The Running Equivalent

The end of another week of training, and on my long run today I started totting up this week's mileage. Just over 10 miles today, a three mile recovery run on Friday, around three miles of intervals around the track on Thursday and a hilly run of about five miles on Tuesday, giving me a weekly total of 21 miles. A little alarmed that this isn't very much, and never much of a whizz at maths, I keep adding it up again but get the same answer.

I've followed my training plan pretty much to the letter but surely this number of weekly miles isn't enough at this stage?

I spend the next couple of miles of the run racking my brain as to how the heck I could've fitted in any more miles than I had this week. The nights I hadn't been running, I had been circuit training. But was this the right thing to do? Should I be running at all times in a bid to simply clock up the miles or does circuit training cut it on the marathon training front?

Enter Bob Glover and the wonderful concept of 'running equivalent' (RE), which he outlines in his book, The Competitive Runner's Handbook, in the chapter around cross training. He suggests that in the so-called RE system, any high-quality aerobic activity can be expressed in terms of running miles by simply replacing running minute for minute with cross-training. This is done by approximating the distance you would have normally gone had you spent the exercise period running.  So, if you normally run four miles in half an hour, then 30 minutes of cross training earns you four RE miles. He argues that fitness is improved when the heart rate stays in the training range for an extended period of time, regardless of what form of exercise gets it there, though he does suggest that RE should comprise no more than 10-25% of weekly mileage.

A little complicated? Yes, I guess it is and I'm hoping I'm not quite so transfixed with mileage that I need to log RE - though FYI, a quick calculation of the lovely RE boosts me up to about 33 miles this week (forgetting the percentage rule)!! - but it puts my mind at rest that I'm doing okay.

On with the circuits...up with the miles.

Money Ain't For Nothing

Training for this marathon isn't all about pounding the streets, ploughing up hills, sprinting round the track and swinging Kettlebells in the park. I'm also raising money for the British Heart Foundation, and will be proudly wearing my Heart Runners vest on marathon day itself.

Fundraising is going pretty well - thanks to my mum, Mark and Amanda for their recent generous donations to my Justgiving page.  I've also had a lovely boost this week with an amazing pledge of £8 per mile from Graham Hunt at Caval Recruitment, which was kindly organised for me by Eric Gilchrist from work. I can't describe how much I appreciate people's support - it's a great reminder that running this marathon is not just for my own benefit but also for others.

So, please dig deep...all donations are very gratefully received and it is easy to do from http://www.justgiving.com/Sophie-Withnall11

Breaking the Rules

Finish in sight

I broke the marathon training rules today. I raced when I should have been doing the LSR (long steady run) - the holy grail of marathon training. This, I think, might result in me being too shattered to get the most out of training this week.

But I'm not sorry.

And that's because the racing and pounding of the streets of York at today's Brass Monkey Half Marathon gave me a new PB of 1:56. I think I've said it before, but I feel compelled to say it again - there really is no feeling like crossing the finish line of a race knowing that you've done the best you possibly could do.

Other than this slight deviation to the overall plan, this week's training has gone well, albeit rather tiring.

I have loved the first week of this round of enhanced training, particularly Thursday's session at the track with Brian Scobie. His no nonsense approach to interval training is really great as it pushes us all to run faster and further than we thought we could, and the last round of this type of training left me fitter than I think I've ever been in my life! This, combined with Monday's circuits session with Katie Jones of England Athletics seems to be making my training schedule really well rounded. Katie did a lot of work with us around posture and form, including how to fully engage your core when running (and everyday) and how to use your arms to help out your legs when you're running. I really tried to put all this into practice at the race today and it seems to have done the trick.

So, 26 miles complete this week and another long week of training stretches ahead of me but I'm going into it with a smile so perhaps today wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Balancing Act...

I'm currently sitting with my feet up at the end of what seems like a long week of marathon training. I've managed to get stuck in, and have covered about 22 miles and also been to an OutFit session, all of which has left me feeling a bit more confident for the weeks ahead (if a little shattered!).

I've experimented a little and tried out Saltaire Striders this week so that I can run on a Tuesday rather than a Monday. We did what I can only describe as a hard core session which involved running out for five minutes and back for five minutes up and down Hollins Hill three times. I think this is called tempo running, though a quick search for a definition says it's 'comfortably hard' and there was nothing comfortable about this!

Saturday, I was up early for Bradford parkrun in Lister Park which was part of the club championships. The last time I had done this time trial was at the end of July when I'd been a stone heavier so I was interested to see whether a leaner me would be able to run any faster. I did. I managed to knock one minute 29 seconds off my time. But that course really doesn't get any easier.

Today, I did my long slow run.  I knew I was going to have to run on my own due to other club members competing in a cross country race, so decided to a familiar route from Apperley Bridge, up to Woodlands Road, then Knott Lane onto New Road, to Guiseley and back via Esholt. I had hoped to run for 90 minutes but it's pretty hard to plot a route that will take exactly that and I ended up back where I started 10 minutes short. I really enjoyed the run, and at one point considered extending it back along the canal but I knew if I did, it would add on at least half an hour which would probably be too much at this stage. Plus which I know there is will be plenty of Sundays taken up with long runs in the near future so there's no need to start before I need to.

The coming week is looking very hectic, and I must admit I'm not really sure how I'm going to fit it all in. The next round of enhanced training sessions put on by BAN are starting and will be Monday and Thursday nights for six weeks. I really want to complete the course but will have to drop the Monday session if I'm struggling to manage time wise. Here's the plan:

Monday - Enhanced training session (strength and conditioning)
Tuesday - Speed and hills session
Wednesday - Circuit class
Thursday - Enhanced training session (speed )
Friday - Three mile recovery run
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Brass Monkey Half Marathon

See you at the other end...if I make it.

Long Weigh To Go...

The final roundabout of Pennine 10k

I completed the Pennine 10k in Brighouse this morning after some deliberation because according to my training plan, I should have been doing an 80 minute easy run so it wasn't really long enough and I probably shouldn't be hammering myself in races at this stage. It's no good telling myself not to race it and use the distance as a training run because once we set off I get a bit overexcited about all the possibilities of the race and start speeding.

The advice I have been given is that it is okay to race on a Sunday from time to time whilst I am marathon training. The measure as to whether I've done too much is if I'm still too shattered to train properly on the following Tuesday. This week, I'll just have to see how I feel because this race was not easy. 'Undulating' I think is the technical term for this race, with a slight hill about 100 yards in, then a killer of an incline at about mile three which lasts for a good mile. The last mile is pretty much downhill though it's one of those races where you pass 9k and think you're nearly there, there were a good few winding streets to get through before crossing the finish line.

At about 3k one of the marshals shouted to me, 'well done, you're 16th lady'. This might not sound like much to the speedier runner but it was really exciting news for me. I knew there were some hills coming so I then got it into my head that my time for the race didn't matter, I just wanted to be in the top 20 ladies. Several miles later I counted four or five women overtake me, and I haven't seen the results yet so I don't know whether I managed to achieve this hastily conceived goal. Still, it had the desired effect of spurring me on during the race and it got me thinking about the words of encouragement we get from and give as marshals - it's certainly better than 'dig in!' or 'you're nearly there', when you're clearly not!

So, the first week of marathon training is complete. Just 17 miles this week but I'm happy with that. I'm feeling quite excited and a little less nervous about the coming weeks now week one is out of the way. I've registered for a new series of six weeks of enhanced training sessions run by Bradford Athletics Network, similar to one I did at the end of last year, which should really help with speedwork and running efficiency.

It certainly helps that the training for London Marathon starts at the beginning of a New Year when everything feels fresh and new so it's an obvious time to set new goals. At the end of last year everything went to pot a bit running wise, and I've also managed to put on four pounds over the festive period (not undeserved - a lot of investment went into that!). I know the jury's out on the extent to which weight can impact on performance but I've been reading a book called 'Racing Weight. How to get lean for peak performance', a Christmas present, (were they trying to tell me something?) which reckons that weight is key to running performance. I think I agree with this from my own experience over the summer when I found that racing got a lot easier when I was a stone lighter. So, it's back on the diet for me as of yesterday.

Fourteen weeks to go today...

Chuffed to Bits...

Tonight, I picked up my award for being first lady in the Eccleshill Road Runners Summer Championships (proudly displayed here on the right). The awards were presented to other winners weeks ago at a club social night but unfortunately I was away at the time.

Sorry to boast but I don't care. I've never won anything in my life, and certainly never an award so this is a major achievement for me.

Two years ago, I had only run about three races ever and I can remember saying to a fellow club member that I wasn't going to get into this running races business (do you remember, Lisa?!) as it was a step too far and likely to put me off running. Given that my running career at that point was the longest I'd stuck at anything remotely athletic, I was worried that if I did too much I'd soon get fed up and give it up.

Cut to scene 18 months later and I'm slogging round over 10 races all over Yorkshire from the streets of Leeds to the hills of Otley finishing the season on the boardwalk at Brid. Lots of early mornings and late finishes which I certainly couldn't have done without the support of my fabulous running friends and club.

Thanks for showing me that anything certainly is possible.

Words from the Wise

My iPod's broken and my new one is waiting at the annoying Royal Mail depot - you know the one that is in the middle of nowhere and open for about five minutes a week. I don't run with an iPod but I do religiously listen to Marathon Talk podcast in the car, and so for the last month I've really missed it. I heard via running friends that Tom Williams who co presents the podcast was giving a lecture at the University of Leeds on marathons so along with fellow Eccleshill Road Runners, some who are also running London, I jumped at the chance of going.

Tom is a great speaker - really inspirational. He has so much experience in not only marathon running but also triathlon. What I most admire about him is that he's really passionate about being the best you can possibly be. The quote of the night for me when he was talking about interval training was, 'run as hard as you can. Don't limit yourself, you won't die'. And this really sums up what running is about for me, and I think many of the people I know - achieving things which we didn't think possible.

I've heard it said several times of running that you get out of it what you put in - running does seem to be fair like that: if you train right, you will get the results. So what did I learn tonight about training right?

Nutrition, sleep and rest/recovery are absolutely key to running a successful marathon, and these three elements must be right before even thinking about training.

Nutrition is about eating the right foods at the right times. Tom also reckons the most important thing is that we like the food we eat and have a bit of everything - carbs, essential minerals and protein. He also recommended that runners should increase their iron intake after long runs, either via supplements or preferably via food. Apparently, tea can prevent iron absorbing and vitamin C helps it. Eating straight after training is important as it aids recovery. He mentioned a book called 'In Defense of Food' by Michael Pollan about eating real food, which I might look into, as last year I really struggled to get my diet right when I was training hard - I would come home from running so hungry that I would eat anything in sight.

Getting enough sleep can have a real impact on your training and Tom suggested actually counting how many hours sleep you get per night for a week as it's probably less than you think you get. This, I guess, is linked to rest and recovery and ensuring there's a balance between hard and easy training sessions.

Once this is all in order, you can concentrate on training - another great quote about training was, 'run better, then run more', which I think is about ensuring quality in your training before trying to increase mileage. There's so much conflicting advice about this, as I've also heard that marathon training is all about 'time on your feet' but what Tom was saying made a lot of sense. He highly recommended running intervals as a key training session because this type of training will make marathon pace seem easier thus enabling you to run faster - I think I have got that right!

I got home from the lecture to find my rather large foam roller has arrived and with less than 15 weeks to go, I know it's time to start marathon training in earnest though I must admit, the fundamentals don't really seem to be in order: I haven't eaten well tonight because of rushing to the lecture; I'm writing this blog when I should be sleeping and having not run since Monday, I think I might be taking recovery a little too far.

Still, I know I will get on track and it's full steam ahead...

Training Partners Required. Apply Within...

I'm serious! I'm really struggling with this lone running business. I've been running for nearly three years and can probably count on one hand the number of runs I've done on my own. Running with friends makes the time pass so much more quickly, chatting away and you suddenly find yourself at the top of a hill hardly having noticed that it was really tough.

Running alone and I notice every step of the hill.

When I was marathon training last year, I did almost every training run with friends. But this year, my trusted training partners just aren't available: Lisa's in Spain, Julie's just coming back from injury and Jo's expecting a baby.

What to do?!

This year I have so far managed two six mile training runs on my own but just can't seem to get into it yet. Usually a mile in, the endorphins start kicking in and I feel great but these past few days I'm really struggling which is no good at this stage knowing what lies ahead. I'm reasoning with myself that I have just taken two weeks off and spent them stuffing my face so it's probably a little optimistic to put my trainers on and expect to pick up where I left off. If only...

I have, however, tried to do some planning over the holidays, and have worked out that I am going to run on Sundays (long slow run), Tuesdays (possibly with St Bedes AC or Hyde Park Harriers, who I did a few training sessions with last year), Thursdays (speed or hills) and Fridays (recovery run). I also need to fit in OutFit at Roundhay Park somewhere as it was great for building core strength last year, so I may well go back to Saturday mornings with this. Phew! I've also ordered myself a foam roller for massage (get me!) and a metatarsal support, as I've finally worked out what was the problem with my feet last time round - my right foot rolls out when I run hence the pain eight miles in.

As with last year, I have decided to raise money for the British Heart Foundation; it seems only right that some good should come out of the next 15 weeks of pain and suffering. I realise that it only seems a minute since I was asking for donations last year but I would really appreciate anything anyone is able to spare no matter how small. You can donate online by clicking here, or just let me know in person how much you would like to pledge.

I'm already overwhelmed by the number of people who have sponsored me so far, bringing the total up to £111. Thanks to: Liz, John & Brenda, Alison, Kate, Jane and James.

So I am getting there. Just need some friends now! Anyone out there?