Half Year Report - PBs and PF

June 30th marked of course the half year point and also the date of the John Hartson Foundation Llanelli 10k.   First the 10k, as that went to plan!   Bit of a chilly morning and a blustery headwind for the first few km's but I set off aiming for something like 4.5 minutes per kilometer marker whilst thinking of trying to keep to that as best I could and hopefully better my PB set way back in 2010's Ammanford 10k.  I figured that with a new PB at both 5k and half marathon already this year then this would complete the hat-trick so to speak and even if I nearly died on that nasty little hill toward the end of the race as I did last time I ran the Llanelli 10k I'd have a bit of leeway to still come in ahead of 47:45.

2km - no bother!

As it was, I managed to stick to plan all the way through and the hill training and long runs helped no end in negotiating that tricky last mile this year.   In fact, looking at my Garmin stats post race, my mile splits were something like the most consistent

Up that bloody little hill about 8km

I've ever achieved :-

7:09, 7:13, 7:09, 7:06, 7:04, 7:19 and 7:00 for that final 0.2 mile.  A new 10k PB of 44:38 duly achieved.

So, onto the half year report and the year to date hasn't quite gone to plan.  If you've followed this blog since Janathon then you will know I had in mind the Tenby Marathon as

And back over the hill again - hurting now!

my first bash at the full distance but an injury to my right foot/ankle put paid to that.


I have however managed 668 miles to date so far but not without issues.  The old problem of plantar fasciitis has flared up in both feet again and whilst I think some of the pain may be down to this latest pair of trainers coming toward their 500 mile use by threshold there are issues to be resolved!  I've lived with this for a couple of years now though so know the regime pretty well.  The night splint, alternate iced water/warm water foot baths, rollers and zinc oxide tape are either back in use or in the case of the tape, on order.  Complete rest doesn't work for me as I'm on my feet all day at work anyway but it'll be easy runs in terms of speed for a while - other than races of course - and just try to manage my way through this once again.  A new pair of trainers will help but that will have to wait for the next pay day!

Schedule wise I'm still on a revised marathon schedule so looking at some 20 mile runs in the next few weeks.  If that goes well and the feet stand up (ooh... that was a bad pun!) then we may still be looking at an autumn attempt at 26.2 but if not there's plenty of shorter distance races to go for in the second half of the year.

Actually, the next race for me is only 2 weeks away and it's my hometown one - the Ammanford 10k.  It's a bit of a hilly one so unlikely to be PB territory this time but it's three years since I was last able to run it.  I actually ran most of the course during the 20 miler I picked up the foot injury on the other month so looking forward to having a go at it properly.

Will update the blog sometime after that race...

Not Gone To Plan

It's been a few weeks since I last posted on here.  The post Half Marathon euphoria of that sub-1:40 time in Llanelli had paved the way to thinking of a first full marathon in Tenby, not to mention of course the then impending Juneathon -  a warmer repeat of the January event that triggered this blog and formed the foundations of what had been a decent running year so far.

Indeed the first few weeks post April's half success went quite well as the marathon plan was undertaken and achieved on schedule until the first of 3 planned 20 milers.  The distance itself wasn't an issue.  In fact I felt better doing the 20 miles than I had at either 16 or 18 in previous weeks however I probably shouldn't have chosen such a hilly route.  2 miles from home and something went twang in the top of my right foot... a new place for an injury for me!

A slow test run the day after confirmed that a significant downscaling of planned runs was necessary and that therefore is what I did.  Now 2 weeks of next to no running, or nice slow jogs on pretty flat routes has seen the right foot recover nicely but "Sods Law" being what it is the slow down seems to have triggered off a flare up of the old Plantar Fasciitis issues in my left foot - clearly a change of plan was and indeed is in order.

First thing to bite the dust was Junathon unfortunately although many of the names seen and contacts made in January are going great guns and already half way through this latest jaunt.  I however felt in no condition to commit to a month of consistant exercise at the start of the month.  The second thing to get postponed was the marathon plan meaning no Tenby trip for me either and a delay to putting myself through a marathon for a while.

However there is a bright ending... a decent interval session last week was followed up today with a hilly 13 miles, my first proper long, slow distance run of the month and so far the reaction from the feet has been good.  It would appear that the weeks of reduced mileage, speed along with nightly use of the foam roller and a bowl full of ice water are paying off.  Race wise I'm being realistic at present with the next challenge the Llanelli 10k in a couple of weeks time and then probably the Ammanford 10k on the day of the Tenby marathon.  After that who knows?  I'm back on with a revised Marathon plan at least knowing that 20 mile is, or will again soon will be, with my capabilities and work commitments, injury reaction and general everyday life permitting we'll maybe look at a full distance event towards the end of the summer.

Until the next time....

March, April & The Great Welsh Half

Finally, a bit of time off work and the chance to update my blog.  I left it last time after a successful Llanelli Waterside Half Marathon and a PB of 1:50:14 which I was very satisfied with.

It took a week or two to decide on what to do next.  A trip down to London with my son to see the Status Quo "Frantic Four" reunion at the Hammersmith Odeon (or Apollo as they call it these days) followed by a bout of laryngitis (were the two connected?) meant a couple of weeks without a long run and just 20 miles over the two week period but maybe the enforced rest was a good thing?

Getting back to running regularly once the laryngitis had cleared culminated in a 15 mile run over the mountain to

Still smiling at 7+ miles

Ammanford and back (my longest run to date) as well as a couple of other decent long runs in 3 consecutive 20 mile plus weeks and therefore a decision to enter the Great Welsh Half Marathon on April 21st.  The first running of this event as a tag-on to the now annual Full Marathon which was two laps of the same course.

It was of course the same date as the London Marathon which meant a reasonably small field (157 finished the half and 259 the full) and practically no publicity save for local newspapers and radio.  Of course to my mind the BBC seem to think that running only occurs at the London Marathon and the Great North Run - and then only if a couple of newreaders are running.  Indeed, while I have nothing but the greatest respect for those that actually run either of the UK's biggest events, I think its a shame there's so very little coverage of other running events in the UK by the mainstream media as it would certainly go some way to promoting exercise for all wouldn't it? How many more would be encouraged to train for and enter their local 5k, 10k, half or even full marathon if they had a chance of getting their mug on telly? 

And this race proved a well organised event in many ways.  Memorable indeed was the paying tribute to those members of our worldwide running community sadly lost or injured in Boston with a moving and impeccably observed minute's silence before the off as well as the impressive support of the local community doing the marshalling and numerous water stations manned by local scouts together with an impressive collection of swag after the finish line with a tech t-shirt, a trophy each (albeit they all were engraved for the full marathon) and a welcome bag of food and drink.  The only niggle was a bit of crossing over and on-coming runner dodging necessary around the mile 3 turnaround but that wasn't really a big issue given the numbers running.

As for the race itself it went better than I could have hoped.  My aim was to try and match the 1:50 of March's half and if I could, get that PB down into the 1:40s.  I went off a bit quicker this time thanks to the lack of congestion on the traffic free, fairly flat coastal path route, clocking about 8:30 for the first mile and as it turned out that proved to be my only mile over 8 minutes.  The training must be paying off as at 4 miles (when the mp3 player goes on - Iron Maiden's "Maiden England" set for this race!) I was averaging about 7:45 a mile and decided to try to stick at that sort of speed as I felt comfortable.  By 12 miles I knew the PB was well in the bag and pushed to break the 1:40 coming home with a very satisfying chip time of 1:39:32 which put me in 26th place.  I never expected that!

Not so cheerful now eh?  12+ miles

Anyway, once the dust has settled and the aches have all but faded away the decision now is what to do next and it seems to me that I should now be aiming at a full marathon.  So, unless it transpires that I can't get the day off work, I'll be slogging my way around the Welsh Marathon starting and finishing at Tenby on the 14th July.  Wish me luck eh???

Note : Pictures are copyright my wife Steph.  Thanks to her and daughter Katie (and Doug the dog) for the support and the excellent gel station at 7.5 miles!

February & Llanelli Waterside Half

Cut back a bit post #Janathon, extending my long run into double figures but making sure I had at least 3 rest days most week at the early signs of plantar fasciitis were beginning to show (aching feet in the morning etc) after the daily runs.  Total mileage for the month then dropped from 126 in Jan to a mere 90 in the years' second month. However, I felt good throughout the month getting some tempo runs in and generally finishing my long, slow, distance efforts feeling like I had a little bit left... so I entered a half marathon!

You may remember, if you follow me on twitter (@wgal_uk) that I have won a place in April's Merlin Half Marathon in Carmarthen but the Llanelli Waterside Half Marathon on March 3rd proved irresistible even at a steepish entry fee of £28.

Duly entered, March 3rd came around and the temperature at the race car-park was a "fresh" -4C.  However, once underway the value of the Janathon miles, the February long runs and those local hills all proved their worth and I managed to clock 1:50:11 finishing 682nd of 1658 finishers.  Now it was only my second half, the other being a trail half in Cirencester 2 years ago, but I didn't expect to knock 12 minutes off the time I clocked for that race. Indeed, I didn't expect to get anything like the time I got but everything went well... even the stiff breeze at mile 8ish to 12 wasn't as bad as some of the weather I've experienced on Llanelli Waterfront in the past!

So in summary, good miles in Feb and a nice, new, sub 2 hr PB at Half-Marathon distance... and still not injured!!  2013 is going okay so far!

Janathon Day 31 - That's Me Done!

That's it then... the challenge of #Janathon 2013 was "run every day - blog every day".  Sounded easy!   I added the proviso of doing at least 3 miles every day as I don't see the point going out of the door until I'm going to run for about 30 minutes which equates to 3 miles-ish.   Mission accomplished!

Finished the challenge with a gentle pre-dawn jog along my stock route to Rhosaman and back.  Something of an urban steeplechase this morning as it usually is on Thursday with bin bags and recycling bins to hurdle on every pavement.  In all honesty hurdling was beyond me but there was a bit of dodging to be done.

Tomorrow... is a rest day!

Day 31 stats...

Distance : 3.26 miles
Time : 34:43
Music : Rolling Stones - Grrr!  (Rocks Off to Undercover Of The Night)

JANATHON TOTALS

31 runs
Total Distance : 126.03 miles
Time : 20:57:54

Janathon Day 30

The work of a tired man, uninspired and somewhat past his prime... nothing to do with the late 70's output of The Rolling Stones (I haven't quite got there on my journey through their latest greatest hits collection yet) instead it describes my efforts this morning.

Yep - Day 30 proved a difficult one.  Up and out of the door at 6.45am again but just unable to get a rhythm going.  A buffeting from the wind probably didn't help and a long shift yesterday meant my feet were aching too. Was actually surprised to see my time not being as slow as I'd imagined. All in all a run to forget.

Day 30 stats...

Distance : 3.25 miles
Time : 33:37
Music : Rolling Stones - Grrr! (Can't Always Get What You Want to Angie)

Janathon Day 29

Running to forecast today... the weather forecast.  

I took a look at the hourly forecast for this area on the BBC weather page last night and it was all rain, with the exception of a window between 6am and 7am this morning where we could expect only drizzle.  That'll do for me then.

Kit readied last night I was up as soon as the alarm went off, paused briefly to ensure my teenage son had managed to drag himself out of bed and get ready for school and I was out of the door.

A slower run, necessitated by the dark and the drizzle on my glasses, I'm glad I got this one out of the way early.  I now have a good few hours to relax before work and as for the weather, well judging by how grey it is out there now the forecast for the rest of the day just could be correct.

Day 29 stats...

Distance : 3.26 miles
Time : 31.55
Music : Rolling Stones - Grrr! (Paint It Black to Sympathy For The Devil... wow - what a run of great singles that was!)

Janathon Day 28 - The End Is Nigh

A combination of feeling good after yesterdays long run and seeing only 4 more runs to go before a well earned rest alongside a sub-conscious desire to get out of the cold rain and back into a nice warm shower as soon as possible meant I ran this morning's 3 and a bit miler a fair bit quicker than either planned or expected.

That my average heart rate was the same as yesterdays long run and the pace felt easy can only bode well for the next few weeks though as I aim to put more quicker miles into my schedule in preparation for the April Merlin Half Marathon.

Musically, it was nice to drown out the sound of the rain with the sound of the new Rolling Stones compilation "Grrr" (is that the right number of r's?).  Will probably stick with this at least for tomorrow as well as the next track up is their greatest ever in my opinion... "Paint It Black".

Day 28 stats...

Distance : 3.26 miles
Time : 30:15
Music : Rolling Stones - Grrr!

A 9 Mile Run Beside The Seaside

Best #Janathon run yet!  A 9 miler around the Swansea Bay coast from Black Pyll to Mumbles and up the coastal path almost to Langland Bay... and best of all I had someone to run it with.  In 3 years of running I've hardly ever been able to run with anybody but my mate in Swansea has been saying for a while we should either do a run or bike ride together and this has been the first opportunity.  What a difference it made too.  Sticking pretty much to a steady 10 mile/min pace the miles just flew past and I really felt that at the end of the run - my longest for 7 months - that I had a bit left in the tank, which I think is what I read you should feel like after a long training run?

The weather was perfect too.  After torrential rain, thunder and lightning last night I was fearing a soaking this morning whilst the wind up here in the mountains had me imagining the waves blowing over onto the promenade.  Instead, I awoke to a much calmer scene and by the time we'd parked near the front the sun was out and there was actually only a stretch up on the headland to Langland where the wind was anything like strong enough to hamper running.

Typically I forgot to take my phone out of the car so no pictures therefore you'll have to take my word for it on how enjoyable this run was.  I've long wanted to run along the front at Swansea Bay - I've ran the 10k race once a couple of years but that was hard work! - and will definitely return regularly now.

Day 27 stats :

Distance : 9.06 miles
Time : 1:32:01
Music : none - conversation instead!

Janathon Day 26

Heavy rain overnight meant that although there were one or two areas of ice on the road, the majority of the snow has gone and hopefully that'll be the last we see of it this year too.  Fortunately the rain had cleared as well making it a bright, dry morning and there was even a mile or so with the sun out today. 

Got a longer run planned for tomorrow so it was just a gentle 3.5 mile jog for me today - down the hill, along the new cycle path and back up into the village.  Very quiet out there this morning - only saw 2 other people during the run.

Day 26 stats...

Distance : 3.49 miles
Time : 35:01
Music : Terraplane - Black And White (1985)

Janathon Day 25 - 100 not out

The weather forecast looked poor for the afternoon on Breakfast TV this morning and the reports from our Janathon man in Pembrokeshire (@ChrisRuns180) were that the rain was coming our way and it was heavy so it was a decision on whether to get out early or get a soaking.  I went early.

Another 4 miles in the bag then, a bit quicker than usual too driven on by the weather threat but also by a change of music.  Put aside the old crusty proto-rock of recent runs today for a bit of classic 80's pop-rock (after listening to the In Concert session on Radio 2 last night).  Funny how the music of your youth can give you a lift!

Anyway... got back and uploaded the data to FetchEveryone and I've offically passed 100 miles for #Janathon.  The overall figures look like this :-

25 runs - 100.44 miles - Avge Pace 9:58

Happy with that :-)

Day 25 stats...

Distance : 4.32 miles
Time : 39:39
Music : Bon Jovi - New Jersey (1988)

Removing cobwebs at sub-zero temperatures

Janathon Day #24 and it took a bit of effort to force myself out of the door after a working day sat in a training room,  especially considering it was already -2 degrees C when I got in from work and wasn't getting any warmer!  Actually getting out there and blowing of the cobwebs helped no end in removing those that had formed during the course though.  Training Day ala "The Office" it was not.  Laughs were few and far between in some heavy legislation driven content and the trainer at no point even hinted at going to get his guitar.

Anyway, 3 and a bit more miles to the total and just one week to go...

Day 24 Stats...

Distance : 3.26 miles
Time : 33:41
Music : Grannie - Grannie (1971)... superb, obscure progressive rock

Janathon Day 23

Went out for today's run after a one-off night shift last night and about one hours sleep so it was just a case of getting it done today.

Nothing special again, just an easy run up to Rhosaman and back although the strong wind blowing in my face on the way out was a reminder of why I named this blog.

Day 23 stats : 

Distance : 3.25 miles
Time : 33:14
Music : Crow - Crow Music (1969)

Janathon Day 22

Typical... I ran 4 miles up the Black Mountain yesterday and could only see about 20 meters in front of me due to the clouds.  Today, just a 3 mile out and back to/from the next village but clear views of the top of the mountain from the main road.  I'll bet there's a lovely view of the western end of the Brecon Beacons and mid-Wales from up there today.

Still, that's another Janathon run done and out the way plus I'm keeping up with my personal target of running at least 3 miles each day too.

Day 22 stats...

Distance : 3.25 miles
Time : 32:26
Music : Status Quo - Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon (1970)

Taking On The Mountain (Pt 2)

I said back on day 12 that I intended to run up the Black Mountain all the way to the car park at the top at some point during Janathon although I think back then I'd envisaged a warmer, more unseasonably spring-like day than this. 

However, with the road officially closed (albeit one or two 4x4s went past whilst I was out) and the kids at school so no sledgers or snowballers I thought it would be a good idea to run it today and also try to take some photos again to contrast the green mountainside of 9 days ago.  The promised pictures from the top were curtailed somewhat by the low cloud and 20 meter visibility.

The road has clearly been used a bit and there has been a bit of a thaw too which meant that I was able to run either on the tarmac or at worst in some fairly shallow slush rather than have to trample up through deep, virgin snow therefore it was actually a fun run, albeit one that is 3.5 miles uphill on the way out.

Nice touch from the music as well.  As I was running down basking in the glory of knocking this challenge off my list I was listening to the Welsh band "Man" and their song "Many Are Called But Few Get Up"... a good one for runners braving the cold and inclement conditions rather than sticking to their sofas.

Actually, the last time I ran all the way up the Black Mountain I had to put up with a passing cyclist suggesting I get some wheels - no cyclists out there today :)

Day 21 stats...

Distance : 8.24 miles
Time : 1:21:11
Music : Groundhogs - Thank Christ For The Bomb (1970)... on the way up!
            Man - Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In? (1971)... coming down.

The carpark at the top... and oh the view!

Janathon Day 20

The lure of the burner with the coal gently crackling away was almost too much on a cold Sunday afternoon but eventually I dragged my aging body off the settee and managed to add another 4 miles to the Janathon tally.

Once I was actually out and warmed up it was a surprisingly easy run.  Pace was good, roads were quiet and the music - an album I haven't listened to since shortly after its release - was excellent.

11 runs to go!

Day 20 stats...

Distance : 4.14 miles
Time : 38:29
Music : Savatage - Poets And Madmen (2001)

Partly on a new route

It's not quite open officially to the public yet but judging by the number of footprints, paw prints and bicycle tracks in the snow I wasn't the first today to make use of the new cycle route that links Glanaman to Brynamman. It offered me the opportunity to run a good half of today's 4 and a bit mile run without having to worry about traffic which meant the headphones could go back on.

Again, there weren't too many people about and the scenery looked suitably wintery.  Other than that not too much to report really other than total mileage for #Janathon is up to 74 miles now after today's run.

Day 19 stats ;

Distance : 4.29 miles
Time : 41:59
Music : Hot Tuna - America's Choice (1975)

Heading West out of Upper Brynamman

View from the bridge just out of Tir-Sir-Walter

Along the new cycle path (1)

Along the new cycle path (2)

Match abandoned today at Brynamman RFC?

Along past the Coal Washery to Cwmgarw Road

And The Runner Ran On

Kudos to Carmarthenshire Council and their gritting teams today.  Despite another 3 inches or so of snow they had the main roads through the village well gritted and by the time I set out around half past three this afternoon pretty much clear.  The paths were a different story of course but given most people had seemingly taken the day off the roads were very quiet and I was able to run on those and only had five or six occasions when I had to hop onto the pavement whilst a car passed. 

It was bloody chilly mind you and the wind was biting on the way out, consequently it was a quicker run than planned but my heart rate was back down so hopefully I'll soon see the back of this cold.  In all honesty it would have been the easiest day yet to say "sod it" and stay indoors but I had to call in at the Post Office and pick up my copy of this month's "Record Collector" magazine that has been sitting awaiting collection for a couple of weeks and that proved adequate enough excuse to get out there and I'm glad I did.

Of course, given I had to listen out for approaching traffic both in front and behind, I had no music on today making this just the second run of Janathon unaccompanied by rock!

Day 18 stats...

Distance : 3.25 miles
Time : 31:10

Janathon 17 - First Snow of the Year

A case of just getting it done today.  Usual route, out and back and get in the warmth.  Pace slower than yesterday but heart rate significantly higher which I put down to the cold I have currently.

A bit of snow overnight here and still snowing at the moment actually but only small flakes so not settling on the roads yet... meaning nice brown slushy bits to traipse through when out running.  The Black Mountain always looks nice with a coating of snow :)

Day 17 stats...

Distance : 3.25 miles
Time : 31:04
Music : Jerusalem - Jerusalem (1972 - some good old crusty hard rock!)

Janathon Day 16

Officially passed the half way mark of Janathon today and a little extra time allowed me the luxury of extending my stock route to 4 and a bit miles which meant I could take in the whole album I'd selected for today.  Didn't want to leave it at my usual 3.25 miles as that would have meant getting back home half way through "China White" which simply wasn't an option... excellent song!!

Anyway, another 4 done and that's despite waking up in the night full of cold and with a sore throat.  Hopefully in a day or two it'll be gone.

Day 16 stats :-

Distance : 4.16 miles
Time : 37:61
Music : Scorpions - Blackout (1982)