Month: August 2012
training run #478
Friday 31 August, 07:15
Cold! Temp 5C, with sunny clear skies. Wore a sleeved top and gloves and conditions were great. Brilliant sunrise and mist on the water. Did my usual 7 mile run, felt strong, enjoyed the run.
Distance: 11.5km
Time: 1:06:07
Avg HR: 148bpm
Avg pace: 5:45 min/km
Calories: 829
training run #477
Thursday 30 August, 06:58
A cool 13C, mostly cloudy with bits of sun peeking through. A nice breeze in places, good for running. Did my usual 7 mile run. Felt easy and flowing from the start, much stronger than Tuesday’s run. Tried to keep an easy pace and enjoyed the run. Slight stiffness right calf towards the end, along with a small niggle in left knee, but nothing to worry about I think.
Distance: 11.55km
Time: 1:07:02
Avg HR: 146bpm
Acg pace: 5:48 min/km
Calories: 818
training run #476
Tuesday 28 August, 09:02
Warm, went from 15C to 18C during my run, and the sun was hot even this early in the day. Did my usual two laps of RV plus a diversion past the post box to drop in a letter – total 7.5 miles. For a short run this felt a bit tough, so probably still feeling the endurance run. The combination of effort and heat raised my HR quite a bit. No niggles but left thigh wasn’t as strong as usual, again its still recovering from HOTH.
Distance: 12.23km
Time: 1:11:18
Avg HR: 157bpm
Avg pace: 5:50 min/km
Calories: 1044
training run #475
Sunday 26 August, 07:10
Cool 13C, bright and sunny. Went for an easy 4 mile run, 1 lap of Rother Valley. First run since completing 44 miles in Hell on the Humber. No niggles, felt strong. Could have done a second lap but stuck to the plan to just blow away the cobwebs after a recovery week. Five weeks to Berlin Marathon so will build mileage carefully and number one aim is to avoid injury.
Blister plaster came off after this run. Watching whether to stick another on and/or trim off some of the dead skin.
Distance: 6.78km
Time: 39:16
Avg HR: 143bpm
Avg pace: 5:47 min/km
Calories: 524
Hell on the Humber
Ultra marathon / 12 hour endurance race
18 August 19:00 start; 19 August finish 07:00
Very warm weather, humid 27C. Turned cooler in the early morning hours, 17C.
Ran with Jeff on this my first ultra. It involves running/walking a 4 mile loop over the Humber Bridge and back, for 12 hours. Sounds easy but the weather, inclines, length of race and night hours conspire to make it tough. Felt good at the start and set out easy, knowing we had to leave plenty of energy for later. Gradually switched to doing more walking than running. Left knee had a niggle and I got a blister on my right foot.
We’d ordered pizza and it didn’t arrive until we ended a lap about 01:00. Managed to eat a few slices but my stomach could not face lots and lots and felt light headed for a few seconds. Gave me a good boost though. (On the night £450 of pizza was ordered by runners, beating last years amount by a lot.)
Was pleased with my hydration – kept it going carrying drinks a lot of the time and sipping regularly, with regular visits to the loo. Kept nibbling crisps and jelly babies, but didn’t need any of the gels I took.
The participants and stewards were great. The nature of the course meant you saw the same people again and again and again, and most entered into the spirit of the race and returned a smile and encouragement. After the event I am surprised that many of the participants seem keen to stay in touch via Facebook and talk about running and races. A special atmosphere created by the tough event and small numbers involved.
Credit to the organisers, they got most things right and posted hundreds of free pics on FB for participants to help themselves. No rip-off charges for pics like big city events. Brilliant.
Really enjoyed running with Jeff and have lots of good memories of the night, to add to my blister. Next race is the Berlin Marathon in under 6 weeks.
I didn’t bother with measuring anything with Garmin, as the battery would not have lasted. Jeff’s Garmin data is below for reference.
Distance: 72.73km (officially counted as 11 laps = 44 miles)
Time: 11:45
No HR or pace data.
Calories: Jeff 4963 – Me estimated 5500-6000
training run #474
Wednesday 15 August, 06:23
Warm, 18C, and a nice sunrise over Rother Valley for today’s 4 mile run. Intended to run on Tuesday but had to postpone until today due to work/travel to Manchester. Set off at an easy, comfortable pace, but really picked it up between 3-4 km as I heard a runner gasping behind me and I wanted to avoid being overtaken. A nice run, my last as I taper for Hell on the Humber on the weekend.
Distance: 6.79km
Time: 38:45
Avg HR: 142bpm
Avg pace: 5:42 min/km
Calories: 486
training run #473
Saturday 11 August, 06:39
Mild 15C, overcast. Went for an 8 mile run as part of my taper to Hell on the Humber next weekend. My usual 7 mile route with an extra loop of the northern lake. Felt good and a straightforward run.
Distance: 12.95km
Time: 1:14:35
Avg HR: 144bpm
Avg pace: 5:46 min/km
Calories: 936
training run #472
Thursday 9 August, 06:15
A cool 14C, but not quite as chilly as yesterday and Tuesday, so didn’t bother with a jacket. A brilliant sunrise at Rother Valley, the sun rising through the mist that’s lifting off the water. Wish I’d had a camera… Went for a short 4 mile run as I’m tapering. Kept to an easy pace and enjoyed it. No niggles, but right calf has been a little stiff on and off the last few days so have been stretching it a bit.
Distance: 6.83km
Time: 39:54
Avg HR: 144bpm
Avg pace: 5:50 min/km
Calories: 364
training run #471
Wednesday 8 August, 06:11
Cool, 12C, sunny. It felt colder than yesterday, I could see my breath, so wore a lightweight running jacket and gloves. Kept my arms and hands cosy, after yesterday. Went for a 7 mile run, and at Rother Valley the water was shrouded in mist for the first lap. A nice sunrise. Kept up a good pace for the first lap (maybe 5:50 min/km) and speeded up for the second lap (approx 5:30 min/km). Felt strong and finished OK.
Distance: 11.47km
Time: 1:04:57
Avg HR: 144bpm
Avg pace: 5:40 min/km
Calories: 791
training run #470
Tuesday 7 August, 06:10
Cool 13C, sunny. Perfect conditions for running but my hands and forearms felt a bit cold. Went for a single lap of Rother Valley, 4 miles in total, at an easy pace. Nice run, straightforward.
Distance: 6.9km
Time: 40:18
Avg HR: 144bpm
Avg pace: 5:50 min/km
Calories: 460
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