Hello. Are you in training yet?
Since my first blog post I’ve done a couple of ‘fitness things’ towards the Swansea Half Marathon training but I’m not exactly going bananas.
I’ve managed to stay on track with a couple of runs this week and a ‘pre 12 week marathon training plan plan‘ The idea is to build up a small amount of fitness so that when the training comes it’s not too crazy-hard.
What’s your fastest mile? I’ve heard it said that by the time you run a half marathon you should be capable of completing an 8 minute mile in order to get a sub two time. (For the record, 15% of females get a sub two time so the odds are against me. If I’m honest I think it’s closer to zero.)
I did this test out along the bay. I used my GPS watch to measure ‘performance’ and for the first 5 minutes I was averaging an 8 minute mile. I was like ‘yeeeesssssssssssssss I feel so alive!’ And then it went wrong. For the final few minutes I was gasping like a goldfish out of water, running in ‘slow mo’ through the sand (unintentional) like Chariots of Fire, only not a fit bloke in a white vest nor any winning to be had.
The result?
9:51.
Great, a sub ten but I felt wheezy and my knees hurt.
One slight problem. I need to be able to add 12 extra miles to that run on race day. Let me rephrase that. I need to achieve a ‘back to back’ 13 miles at even faster than that pace that nearly killed me for 1 mile on race day. I’ve worked out that to get the time 1:59:59 in the Swansea half marathon, my average pace should be 9 minutes and 9.14 seconds. I’ve heard you should pace your watch to 9 minutes and 9 seconds to be safe :). But I have one thing on my side. Time to improve, right?
What’s a ‘rest day?’: Apparently it’s a mistake to treat the words ‘rest day’ literally. I didn’t realise this for a long time. Years in fact. I used to just rest on the sofa and watch TV. Now I know that cross training on ‘rest days’ is key to getting a good time, I’ve planned some training, from my sofa!
- Davina Mccall Fitness DVD (still in its sellophane for 2 years, but at least it won’t be scratched when I play it)
- Darcy Bussell Pilates DVD (I’ve actually used this a lot – although I do think I left it out of the case and it IS scratched to hell, might not play)
- Circuits in the lounge (bench dips, squats, press ups, sit ups, side scissors, plank, jumping squats – I have no excuse of scratches here)
- Wii Fit – There’s a running game on there – will mean running on the spot. Also there’s the yoga programme and balance etc. I haven’t got this set up at the moment. Can I be bothered?
New routes: I’m going to enter some park runs and I plan to visit a different Swansea park every week or two for a run for a change of scenery. There are 85 parks and green spaces in Swansea. I have on my list already:
- Singleton Park
- Clyne Park
- Mumbles (along coast)
For those who are thinking of doing a half – the Active Swansea 12 week training plan provides the formula for preparing your legs. I’m following this plan for the next few months.
See you soon people
This post is also available in: Welsh