8.04m @ 7.39 p/m (61 mins) - aerobic run
weekly mileage - 22.9 miles
The official '18' week training plan begins tomorrow, in earnest. The goal? The Virgin London Marathon on the 26th April next year.
Why the blog? I'm not really too sure, but I think it will add to the experience. I blogged for my first marathon back in 2007 - http://mikescotney.blogspot.co.uk/2007_01_01_archive.html , for the Shakespeare Marathon in Stratford upon Avon; and life has moved on a great deal. I'm certainly a more experienced runner (not sure whether I'm actually any wiser!), but reading back, I think the challenges will be now be very different. Back then it was the mystery of what what I was about to encounter; could I complete the training, could I run 26.2 miles!
A number of marathons later it's more of a case of how can I get the most out of my training? How I retain the balance of the sheer joy of running with the mundanity of the grind of training? Will I learn more about myself and perhaps, can I avoid the pitfalls of converting decent training to actually running a good marathon; elements that have plagued me in my last few attempts. I'm sure these will be recurrent themes throughout the blog. Perhaps keeping a blog will help me answer some of these questions, rather than just keeping a journal of runs and times. My very first marathon was such an innocent affair and to date remains by far my favourite marathon experience. I'm not satisfied that this feeling can't be bettered and I'm hoping that by documenting the journey, the sensations of running will be enhanced further.
Previously I've kept to a loose time-based plan from Runners World - either a 3.30 or 3.15 plan. This attempt is going to be different. Introduced by Marathon talk, I'm going to follow the Pfitzinger + Douglas up to 55 mile plan, from 'Advanced Marathoning'. The book's a good read and I like the structure of a long plan, with a focus on long, slow runs. It's a little different to previous runs, where in truth most of my running has been at marathon pace, but I feel like a change is needed. It seems to work for a lot of people so I'll give it a good go.
I've factored in 20 weeks (rather than 18). Quite simply this gives me a week off for Xmas and a week off for a ski-ing holiday in February. I like the idea of having a contingency in there.
The aim. I honestly don't have a specific time focus. I want to run a 'good' race. My last few marathons have been underwhelming and I've under performed, but perhaps I've been too focused on the time rather than the race. This time, I'm going to show the marathon more respect. I should be capable of a 3.15 - 3.20 pace, but it's not the raison d'être. I'm not going to break any records, so a great training block culminating with a good marathon would be more than enough!
Current shape? I suppose it's a 7 out of 10. I worked hard during the early autumn, reshaping my training to produce a PB 1.28 Cardiff Half Marathon. Since then it's been all about ticking over - 20-25 miles a week, spread over 3-4 runs and with a little speed work thrown in. Enough not to feel too bad, but not enough to have real confidence in my running. The beauty of experience though is the knowledge that both stamina (and for the marathon, to a lesser extent, speed) can be built up.
The challenges; a very busy life (two boys now at 10 and, soon to be, 12), a business to run and a newly introduced manic puppy to the family. It could be an interesting ride. I'll have to be creative, today was a prime example, running whilst the boys played a rugby match against Moseley, getting the running in whilst I can!
I do feel invigorated though; genuinely enthused to be taking this challenge again. This will be my 3rd London Marathon and I'm determined that it will be my most enjoyable (and hopefully my best!)
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