Finding a Benchmark :)

After what seems like forever, the frigid cold temperatures in Alberta finally lifted, and last weekend, I headed up to Edmonton for my run, where I was able to enjoy a 10 mile run in a balmy -18 degrees. It was actually quite nice to have that change of scenery, and I had a lovely run exploring a couple of new to me pathways and trails not too far from the downtown core. It was still quite snowy, but the pathways in the capital had much better footing than I'd been experiencing locally, and I was finally able to pick up the pace a little, although I was still feeling extremely slow.

YEG running :)

 

The slow paces in recent weeks have had me feeling somewhat concerned about my marathon goal in May, and I was starting to wonder whether I was perhaps getting a little ambitious in targeting that sub 3.15. My pace recently has been hovering around 9 minute miles which would give me a disappointing 4 hour marathon if I don't get some speed back in my legs. I am fully aware that a 4 hour marathon is still very respectable, but for me personally, I would not be happy with that kind of result.

Thankfully, coach Paul has started to introduce some faster paced runs into my schedule again, and Tuesday saw me taking on a 10km progression run for the first time in a while.

 I don't mind progression runs and they can sometimes be one of my favourite sessions - start slow, and gradually pickup the pace every kilometre or every 5 minutes or whatever, so that by the end, you are running at or quicker than your 5k race pace. It was still icy out on the pavements on Tuesday and I very nearly went to the local rec centre to do the session indoors, but the weather had gone much warmer - in fact, we were now above freezing - and having been running through the -30s and -40s for the past couple of weeks, I really couldn't see the point in heading indoors as soon as things warmed up.

I decided to run outside, and I tried to choose a route where I knew the pavements would have been cleared of snow and well salted, or at least consist of compact snow which would mean minimal ice and being able to pick things up. I chose well, and I was very happy to have hit my pacing almost spot on target, surprising myself and gaining a little bit of confidence when I saw that the last 3 miles had me running close to and under 7 minute miling pace. It still wasn't mega fast, and it was much harder than to run that kind of pace when compared to this time last year, but it was a start, and at least I knew that I had lots of work to do if I wanted to hit my marathon goal.

 Wednesday and Thursday were both 10 milers, and what a difference a day can make! I joined the local running group on Wednesday for part of my run, whilst the remaining solo miles were completed at a fairly decent 8.10 pace give or take. That felt comfortable and effortless and once again, I was starting to get a little bit of confidence that with almost four months before the marathon, I could get that pace down to the speed I wanted.

Evening run after work :)

 By Thursday though my legs had started to feel fatigued again, and with starting my period, I felt bloated and heavy and lacking in energy. The 10 miles felt more of a slog, it was another slower paced run despite trying to run a little quicker, and that sense of possible failure started to creep in again. I tried to put the thoughts to the back of my mind - after all, on Saturday I would be doing a half marathon at current marathon pace, and that would be the true indicator as to where I'm currently at.

After walking the pups at Terwillegar dog park on the Saturday morning, I made the decision to do the run on the treadmill. It was such a shame really as it was a gorgeous day for running outside, but the pavements were once again icy, some folks still hadn't shovelled the deep snow let alone tried to grit or put salt down, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to maintain a steady, continuous pace that I needed to practice doing.

Fun at Terwillegar dog park :)

 

Thankfully the LRC wasn't too busy, and I manged to get a hold of a treadmill for a couple of hours without any interruptions. That's the other thing at the local rec centre - the treadmills stop after just one hour, so you do lose some of that momentum whilst waiting for it to slow down and then restart again. I set the pace at 7.5 mph to start with - around 8 minute miles - and I felt sure that I could gradually increase the pace once I'd warmed up properly, with the goal of hitting around 1 hour 42 minutes - equivalent of around 3.25 for a full marathon, which is what I think I could do right now based on current fitness.

Things were going well and I was well pleased with how good the pace felt, so I picked things up even more, running at what looked to be around 7.45 - still well short of what I need to run in May, but still a good starting point for now, before the more structured marathon training kicked in. I was also quite surprised that I did not get bored whilst running on the treadmill, and it was only the last three miles where I was desperate to just get the run over and done with. I ended up finishing in just under 1 hour 45 minutes. I was happy enough with that, but also a little disappointed that I was so far off my target - but then I had to remind myself that my body is still used to the 9 minute plod of outdoor running in crazy cold temperatures and tons of layers, and not the 22 degrees of running indoors at a faster pace in a pair of road shoes! Besides, I would be doing a proper timed half marathon in a few weeks time, and I'm hoping that that will give a better indication of things.

 Sunday was once again a 10 mile easy run, and having not been out to Devon to run on the trails for a few weeks, I made the decision to head out there for some hills and another change of scenery. I was so glad that I did as the trails were in great condition - no ice, compact snow for the most part, and I had so much fun being out there where it was so peaceful and barely a soul around. The other thing I'm not used to right now is hills, and the hills out in Devon sure made the legs tired towards the end of the run. But if nothing else, I finished happy and smiling, feeling rejuvenated yet tired, and I knew that it had done me the world of good both physically and mentally being out there.

We were hoping to start filming my next video whilst out in Devon too. We've recently purchased a drone so that we can obtain some better footage for the videos, but we're still getting used to using it, and given that our location is on the flight path for the local airport, we haven't been able to practice as much as we wanted to. I was hoping to do a headtorch review ready for release later this week, but that will now be delayed along with the hot tent video. The good news is that next weekend looks promising weather wise, so we are hoping to go away for an overnight trip somewhere, and get some of the filming complete.

Devon trails fun :)

 For now though, tomorrow is the start of a new week and I'm looking forward to another speed session on Tuesday, and the parkrun next weekend, followed by a good sports massage. My legs are still quite tight and sore and in desperate need of some TLC, and massage therapy is usually a huge help and may improve my paces moving forwards. We also need to find somewhere to film our next video, so no doubt the next few days will be spent planning all that so that we can make the most of things next weekend and get something posted very soon.

 It isn't easy trying to find the time to run the miles I do, whilst owning a house, working full time, and having three little pups to look after each day, and on top of that, making videos and editing them. But we always make time to do the things we enjoy, and that's why we always find a way through. It's challenging, but it's fun :)

 Have a great week folks and I shall catch you all again soon!