Last week I discussed at great length the problems I was having with my Garmin 310. It was giving me the wrong readings and it basically meant I was out by about 10 secs per mile....problem has been solved!
I dropped my 310 on Saturday, broke the screen and it is now ~#@c*ed. Sorted. Looks like I will be using my Garmin F60 with calibrated foot pod for a while.
This last week has been recovery once again, however, I did rack up a planned 70 miles. I know, I can hear you say ‘recovery’; 70 miles.... however, the pace was easy and the runs have all been about loosening myself up and working on elements to make my running better in the future.
A couple of key elements have emerged: firstly, my fitness and secondly, my shoe choice.
Fitness
My recovery two weeks has allowed me to assess progress in the first quarter of the year. Firstly two back to back marathons at sub 3 pace and a PB of 2:53 confirmed I had got things right. What was interesting is the variety and quantity of events undertaken to get to this point. Only a few weeks before the Paris Marathon PB, I had run an 80km Ultra. Prior to this I had run several other marathons and another ultra. For me, it really does confirm that good marathon performances can come off the back of volume. The elites very rarely run beyond marathon distance as they say the chance of injury increases, however, they do run 100+ miles every week and in the case of one or two, in particular Brit Lemoncello, he runs 150+ miles... I wonder if over distance running in conjunction with threshold, intervals and hills would push the marathon time faster? I would love to look into it! For me, a noticeable point has been fitness, resting HR and recovery. All have improved and I have found my ‘easy’ runs at below 75% mhr to be in the 130 bpm zone. This long term is a positive note as I move up my effort to the higher heart rates I should be running quicker for the same effort. Roll on Venice.
Shoes
I am a big fan of Adidas and my shoe choice has always been ‘Glides’ for everyday, ‘Bostons’ for tempo and then I have used one of the slimmed down flats for half marathon or marathon. However, although the current 2010 Adidas shoes have the same name, they have changed the shoes. The Glide now feels a heavier less flexible shoe, The Boston (which I love) feels a little more cushioned. I have therefore started doing nearly all my runs in the Boston. Normally a shoe I would only use for certain sessions or racing. But the shoe feels great, comfortable and cushioned. It may mean I need to review my ‘racing’ shoe choice?
Another thing I am doing is making my feet stronger. I have been doing this for a long time... I use a shoe called a ‘Vivo’. It offers no support and basically just adds a protection layer to the sole to avoid damage. http://www.terraplana.com/sparta-p-1573.html?colour=57
Maybe this is one reason why the new Glide feels cumbersome? Don’t get me wrong, the Glide is still a good shoe but I will only use it on really long stuff. I have also been using Nike ‘Lunarglide’ and ‘Lunarracer’. Both these shoes offer cushioning but offer a greater feel with the ‘floor’. This is something I really like.... I am not sure of the hype about space technology etc, but they are great shoes!.
Recovery time has also meant some ‘chill’ time. I kicked back a little and enjoyed a few extra glasses of wine. I had a couple of indulgent meals, one in particular was a lovely gift from Niandi. And I took in a couple of concerts. Well, the same concert; twice! Believe it or not, the leather clad, 7” heel wearing, face painted rock band, KISS. I took Josh, my son to the Birmingham gig and I took my Mum to Manchester. Absolutely superb entertainment! I have been a far from way back when.... I know they are tongue in cheek, but hey, they are superb entertainment.
Clients are currently training or recovering with one exception. Julie Deadman has returned from injury at Paris Marathon to run two superb 5k’s. Getting 4th overall in the first and then 3rd overall in the third. I am sure she may very well add a comment to this page to give you all an update. Great work Julie !!!
If you have any news, information or something you would like to share, lets hear from you. Have a great week.
Ian
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