London Calling....?

Well I haven't blogged for a while and it took another London Marathon disappointment to get my head sorted. I hadn't even realised that this had landed on the doorstep on Wednesday til yesterday....

I have run London twice. In 2006 as a corporate whore with Disney running for Childline, in 2011 I was lucky enough to get in the Bequest Draw and ran for a very small charity that regular readers will know all about. However the latest Dear John from London was my SIXTH failure, each time donating my entrance fee and receiving some cheap and nasty highly flammable garment probably made by some poor 5 year old in Bangladesh. Right then London that is the last time I even try to run your marathon. 

So for someone so injury prone who has lost his fitness in the past 10 months what should I do?

For a start I will start blogging more and use my Twitter mates for my inspiration. But what should I be inspired to do??? Running obviously but if I "just go running" then a person who lacks motivation such as myself may as well read "sit on my fat arse eating biscuits"! Because that is what I would do!

Anyway this is the plan for 2014: 

1. Blog more

2. Park Run at least 2 times a month

3. 1 other race a month at least

4.  Lose 2 stone in weight

5. Beat my PBs in the following distances (5k, 10k, HM and Marathons)

6. Do the High Peak 40 in September 2014

There I have said it now I just have to do it. Once the plans form more then I will blog to commit myself, however I am travelling for work next week so this will have to do for starters....! Now where's those HobNobs. 

LBx 

LB is 'back,'

Well I am writing this waiting for my car to be fixed. Exciting I know. 

Just a random quick blog. 

After a 3 month lay off and loads of stretches and Physio I finally got the all clear to start running again. Well I say running but let's say jogging. In fact I have been told to start with a mile of jog/walking and then running once every 2 days to gradually build up things. This is going to test my patience somewhat. I have blown up to the size of a barrage balloon recently and am desperate to get fit again. The NHS Physio was fantastic actually and the service no worse than going private. In fact I have a 6 week SOS period which whilst sounding rather dramatic is not really anything of the sort! If I break down (I guess physically not mentally) then I can get straight back on to the Physio and then fast tracked for an MRI which is good to know. 

So whilst this is the beginning I feel really excited about getting back out there and getting the miles back in the legs. Half marathon for the autumn the target and then next stop VLM2014!

LBx 

Milton Keynes 10K

Afternoon all

Well it has been a couple of weeks since my last blog so I thought an update was needed not least because yesterday was my third race since my comeback in September.

However before the race report a quick mention about the Run Streak.  After 26 days I am pleased to say that it is still going!  Against all expectations I have managed a run every day.  Most days have been between 3-5 miles with a few 1 milers thrown in for good measure.  My stats specific to the streak so far are:

85.2 Miles

4,538 ft of elevation

13 hrs

Not world breaking stats (just 3.3 miles per run) but I am really very aware that I do not want to screw this up by getting injured (yet again!) so will take it steady for now.  Of course when the marathon training starts keeping this streak going may not be possible for me personally but we will see where this ends.

The next major mile-stone I guess will be in 5 days time when I reach the end of month 1.  This is as far as I got last time I tried a run streak too so it will be nice to get past that for now.

MILTON KEYNES (Up and Running) 10K

So yesterday was another 10K race for me.  The last 2 were very unusual in the sense that the Virgin Triathlon was a team event.  I found that difficult because I had to wait around for my turn so I didn't feel too great when the race started and also I hadn't really trained due to injury.

The other was the Rugged Radnage which was pretty hardcore for me with over 500 ft of elevation in quite a short race.

Therefore the MK10K was my first real race that I felt I could gauge how the running was coming along.  I had previously ear-marked this race as my attempt to break 50 minutes.  However I started with that as a long shot because whilst I have been running a bit recently I have been just running rather than training.

The day was very similar to the RR with a beautiful crisp sunny and very cold morning.  The race was very small (less than 200 runners) and the course had to be changed at the last minute because of flooding.  However the new course proved a challenge because whilst it was a loop the first 6k of the race would essentially be all up hill with a run down through Campbell Park back to Willen Lake to the finish.

I had a couple of mates from London to stay so they ran too.  It was good to have some fat dad company.  After we started 2 of us got ahead of the other (in his own words he had a nightmare race) and after 4km the other got away from me.  I used him as a marker for the rest of the race though as a bit of a pace maker although at points he was well over 200 yards in front.  In the last 2 kms of the race I started to feel stronger and stronger and did all I could to get back on terms.  I managed to make it alongside with 200 yards to go.

Then began the most competitive sprint finish (for what was ultimately 61st place!) between 2 over-weight 40 somethings.  To say the pair of us are competitive is an understatement in the extreme.  As a result 2 large men sweated and huffed and puffed their way down the finishing straight.  I am pleased to say that LB triumphed by the narrowest of margins and to say my mate was pissed off was an understatement!

Finishing time was 52:04, which given pre race prep the night before included beer, wine, roast lamb and creamy pots, I was quite pleased with.

Next stop a January 10K when I will have a proper tilt at the 50 minute barrier!

LBx

LB Challenge - Rugged Radnage

Morning all


It has been a while since I blogged so thought I would get my thoughts down!  I really struggle to settle on a proper strategy about my running and I have now come to the conclusion that I am happiest just running when I want to, not feeling the need to follow a structure.  Just enjoying myself really.
After starting the training plan for the MK 10K in early December I hurt my groin (for about the billionth time!) and as a result missed 2 weeks of running.  I then got a nice dose of man-flu which completely knocked me sideways to be honest.  Therefore at the beginning of last week I knew that it was time to just enjoy myself again and the pace will come back in due course.Having had a couple of nice runs Thursday and Friday, I was looking forward to the Rugged Radnage 10K race on Sunday (yesterday).  However when I woke up on Saturday a little thought went through my tiny head.  'What if I go out for a cheeky 3 mile this morning, then by tomorrow I will be on Day 4....!'  Now, followers of Lardy Boy's 'progress' will know a run streak is something I have tried before, making it to day 20 something and then failing.  So this time it is something I want to embrace and have a crack at, trying to run at least 2 miles every day.  This time though I am not going to make a big deal out of it but the signs are good.  On the way back from the race yesterday (more on that in a mo) I was already thinking about what to do today.  As it happens I went out with Mrs LB for nice gentle 2.7 mile recovery run and all of a sudden I am at day 5!  The legs feel sore but ok, the groin is for now not causing much dis-comfort, so let's see what tomorrow brings.  Of course the focus for me remains the same:

• Lose weight
• 50 mins for the MK 10K
• 4 hours for the Brighton Marathon
• now I will add a run streak to this list but only if I am enjoying it

RUGGED RADNAGE

I have been meaning to do this race for a couple of years.  I grew up half a mile from Radnage and indeed my mum still lives there.  I found out that one of my mates and his wife help with the organisation, indeed I started following Denis (@RuggedRadnage) on twitter so I entered this year.  As well as some mates, I knew some of the Twitter Crew were going to be there so it would be good to meet them.

A week later I was invited to a friend's 40th Birthday Party in Belper (Derbyshire) the night before!  Typical.  The old LB would have cancelled the race, got hammered on the Saturday, had a fry up on Sunday morning then gone home.  This time though I behaved myself at the party, still had a great time although Mrs LB tucked into the wine so had me on the dance floor til midnight and got an OK night's sleep.  Then I got up at 6:30 and drove back in time for the race.

It was the most perfect day for a race, clear, cold but so sunny.  The race itself for me (and I think a lot of others) was more about finishing than a time.  The course is brutal in places with 2 big off road climbs at 4km and 10km.  The last one in particular is an absolute killer!   I was pretty happy with 1:04 (14 mins slower than my PB) given my preparation was so poor.  I would have liked to have broken an hour but it wasn't to be.  It was great to meet some of the Twitter Crew including  @Dunsrunner @mikew30 @TeamB_O_B @Stoerminator  @mrsstoerminator and @RuggedRadnage although a shame not to see them in the pub after the race!  Given their long journeys though they are excused!  There were others there that I didn't meet up with, next time!

Also an honourable mention to @A_Hirschybar  who walked the course and more.  She also took a some photos of me not looking so great at 7km!

I would recommend the Rugged Radnage as it is a very friendly race, quite small and sociable, a real challenge but the marshals etc were fantastic, very encouraging and making sure you didn't get lost in the woods and / or quagmires! I will definitely do this one again!

Have a great week all, I have rambled on enough....  Here's to the run streak lasting at least another day or so!

LBx

LB Brighton Challenge - Day 1

All roads lead to Brighton!

Well today was the start of the journey and, despite quite a lot of swearing, I quite enjoyed my first proper interval session.  Today's run was not quite in line with the original plan.  Mondays are rest days on the schedule.  However as I am in London tomorrow I thought I had better get Tuesday's session done early.  I also thought that Day 1 of the new challenge should actually contain some exercise!

Part of the challenge is to blog each day I run.

This morning, I had some company with Mrs LB joining me for some of the intervals (although I have to say she cut some corners!), although whilst she missed out on 2 of the intervals she did do some other exercises whilst I chugged away!

So this morning after a 1.5 Mile warm up I did 6 intervals around the rec near our house.  As it happens a lap is 475 metres so I stuck with that and I am quite pleased with the consistency if a little disappointed with the actual pace....  My intervals were:

2:01
1:59
1:58
2:01
2:02
2:01 

So I have got things started at least.  As I will plan on using the same laps, I obviously will be hoping to increase my speed on these as well as the reps.

There are of course 3 parts to this challenge so time to own up to the fact that as of this morning I am weighing in at 15stone!  Scary stuff.  But there it is commited to 'paper'....  The weight loss plan is simple.

Stick to the training schedules, no booze during the week, no bread, no cheese, and no beer at home.  The plan is to hit 13stone although I would be happy with 13.5.

Lots on so better dash, have a good week.

LBx

A Plan Hatched

I always feel a commitment to my blog is a bit of a contract.  When I started out at the beginning of 2011 with the 1,000 mile goal it helped knowing that I was blathering on about it on-line.  It felt like I had no choice!  So here goes....

Simply put a plan has been hatched.  I now have 3 goals set for the next 6 months.

1.       Sunday 9^th December 2012 I will be attempting to run a 10k in less than 50 minutes

2.       Sunday 14^th April 2013 I will attempting to run a marathon in less than 4 hours

3.       By Sunday 14^th April I will have lost 2 stone in weight

Simple.

Well not quite that simple but I have had an incredibly frustrating 2012 with a lot of injury problems.  This has provided devil on my shoulder with the ammunition it needed to make me put weight on this summer and lose my fitness overall.

The last couple of months have been better however, without clear goals, I am afraid that I will fail in any attempts to run faster or lose weight without the goals above in place. 

Any miles I run will, as ever be logged here, but EVERYTHING I do for the next 27 weeks is focused on the 3 targets above.

So what about my approach to each.  I will start at the end by cutting out beer at home, no booze during the week, no bread, no cheese, no biscuits... In fact my diet isn’t that bad but the booze and the fatty snacks are the killer for me.  Whilst building core strength to compliment the running, I hope that the diet will help me hit the weight goal I have of 13 ½ stone. (I know am a fat bastard now, I am not called Lardy Boy for nothing!)

So what about the running, well the first target is to shift some pounds and do a specific 8 week schedule that gets me race fit for a proper hit at a sub 50 minute 10k in Milton Keynes on December 9^th.  I found this schedule on Runner’s World and the plan is laid out below:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Rest	2M warm up 8x400m with 3min recoveries 2M cool down	4-7M slow	30 mins Light Fartlek	Rest	2M easy 3x1M at 80% 3min recovery 2M easy	5M easy
Rest	2M warm up 6x600m with 3min recoveries 2M Warm Down	4-7M slow	30 mins steady hills	2M easy 3x1.5M at 80% 4min recovery 2M easy	6M easy	Rest
Rest	2M warm up 5x800m with 6min recoveries 2M cool down	4-8M slow	30 mins Fartlek	Rest	Warm Up 20 mins at 70% 20 ins at 90% Cool Down	7M easy
Rest	2M easy 3x500m with 3min recoveries and 800 sets 2.M cool down	4-7 slow	20 mins Tempo	Rest	Warm Up 4x1M with  4min recoveries Cool Down	8M easy
Rest	2M easy 10x400m with 3min recoveries 2.M cool down	Rest	45 mins including hills	Rest	4M easy	Rugged Radnage 10k Race – no chance of PB here!
Rest	2M warm up 14x400m with 400m recoveries 2M cool down	Rest	20 mins Tempo	6-9 gradual with last 3 miles at 10K race pace	10M easy	Rest
Rest	2M warm up 3x1,200 m with 400m recoveries 2M cool down	4-7M slow	30 mins easy	Rest	2-4M easy with some strides	MK 10k Race

I feel bloody knackered just typing that lot out! And this is just the prep for a 10k!  I will share more about the marathon plan after the race in December but I have realised that in previous marathon training schedules I have done too much ‘going for a run’ runs which have either been too slow or too fast depending on what the targets are!  Anyway more on that to come.

i have just got through the 275 mile barrier for the year.  Bearing in mind I hardly ran for 6 months because of injury I guess that will have to do!

As ever please share this on Twitter if you can the more the merrier.  I will also make sure I keep the blog up to date because I have been crap at that too.

LBX

Virgin Triathlon

Over the past few weeks I have been simply trying to build myself back up to being able to run a 10k race comfortably enough to be able to have a real go at it.

There is no doubt that the effects of the injury continue to plague me, mentally more than anything.  I can't quite 'go for it'.  Something still is holding me back.

Therefore I was more than a little nervous this weekend as I headed for the Excel Centre for the massive Virgin Triathlon.  What an amazing venture that is.  All the transitions etc are in one of the cavernous halls at the Excel, and there are multiple races, phases etc throughout the whole weekend.

I had teamed up with a couple of friends to head out in the 12:30 race on Saturday afternoon.  This whole concept of a team threw up a couple of unforeseen challenges for me:

1.  As a member of a team doing something very individual made me not want to let them down.  As it happened our swimmer swam a PB of 30:39 for 1,500 metres and our cyclist did a 1:24 min cycle having never done this before so he had a 'PB' too.... so as I headed out for my race knowing I really stood no chance of a PB made me feel a but odd

2.  I had to hang around for HOURS before I could run.  If I do this race again I will prepare very differently.  Not knowing exactly when you are going to start causes a few issues.  One of which is when to have to final loo pit stop!!

Anyway my race went pretty well although with some of each lap (4 laps in total) being indoors meant my Garmin was next to useless so my pace was a little quick at the beginning.  Also because of all the hanging around I felt very heavy legged even in the first 20 minutes of running.  This is unusual for me so was a little disconcerting.

When you add in the fact is was quite a warm afternoon, I guess I should be happy with my time but I can't help but feel that I should have run faster.  Still I have a couple more races (see below) to run quicker although the Rugged Radnage is not exactly a PB course!

As you will see below I have been getting back out there in the last couple of weeks, running either on my own or with Mrs LB.  Is is great to be running relatively pain free, I just have to remain patient and the pace will come.

Over the next couple of months I am remaining focused on 10k races.  After Christmas and into the spring I will carry on building the miles ahead of the marathon(s) in April.  I will find out about London next month; I am not holding out much hope but at least I have Brighton in the bag.

Have a cracking week all!

LBx

2012 RACES	Time
10k	00:54:19	Virgin Team Triathlon	22nd September 2012
FUTURE RACES
10k		Rugged Radnage	18th November 2012
10k		Up & Running MK 10K	9th December 2012
Marathon		Brighton Marathon	14th April 2013
Marathon		London Marathon (Ballot)	21st April 2013
PERSONAL BESTS
Distance	Time	Race	Date
1m	00:06:49	Magic Mile	31st January 2012
5k	00:24:30	Training	10th February 2012
10k	00:50:26	Training	5th February 2012
HM	01:52:00	Wycombe Half Marathon	July 1989!!!
16m	02:26:12	Kingston Breakfast Run	27th March 2011
Marathon	04:32:12	London Marathon	17th April 2011
2012 ACTIVITY	Distance	Elevation	Pace
06-Sep	3.2 Miles	175 ft	09:31 mm
10-Sep	3.2 Miles	175 ft	09:37 mm
11-Sep	4.9 Miles	341 ft	09:10 mm
16-Sep	4.9 Miles	341 ft	09:16 mm
17-Sep	2.3 Miles	150 ft	08:41 mm
18-Sep	6.5 Miles	361 ft
21-Sep	2.3 Miles	150 ft	09:11 mm
22-Sep	6.2 Miles	175 ft	08:45 mm
2012 TOTAL	238.9 Miles