 103 days.

From almost non-existent beginnings, this has turned out to be a great year of running. As the numbers above show, it didn't really start until February, when I hit upon the "weekend warrior" idea, tailoring my running routine to fit my lifestyle. I abandoned my old mantra of never running on consecutive days, and it was more successful than I could have imagined. So much so that I entered a marathon. Richmond Marathon was a perfect event, both local and timed so that I could get through the lion's share of the training during the school holidays. I picked up a couple of freak injuries over the summer, and the diary shows that I was not certain of making the start line, as the general creaks and groans built up. This may have been partly due to not splashing out on a new pair of shoes. But those blips aside, training was textbook and the race itself a joy. I had my best every marathon recovery, and fell straight into a new, once-a-week pyramid session, designed to fulfill all my base training needs in a single weekly hour of running.

The plan for the coming year is a repeat of the above, more or less. I'm sure there will be blips along the way, so when all else fails the guiding principle is to make sure I'm enjoying the weekly endorphin hit of getting out there, take in the seasons as they turn all too quickly, and try to hit May in decent shape for the start of marathon training. (May is the new December, it seems.) EG will be pleased to know that today I bought some new shoes.

Happy New Year one and all!