A Sub Four Hour Marathon Training (Part 2)

October

I should have saved the plan for October prior to me filling it out, and I thought I had.  Unfortunately, nearly 3 weeks into it and just starting this post, I realised that I hadn't

It generally consists of 5 mile fast runs during the week (two days) and a 10 miler at the weekend.

The fast runs are always fun and difficult at the same time, whilst the long weekend jaunts are where I feel the majority of the training is beneficial.

Thankfully, at the start of October, my family and I went to Ibiza for a week.   The quite side not he party side, I have an 18 month old daughter, so mini disco was our only form of clubbing! The first thing packed in my case were my runners, obviously.  I forgot to pack essentials like razors, deodorant and a fair few clothes...but at least my runners were there!

My first run was a fast 5 miler and one to gain my bearings.  I decided on an out and back run stretching 2.5 mile from the hotel and then turning back home.  I managed to see a sunrise on the route which is always a magical moment.  Even though I set off around 7am (6am in the UK), the temperature was perfect for tshirt and shorts, which is not bad for an October run. Returning back to Es Cana I decided to sit on a pier and watch the world go by before heading home, absolute tranquility.

My second Ibiza run was later in the week and having more of an idea of my location I headed of to the neighbouring town of Santa Eulalia.  We had ventured here only the day before on the bus and I was checking out the route for the full journey.  In Santa Eulalia the lazy town life style is really evident.  With a marina
on one end and a promenade taking in the full coastal view, it really is a stunning area.  Again, I set off around the same time so saw the sun rise and it was just at it's lazy morning peak as I arrived at the marina.  You don't get views like this running around Bolton!

Once back in the UK it was back to reality and back to wet and cold runs.  The first 5 mile fast was a struggle due to far too much beer and good food on holiday, but surely that is one of the reasons we go?  My second 5 miler was broken into two parts, firstly because of my cycle into work, secondly because I only get a 30 minute lunch break and would not be able to fit in a 5 miler (I am not THAT fast) but one of the main reasons was because I was 497 miles into my 621 (1000k) for 2017 challenge and 3 mile would round it to a perfect 500.

With the countdown on miles continuing, I set off for a hilly 10 mile run.  I have plotted this out on my usual "plotaroute,com", but forgot to take into account the gradients, solely focusing on covering the distance.  This was a big mistake.  For the first 7 mile, all I did was climb, up one road, turning to the next hill and the next.  By the time I reached the pinnacle point my legs were fatigued, but I had the joy of a good down hill recovery.

With a couple of short runs during the week which included a quick 5k blast (with sub 8 min/miles) to keep the legs moving, my planning for the next big run was more stringent.

Utilising the guided bus way near my home town, the undulations are similar to what I remember Malta to be, slightly down hill as Mdina (start) is the highest point and Sliema (finish) the lowest, but there are hills on route.  Unfortunately, with the weather being very British at this time of year, my final few miles needed a diversion due to flooding, mud and horse muck.  I have started to try a different setting on my watch display which shows lap pace instead of current pace.  With this, I started to notice that my consistency has greatly improved and my min/mile pace is darn accurate

My intended pace for the Malta Marathon is 8:46/mile

With a few more weeks training ahead and some serious distance increases, (I am a firm believer that anything above 15 mile is purely mental), I hope to maintain this consistency.

Finally, in October, I became an ambassador for Pow Virtual Running.  I am a big fan of the medals, races and community that is POW and I am proud to be part of the team.  I have entered a couple of races for November which I am sure to tell you about in time, but if you fancy a new shiny bling give them a visit and tell them that Pondo sent you....

http://www.powvirtualrunning.co.uk/races.htm

#TeamPOW