Cutting a frustrated figure at home right now, unable to run due to a muscular tension problem in my back that I have been suffering from ever since my escapades at Stanley Park on Wednesday night!
Luckily for me I was working at local physio Brian Porter's house yesterday, so fortunately for me he managed to fit me in for some treatment. Molly was also kind enough to help out with a massage last night too. Plus, I also had a massage off Sue Samme this morning, and rather than my usual leg massage, we focused on my back again.
The consensus is that I am suffering from my back muscles locking out due to the pressure and tension I put them under on Wednesday. Because I have been focussing on long run after long run, it has come as a bit of a shock to the system throwing in a sub 5 minute mile paced 4 miler!
The pain isn't as intense now, but I am listening to the advise of those around me and to what my body is telling me. Two days off isn't going to do me any harm at London at this stage of the training cycle. I am still hoping to get my longish 16 mile run in at a gentle pace tomorrow, but now that we have got all the hard sessions out of the way it is all about arriving on that start line in London in two weeks time in one piece!
So therefore, this afternoon will be spent with my feet up, a couple of heat packs on my back and a DVD!
Saturday, 11 April 2015
Thursday, 9 April 2015
Blackpool Interclub (race 1) 2015
Wednesday night saw the first race of what is a highlight series for me each season - the Interclub Grand Prix.
Teams from Preston, Blackpool, Red Rose, Wesham, Lytham and Chorley annually fight it out for positions both individually and as a club, in what is a real regional battle. This year a little bit of extra spice and interest has been provided in the shape of a new seventh club (and race) to the series in the shape of Thornton.
Each race is traditionally between 4-5 miles long and is fiercely contested throughout the field as every runner battles to earn each and every last position for their team.
As has been the case each year since I joined Wesham Road Runners, Blackpool hosted the first race of the campaign. This meant a 4 mile course, taking in two laps of Stanley Park.
Having managed to fit my long run in a day early over the long bank holiday weekend, I approached this race in good shape on the back of a couple of days worth of easy running and a leg massage the previous night.
Once the gun went, myself, David Rigby and Rob 'coach' Affleck (both Preston Harriers), quickly moved to the front of the field and opened up a gap on the other competitors. I managed to get my nose in front early on and it stayed that way throughout the first lap, as we moved increasingly away from the rest of the field in a close pack of three.
In the early stages of lap two, Dave made a bit of a move into the lead and held it for about half a mile as we negotiated the section of the lap through the woods, bringing us out on the outer parameter of the course near the hospital.
Before we re-entered the park however I had regained it and managed to hold off throughout a high paced final mile into the finishing straight. My final mile split came in at 4:41, my quickest ever single mile! It hurt, but was well worth it when I crossed that finish line in a new PB time of 19:50.
Now, last season I finished in 3rd place overall in the series, improving on 4th place the year before and 5th place in my first full season the time before that. So this year, the aim is to improve again and hopefully go at least one better again! To that end, the season could not have started any better.
It was a fantastic occasion, as Wesham had a massive turnout with many new runners, both at the front end, but also supported admirably through the field too. The presence of Thornton Cleveleys and also the growing power of Red Rose in terms of numbers also boosted the success of the race, as more than 350 runners turned out in total.
A great spectacle to have played a part in, and one that I will remember for a long, long time.
That was my final race before the marathon too, and after an 8 mile progressive tempo with Rob Affleck and Gethin Buttler tonight, there are not too many effort runs to go now.
Rob Danson x
Teams from Preston, Blackpool, Red Rose, Wesham, Lytham and Chorley annually fight it out for positions both individually and as a club, in what is a real regional battle. This year a little bit of extra spice and interest has been provided in the shape of a new seventh club (and race) to the series in the shape of Thornton.
Each race is traditionally between 4-5 miles long and is fiercely contested throughout the field as every runner battles to earn each and every last position for their team.
As has been the case each year since I joined Wesham Road Runners, Blackpool hosted the first race of the campaign. This meant a 4 mile course, taking in two laps of Stanley Park.
Having managed to fit my long run in a day early over the long bank holiday weekend, I approached this race in good shape on the back of a couple of days worth of easy running and a leg massage the previous night.
Once the gun went, myself, David Rigby and Rob 'coach' Affleck (both Preston Harriers), quickly moved to the front of the field and opened up a gap on the other competitors. I managed to get my nose in front early on and it stayed that way throughout the first lap, as we moved increasingly away from the rest of the field in a close pack of three.
In the early stages of lap two, Dave made a bit of a move into the lead and held it for about half a mile as we negotiated the section of the lap through the woods, bringing us out on the outer parameter of the course near the hospital.
Before we re-entered the park however I had regained it and managed to hold off throughout a high paced final mile into the finishing straight. My final mile split came in at 4:41, my quickest ever single mile! It hurt, but was well worth it when I crossed that finish line in a new PB time of 19:50.
Now, last season I finished in 3rd place overall in the series, improving on 4th place the year before and 5th place in my first full season the time before that. So this year, the aim is to improve again and hopefully go at least one better again! To that end, the season could not have started any better.
It was a fantastic occasion, as Wesham had a massive turnout with many new runners, both at the front end, but also supported admirably through the field too. The presence of Thornton Cleveleys and also the growing power of Red Rose in terms of numbers also boosted the success of the race, as more than 350 runners turned out in total.
A great spectacle to have played a part in, and one that I will remember for a long, long time.
That was my final race before the marathon too, and after an 8 mile progressive tempo with Rob Affleck and Gethin Buttler tonight, there are not too many effort runs to go now.
Rob Danson x
Friday, 3 April 2015
Focus on the positive
Tonight I had hoped that I would have been writing about my attempt at breaking the 32 minute barrier for the first time at Salford 10k. However circumstances dictated that this target must wait for another day once more.
Ahh 'Good' Friday? For some maybe, but for me? Crap Friday sounds about right!
You see, my van decided to blow a gasket - or more specifically, a drive shaft - half way down the motorway on route to the race venue, and so my race was scuppered before I even got there.
Luckily for me, my Wesham team mate Karl Lee, who I had offered a lift to, still managed to make the start line as some fellow running friends were able to pick him up on their way past.
I stayed with my vehicle, and probably more by luck of the draw by getting a fantastically helpful member of the AA repair team, by mid afternoon the van was fixed and I was back home. This was beyond anything I could have expected, especially during the hectic Easter period!
Once back home, rather than stew over a missed opportunity and the race that never was, I decided to re-jig my plans for the weekend. I had intended to perform my last long run prior to the marathon tomorrow morning, on tired legs. However, since I hadn't exhausted myself by racing, I thought I might aswell bring it forward half a day. This allows me extra time for my body to recover before the first interclub race of this years series on Wednesday night, and hopefully will see me able to go quicker there now.
The long run itself was tougher than I had hoped it would be. I don't like carrying bottles, so ran the first 15 mile loop without water, which normally would not be a problem. But due to the events of the day I don't think I had taken enough liquid onboard. Also, due to the weather conditions I set off in hat, gloves, jumper and jacket, and thermal leggings. By 10 miles I was far too warm! So at the 15 mile mark (outside my house) I grabbed my bottle of water and gel that I had stashed, and stripped off down to my shorts - I had also stored a change of t-shirt in the shed! From here I felt a bit more comfortable and was able to continue and run the final 8 miles at a steady pace.
I finished up with 23 miles done in 2 hours and 38 minutes - or 6:51 pace.
Now that my long run is out of the way, it means tomorrow's run can be a shorter recovery run, and Sunday might now be changed to a tempo run, to replace the quick miles I had intended to get in today.
So all in all, not the day I had hoped for, but far from a disaster in the end. If you think positive, and banish the negative thoughts, then anything is possible!
London is another step closer, and then beyond that I can look to final crack that sub 32 minute 10k, I know it is in there.
I will leave you all with this question - a little test to see who has stuck with it and read all the way! Lol ;)
...any tips on very fast, very flat, very high standard fields over 10k between late July - August time?
Thanks for reading, Rob.
Ahh 'Good' Friday? For some maybe, but for me? Crap Friday sounds about right!
You see, my van decided to blow a gasket - or more specifically, a drive shaft - half way down the motorway on route to the race venue, and so my race was scuppered before I even got there.
Luckily for me, my Wesham team mate Karl Lee, who I had offered a lift to, still managed to make the start line as some fellow running friends were able to pick him up on their way past.
I stayed with my vehicle, and probably more by luck of the draw by getting a fantastically helpful member of the AA repair team, by mid afternoon the van was fixed and I was back home. This was beyond anything I could have expected, especially during the hectic Easter period!
Once back home, rather than stew over a missed opportunity and the race that never was, I decided to re-jig my plans for the weekend. I had intended to perform my last long run prior to the marathon tomorrow morning, on tired legs. However, since I hadn't exhausted myself by racing, I thought I might aswell bring it forward half a day. This allows me extra time for my body to recover before the first interclub race of this years series on Wednesday night, and hopefully will see me able to go quicker there now.
The long run itself was tougher than I had hoped it would be. I don't like carrying bottles, so ran the first 15 mile loop without water, which normally would not be a problem. But due to the events of the day I don't think I had taken enough liquid onboard. Also, due to the weather conditions I set off in hat, gloves, jumper and jacket, and thermal leggings. By 10 miles I was far too warm! So at the 15 mile mark (outside my house) I grabbed my bottle of water and gel that I had stashed, and stripped off down to my shorts - I had also stored a change of t-shirt in the shed! From here I felt a bit more comfortable and was able to continue and run the final 8 miles at a steady pace.
I finished up with 23 miles done in 2 hours and 38 minutes - or 6:51 pace.
Now that my long run is out of the way, it means tomorrow's run can be a shorter recovery run, and Sunday might now be changed to a tempo run, to replace the quick miles I had intended to get in today.
So all in all, not the day I had hoped for, but far from a disaster in the end. If you think positive, and banish the negative thoughts, then anything is possible!
London is another step closer, and then beyond that I can look to final crack that sub 32 minute 10k, I know it is in there.
I will leave you all with this question - a little test to see who has stuck with it and read all the way! Lol ;)
...any tips on very fast, very flat, very high standard fields over 10k between late July - August time?
Thanks for reading, Rob.
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Countdown to London!
I sit here tonight, believe it or not, just 4 weeks away from probably the biggest day of my running life yet.
In just 28 days from now I will know whether all the effort, time, training and dedication that I have put in to this experience will have paid off on the big stage.
Last time out at London, I targeted breaking 2 hours 45 minutes, and although I left it late I just about managed it in 2:44:55.
This time around I kept my intentions to run the marathon a bit quieter, not wanting to make it public until I was well underway with my training and knew that I was in the right shape to take it on again.
Te reason for this? Simple. I wanted to make sure I was able to perform better than last time around. I didn't see the point in going all the way to London just to repeat last years performance - as proud of that as I was. I make no secret of my desire to push myself to be the very best that I possibly can be in everything that I do.
So this year I set out with the ambition of running 2:40 in the marathon. The early stage of my training went better than expected and it quickly became apparent how far ahead of last year I was both in terms of training and performances. Running a fairly comfortable 72:36 at Inskip Half saw me move the boundaries and set myself a tougher goal of 2:37 for the marathon. This equates to 6 minute miling all the way around so would be a big achievement for me.
Although the training has continued to go well I have not moved my targets anymore from here. I am conscious of the fact that as the event is two weeks later in the year this time around it is going to be hot!
The marathon training kicked in a week earlier this time too, so along with the extra two weeks, brings it to a total of a 19 week training plan that I have worked off. I aimed to run a minimum of 1000 training miles in this time, but if I could I wanted to average 60 miles + each week, which so far I have managed.
I am currently 15 weeks into my plan and have ticked off 936 training miles, so approximately 62.5 a week on average - in comparison to last years 52 m/pw that I worked off over a 16 week training schedule last year.
So the 4 week countdown is on, and I honestly cannot wait now, I'm raring to go!
In just 28 days from now I will know whether all the effort, time, training and dedication that I have put in to this experience will have paid off on the big stage.
Last time out at London, I targeted breaking 2 hours 45 minutes, and although I left it late I just about managed it in 2:44:55.
This time around I kept my intentions to run the marathon a bit quieter, not wanting to make it public until I was well underway with my training and knew that I was in the right shape to take it on again.
Te reason for this? Simple. I wanted to make sure I was able to perform better than last time around. I didn't see the point in going all the way to London just to repeat last years performance - as proud of that as I was. I make no secret of my desire to push myself to be the very best that I possibly can be in everything that I do.
So this year I set out with the ambition of running 2:40 in the marathon. The early stage of my training went better than expected and it quickly became apparent how far ahead of last year I was both in terms of training and performances. Running a fairly comfortable 72:36 at Inskip Half saw me move the boundaries and set myself a tougher goal of 2:37 for the marathon. This equates to 6 minute miling all the way around so would be a big achievement for me.
Although the training has continued to go well I have not moved my targets anymore from here. I am conscious of the fact that as the event is two weeks later in the year this time around it is going to be hot!
The marathon training kicked in a week earlier this time too, so along with the extra two weeks, brings it to a total of a 19 week training plan that I have worked off. I aimed to run a minimum of 1000 training miles in this time, but if I could I wanted to average 60 miles + each week, which so far I have managed.
I am currently 15 weeks into my plan and have ticked off 936 training miles, so approximately 62.5 a week on average - in comparison to last years 52 m/pw that I worked off over a 16 week training schedule last year.
So the 4 week countdown is on, and I honestly cannot wait now, I'm raring to go!
Northern 12 stage relays
This Saturday saw Team Wesham participate in the 12 stage relays (men) and 6 stage relays (women) where all the clubs from the north of England compete for a place in the Nationals.
It is team events like this, representing my club, that are my favourite part of competing. This year the relays took place in Sefton Park, Liverpool.
I would like to say a big thankyou to Kerry Eccles for driving me to the event, and Brian Jones, Helen Lawrenson and Lisa Minns for the company on the journey. It was a long, full day out, but well worth it.
Of the 12 stages in the men's competition, 4 of the legs were 'long' legs (approximately 4.7 miles) and 8 of the legs were 'short' (approx 2.4 miles).
I went out first leg for Wesham's 'A' team, which was a long leg. I got around the two laps in 24 minutes and 26 seconds, managing to pass the line in 15th place. This was a big improvement on my last performance at this event two years ago, and I am pleased to say that I managed to pick up some notable scalps on the day aswell.
I managed to reign back my hunger to go off early doors, and managed to build my way through the field in the second half of the race as a result.
I was pleased with my own performance and also immensely proud of all of the other members of our teams - as we managed to put out two full men's teams, as well as a very talented women's team.
Team Wesham's men came home in 52nd and 65th place overall, and the women managed a fantastic 25th place finish.
A great day of running, and a superb team event and experience.
It is team events like this, representing my club, that are my favourite part of competing. This year the relays took place in Sefton Park, Liverpool.
I would like to say a big thankyou to Kerry Eccles for driving me to the event, and Brian Jones, Helen Lawrenson and Lisa Minns for the company on the journey. It was a long, full day out, but well worth it.
Of the 12 stages in the men's competition, 4 of the legs were 'long' legs (approximately 4.7 miles) and 8 of the legs were 'short' (approx 2.4 miles).
I went out first leg for Wesham's 'A' team, which was a long leg. I got around the two laps in 24 minutes and 26 seconds, managing to pass the line in 15th place. This was a big improvement on my last performance at this event two years ago, and I am pleased to say that I managed to pick up some notable scalps on the day aswell.
I managed to reign back my hunger to go off early doors, and managed to build my way through the field in the second half of the race as a result.
I was pleased with my own performance and also immensely proud of all of the other members of our teams - as we managed to put out two full men's teams, as well as a very talented women's team.
Team Wesham's men came home in 52nd and 65th place overall, and the women managed a fantastic 25th place finish.
A great day of running, and a superb team event and experience.
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Wilmslow Half Marathon
Back to the racing this weekend means back to the blogging tonight :D
I arrived at Wilmslow for the half marathon this morning, knowing that I was in good form, but questionable health due to a week full of struggling with a chest infection.
Despite my problems, I had completed every session throughout the week, and despite coughing and spluttering up all sorts of phlem and gunk during my 20 minute warm up run this morning, I made the decision that I was fit to race.
My target for this race had been to try and dip under 72 minutes for the first time and perhaps push on further and look for close to a 71:30 in the final couple of miles if I had the energy left in my legs.
I knew the course from running it last year, so I had an idea of what to expect - a quick, mostly downhill start, an undulating middle section, followed by a gradual incline into the finish.
To get my target time I needed to produce a performance with an average time of 5:29 per mile (or quicker!)
I tried to get in with a good sized pack early on in the race, and managed to do just that. The pace through the first mile was a tad fast, but that was to be expected due to the downhill nature of the start. After going through the 1 mile marker in 5:18 though, I managed to relax back into a nice rhythm and the following 6 miles were all in and around the 5:25 mark.
The course had timing matts, that recorded your splits as you moved through 10km, 10miles and of course, the finish. I went through 10km in 33:32, for 37th place.
Then came the tough section of the race for me, as I struggled between miles 8-10, with my pace dropping off from below 5 and a half minutes per mile to 5:40s for the next 3 miles, and the pack that I had been in up until this point began to stretch out and threatened to leave me behind. At this stage of the race, I was conscious that my early good start had now been undone slightly and my target time was in danger of slipping away.
I had wanted to pass through 10 miles in approximately 55 minutes, and I did manage to do just that - in fact 54:54 for ten miles is actually quicker than my PB pace for that distance! I also picked off a few positions, even though that period had been a hard one for me, going through in 32nd place.
I am always confident in my ability to push on in the latter stages of halves, as I proved at Inskip back in late January, and thankfully I managed to produce a fairly strong finish today too, the 5:22 for mile 13 giving me just enough time to pop over the line in a new PB time of 71 minutes and 54 seconds, for 27th position.
I made it through the race in one piece, and hopefully the cameraman at the finish line didn't catch a shot of me throwing up everywhere as I pulled up!!! But it was definitely worth it for the feeling and buzz of setting another new personal best, and celebrating with a pub lunch and a pint with mum, dad and Molly before the journey home.
I arrived at Wilmslow for the half marathon this morning, knowing that I was in good form, but questionable health due to a week full of struggling with a chest infection.
Despite my problems, I had completed every session throughout the week, and despite coughing and spluttering up all sorts of phlem and gunk during my 20 minute warm up run this morning, I made the decision that I was fit to race.
My target for this race had been to try and dip under 72 minutes for the first time and perhaps push on further and look for close to a 71:30 in the final couple of miles if I had the energy left in my legs.
I knew the course from running it last year, so I had an idea of what to expect - a quick, mostly downhill start, an undulating middle section, followed by a gradual incline into the finish.
To get my target time I needed to produce a performance with an average time of 5:29 per mile (or quicker!)
I tried to get in with a good sized pack early on in the race, and managed to do just that. The pace through the first mile was a tad fast, but that was to be expected due to the downhill nature of the start. After going through the 1 mile marker in 5:18 though, I managed to relax back into a nice rhythm and the following 6 miles were all in and around the 5:25 mark.
The course had timing matts, that recorded your splits as you moved through 10km, 10miles and of course, the finish. I went through 10km in 33:32, for 37th place.
Then came the tough section of the race for me, as I struggled between miles 8-10, with my pace dropping off from below 5 and a half minutes per mile to 5:40s for the next 3 miles, and the pack that I had been in up until this point began to stretch out and threatened to leave me behind. At this stage of the race, I was conscious that my early good start had now been undone slightly and my target time was in danger of slipping away.
I had wanted to pass through 10 miles in approximately 55 minutes, and I did manage to do just that - in fact 54:54 for ten miles is actually quicker than my PB pace for that distance! I also picked off a few positions, even though that period had been a hard one for me, going through in 32nd place.
I am always confident in my ability to push on in the latter stages of halves, as I proved at Inskip back in late January, and thankfully I managed to produce a fairly strong finish today too, the 5:22 for mile 13 giving me just enough time to pop over the line in a new PB time of 71 minutes and 54 seconds, for 27th position.
I made it through the race in one piece, and hopefully the cameraman at the finish line didn't catch a shot of me throwing up everywhere as I pulled up!!! But it was definitely worth it for the feeling and buzz of setting another new personal best, and celebrating with a pub lunch and a pint with mum, dad and Molly before the journey home.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Intercounties XC!
It has been 24 hours since I arrived back home after making my Lancashire debut at the intercounties yesterday.
I am only putting my blog up now because of how shattered I was after getting back - it was some drive, totalling 250 miles round! And I tell you what, my glutes have been on fire today, I feel worse than I did after London last year!
I have to say that the course offered by Cofton Park (Birmingham) was a very good, testing and technical one. The experience was certainly one of the toughest I have had in recent times running.
A few things probably caught me out on the day - I set off too quick (shame on me!) a 5:19 mile probably wasn't the best decision considering it was largely uphill! Furthermore, the temperature was much warmer than I expected and a bit of a shock to the system after months of winter training! Finally, for a crosscountry course, there wasn't actually that much mud - probably in part due to the warm conditions encountered. This was a shame on a personal note as I feel myself to be stronger when thick deep in mud!
But the whole day and experience has been one that I will take a hell of a lot from and hopefully a big lesson that I can use to build on and come back stronger next XC season.
I was probably a tad harsh on myself immediately after the race yesterday as I know I faded badly on the final lap, but I suppose that is what pushes us to always try and come back and do better again and again - the passion and determination to be the best you can and always striving to improve yourself.
It has been a fantastic crosscountry season for me on the whole and one in which I have come on leaps and bounds. The only dissapointment had been that I had to miss a few of the mid-lancs races and couldn't complete the campaign this time. And getting the opportunity to represent my county and end the quest for the vest is an unbelievable way to bring it to a close.
Time to turn my attention back to the roads now, but I can't wait already to get back on the XC scene again next season!
I am only putting my blog up now because of how shattered I was after getting back - it was some drive, totalling 250 miles round! And I tell you what, my glutes have been on fire today, I feel worse than I did after London last year!
I have to say that the course offered by Cofton Park (Birmingham) was a very good, testing and technical one. The experience was certainly one of the toughest I have had in recent times running.
A few things probably caught me out on the day - I set off too quick (shame on me!) a 5:19 mile probably wasn't the best decision considering it was largely uphill! Furthermore, the temperature was much warmer than I expected and a bit of a shock to the system after months of winter training! Finally, for a crosscountry course, there wasn't actually that much mud - probably in part due to the warm conditions encountered. This was a shame on a personal note as I feel myself to be stronger when thick deep in mud!
But the whole day and experience has been one that I will take a hell of a lot from and hopefully a big lesson that I can use to build on and come back stronger next XC season.
I was probably a tad harsh on myself immediately after the race yesterday as I know I faded badly on the final lap, but I suppose that is what pushes us to always try and come back and do better again and again - the passion and determination to be the best you can and always striving to improve yourself.
It has been a fantastic crosscountry season for me on the whole and one in which I have come on leaps and bounds. The only dissapointment had been that I had to miss a few of the mid-lancs races and couldn't complete the campaign this time. And getting the opportunity to represent my county and end the quest for the vest is an unbelievable way to bring it to a close.
Time to turn my attention back to the roads now, but I can't wait already to get back on the XC scene again next season!
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