Anatomy of a Long Slow Sunday Run

Today I ran my last Long Slow Run (usually abbreviated too LSR), which was 21 miles and 3hrs 23 minutes long. This marked the peak of my training program - now I'll move into Taper mode where I reduce the intensity and volume of the training sessions until race day

Given the timing, I thought it might be interesting to go through a long run in detail to explain how I feel etc (If you don't find it interesting, then tough. This is MY blog after all :-) )


Pre-run

My LSR prep doesn't start on a Sunday morning or even Saturday evening. It probably starts on Friday, when I start planning a route. I prefer to avoid repetitive loops of the same ground if I can help it, and also dislike running very long distances around towns due to issues with crossing roads, kerbs, driveways etc, but when you get up to 15 miles + it gets harder and harder to find "off road" areas big enough.
I have mainly used Windsor Great Park as it's one of the biggest around, but even then there's some cross-over and repetition. I usually plot a couple of routes as it may vary depending on whether I'm meeting other runners midway through or not.

On Saturdays I do parkrun, then check if any of my parkrun friends fancy joining me for a run, then finalise my route and timing based on that. Saturday afternoon and evening is spent trying not to over-exert myself, and wistfully eyeing the off-limits beer in the fridge. I lay out my running gear, put water bottles in the fridge and do all the mundane stuff  - oh Saturday nights just fly by in the Murphy house :-)


Sunday

Alarm goes off at 5.45 am. Frankly that's an inhumane time to be up on a Sunday, especially when it's voluntary. It's necessary though if I want to salvage any time from the day....I need to eat some breakfast to fuel me for the run, and ideally finish eating at least an hour before my run starts. I like to start runs early so my Sunday isn't completely obliterated, so starting by 7.30 means food by 6.15-6.30 latest. Hence the early alarm call (I now get up earlier on weekends than workdays. That's just wrong)

I check my stuff  - I have
2 x bottles of water (one to carry and one for when I finish)
4 x energy gels
1 x belt to carry them in
1 x nano Ipod
1 x post run change of clothes
1 x towel
1 x Vaseline tub for the sensitive spots (chafing is a KILLER)


The Run

I start off at 7.30am from Virginia Water car-park, heading left along the south shore of the lake. The park is virtually deserted at this time, with only a handful of runners and dog-walkers around, which is a relief. Trying to weave your way through crowds walking 5 or 6 abreast on the path and dodging errant dogs/kids on scooters/people on their phones is an occupational hazard as the day wears on.
The first couple of miles are nice and handy, flat and useful for settling into running rhythm. At 2.5 miles I pass Johnson's Pond and hit the base of Breakheart Hill, the first test. It's Ok for most of it then curves steeply uphill at the end, before you crest the top and are rewarded with the flattest straightest section of the park, cutting across the Polo fields.
At this point I'm feeling good - I'm  over 3 miles in, in a nice rhythm with perfect weather (cloudy and a little chilly - you can keep your warm sun).and the body is behaving itself

I take a left turn after the Polo fields and head into the heart of the park, downhill past the Royal School before the tough section which climbs past the Jubilee statue up to Prince Consort's Drive.This is one of the more uphill sections of the park and it's always a relief to turn at the infamous Pink House and start downhill towards the golf club.

Once I get past the Royal Village I turn right to head back towards the Copper Horse and Deer park - this is about an hour in, so time for my first energy gel and drink of water  - very important to plan the nutrition in advance and ensure you time it correctly. I'm careful not to take too much water on as I don't fancy having my stomach "sloshing" or needing to pee in 5-6 miles!

My route winds its way past the Copper Horse statue of the crazy King George III and back to the Bishopsgate entrance - this section is one of the most scenic, with fabulous views of Windsor Castle and beyond. I eventually wind my way back through the Polo fields and down past the Totem Pole to meet my friend Ian at the car-park - he has agreed to come run the second section with me.

Having some company on a run like this is a massive help, even if it's only for half of it. It breaks the run up so you focus on the first 10.5 miles rather than the lot, and the conversation proves to be  a welcome distraction from the tiring legs.
The legs are tiring a little at this stage, especially we head off uphill from the Totem Pole to the Obelisk, Saville Gardens and Rhodendron Drive. This section is mainly uphill and suddenly the legs realise they've already been out for nearly 2 hrs and start to complain.
Like most long distance runners, I ignore the muttering and focus on other stuff - talking, having more gels, the view...anything except how far is still to go and how much it might hurt.

We take my original route in reverse on this section, as it's always interesting to attack inclines from the other side. I meet a couple of faces I know from parkrun, running the opposite way, and the miles tick over...13, 14, 15. At this stage I'm wobbling a little bit - looking at my watch too often, allowing the aching legs in. But I don't seriously contemplate stopping or anything, and the wobble passes as I get to 16 and then 17 miles, and I know the end is drawing closer

Between 17 and 18 miles I find a new rhythm and I realise I'm comfortable - helped by the ending of the uphill sections. I feel good crossing the Polo Fields for the 3rd time an we head down Breakheart hill (which can often be as difficult as going uphill). By the time we turn back onto the lake path I've done 19 miles, I've passed the 3 hour mark and my legs appear to be operating on their own as I drift along above them, though my back has started to ache a little
There's a final obstacle though as we plunge down by the waterfall and have to climb steeply back up, not a nice thing after over 20 miles.

I reach the carpark in 20.5 miles.....and of course I have to run on a little bit to round up to 21 :-)

That's the run finished - 21 miles in 3 hrs 23 minutes and 8 seconds. It's 11am and I'm done.


Post-run

Except I'm not done, not quite. There's still some important bits to do.

Stretching - to help stop the muscles from seizing up
Re-fuelling  courtesy of a massive fry-up at a café in Egham (3 sausage, 4 bacon, 2 hash browns, 2 eggs, beans, toast and 3 teas if you really want to know)
Foam rolling - a vital component of my recovery from every run, long or short. Makes a huge difference in muscle soreness and general stiffness the day after.

Then finally, I am done, and can lie on the sofa and think about a beer. Well, it is Sunday.

The wonderful diversion of parkrun

Yesterday was a month to marathon day. I have two more long runs to do ( 19 and 21 miles or so, if you're asking) before I hit taper. The weather is slowly warming (unfortunately for me, I prefer cold wet days to run!) and there's an inescapable feeling that everything's moving to a climax. Not least as I received my marathon programme and registration form today!


So I'm going to ignore the incessant marathon talk, and instead focus on parkrun - the other end of the running spectrum, both in distance (5k vs 42k) and in spirit in many ways ( free community based run vs huge corporate based behemoth).

Let's be clear - I bloody well love parkrun. It's absolutely ace and one of the major keystones of my running life. At it's bare bones, it's a free 5km run on Saturday mornings in parks all around the UK and the world. It's volunteer organised and run, with the emphasis on community involvement and focussing on the joy of running rather than competing.
Frankly, if you're reading this blog and don't already know about parkrun, then go register right now (here) and try one as soon as you can.

I first started parkrun in 2009 in Richmond and went in fits and starts for a while. Took me 2.5 years to do 20 runs...I'd do one or two and then not do it for months. Something unimaginable now! What changed was when I started volunteering at Bedfont Lakes parkrun in early 2012 - it was part of my new training regime when I was cross-training on Saturdays. So I'd cycle the 4.5 miles there, volunteer as a marshal or scanner, then cycle home.

By volunteering, I started to get to know the core team more as you'd see the same faces every week. Saturday mornings quickly turned into parkrunday.  A few months later I offered to take over the news reports, Facebook and twitter feeds and then became a Run Director (who has responsibility for a run on a given Saturday, usually as part of a rota). Less than 10 months after first volunteering, I agreed to take over as Event Director along with Ian Cockram to replace the amazing Sharon Gibson who was stepping down. (The Event Director has overall responsibility for the whole event)

parkrun is such a major part of my life now it's hard to imagine what I would do without it. I've made some great friends there, many of whom accompany me on some of my Long Slow Runs on Sundays. The buzz and atmosphere around the park at 8.55 on a Saturday morning never fails to thrill me, nor dos the sight of so many disparate runners - old, young, fast, slow etc winding their way through the park


Aside from the social side, having a weekly timed 5k run is an enormous bonus to training. I have 73 parkrun times in my history, so it's a great database to look back on your time history. It can be used to develop speed over the shorter distances, or as part of a longer run - some weeks I push hard for a fast time, other weeks I take it easy and enjoy the run or help a friend try and break their PB.

Right now parkrun is almost a diversion from my training - it's the most enjoyable run of the week for me and feels like such a contrast to my marathon paced run on Thursday or my LSR.

And when my marathon training is finished, and the 26.2 miles is a memory, I'll still be back at parkrun every Saturday morning  - usually at Bedfont Lakes, but sometimes as a tourist at one of the other events :-)

Grinding

Grinding. It's a popular phrase in sports. It's used in football and rugby when a team isn't playing particularly well but still winning. Normally there it's used like "they're grinding our results"

In US sports they tend to be more succinct and just use "grinding". And while they'll apply it to team sports, I've usually heard it associated with golf, an individual sport. "He's grinding out there". In essence, it means someone who's just doing his best to keep it going. Not in tip-top shape or pulling miraculous shots out of the bag, but doing what needs to be done and hitting the ball one shot at a time.

That's what I'm doing right now. I'm grinding.


I'm smack in the middle of the toughest section of training - the last three weeks before taper. This week consisted of intervals on Tuesday, 9 miles at marathon pace on Thursday (after work), parkrun + 5k on Saturday (one 5k hard, one easy. Still 10k), and finishing with 17.6 miles today round Bushy Park.

I won't lie - this is HARD. It's difficult to articulate fully but it seems like I'm permanently either training, thinking about training or recovering from training. Forcing myself to 9 miles after work on a Thursday is hard. Completing my interval sessions is hard. Running in today's sun was hard (Oh and I got sunburned. In 18degC heat. At 10am. Sigh). The last 5k was an exercise in putting one foot in front of the other and focussing on the finish. Grinding.

Plus, my days of weekend lie-ins (even to 8.00) are a distant memory. When the Sunday run is 2.5 hours +, starting early is a necessity if you want to save some of the day for yourself. In practice, that means being up at 7am or earlier so I can get some food in and start running by 8.00 or 8.15. End result? I feel permanently tired....

Oh, and Saturday night drinks are verboten. Sunday night is the new Saturday for me. Hic.

Anyway - don't think I'm disheartened or losing motivation. I'm not. I'm still excited about London and focused on the training. It's just, you know, HARD!