10K moderate, 6 miles tempo

I thought of having the morning off in case the previous night's race had strained anything, but did eventually drag myself out with the thought that I could easily cut the session short if need be. Along the canal the air seemed to be very dry, even though there was some light rain, and I was ready to give up at several points as I felt quite tired and my stride faltered a couple of times. I was concerned about running out of energy completely and being late back home, so I thought I could just come straight back up Maryhill Road, but at the halfway point I was somehow a few seconds up on my previous attempt so persevered. I reached the main entrance to the Botanic Gardens exactly on 30 minutes and as I climbed the hill at the top of Queen Margaret Drive it was clear that I was going to beat 40 minutes again. My finishing time was 38:50, 6:14 per mile.

The club session in the evening was 6 miles around Bearsden. Numbers were slightly down so the two fastest packs had been combined and they set off just as I was getting out of the car, so it took me the first half mile or so to catch up. The pace was very steady (just outside 7-minute miles) until we reached Mosshead Road about halfway round, where there was a small breakaway. I tagged along behind the front three until we climbed the hill up Boclair Road, where I got to the top first, then built up speed down Rannoch Drive and kept it going all the way back to the Science Park, mainly to stay far enough ahead that I wouldn't be dragged into a sprint finish. Time was 40:44, distance almost exactly 6 miles.

800m

It's been a long time since I ran a race on the track so I drove to Linwood in the evening for the Open Graded meeting. I was keen to see whether increased weekly mileage would compensate for a lack of speedwork. There were 800m and 1500m races scheduled but the 1500m would have meant hanging around for over an hour, so I only entered the 800m, giving 2:09 as my PB and 2:10 as my anticipated time. It turned out that the heats were being run slowest tof astest, and the events were somewhat behind schedule, so I had to hang around for nearly an hour in any case. Although the meeting was fairly well attended, I was surprised to be placed in the third-fastest heat with some teens rather than the second-fastest, but it turned out that everybody in the next two races was well inside 2:10.

The kidz in my heat all set off much too fast and I was trailing badly at 100m, and still last but gaining on them at 200. At this stage I still thought I could win and started picking them off one by one, although having to go past on the outside while they were still fairly bunched was a bit of a nuisance. I went through 400m in 64 seconds and moved into second place 100m further on, although by now it was looking like the guy in the lead had built up too much of a gap. My time at 600m was 1:39 and I wasn't able to pick up enough speed to do anything except hold onto second place with a slightly disappointing time of 2:13.93. Afterwards I recovered fairly quickly. I would probably have done better in the 1500m where not having any leg speed wouldn't be so much of a factor.

10K moderate

Finally got up early enough to tackle a 10K route which was different from the one I had originally planned. It was the same as my new 4.8-mile route as far as Maryhill Road, then turning onto Garrioch Road, down to Great Western Road as far as the Botanic Gardens, back up Queen Margaret Drive and home via Maryhill Road and Garscube Road. I picked up some speed along the canal and reached the halfway point in just over 20 minutes, which was fine for the 41-minute pace I was expecting to run. By the time I got to the hill at the bottom of Queen Margaret Drive I seemed to have made up some time as sub-40 looked possible, and after struggling up the hill I still had a reasonable chance as the remaining part of the route was mostly downhill. In the end I was comfortably inside 40 minutes at 39:32, 6:20 per mile. Needless to say, sore quads all the way round.

4.8 miles moderate, hills

I failed to set the alarm properly but still woke up in time to get in a few miles before breakfast, albeit not the planned 10K. Ran the same 4.8-mile route I tried a couple of times last week, this time finishing in 31:46, 6:37 per mile, despite getting stuck at St George's Road for about 20 seconds.

In the evening I jogged from Bearsden Asda down to Chesters Road for a couple of hill reps. I was barely able to move from the outset but loosened up after a minute or two. The reps were completed in 68 and 67 seconds. Legs were pretty wasted after the first one but I convinced myself to do another on the premise that it would be the last one for the evening and I would have a long recovery first. I felt slightly the better for it afterwards.

4 miles slow, 11.8 miles steady

Went out with Natasha before lunch for 4 miles around the West End, this time all the way to the bottom of Byres Road and back via Sauchiehall Street.

In the late afternoon I ran an old route along the canal, up Balmore Road to Allander Toll, along Auchenhowie Road and back down Milngavie Road and Maryhill Road, including a detour via Killermont Road and Cluny Avenue. After five miles I was about a minute up on my fastest previous attempt, despite feeling quite slow. Later on I did slow down as I faded in the heat, and ran out of PSP22 with a few miles to go. Finished with very sore quads in 1:22:54, 7:01 per mile.

5K steady, 5K slow

Ran to Lochburn Road and back in the morning, about 5K in total. Quads starting to hurt again. In the evening I went out with Natasha for 5K around the West End.

4.8 miles moderate

Went out before breakfast for the same 4.8-mile route as Wednesday. I did consider having a day off but felt like I needed to get back into the habit of racking up a few miles in the morning. Finished in 31:53, 6:38 per mile.

Club 5 mile race

After a few days of relative inactivity, I felt OK for the club 5 mile race at Milngavie Water Works, if slightly over-tapered. I was one of a small group of three runners that set off at a fast pace. There was no prospect of winning so my goal was second place. We passed the 1-mile marker in 5:15 which seemed comfortable enough despite the strong wind, and I ran at the front for a long time to keep the pace up. The second mile was only slightly slower than the first, but the group had still been inseparable up to that point. The pace suddenly became too difficult to maintain and I dropped back into third as the other two opened up a gap.

I was starting to resign myself to a disappointing third-place finish and the loss of a valuable Summer League point when the front pair separated after about a hundred metres, and I started to make up ground on second place while the race leader moved further ahead. I went into second shortly afterwards and gradually pulled away. Somewhere between three and four miles the gap became comfortable, although I must have dropped slightly outside 6-minute miles by this point. My finishing time was 28:47, over a minute faster than last year. I would probably have run a better time in a less tactical race.

4.8 miles steady

After an extra rest day to fight off a thigh strain, I went out before breakfast for a shorter route than I had planned for this week, chosen so if I ended up having to walk home I wouldn't have too far to go, and also to keep the hills to a minimum. The route took me down Garscube Road, down the path behind Abercorn School, over the footbridge and onto the canal towpath as far as Lochburn Road, then back up Maryhill Road. I started off cautiously and everything seemed OK so I gradually picked up speed. The route came out at 4.8 miles and I completed it in 32:57, 6:51 per mile, without any problems.

Conic Hill

Didn't do any running, but walked from Balmaha to the top of Conic Hill and back down again. Legs were fine with the occasional bit of stretching on the way up.

7.5 miles slow

I had originally intended to run up to Milngavie Station and back but didn't feel too great and bailed out at Kessington Road. Walked/jogged back home, total time about 67 minutes.

4.3 miles slow, 2x3 miles steady, 200m reps

Ran down to Langside in the morning with Natasha to collect the car. In the afternoon I jogged up to the Caldercuilt track to try a set of 200m reps with recoveries decreasing by 15 seconds each time. There was a stiff breeze and the underfoot conditions were very heavy, so I could only manage 34/35 seconds per 200m, and I forgot what the exact recoveries were and started at 75 seconds instead of 90, which meant 6 reps instead of 7. Gave up after the first set and jogged back down the road.

9K steady, 10.5 miles moderate

It was more difficult than usual to drag myself out before breakfast, but I persevered and ended up running the same route at a much steadier pace. Finished in 38:31, 6:50 per mile, which was better than I had expected. This took me up to 50 miles since Saturday.

The club training session in the evening was a 10.5-mile run through Dawsholm Park, along the Kelvin Walkway to Botanic Gardens, up Queen Margaret Drive to join the canal at the fire station, then all the way out to Blairdardie, and back to the Science Park via Canniesburn Road. Some of the fast pack took the 6.5-mile option which involved leaving the canal at Lock 27, but I pressed on to take my total for the week up to an almost-unprecedented 60 miles and help me justify an entire day off on Friday. There was a spell between 7 and 8 miles where the pace seemed to increase slightly and I had to work hard to keep up, but the hills brought some respite after we left the canal. Quads were just as sore as usual. Time for the 10.5 miles was 1:11:14.

9K moderate

I went out again before breakfast for the usual 9K route. This time I had some bad luck with the traffic lights at Bilsland Drive and Ruchill Street which cost me at least 20 seconds. I made up some of the time later on to arrive back home in 37:09, just four seconds down on the previous morning.

9K moderate, pyramid reps

Ran the same route as yesterday before breakfast. The quads were still sore although a bit better than the previous evening. This time it took 37:05, 6:35 per mile, which wasn't too bad as it seemed like more of a struggle. The first mile - mostly uphill - is invariably the slowest.

In the evening the club training session was two sets of pyramid reps on the grass at the bottom of Dawsholm Park. I was wearing shoes with no grip (expecting road reps) and there were some sharp corners but it wasn't too much of a problem. I trailed along at the back for the first few reps while I loosened up a bit, but I managed to put in more of an effort later on.

9K moderate, 3 miles recovery

I went out before breakfast for a slightly different morning route which was the same as the usual Dorchester Avenue loop until the Botanic Gardens, where I headed up Queen Margaret Drive to Maryhill Road. This took it up to 5.625 miles. There's no danger of getting stuck at the Botanic Gardens traffic lights any more as I have plenty of time to cross Queen Margaret Drive, but the hill at the end is quite tough. My first attempt was completed in 36:55, 6:33 per mile.

In the evening I could hardly move my legs but dragged myself from Bearsden Asda down to Station Road, up Chesters Road and back via Roman Road and Roman Drive.

14 miles moderate

In the late afternoon I tackled at a 14-mile loop I haven't run in a long time. The route was via Kelvingrove Park and Yorkhill, then the cycle path to Clydebank, and back along the canal, rejoining Maryhill Road at the fire station. I reached the canal in Clydebank in 48 minutes, comfortably inside the 50 minutes I remembered from previous attempts, although the improved walkway alongside the Expressway probably helped. A few minutes later the knee problem was threatening to resurface but it was fine again after 30 seconds and didn't bother me again, although I could feel the hamstring on the same side was getting a bit tight. Checking the route later on Gmaps showed my pace must have increased slightly on the way back and I finished in 1:33:48 for a 6:43/mile average. The distance was actually 13.95 miles.

5 miles slow, 2x3K slow, hills

Went out in the morning with Natasha for 5 miles through Kelvingrove Park, Yorkhill and Anderston at a 9-minute-mile pace. In the afternoon I jogged down to Gardner Street for hill reps, timed at 50-50-49-50-50. On a couple of the reps, including the fastest one, there was a bit of a headwind for the last 50 metres or so. Managed to pick up the pace for a spell on the jog back home, so I might consider adding another rep next time. My knee drew attention to itself a couple of times during the day but is now less of a concern.

8 miles tempo

I was wary of training with the club the day after a race as these sessions usually end up being quite severe despite whatever intentions I may have had to run at a steady pace. The course was quite hilly for the first few miles, involving a climb through Bearsden, a steep descent down Chesters Road and another climb over Pendicle Road. We reached the 4-mile point near Drumchapel Hospital in exactly 28 minutes and headed back along the canal, with the pace gradually increasing and the fast pack starting to fragment as usual. I found it fairly tough around 6 miles and could feel some hamstring tightness, as well as the usual sore quads, but it didn't get any worse and I managed to hang on without too much difficulty to finish with the leaders in 53:48. The distance was measured at just over 8.1 miles. A few months ago I would probably have dropped off the pace just after the halfway mark. Later on I had some pain on the outside of my right knee which was probably related to muscle tightness. I'll take a day off on Friday and see how it goes over the weekend with the intention of resuming morning training sessions next week.

Co-operative jogscotland 5K challenge

I had a day off completely on Tuesday and felt a lot better by the time of the race. Normally I would shy away from anything with "jog" in the name but the event was part of the club Summer League. A 6.30pm start meant I had to eat an energy bar at around half past four and go straight to Glasgow Green from work.

My plan was to try to run an ambitious 3:15 per kilometre and hang on as long as I could, but I went through the 1K marker in 3:25. I was still quite far up the field and feeling fine so I decided the marker must be slightly out, and I think I reached 2K at something like 6:45 which wasn't much better. Some of the runners in front of me started to slow down after 3K and I made up a place here and there. Time at 4K was 13:30, and I sprinted down the finishing straight to pass one runner and hold another off, crossing the line in 16:35 by my watch, 16:33 chip time - second Garscube finisher and 19th overall. It seems highly unlikely that I ran the last kilometre in 3 minutes, or that I was speeding up as the race went on, so I think the markers weren't quite right after all. My time was 29 seconds outside my 5K PB from early 2003, but probably also my fastest road 5K since then.

5.57 miles moderate, 3.2 miles easy

I extended my normal morning route down Great Western Road to St George's Cross and home via St George's Road and Cedar Street. This came out at almost 5.57 miles, which didn't quite add the extra half mile I was hoping for. Completed in 36:14, 6:30 per mile. Quads quite sore, no other problems.

In the evening I ran an easy lap of the old 5-mile course after setting out from Bearsden Asda. Legs were very stiff.

10 miles moderate

Went out in the late afternoon to try the decreasing loops totalling 10 miles which I had last attempted exactly three months ago. On the first loop, via Cleveden Road, I was comfortably ahead of my usual morning schedule at the point on that particular route where I turn onto Dorchester Avenue, and I reached the end of the loop (at the Woodside Inn) just inside 30 minutes. The second loop, via Garrioch Road, was completed in a further 20 minutes without too much difficulty, and although the climb up Maryhill Road seemed a bit tougher on the final loop via Queen Margaret Drive, I finished in 1:04:23, which works out at 6:26 per mile. This was nearly 8 minutes faster than my previous attempt. Gmaps confirmed the distance as 10.05 miles.

5K slow

Had an easy day consisting of a slow 5K jog around the West End with Natasha before lunch.

5.15 miles moderate

I gave serious consideration to having a day off but managed to drag myself out before breakfast for what should be a final attempt at the 5.15-mile route before adding another half-mile. On reaching Great Western Road I was slightly down on the previous morning's run but was feeling relatively fine and made up some time on the way back, with some good luck at traffic lights. Time was 33:13, just one second down on my previous best from last week.

5.15 miles moderate, 10 miles steady

Went out before breakfast for the same 5.15-mile route. Legs a bit stiff from playing football on Wednesday evening. I was a few seconds up on Wednesday morning's run up until the last mile or so when I eased off a bit. Finished in 33:35, 6:31 per mile.

In the evening I jogged the 5K or so up to the club training session feeling quite sluggish. A smaller turnout than usual meant the fast pack had left shortly before I arrived, and via the top gate otherwise I would have seen them on Maryhill Road. Instead I ran up to Kessington for a single steady lap of the old course of the club 5-mile road race, with a loop of the warmup trail at the end to make it up to 3.5 miles, completed in just over 25 minutes. I ran back down the road feeling slightly better although with sore quads again.

5.15 miles moderate

Ran my usual 5.15-mile route before breakfast in 33:24 (6:29 per mile) which wasn't too bad after the previous evening's hard training session.

Medium reps

Arrived back in Glasgow in the afternoon. The club training session in the evening was 550m reps along the canal after a warm-up jog of a mile or so. The first rep was run at a steady pace while we gauged the distance, and the next few got progressively faster. After a few days off I felt able to push on a bit in the second half and finished the 8th and final rep with nothing left in my legs and feeling like I was going to fall flat at any second. Times were something like 1:48, 1:40, 1:38, 1:35, 1:34, 1:33, 1:35, 1:32. Managed to recover enough afterwards to jog back to the car. Stomach muscles were a bit sore for some reason.