Something old, something new...

This week I am in mourning. The Merrel trailglove which I bought six months ago is no more, having worn through both soles (right one slightly more) they have been retired to the bin. I must say the customer service at Merrell and Ellis Brigham was great and I think that if I pushed I could have got a free replacement under their 1-year warranty on Merrell's. These were my first "proper" trail shoes and I learnt a lot from them.

1) Wear socks, running barefoot/minimalist is great but once your shoes get wet a few times they do not smell good.

2) I need more traction and on reflection am probably off-trail more than I'm on it. I also like to run in the wet and the mud so more grip is the way forward.

3) I love minimalist shoes. They keep me light and fast. I feel more connected and respond better with more preternatural feedback.

So my Merrell's are my something old. Time to find something new...

Following advice from some amazing runners I have settled on the inov-8 Baregrip 200. Light, zero drop and a sole that looks like it could chew through pavement. I've ordered them in and get to try them on next week. I then intend to spend some serious time on the trails.

In other news, the ultra training continues. I ran my first run over 20 miles and was a little disappointed with my pace, averaging 8.42min/miles. But still, bringing in 20.5 miles in 3hrs flat was an achievement and I'm mindful of just how far it is. Again I based the run on my HR, setting the maximum at 145 and aiming to stay below it. This process still seems to work for me. I never feel to wrecked after a run, just tired and a bit achy in my legs. This comes from an ultrarunner technique I picked up aiming to keep your bpm at 70% of your max. Try it and discover new levels of stamina. As with last weeks long-run it was a 5 am start and a 9-bar to start, camelbak filled and Brooks Adrenalin donned for the roads. Overall I was happy with the run. And if I don't sound convinced it's because I'm frustrated at having to wait for another race. Nothing planned until April is killing me. It may be time to break out the race book.

I only managed to fit in one other run this week. I did four miles of intervals doing 400m on/400m off.  enjoyed it and definitely felt the change in pace was testing my resilience.

Some great new contacts on Twitter this week, some running ultras, some working towards their first 5/10k, half or marathon. Each of them inspirational in their dedication. Increasing my circle of runners has helped hugely. Seeing others going out running appeals to my competitive side. Reading of their pace makes me want to go faster and for those running ultras, it gives me something to aspire to.

Respect the miles.

When I put together the training plan for running an ultramarathon I was under no illusion that it would be easy.
I knew it was a long term project
I knew it would mean running a huge amount in training
I knew it would get boring doing them
I knew all of this and still started on it.

I never really figured myself as the type of person who would commit to a long term project like this and stick to it.
Two years ago, when I ran recreationally for the first time it wasn't easy and it wasn't fun, but slowly the work started paying off and I saw and felt the improvements. Rather than running because I had to, I was running for pleasure and to improve performance.
Events came and went, I collected medals, I got the goody bags and I established a fine collection of raceday t-shirts and race numbers.

I'm not sure where I read the phrase "Respect the Miles", but the further I run, the more gravitas it has. Respect for the miles that others are running regardless of how far. Respect for the miles I put in. Respect for the miles that a person can make themselves run. All runners know how much of a toll running takes on your body. So constantly increasing them increases that exponentially.

But if anyone is out there, reading this, wondering if they can run further and faster let me tell you this. Two years ago I was overweight and unfit. The first time I ran eight miles I was so busted that I managed to get upstairs for a shower but couldn't bend my legs to come back down the stairs. After my first half-marathon, I sat on a wall, fell in a bush and seriously doubted my ability to get back out .I know some amazing runners who run a marathon per week. I know others who regularly run ultra-marathon distances. Equally impressive are those new to the sport putting in their first 5k, booking their 10's, returning from injury to run half-marathons for the first time in years.

Whatever your distance is, watever your ability, respect what you achieve. Take a step back from the effort and the sweat and look at what you have accomplished. Respect the miles and the effort that it takes to run them.

TodayI ran 16.5 miles, next week will be 18 and by New Year I'll be up to the elusive 26.4 miles. It has taken me two years to get to the point where I can run 4 times a week and increase by 10% each week, but it's been worth the wait.

This morning I ran through a sunrise. From the sharp frost with a crystal clear moon, to a vanilla sky sunrise I watched the world wake up as I put the miles in.
Thanks to running, every week I am accomplishing something new, that I have never done before. As long as I respect the miles I think I'll be fine.

Listen to your heart....

Having made the decision to "go ultra", this week the training started.
I never fail to be impressed at the amazing level of support you can get from social networking. On twitter I have been able to get advice and support form lots of amazing people. Some are professional runners and athletes and others are keen amateurs, but as I've always found with runners, it's an inclusive sport.

From words of praise and support to lengthy technical advice, with the help of these great people, I have got the confidence and the plan to get ultra fit by next summer and Marathon ready in April.

I've had to reassess my goals along the way, all for the best. There is now no point in me leaving the marathon training for next year. My marathon in April means I could start to train in the new-year, but by July I need to be able to do 70 miles, so the marathon in MK has become a training run along the way. The best news is that I have the chance to run with my brother in MK now. He's a great guy who got me into the sport in the first place and for this and so many other things I will be eternally grateful.

 So the goals have become:

a) Be running 40 miles p/w by January.

b) Finish MK Marathon in April in sub 4 hours.

c) Be running 50 miles per week by April.

d) Complete 70 mile ultramarathon in July (I'm not putting any time limit on that one).

So this week was a 27.5 mile week, including a 13.2 mile road run in my new Brooks Gelatine trainers, a 6 mile trail run in Trailgoves and an early morning 8.3 miler. These are all runs I have done before, but I have taken a new approach to them.

What has changed is the training methods I'm using. After listening to an interview with an amazing ultra runner called Lee McKinley, I have started using the HRM on my Garmin to set an upper limit for my heart rate. If during the run I reach that limit I slow my pace/effort to bring it down to my target. I have used the target of 75% of my max HRM which is 150bpm. Using an external measure of your effort (hrm) rather than "how you feel" means you never start too fast it push too hard, important as the distances increase. The trade off for losing a small amount of pace is a massive increase in stamina. To give an idea of the benefits of this method, I ran a half marathon yesterday in 1:49:37, only four minutes off my PB and with the strength in my legs to keep going a lot further if I had to.

As the distances increase I'll consider dropping this to 140 bpm, but as a method for increasing distance and stamina it's second to none.

Once again running has surprised me with how good it makes you feel and how you can improve with effort. And runners have impressed me with huge levels of support along the way.

Northface Blacks single track trailrun.

One year ago exactly I completed my first trailrun and was immediately hooked on being closer to nature and engaging with the countryside. Along with a free copy of Trailrunning magazine I got some nice kit and had a great day, well satisfied with my 49:06 time.

But what a difference a year makes....

Last year I attended as a Trail virgin, nervous and excited, buzzing with excitement. In 12 months, the excitement hasn't gone, but my focus and determination have increased hugely. My wife came with me today, looking to do her first run, the equally challenging 5k. The weather was immense, chilled and with a heavy dew, but bright and windy. A great day to be outside.

I can't talk about the 5, but the 10k route starts with a quick first section, bringing the first mile in under 6 and a half minutes, before plunging into the shadows and single track on undulating terrain.
After tackling Bison hill, nearly 300ft of ascent, the course opens into woodland and farmland before returning to the start on open chalkland.

I put myself near the front of the pack for the first time in a race and gave it everything to keep up, instead of starting near the back and working through the pack. It seemed to work and without the pressure of overtaking, I settled into a fast pace, averaging 7:29 min/miles over the entire course.

I ended up in 31st position out of 430 runners. A good result for me.

On reflection, I enjoyed the day, I love the trails round here and I'm happy with the result. But most of all I loved sharing the day with my family. They were all there and its the support at these events that gets you through the tough parts.

God knows how much support I'll need to complete an ultra!

Prelude to a race...

It's been a busy few weeks. After my (relative) success at my last run, I started to look back over my previous blogs. I love when people read it, but the truth is that it's mostly a place for me to put down in words my thoughts about running so that I can maintain some focus on my running.
In the past I've picked up an interest and ended up nowhere near my original goal, so the blog has kept me moving forward at a good pace (pun intended)

Getting more involved in the running community has made me realise just how far I have to go. I started running two years ago and am really happy with what I've achieved, but I can't help but feel that there is more to come.

I've been asked to join a XC team at work and have a number of races planned through the rest of the year and into the spring.

I love that I have got others running, some at work and some at home. Tomorrow my wife take part in her first race, a novice runner who started training six weeks ago.

I have a 10k trail run tomorrow, it's a tough trail set on the Downs in Dunstable. 10 k of hills, field and mud on single tracks. I did this race last year and posted a time just ove 49 minutes. Tomorrow I go hunting for a PB. The recipe for the day; trusty trailgloves and Garmin GPS. No music this time, seemed to help previously.

Being unsuccessful on getting into VLM left me disappointed but I found a "rebound-run" in the shape of the Milton Keynes Marathon. After tomorrow the training begins to put a decent time in for a marathon in April.

I've been asking myself what I want to achieve out of running and one word lurks in the shadows and won't leave me alone; ULTRA-MARATHON.

There is no fate but what we make....

This week, while the countdown to a couple of events continues to tick along, I started think about all the things running has done for me over the last two years.
I've been introduced to a whole new world of sport which is always thought was inaccessible for people like me.
A sport which singlehandedly presses my nerd, adrenaline and weight loss buttons.
Through this blog and Twitter I've met and spoken to likeminded people who all run for their own reasons, but are joined by the fact that they all run.
I've learned the importance of surrounding myself with positive people, who support and empower my desire to run further and faster.
But most of all I've realised that for the first time in ages I have the self-confidence to know that I'm good at something and continuing to get better.

I've set new goals and have some great events planned this year, but most exciting is looking to the future with a sense of excitement in knowing that I have lots more miles to run.

So I've drawn up a bucketlist. I know some of these are easier to achieve than others, but I intend to complete them all.

*complete a marathon
*complete a marathon in sub 4 hours
*compete in an event abroad
*run in central London
*run an ultramarathon

This year I aim to tick off one of these by completing a marathon, but recognise that I have a lot of training to do before I get there. I'm still massively impressed by anyone who has the determination to go the distance and hope that I will too.

Training for the upcoming events continued this week with trails, stamina and hill sessions. Distance is back up to 9 miles and I've plenty more in me. The plan is to.increase in line with the upcoming events.
10k in October
Halfmarathon in November and
Marathon in December.

Who knows what January will bring.....