Parkrun today, marathon tomorrow

Facebook just popped up with a memory about this blog. Amazing to think that one year ago I was a week into my 5km streak with no idea if I was up to the task. Now a year later running has become such a big part of my life that so far this year I've joined the 50 parkrun club, completed 3 half marathons, one full marathon, a 50km ultramarathon, a couple of random 10km races and I've got another marathon tomorrow.

Bit surprised how hooked I've got really.

Ran my first ultramarathon yesterday

Yesterday morning I found myself stood at the start of the Relish Running Races Two Tunnels course in Brickfields Park. Over the course of the day it would see some 1500 runners cross that line covering various distances from 5k upwards, but for now at 8.30 on a Sunday it was reserved for the 50 or so of us mad enough to tackle five laps of the 10km route ultra styley.

A post shared by Dan (@thedancoleman) on Aug 19, 2017 at 11:54pm PDT

And what a great event it was. Of the 50km route 20km was underground in converted railway tunnels. The out and back 10km laps meant that we'd cross the other ultra runners at various points, which was a great morale boost in the later laps as we offered words of encouragement and the odd high five.

Mentally it was pretty tough at times in the long tunnel as in the later stages it seemed to go on forever and the piped classical music took on a bit of a horror film edge

Imagine running a mile through a tunnel with this coming at you from the walls. Now imagine you've already run so far that you are in that nightmare feels like running through treacle scenario. And there is a kid on a rattly scooter gaining on you all the time and laughing like a sinister little demon. That was fun.

A post shared by Dan (@thedancoleman) on Aug 20, 2017 at 8:22am PDT

Although being able to break the race into 5k trots between the feed stations really helped, and oh my were they well stocked - bananas, oranges, cakes, at least 3 different drink options, gels, jelly beans, flapjacks...everything you could want to refuel and then some. The marshals were great too, offering personal encouragement as they saw you running/trotting/hobbling towards them sporting your ultra bib.

All in all such a great, friendly, well-organised event - definitely a good pick for my first ultra and one that I'd certainly consider running again in the future.

Anyway here are the stats...

Strava routes on the Garmin Fenix 3. A whole new world!

This year with the Brighton Marathon back in April and the Bath Two Tunnel 50km coming up next week I've been pretty much cycling on and off 16 week training programmes since January. This means almost every Sunday has been a "long run" day and as you can imagine by this point in the year I'm really lacking in inspiration when it comes to leaving my house and picking a route. I've gone every direction so many times it's just sooooo fucking boring and I often find myself just on a plod as a result.

So I was lying in bed this morning wondering where to run. Ten miles-ish was needed. Would I kill my legs on the Swinley Forest hills, plod round the bike paths and underpasses, head off along the Berkshire roads? I knew if I headed out without a plan I'd just be focussing on the route and working out the distance as I ran which connects your mind a bit too much to the distance and makes the run feel like hard work, so I needed to take that away from me and have the thinking pre-done.

That was when I looked at my wrist and remembered there is a navigation mode on the Fenix3 (great watch btw, really bigly uuuuugely good watch, Garmin have the best watches). So if I could just find a way to plot a route, copy it to the watch and see if I could follow it I might end up with more variety in my runs and Garmin said...

Gee thanks Garmin, you are a pal.

So how do I work out a route? I could go to something like mapmyrun and download a gpx but the problem is a lot of the runs on these sites start and end in inconvenient places (people's houses that aren't me and such) so that's annoying. Plus other people are not me and I'm a bit control freaky about these things. So how do I make my own?

Strava in a web browser. That's how. Log in, go to Dashboard > My  Routes > New Route and you can start clicking on the map to build a run. The beauty of Strava is it has so much data about where other people are running that it will build a route between two points based on where other people tend to run so the chances of you being directed down a motorway or train track are pretty slim.

Anyway five minutes of clicking about and I had my nice 10 mile loop planned, it was a route I've never run before, and even took in a footbridge that I never new existed despite having driven under it about 1000 times. Nice.

So next challenge. How do I get it on my watch? Well the Fenix3 makes it so easy.

• Dock it in the USB
• Plug it in to your mac/pc
• If/When prompted enable Mass Storage mode on the Fenix3
• When it appears as a drive open it and then open the Garmin folder
• Check that there is a folder called Newfiles - it's hidden so if you can't see it ask Doctor Google how to view hidden files on your operating system
• Open your running route in Strava
• Click Export GPX and save it to your desktop
• Copy it to your Newfiles folder on the Fenix3
• Safely eject the device
• Garmin will say it's updating
• Route (Course in Garminspeak) is now saved to the device

Good. So how do you use it?

Well it couldn't be simpler

• Hold the Up key
• Press Down until you get to the Navigation option
• Press Start
• Select Courses
• Select your new course
• Select Do Course
• Choose your profile (e.g. Run)
• Wait for the GPS to find the satellite
• Run like normal but instead of looking at the pace and shit on your wrist you can now look at a funky route plot like this 

OK so it's hardly Google Maps, it won't show you where the nearest pub is or even the roads you are running along but it does do a very good job of keeping you on track. I tried tricking it a couple of times with detours and within a few seconds of heading off course it vibrated on my wrist to warn me. It really did achieve the primary goal of taking all the thinking about the route out of the run. So I could just enjoy the sights like the Bracknell Alps

Lillehammer has nothing on the John Nike

I just want a fondue now

So there we go. Had a nice 10 mile run. Came home. Ate a slice of cake. Hashtag Sunday mofos.

Rage Gains

So I was expecting to run the Wimbledon Common Half today. Was really looking forward to it, particularly hoping to spot a Womble or two.

Now I knew that 30,000 cyclists were due to ride round London today, all earnest faced and lycra clad (seriously why do so few of them look like they are enjoying themselves?) and I knew there would be road closures so I set off stupidly early to cover the 25 miles from my house to the event parking.

Not early enough it seems. Despite the best efforts of Google Maps I just couldn't find a way through in time to make the start. I was so pissed off. Especially as this was the first half I would have done where I didn't have some sort of nagging issue going in so pb potential was high.

Ended up running round Dinton Pastures in Wokingham instead. Covered 10k in a time that (for me) was pretty rapid. Burned off the rage, so now I can get on with my day which involves lunch with my parents and then cooking up a big old pot of Carne Gobernada.

Fwiw I'm not anti cyclist, I enter the ballot for the Ride London 100 every year, and more people on bicycles the better. I just didn't pay enough attention to mitigate the risk of being caught I  the road closures. Still think a lot of the hardcore Sunday gear collectors need to look like they are enjoying themselves a bit more though ;)

The Gypsy Shit Benchmark

I'm fortunate enough to have a Bracknell Parkrun 5 minutes walk from my back gate. This means I have to have had a really heavy Friday night not to attend.

Now the thing about Bracknell is it's always been considered one of the tougher Parkrun courses locally and it got even harder in January this year when they changed to a new layout with extra technical woodland and spongy woodchip underfoot. Now I like the new route much better but it did take me six months to get inside the PB I'd set on the old course.

So I've been thinking for a while, especially since I did a bit of Parkrun tourism and easily destroyed my Bracknell time, what time I would get if I ran the old course now? Thing is it was 3 dull laps that I've just not been able to bring myself to try on my own. Maybe one day we would get an organised run round the old route, just for old time's sake. Well that day was today.

But why?

Well we've had a lot of traveller activity in the area this last week. Honestly I've never seen such a concentrated collection of white vehicles in one place. What is it with the white cars? Anyway at one point during the week they decided to take over Great Hollands Rec where the Parkrun occurs and a cancellation was likely.

Fortunately they moved on / were moved on by the authorities in time for the Parkrun to go ahead. Unfortunately they have used one of the new parts of the course (if you are on Strava the bit known as "Allotment Drop") as a toilet. Didn't fancy checking it out in person but based on the descriptions on the Facebooks it sounded like rivers of human shit down there. Nasty.

Sooo the organisers had no choice but to run us round the old route which avoided Shit Mountain for the most part and gave all of us that were doing Bracknell last year the chance to see how we've improved in the proper context.

I'm pleased to report that I cruised to time 2 minutes faster than I was running the same course at the end of last year. The problem is when we switch back to the normal route next week it will probably take me another 6 months before I dip under the Gypsy Shit Benchmark.

Oh well. Goals.

In other news my amazing new running vests have just winged their way from China. Led Zep and a collage of band logos. These can go in rotation along with my all over print Number of the Beast running vest which gets random people throwing horns as you jog past them. Reckon I'll get a good 5 seconds per mile boost from these new ones. Especially when combined with this playlist!

Metal. \m/ \m/

Getting Faster

When I was training for the Brighton Marathon my work schedule was a nightmare, with 5 hour total commute times most weekdays. I made sure I did at least part of them on the Brompton to get cardio but we all know cycling doesn't translate to running too well.

"Don't worry too much" I was told by more experienced marathon runners "forget a target time and just make it all about the long runs in training". This was kind of ok as I got through the mara and although I was slower than I'd hoped I was reminded by a spectator a couple of miles from the end that just the act of finishing a marathon makes you amazing.

Fortunately as I get ready for next month's 50km in Bath I'm now working just a few miles from home so I've no excuses not to stick to the training plan. This means a lot of extra speedwork in the middle of the week, particularly intervals.

Experienced runners will know this already but if you are more of a novice like me you might not realise how much of a boost you get from this type of activity. Essentially I've found it has resulted in a lot of seconds coming off my easy run pace without really feeling like I've altered the amount of effort I'm putting in.

Within a month of doing my midweek intervals (either 1 mile with 60 seconds rest times 5, or 10 minutes with 2 minutes rest times 3) I've knocked 100 seconds off my Parkrun time and I'm pretty sure there was more in me that day.

I've also found that the nature of intervals means you adjust where you set the "shit this is too hard I need to walk a bit" needle as you get used to pushing thorough that last 60 seconds of a ten minute interval.

Try it. Works well.

OK so I'm reviving this blog, no more 5 k every day, lots more miles and some things to say

So it's been far too long since I've updated this blog. In fact the last time I posted was just before I tackled the Brighton Marathon back in April. What a scorching hot day that was! I finished it albeit an hour slower than I hoped for so I'm signed up again for next year because I've got unfinished business there!

So why am I suddenly reviving this blog now?

Good question, it's not like there aren't already a million blogs by running enthusiasts out there and most of them are far more accomplished runners than I. What the hell have I got to say that hasn't been written about in a thousand different ways already? Even the original concept of running 5km every day has been done and done and done. So why bother?

Well mainly as I'm well into my second year as a "runner" I'm pretty much committed, it's not a hobby that's going anywhere soon, not least because I keep signing up to events. I'm also thinking having my own log of my progress in more qualitative and subjective terms than the pure quantitative data in Strava and Garmin Connect might be interesting. And finally (and I suspect this is why there are so many of these blogs) when I'm out on the long runs (24 miles tomorrow btw) I sometimes need something to occupy my mind. Thinking "what would I write about this run" could be just the tonic. I've previously found myself drafting unwritten blog posts while plodding through the long miles.

So before I start getting back into this writing malarky a quick recap

• I started this blog to track a personal challenge as a very green runner to run 5km every day during October 2016 in aid of Cancer research. Read the old posts if you need any more detail than that.
• During that time I decided it would be a laugh to enter the Brighton Marathon so that's what I did.
• Shortly after the Brighton Marathon training started in anger (yep the traditional New Year 16 week programme) I thought to myself "be funny to do my first half, first full, and first ultra marathon in the same year" so I signed up for the Two Tunnels Ultra in Bath. I'm currently training for that one.

And here we are, hooked on running, planning on writing about it from the perspective of a really unremarkable athlete. Here are some stats to prove it

• 1 Mile: 7m 43s
• Parkrun (5km): 25m 04s
• Half Mara: 2h 14m
• Mara: 5h 21m

If I remember I'll update these to chart my progress. Sometimes the online running community seems to be full of people banging out 6 minute miles on a slow day so maybe writing from the perspective of someone still learning might be interesting. And I've learned a lot, I've got half formed posts on running shoes, Tough Mudders, playlists, hydration packs, your first big races, being right at the back of the field, n00b training, and how to recover from injuries as a 40 something with shagged knees amongst other things.

 

So, how is your marathon training going?

You know how you buy a new car and all of a sudden you realise every other car on the road is the same model? It's like that but with marathon training.

Got to admit I've been pretty un-disciplined with mine so far. I had a stint of very long weeks with up to 5 hours commute each day until two weeks ago so I've been failing miserably to get the midweek runs in, although during that time I made sure I was commuting at least part of the way by bicycle. Big up the Brompton massive!

The only thing I was making sure I stuck at was my long runs. Every weekend. Whatever was on the plan would be run.

I'm now 5 weeks out from the Brighton Marathon and feeling good. Not least because I started a new job this week with only a few minutes commute so I'm able to run in the morning before work. Bloody luxury.

Also despite an injury preventing me from even walking 5 days beforehand I managed to get an encouraging 2h15m at the Thorpe Half, my target time for the Brighton Mara is 4h30m so with the extra final push in training and no longer feeling like I'm carrying any injury I'm hopeful that it's achievable.

For no reason here is a random run from this morning. Because I have time to do it now. Yay.

Oh cack I've entered an ultra

Not content with making 2017 the year I run my first half marathon(Thorpe Park Half) and first marathon (Brighton) I've decided to add my first ultra to the mix too.

So in August I'll be heading to Bath and running the Two Tunnels Ultra. Looks cool as, a (hopefully) manageable 50km with 20km of underground running. http://www.relishrunningraces.com/bath-two-tunnels-ultra-marathon.php

No idea how that happened. I used to hate running.