Liverpool Half Marathon

My goal going into this race was to make sure my last half marathon was no accident and I could run below 1:30 for a half marathon.  My PB was set in Helsby two months ago (1:27:45) and knocked 7 minutes off my previous best.  I wanted to get close to that.  I wasn’t really looking to set any records.

Having said that, I set my Garmin virtual partner to run at my PB pace - 4:10 per k pace – and I had my own personal pace maker!  Dani Trinca had entered the race but due to a hamstring injury was not going to be running at full throttle.  He had offered to run with me and help me pace my race.  Pressure!

Due to the really narrow start of the race, I was positioned well back at the start and looking at the kit and the trainers of people around me, I knew I would be doing some overtaking!

It took about one minute to cross the start line after the gun, followed by a bit of weaving between runners before I settled into a pace I was happy with.  My legs felt heavy yet the pace wasn’t particularly fast.  Oh dear.  This wasn’t a good start.  The first few miles were slightly uphill so I was hoping my legs would feel better once we reached flatter ground. 

The start of the race is fantastic.  So much optimism and enthusiasm in the air.  Invincibility almost.  The hill on Upper Parliament Street and the run along Princess Road saw the first signs of people’s enthusiasm waning, with sounds of heavy breathing dominating the race soundtrack.

My first 3k averaged 4:13k pace – and I was tired!  My HR averaged 176!!  However, the next stretch of road was flat leading to a downhill section where I hit a 4:04 and a 3:59, running the first 5k in 20:42 (actually my slowest 5k of the race) and pretty much on target pace.  The next 5k was my quickest of the race, running it in 20:20, with an average HR of 169.  This was more like it.

So, the first 10k done in 41:02, 11k still to go.

Dani was doing a great job of pacemaking.  We were ahead of schedule, putting time in the bank in case of fatigue later in the race.  Keeping my mind off the pace and off my heavy legs he spent the first 10k or so telling stories!  I hope he didn’t think I was being rude when I didn’t respond to his questions with very long answers – I was concentrating on catching my breath!  The runners around us just looked and stared when they heard us having conversations during the race!  Dani’s hamstring troubles were starting to flare up after about 10k.  At one point he turned to me and said he couldn’t go any faster than this.  I looked at my watch and saw that we were running at 3:45k pace!  Neither can I Dani, neither can I!

Unfortunately for Dani, his hamstring gave up and the last I saw of him he was hopping, clutching the back of his leg with one hand whilst waving me on with the other. 

Picking some other runners ahead of me as pacemakers / targets, I increased the pace a little to catch up and then settled back into my ‘rhythm’.  My third 5k was run in 20:30 meaning my middle 10k was 40:50.  Super stuff!  I was well ahead of schedule.  My average HR crept up to 170 during this 5k.

By this point I was close to the final 5k run along Otterspool prom, knowing that it was pretty much one straight road to the finish.  I tried to up the pace a little, aiming to go close to 4:00k pace.  This was a short lived strategy.  An initial 4:05 gave way to a 4:08, a 4:10 and a 4:10.  I was knackered!  With just over 2k to go, I gave it one final effort with a 4:05 and a 4:01 to give me a 5k split of 20:38 and a second 10k split of 41:08.

The finish chute appeared with the noise of the crowds pulling runners towards the finish line, some runners having a lot more energy than others. 

As I crossed the line, I clicked my watch and looked down – 1:26:56.  I had managed to creep under 1:27.  A PB!  Brilliant!

Reflection

I was pleased with how I executed the race.  I ran at pretty much even pace (4:08k average) , with only uphills or downhills distorting the pace from between 4:04 to 4:10 pace.  I also had a strong middle section of the race, with a 40:50 10k.

Splits

5k                20:40                     10k     41:02

10k               20:20                     20k     41:08

15k               20:30

20k               20:38

Official Result

Category	Category Position	Chip Time	Chip Position
MOPEN	139	01:26:57	217

LEJOG - The Second Training Weekend

When discussing where to go for a cycling weekend, and the Lake District is mentioned, you just know that you’re in for a hard, hilly weekend. 

And that is exactly what unfolded ...

Packed neatly into three cars, the six of us made it through the Friday night traffic on the M6 up to Ambleside in the Lake District.  The Backpackers Lodge, furnished with bunk beds, was to be our home for the next two nights.  A late night Chinese meal, whilst discussing what lay ahead, got our carbo-loading off to a good start and ready for the weekend ahead.

Reluctant to leave our bikes in the shed, we took them to bed with us

Day 1

The day started a bit later than planned, but we were away and on the roads for 9:30am.  However, it just wouldn’t be a Mersey Tri cycle if we didn’t have some sort of mechanical troubles - and these started after just 6k!

The day took in 105 miles and almost 12,000 feet of climbing, including some of the most famous climbs in the Lake District, four of which are included in the book ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’.  We tackled 4 of the greatest climbs in the UK in one long ride – no wonder we were tired at the end!  If we could get through today, then surely we'd be well prepared to get through anything LEJOG could throw at us.

The weather was great.  A little chilly to start (and finish), but very little wind, with the sun breaking through later in the afternoon.

Honnister Pass

The first of these climbs was the Honnister Pass.  We reached this after about 35 miles.  Now this leg sapping climb, according to Wikipedia, reaches an altitude of 1,167 feet (356m), making it one of the highest in the region, and also one of the steepest, with gradients of up to 1-in-4 (25%).  This was tough going.  The view from the top was pretty spectacular, almost making it worth the climb!

Whinlatter Pass

Next up for us was the Whinlatter Pass.  This climb isn’t as steep as the others of the day, but it was the longest, taking in 6k of ascent.  The climb eventually reaches  an altitude of 1,043 feet.  By the time we had finished this climb we had covered almost 50 miles.  Halfway there, all downhill from here right?

Amazingly, we did manage to find some flat roads, even some that went downhill.  This helped our legs recover a little for the last two major climbs of the day ...

Hardknott Pass

Third on our journey was the Hardknott Pass.  According to the book, 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, this is the 'King of Climbs', scoring 10/10 for difficulty.  The road approaching the pass vies with Rosedale Chimney Bank in North Yorkshire for the title of steepest road in England with both achieving a gradient of 1 in 3 (about 33%).  Despite this, the group gritted their teeth and took the challenge head on – with most of the group staying on their bikes and making it up and over the the long, slow and incredibly steep climb.  Hats off to them!

  

Wrynose Pass

Finally, and after a quick descent from Hardknott Pass, we ‘attacked’ the Wrynose Pass.  The book describes this as the Queen of climbs, scoring it 9/10 for difficulty.  To make it extra tough on ourselves, not only had we already covered 95 hilly miles, we decided to climb it (and then descend it) in the dark!

We finished the day in the dark, following more than 8 hours cycling time, 105 miles and 12,000 feet of climbing later.  Handshakes and hearty congratulations all round for such a momentous effort.

Day 2

Day 2 was billed as the ‘flat’ day.  A day to recover from the leg-sapping climbs of the day before.  Barely a kilometre had been ridden before we were met with a sign telling us the road ahead was called ‘The Struggle’ and had a 20% gradient!  Apparently, we had taken the wrong road and were doing our planned route backwards – this was supposed to be the descent back home.  This didn’t bode well for the rest of the day!

The Struggle

View from the top of The Struggle, looking down at what we had climbed

The road rises 1,300 feet in some three and a half tortuous miles.  With an altitude of 1,489 feet this is the Lake District's highest pass that is open to motor traffic and home to the highest pub in Cumbria, The Kirkstone Pass Inn.

The Garsdale Head

The Garsdale Head was the second major climb of the day, and came about half way through the ride.  This was preceded by lots of smaller and pretty steep climbs – just to warm the legs a little!  Although the climb is 'just' 2.4k, averaging 9.3% gradient, it does have some pretty steep sections rising to 17% in some parts.

Due to the amount of climbing we had already done up to this point, and because we had to return to Liverpool that evening, we decided to make a return journey back to the lodge rather than take on the other big climbs that were on our scehduled route, such as the Kirkstone Pass.  When this option was suggested, there were few who disagreed! 

In the end, day 2 saw us complete 95 miles - taking in almost 10,000 feet of ascending - not bad for a flat day!  

The weekend was a total success.  We managed 200 miles of hilly cycling, realised that it was possible to discover (and then fix) new mechanical problems, had another go at getting our nutrition right and once again had a great time in the process.  Roll on July!

Consistency Is King!

Two months into the year, how is the training going?  After a quick analysis, I’m pretty pleased with the progress and the consistency that I’ve been able to maintain.  As we enter March, I’m also pleased with how I’m starting to feel.

	Swim		Bike		Run		Total
	Sessions	Time	Sessions	Time	Sessions	Time	Sessions	Time
January	4	3:25	7	16:00	18	14:12	29	33:37
February	7	5:00	10	38:25	13	11:15	30	54:40

Training has been pretty consistent, with 29 sessions in January and 30 sessions in February, I’m averaging one session per day.  To date, I have had 12 rest days this year – meaning 47 days of training.  Six ‘rest days’ in February meant 30 sessions were completed in 22 days.

Cycling in February took a massive leap forward, spending more than 38 hours in the saddle.  This included the first LEJOG training weekend, where we covered 160 miles in two days.  During the month, I completed five rides of 100k+, including two 100 mile rides and one 95 miler!  Despite the weather, this riding has been done mainly outdoors, with only two rides on the turbo.  Hopefully this will build some character and mental toughness for the months ahead!  Of course, this might have had something to do with the arrival of my new bike!!

The intensity in running has reduced, with fewer shorter sessions than January.  Two long runs were completed – both 22k.  These long runs will increase in duration in March.

Swimming has returned, completing seven sessions in February.  All of these sessions were in David Lloyd pool before work, averaging 2-2.5k per session.  Technique has been the focus of my swim.  I did attempt a 2k TT towards the end of the month, hitting a negative split 30:15 (15:30 & 14:45) - which is a decent starting point.

I’m still in Base phase 1, meaning the focus has been on zone 2 work (except for some parts of Sunday rides which in some parts get into zone 4 and above!).

I’ve competed in two races so far this year, both going really well, which is encouraging.

·         Helsby (Four Villages) Half Marathon saw a new half marathon PB (1:27)

·         Club Duathlon (5k/15k/3k) saw a 5k run PB (19:25) and then a final 3k run which matched the 5k pace (3:53 per k).

Nutrition is yet to get going.  My weight is dropping (66.4kg on March 1^st from 70kg at the start of the year) – but I’m eating some rubbish!  Biscuits, chocolates and ice cream seem to be the main culprits.  This needs to improve as we move towards Spring.

Looking ahead

March will see the end of Base 1, moving into Base 2 by the end of the month.  This means training will include a little more hard work on top of some of the volume.  Long runs will start to increase in volume too.  Swimming will continue, with the intensity starting to ramp up a little.  Highlights this month include:

·         The second weekend of our LEJOG training in the Lake District.  Once again we will look to ride in excess of 200 miles over the two days, taking in some hilly roads along the way.

·         Round 2 of the Mersey Tri duathlon will add a little fun and high intensity to the programme

·         Liverpool Half Marathon is taking place at the end of the month and all being well will see another PB attempt.

I can’t remember who said this, but I’m pretty sure it was a good coach!

‘Consistent is more important than spectacular. I want the athlete that shows every day and for every play’.