30th July 2007

Shipley Park-Cricket Club 5 Mile

Conditions: Mild, Sunny

Run Type: Injury Recovery

Notes: Having had a nightmare two weeks with two identical injuries on opposite legs I was beginning to think that my dream was over. I had lost almost two weeks of running and had been advised that I have to cut out all speed work. I was seeing my sub four hour marathon dream in New York rapidly fading. That was until I spent a long time on my running forum getting advice from the seasoned marathoners. They advised me to cut out all speed work and concentrate on building my endurance. Basically many of the runners analyzed my times and informed me that my speed is there to easily run sub four, however what is lacking is the endurance to sustain it for that period of time.

“The bottom line is, I must concentrate on running high mileage at a very slow pace”

What this will do is build up my endurance, whilst giving my hamstrings time to heal. Having heard this from so many of the runners I took the advice, erased all the stress and pressure I was putting on myself and went out armed with my Training Partner (TP) and ran as effortless as I could.
I have also been advised that I should cut out the hills, which in my hometown is not easy, so I drove to HGIE to warm up before a steady run through Shipley Park. Being armed with my TP enabled me to run at the pace I needed to, which I have always struggled with. The moment I ran under a nine minute pace, my TP would shout at me. I also kept my heart rate down, however I am still unsure if I have my heart rate set up correctly as even during the really easy parts of the run my heart rate was averaging 82%. I believe for this kind of run my heart rate should average 75%. I will look into this.
This was the first time I set out to run without a planned route so it was exciting to a certain extent. All I did was stay on flat wherever possible and kept my pace above a nine minute average. As I was running I started thinking how I had ever coped without a TP and how much I was enjoying this run.
The miles passed by and I no longer even have to mark these as my TP marks every mile for me and lets me concentrate on my running and form. I remember even thinking that I may run this entire route again but being on the right side of an injury, I was not going to push things, so I ended the run at the five mile point and was very pleased with the entire run. I had done exactly what I had set out to, and I will be doing the same for the foreseeable future.
The best thing is……. my legs feel fine!!

Running Shoes: Brooks Vapour 7 (77 Miles remaining)

Run time: 46:16

Pace: 9:15 / mile

Days to New York Marathon: 95



“I'm trying to do the best I can. I'm not concerned about tomorrow, but with what goes on today.”